The world has been shaken by the health crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, and Africa has not been spared. Containment measures put in place to contain the spread of the virus have had devastating consequences on many countries on the continent.
According to a study published in Tropical Medicine and Health in 2022, lockdowns have caused collateral damage to the health systems and economies of many African countries. Another study published in BMJ Global Health highlighted that lockdowns have harmed public health in Africa by disrupting the functioning of health systems and causing social and economic disruption.
For the privileged few who were able to work from home, the lockdowns did not pose a major problem in ensuring a means of subsistence. However, for the vast majority of the African population working in the informal sector, the lockdowns have been catastrophic.
Lockdown regulations across the continent have been described by scientists and researchers at the Pan-African Epidemic and Pandemic Task Force as a “class-based and unscientific instrument, detrimental to low-income populations” in Africa.
Lockdowns have exacerbated inequalities and increased national debt, further deepening the debt crisis facing the continent.
The militarization of lockdowns in Angola has led to the loss of civil autonomy and loss of human lives and livelihoods according to Professor Fernandes Wanda of the Center for Social and Economic Research at Agostinho Neto University in Angola.
The economic crisis following the pandemic is also hitting Nigeria hard, with an unprecedented economic crisis according to Toby Green, of King’s College London and author of “The Covid Consensus”.
The consequences of the treatment of the pandemic in Africa have been characterized as neocolonial, marginalizing indigenous medical systems, neglecting the perspectives of public health actors in Africa and emphasizing Covid vaccination over the treatment of other serious illnesses. such as malaria and tuberculosis.
On the other hand, the pandemic has created new billionaires almost every day, widening inequality on a global scale.
According to Oxfam International, the world’s 10 richest men have more than doubled their fortunes, while the incomes of 99% of the world’s population have fallen, plunging more than 160 million people into poverty.
Additionally, the pandemic and current pandemic preparedness initiatives centralize control over global public health, undermining the national and health sovereignty of countries in the Global South.
As the World Health Organization (WHO) negotiates two instruments to give it sweeping powers in the event of another pandemic, the consequences could be enormous for developing countries in Africa.
It is essential to raise awareness about the potential dangers of these agreements for national and health sovereignty in Africa, and groups like the Pan-African Epidemic and Pandemic Working Group are mobilizing to raise awareness on this issue.
In conclusion, the response to the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the inequalities and challenges facing the African continent, while underscoring the need for a more fair and equitable approach to ensuring health and well-being of all citizens.