The decision by several regional countries to forge a common front in the fight against coronavirus is commendable.
Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Sudan, Somalia and South Sudan, under the aegis of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad), have agreed to formulate a regional response to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
Regional states have a history of stepping in to aid each other in times of distress.
They have donated food during times of drought, mediated during conflicts or dispatched military personnel to fight for the freedom of citizens as is the case currently in Somalia.
There is no better time to display this sense of unity and benevolence than this when all countries are confronting a common enemy – coronavirus – that threatens their people's existence.
This co-operation will enable these countries to not only learn from each other the tactics of battling this new deadly enemy, but to also lend each other a helping hand whenever possible.
Importantly, regional leaders have agreed to establish an anti-Covid-19 Africa Fund, meaning all African states might ultimately be engaged in the effort to fight the disease.
Indeed, the fight against coronavirus should be a joint effort among all countries. As we have seen, thanks to globalisation, the coronavirus disease spreads extremely fast between and within countries. That is why the virus must be exterminated across the world.
This means that even if one country defeats the virus within its borders, this victory would be short-lived as long as other countries have infections. This is what China is learning the hard way.
