The unprecedented immediate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on global, regional and national health systems, economies, trade, cultures, and societies have attracted significant interest globally an across countries. Both the public and private sectors, individuals and communities are struggling to respond to the impact of the pandemic. Different countries have adopted unprecedented but unequal measures to contain the virus, each according to its capacity.
The African Development Institute (ECAD) launched on 29 April 2020 a Global Community of Practice (G-CoP) to facilitate knowledge synthesis and policy dialogue, training, capacity development and technical assistance to inform policy responses of the African Regional Member Countries (RMCs) to the short, medium and long-term policy questions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In collaboration with anchor institutions in Africa and globally, ECAD hosted an inaugural e-seminar on “Enhancing Resilience in African Economies: Macro-Economic Policy Responses to COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa,” on 29 April 2020. A second seminar on: “Building Resilience in Food Systems and Agricultural Value Chains: Agricultural Policy Responses to COVID-19 in Africa” was held on 18 and 19 May 2020 with delegates from the Western and Eastern hemispheres, respectively. The seminars brought together 516 and 770 delegates, respectively; including leading local and global experts, former Ministers of Finance, former Central Bank Governors, senior leadership of Government Ministries and Parastatals, and practitioners to synthesize knowledge and experiences around the world and provide context-specific guidance on the short, medium and long-term policy options available to African countries in a post COVID-19 era.
