The impact of the pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa, to this date, remains markedly lower compared to other global regions such as the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Five National Centres (NCs) from the African Health Observatory Platform on Health Systems and Policies (AHOP), based in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Senegal, reflect on the containment strategies and coordination of responses in the initial phases of the pandemic.
They construct timelines to track policy interventions and their health impact and analyse governance structures that emerged to deal with the outbreak.
They outline the challenges associated with introducing a range of public health measures and with coordinating implementation across sectors and stakeholders. They also discuss the extent to which these measures and the bodies set up to implement them continue to be of value given the ever-changing nature of the pandemic.
They find that early implementation, respect for the fundamentals of public health, and a recognition that pandemic response must go beyond health – all contributed to effective management of the pandemic.
Download the reports here:
[EN] Containment strategies: lessons from early COVID-19 responses in five African countries
[EN] Coordinating action: lessons from early COVID-19 response in five African countries
