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The Intersections of Health, Social and Economic Recovery

Amref Health Africa

Dalberg

Past Event

Thursday, Nov 04, 2021
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM (UTC)

Registration Required

Hosts

Amref Health Africa

Dalberg

Languages

English
English

Channels

COVID-19

Health

Human Rights

Sustainable Development

Virt Africa

About Africa Dialogues

In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across Africa and the world, Amref Health Africa and Dalberg Advisors launched the first edition of the Africa Dialogues: COVID-19 Response Webinar Series – a forum to spotlight local insights, on-the-ground intelligence, and Africa-specific frameworks to help leaders across the public, private, and social sectors share perspectives, learn from peers and navigate a post-COVID world. 

Africa Dialogues: Phase II will focus on building back better – rebuilding and strengthening health systems in Africa during and beyond the pandemic, to protect populations from future emergencies and deliver quality, affordable health care to all. The webinars will bring together political leaders, technical experts, opinion shapers, community leaders, activists and more to highlight best practices, policy recommendations, success stories, home-grown solutions, and opportunities for collaboration to address the current and emerging challenges facing the African health sector. 

Webinar Topic: Intersections of Health, Social, and Economic Recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all facets of life, altering the fabric of society and forcing us to reevaluate how we live, work, learn and interact. Almost two years since the first COVID-19 case was reported, its socio-economic impact continues to be felt across the continent, which is still reeling from the effects of school closures, movement restrictions and depressed economic activity. These have in turn had widespread negative consequences that have put vulnerable groups such as women, girls and the poor at even greater risk from exacerbated education inequality, loss of income, and increased food insecurity. 

In navigating the pandemic African countries have had to learn crucial lessons on the intersection between health, policy and governance, social development and economic growth, and their implications on the continent’s growth and development in the coming years. 

Among these lessons is the critical role that vaccines play in protecting populations, a lesson that has been made even more clear during the COVID-19 pandemic. While wealthier nations have been able to vaccinate a significant percentage of their populations, African countries to struggle to acquire and administer vaccines. By September 2021, only 4.3% of Africa’s population had received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, compared to over 70% in the European Union who have been fully vaccinated. 

As a result the need for African nations to strengthen their capacity to manufacture and distribute their own vaccines has been spotlighted, alongside calls to reduce the continent’s reliance on western powers for support through financing, technical knowledge and human resource for health systems.

In the new public health order, re-imagining of Africa’s path to social and economic recovery through multi-sectoral collaboration will be critical to foster self-reliance and promote social, economic and health security.  It will also be key to identifying longstanding challenges faced by the continent and designing and delivering holistic policies and interventions that address the intersecting health, social and economic impacts of the pandemic.

This webinar will bring together African leaders and opinion shapers to discuss strategies for inclusive and sustained pandemic recovery. Dialogue will focus on multi-stakeholder action and collaboration towards rebuilding and strengthening health systems in Africa during and after the pandemic, vaccines as a tool for recovery, and mitigation of poverty and economic vulnerability through social protection for all.

Specifically, speakers will: 

  • Explore the interconnections between the health, social and economic sectors in Africa, and their importance for growth and development.
  • Identify the effects of COVID-19 across the health, social, and economic sectors – particularly in the context of Social Determinants of Health – and share learnings from navigating these challenges during the pandemic.
  • Highlight the role of vaccines as a tool for recovery and growth and identify the challenges and opportunities for African countries seeking to procure vaccines. Discuss strategies to ‘build back better’ across the health, social, and economic sectors, and map paths of action to build resilience and accelerate recovery.

SPEAKERS AND MODERATORS

Speakers:

  • Dr. Ama Pokuaa Fenny, PhD Senior Research Fellow Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
  • Dr. Ayoade (Yodi) Olatunbosun-Alakija, Co-Chair of the African Union, African Vaccine Delivery Alliance and Founder of the Emergency Coordination Centre, Nigeria (ECC)
  • Prof Olive Shisana, President and CEO of Evidence Based Solutions, South Africa 
  • Vera Songwe, Under-Secretary-General at the United Nations, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (TBC)
  • Dr. Gueye Abdou Salam, Regional Emergency Director, World Health Organization - Regional Office for Africa (TBC)
  • Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Lead WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, & Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (TBC)

Moderators:

  • Edwin Macharia, Global Managing Partner, Dalberg Advisors 
  • Githinji Gitahi, Group Chief Executive Officer, Amref Health Africa

 

Hosts

Amref Health Africa

Dalberg