Forge stronger ties to tackle COVID-19 fallout - President to Africa
Africa must forge stronger partnerships to tackle the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has said.
He said it was imperative that the continent abandoned half-hearted partnerships and developed new approaches that supported self-sustaining economic growth to recover from the scourge of the pandemic.
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The President said this when he addressed the opening of the 2021 African Development Bank (AfDB) Group annual meeting through a virtual platform last Wednesday.
He said Africa could not afford to ignore the significant challenges facing it as a result of the pandemic, which had claimed some 130,000 lives and pushed its economies into contraction, thereby exposing its structural fragility.
He said the continent needed to seek new pathways to recover from the challenges of COVID-19, adding: “In an unprecedented global event of this magnitude, we must engineer a response that will help accelerate our structural transformation.”
“Our will in seeing it through must be total,” the President emphasised.
Event
The three-day annual meeting is on the theme: “Building resilient economies in post-COVID-19 Africa.”
It is also a platform for the bank’s board of governors to share their countries’ experiences in addressing challenges of the pandemic and the policy measures they were employing to rebuild to improve livelihoods.
Commendation
President Akufo-Addo commended the AfDB for its coordinated response to addressing the economic fragilities arising from the pandemic, while urging it to be resourced “to position it as the catalyst for our economic advancement”.
He said there was the need to re-awaken bonds of solidarity among the group, African Union organs and institutions and regional economic communities to demonstrate a united commitment towards rebuilding back better.
“With the right set of targeted investments from the AfDB, countries will accelerate their growth and job creation and lay the foundation for a sustainable recovery and economic build-back. The AfDB has a distinct role that no other bilateral or multilateral development partner can match,” the President said.
He further expressed the hope that the bank would pursue additional collaborations, partnerships and continued allocation of substantial resources “towards initiatives that accelerate our chances at building back boldly, better and greener”.
“I ask that we remain focused in promoting inclusive growth, especially in digitalisation, health, agriculture, industrial processing and the elimination of gender disparities,” the President added.
Other participants also said the role of the bank would be critical in building more resilient economies in a post-pandemic period.