By Victor Oladokun April 3, 2020



Two days ago, I received an urgent plea from Massimo, a good friend and a highly respected Italian journalist based in Rome. His message was simple, urgent and straight to the point.



 “Please Victor, pay attention” he urged. “This virus is not ‘just a flu’ as some still insist it is. Keep your distance. Wash your hands regularly. Don’t touch your face, eyes and mouth. Avoid crowded places where you cannot maintain the required social distance … pay attention my friend!”



Italy has given the rest of the world a tragic glimpse of what a lockdown needs to look, especially for countries that blink and fail to take action fast. Italy’s experience is an urgent wake-up call about the importance of swift and decisive action.



Massimo knows first-hand what’s at stake. A few hours earlier, he had lost a professional colleague. His country, which has a social culture very similar to Africa’s, now has more than 13,000 deaths from COVID-19. It is the highest number of fatalities anywhere in the world. And the body count is still rising.



Africa has had some lead time to learn important lessons and proactively engage&nbsp; the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other multilateral institutions, to hell put containment and preventative measures in place.



While others have wasted precious early moments, some countries and cities have been exemplars of what it takes to counter the spread of COVID-19. Rwanda for example, was the first country to take swift containment actions by placing portable sinks with running water in public spaces in its capital city and backing it up with a public awareness campaign. The Governor of Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial hub, was also quick to convert a local stadium into an isolation and recovery area. Last week, Nigeria’s President Muhamadu Buhari placed the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, Lagos and two neighbouring States, under lockdown for two weeks. Ultimately, Nigeria with a population of 180 million, will have to lock down for an even longer period of time. 



Several other countries are following suit. But many others are woefully lagging behind. There is still an unwillingness to acknowledge that not taking decisive and painful short-term action, will have devastating long-term consequences. 



Exposing systemic weaknesses



In spite of Africa’s best efforts, more must be done. The outlook for the continent is grim unless swift proactive actions are taken. For now, the pandemic is exposing deep cracks and systemic weaknesses across the board including a general lack of emergency preparedness, weak governance, and political, economic, social, cultural and health threats.



Millions of Africans live on less than two dollars a day. The implication is simple. A lack of access to money, food, water and electricity, means extended lockdowns will not be easy to implement. High levels of poverty and other communicable diseases were already impacting health and wellbeing long before the arrival of the coronavirus. A shortage of well-equipped and well-funded healthcare facilities is just the tip of the iceberg. Everything from doctors, clinics, hospitals, beds, medical supplies and intensive care units are in chronic short supply.



However, the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone and Liberia and collaborative action by African leaders and global partners, shows that where there is a will, there is always a way.



COVID-19 could not have arrived at a worse time for Africa. A crash in global commodity prices and a glut in the oil and gas markets has seen revenues drop precipitously. Further threats from nature, including the impact of devastating weather patterns such as Cyclone Idai and Henry and a recent plague of locusts, have to be managed alongside the pandemic.



Economically, the private sector and financial markets have taken a beating. The sudden reversal of fortunes is in stark contrast to a more positive projection in the African Development Bank’s 2020 African Economic Outlook when it was released in January 2020. The bandwidth of fiscal headroom is very thin. Commodity-sensitive economies are reeling under the effects of sudden price drops and the altered market reality of reduced global demand. Crude oil prices which now hover at $22 a barrel, have fallen more than 68% since January 2020. Non-oil commodity prices in natural gas and metals have also taken a nosedive.



Acting Fast and Thinking Authentically



Extended lockdowns carry inherent potential threats of their own and these must be managed. Along with underlying systemic weaknesses, the pandemic could unleash social unrest, the explosions of which will be as unprecedented as the virus itself.



We must therefore act fast and think authentically. Africa has its own particularities and to a certain extent, local contexts will require locally suited solutions, while drawing from global lessons. Recent videos of local communities forcefully resisting law enforcement and sanitation teams are already emerging. Such scenes are inevitable, for reasons of poverty, a lack of knowledge, and a chronic mistrust of authorities.



Concerns about informal settlements, some of the largest in the world, are a cause for worry, as is terrorism, economic and social exploitation and fragility.



Psychological impacts of a pandemic



Along with business and financial challenges, Africa’s leaders must prepare to address the social, physical and mental health fallouts from unavoidable lockdowns, social disruptions, the loss of basic human dignity, threats to civil life, and worse, the loss of life itself.



