What can Africa learn from coronavirus pandemic?

On April 14 this year, the US President, Donald J Trump directed his administration to defund the World Health Organization (WHO), a move that has faced unequivocal criticism from leading health experts and many world leaders. But Africa must step back and re-think on how this impacts. WHO has played a huge role in Africa in managing health crises like Ebola, HIV/AIDs among many other health issues. It has funded numerous research designed to strengthen the continent’s health systems.

This move by Mr. Trump serves as a monumental lesson for African leaders. Africa must stop over-relying on aid from Western Countries, China, and other Asian countries. Halting funding to WHO by the US should send worrying signals to African leaders that soon the West may decide to completely cut every form of funding to the continent. Then what next? We all know the role that the US government-funded projects and International NGOs play in Africa. What happens when these development partners pack and leave due to funding constraints? Already, quite a several major US government-funded projects are shutting in Africa. In Kenya, America’s PEPFAR halted support to Kenya’s blood bank and we are already feeling the pinch.