Several governments have grasped this and are stepping up, although time is not on their side. In many cases they have imposed limited two-week lockdowns in the first instance. The goal is not to alarm citizens. But this is unlikely to be sufficient as the virus apparently has its own agenda, pattern and timing! Realistically, beating COVID-19, is likely to require 6-10 weeks of total nationwide lockdowns, at a minimum.



 To not do so, is to sell an illusion. To not do so, is to delay the inevitable. To not do so, is to raise false hopes. To not do so, is to be complicit and irresponsible in the spread of this most virulent and devastating virus. Worse, it will be suicidal, not just for countries but for the continent.



Dealing with harsh realities



We must therefore deal with hard reality, scientific facts, current simulations and real global lessons. Cosmetic approaches will not work when surgical precision is required. We must marshal every resource in order to save lives … every life and especially those already living on the margins of society. The underlying ethos of Ubuntu which says – “I am, because you are,” must be unleashed with full force to save lives. We have to be brutally honest, in order to be kind to ourselves! The bottom line is that this is not a time for test runs.



Urgent action is needed now, not tomorrow. This includes –



<ol type="1"><li>Making tough and seemingly unpopular leadership decisions that will ultimately save lives and society.</li><li>Using every communication platform possible to increase public awareness and promote containment and preventative measures.</li><li>Stepping up testing and reducing the wait time between tests and test results.</li><li>Mobilising the support of public influencers including traditional, religious, civil society, entertainment celebrities, women and youth leaders.</li><li>Introducing measures to secure food and medical supply channels, fixing basic food prices, and curbing hoarding and panic-buying.</li><li>Re-purposing public spaces including conference centres, stadiums and open spaces for use as isolation and recovery centres.</li><li>Leveraging every available advantage, by focusing on low hanging fruits. For example, regional economic communities could re-organise manufacturing and target the supply of critically needed medicines, equipment and medical supplies, as well as food packaging and processing.</li><li>Delaying debt obligations and buying time with global creditors through forbearance or payment postponements. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated one third of African countries were at risk of debt distress. Post-crisis, the numbers will be significantly higher.</li></ol>



Pandemics and other global crises do not respect boundaries, titles or positions, creed, faith, gender, culture or hierarchy.



Abiy Ahmed, the Ethiopian Prime Minister and 2019 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate rightly tells us: “COVID-19 teaches us that we are all global citizens connected by a single virus that recognises none of our natural or man-made boundaries.” We are in this together, regardless of where we call home. “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu.” I am because you are.



Dr. Victor Oladokun is the former Director of Communication and External Relations, African Development Bank Group.



For more coverage on COVID-19 visit: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/">https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/</a>

AFRICA LOCKS DOWN: No Time For Lockdowns

Op-Ed: Africa locks down: No time for test runs

By Dr Victor Oladokun, outgoing Director of Communication &amp; External Relations at the African Development Bank Group



Why
Africa Urgently Needs an Ubuntu Plan



Africa urgently needs a globally
coordinated Ubuntu Plan in response to COVID-19, a fiscal stimulus that
recognises our shared and connected humanity, as we find ourselves in the midst
of an unprecedented crisis.



The
world&#8217;s largest cities are eerily silent. One virus has disrupted the whole
world in a manner never seen before in history.



COVID-19,
a term that did not exist in our vocabulary a couple of months ago, has brought
virtually everything to a grinding halt. It&#8217;s a surreal almost cinematic scene.
Except that we are all living through it.&nbsp;




With governments balancing economies and
the welfare of their citizens, entire industries and institutional systems find
themselves fighting for survival in the midst of mandatory lockdowns. Food
supply chains, transportation networks, educational systems, governance and
judicial systems are either strained or barely functioning with medical
services being the worst hit.



Unlike
any other pandemic, COVID-19 will alter the way we live, work, and
socialise.&nbsp; The financial costs and the
economic devastation are already of epic proportions. This is why Africa in
particular urgently needs an Ubuntu Plan. A globally coordinated fiscal
stimulus plan that recognises our shared and connected humanity. 



The
case for an Ubuntu Plan



This
past week, America passed a 2 trillion Dollar stimulus package that will keep
markets operational, support Americans out of work, and help reduce Federal
Reserve lending rates. It is the largest bailout in the history of the United
States. European economies likewise have announced stimulus measures in excess
of 1 trillion Euros. Chinese factories are ramping up again, backed by a $344
billion stimulus package.



In
contrast, Africa&#8217;s economies are already buckling. Global demand for oil and
gas and commodity products &#8211; the mainstays of Africa&#8217;s leading economies &#8211; has
stalled. Revenues which were already overextended have dried up and small,
medium, and large enterprises are at risk of total collapse.



Last
Thursday, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
estimated that the pandemic could reduce the growth of the region&#8217;s gross
domestic product (GDP) from 3.2% to 1.8% in 2020. On 27th March, The Secretary
General of the UN Antonio Guterres said: “Africa is a continent with very
little capacity to respond and I am extremely worried that in those situations,
we might have millions of cases with millions of people dying”.



Lockdowns
are not equal



Even
though the United States, Europe and many parts of Asia are better suited
economically and infrastructurally to a lockdown, they are struggling to cope
with the burden of this sudden pandemic. A situation that will likely will be
worsened by the duration and unpredictability of the pandemic.



If
these societies are struggling, the impact on Africa is best imagined.



Prior
to the crisis, 41% of sub-Saharan Africa’s population lived on less than $1.90
a day which is very little to survive on. Seven out of ten persons (70%) in
Africa are in vulnerable and precarious forms of informal employment eking
their living on a daily basis. Lockdown, homeworking and teleconferencing is
therefore not an option. Family support systems from blue and white-collar
workers and the diaspora, are themselves under threat. Job losses will&nbsp; strain these critical informal support
systems to breaking points.



 In Africa, formal social safety nets rarely exist. Therefore, stockpiling food items for extended periods of isolation is out of consideration. Linked with this, Africa requires vast food supplies to meet the needs of the continent&#8217;s poorest who can barely afford a decent mmeal. 



Recent
cyclones, Kenneth and Idai, and a&nbsp;
plague of locusts, have already put considerable pressure on&nbsp; immediate food supplies for the continent.



Which
is why an Ubuntu Plan is now critical in order to cushion the harsh
social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. Such a plan
would include a fiscal stimulus package, the development of critical
infrastructure and support for the continent&#8217;s most vulnerable populations. 



The
fact is that in the 21st century, clean water supplies and access to
electricity are the stuff of dreams for millions of Africans. Globally, almost
800 million people are without access to clean water. Of these, 40% live in
sub-Saharan Africa.&nbsp; The simple act of
hand washing which the pandemic requires for prevention is still not possible
for millions. Linked with this, less than 58% of Africa&#8217;s population has access
to modern healthcare facilities. 



A
race against time



Africa
and its partners have already been striving hard to tackle the challenge of
eradicating poverty with measures such as the UN’s Sustainable Development
Goals, and the African Development Bank&#8217;s High5 strategy. 



The
COVID-19 pandemic however shines the spotlight on Africa’s&nbsp; poor healthcare delivery systems and
facilities and its vast challenges. Africa has one of the highest population
densities in the world. For people living in tens of thousands of informal
settlements, the idea of social distancing is inconceivable. Millions of
vulnerable low-income people live in cramped communal houses and rooms and
in&nbsp; areas that lack basic amenities,
especially water and sanitation. 



In
the short term, to effectively combat COVID-19, we urgently need self-testing
kits, personal protective equipment (PPEs), makeshift living spaces and
hospitals, recovery units and inexpensive easy-to-operate ventilators. 



The
World Health Organisation (WHO) has already issued a ten-point strategy that
calls for the creation of corridors on the continent to facilitate emergency
deployments and material shipments.&nbsp; The
plan also calls on governments and the private sector to help increase
supplies, medical equipment and care, and to strengthen surveillance and public
awareness, in order to prevent&nbsp;
continent-wide community transmission.



In
the short window available, global cooperation is imperative.



&nbsp;The African Union&#8217;s Vision Agenda 2063 and
action plan states among other things, that “We are part of the global drive
through the United Nations and other multilateral organisations to find
multi-lateral approaches to humanity’s most pressing concerns including human
security and peace, the eradication of poverty, hunger and disease &#8230;”&nbsp; 



Rethinking
the future



In
the mid to long term, we must urgently rethink social life, urban and rural
planning and our budgetary priorities, if life is to be preserved. We must&nbsp; decongest informal settlements rapidly and in
their place&nbsp; develop&nbsp; affordable housing that is suitable for
isolation&nbsp; and quarantine, in the event
of future pandemics.



There
is no better time for a globally coordinated Ubuntu Plan. To stop the
global spread of COVID-19 and its global devastation, it must be stopped in
Africa. The world must pay attention and lend a helping hand by strengthening
global cooperation, now more than ever before.&nbsp;




Ubuntu
&#8211; The preservation of human dignity, health, lives and wellbeing, demands
nothing less.

Victor

Op-Ed: Victor Oladokun on why Africa urgently needs an Ubuntu Plan

African Development Bank President bids farewell to Victor Oladokun, Director of Communication



Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, 30 March 2020 &#8211;
Outgoing Director of Communication &amp; External Relations, Dr. Victor
Oladokun’s received commendation from President of the African Development
Bank, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, for his exceptional leadership.



Dr. Oladokun, who joined the Bank in 2017, is
a veteran communications expert, and leaves the Bank on reaching the mandatory
retirement age.



“Victor joined the Bank two and half years
ago, and has provided exceptional leadership on communication. He has led an
outstanding team. &nbsp;We have built a structure that is able to support us,
to get our news out globally and at the regional level and to make sure that
our member countries and shareholders are fully aware of what we are doing. We
never had that.”



The President praised the communication team
for their tremendous work in training local and regional African journalists to
help understand the Bank’s work and to report better on getting the message of
the Bank across African countries.



“I must say that the quality of the support
that the communication team has provided to the Bank for our Annual Meetings
has been simply remarkable. &nbsp;We have now reached a bar,” Adesina said,
adding that the Board of Directors commended Oladokun at their last meeting.



“I would like for all of us to thank Victor
Oladokun for being an outstanding professional, for being such a dedicated
staff, for being somebody who mentored and supported all of his staff. Victor,
as you leave the Bank, please go well. Our thoughts and blessings are with
you.”



Responding, Victor Oladokun said it was
&#8220;a singular honor&#8221; of his professional life to have worked at the
Bank. 



Addressing members of the communication team,
he said, “you are a stellar and innovative team that has always gone the extra
mile. Well done. &nbsp;I encourage you to continuing reaching for new heights
in the months and years ahead.”



Dr. Oladokun acknowledged President Adesina&#8217;s
visionary leadership and his role in helping re-shape the narrative of a new
and resurgent Africa.



To staff, he concluded, &#8220;As I leave the
bank, I take with me our shared memories, challenges, and successes. Thanks for
allowing me to be a part of this journey and for the excellent support you have
given me as your Director of Communication. I will forever be grateful.&#8221; 



Contact: Emeka Anuforo, Communication and
External Relations Department, African Development Bank, email: <a href="mailto:e.anuforo@afdb.org">e.anuforo@afdb.org</a>

AfDB President bids farewell to Victor Oladokun, Director of Communication

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It has been a great week for Africa and for the Africa Investment Forum, Victor Oladokun, the African Development Bank’s Director of Communications and moderator of several panel discussions at the AIF, told CNBC Africa’s Kopano Gumbi.

Africa Investment Forum: AfDB’s Oladokun on key takeaways from the just ended forum

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The Africa Investment Forum, a game-changer to tilt capital flow into the continent will take place from 11-13 November 2019 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. CNBC Africa&#8217;s Karabo Letlhatlha spoke to Victor Oladokun, Director of Communication and External Relations at the African Development Bank.

Victor Oladokun: Here’s what to expect from the Africa Investment Forum

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The impact of Cyclone Idai, earlier this year ravaged the Southern Africa region and brought home the need for immediate response to climate change. South Africa’s Minister of Environmental Affairs, Barbara Creecy discusses why we need rapid responses and the reinvestment necessary in the green climate fund.

Minister Barbara Creecy on how to mitigate climate change impact on the SA economy

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At the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town, Victor Oladokun the Director, Communication &#038; External Relations at the African Development Bank Group joins CNBC Africa&#8217;s Kenneth Igbomor to discuss what the AfDB is doing to economically empower Africa’s youth.

victor oladokun

Op-Ed: Africa locks down: No time for test runs

Op-Ed: Victor Oladokun on why Africa urgently needs an Ubuntu Plan

AfDB President bids farewell to Victor Oladokun, Director of Communication

Africa Investment Forum: AfDB’s Oladokun on key takeaways from the just ended forum

Victor Oladokun: Here’s what to expect from the Africa Investment Forum

Minister Barbara Creecy on how to mitigate climate change impact on the SA economy

Africa’s youth is its biggest asset and that’s where we should be investing, says AfDB’s Victor Oladokun

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victor oladokun

Op-Ed: Africa locks down: No time for test runs

Op-Ed: Victor Oladokun on why Africa urgently needs an Ubuntu Plan

AfDB President bids farewell to Victor Oladokun, Director of Communication

Africa Investment Forum: AfDB’s Oladokun on key takeaways from the just ended forum

Victor Oladokun: Here’s what to expect from the Africa Investment Forum

Minister Barbara Creecy on how to mitigate climate change impact on the SA economy

Africa’s youth is its biggest asset and that’s where we should be investing, says AfDB’s Victor Oladokun

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