By 
The future can be shaped by our collective imagination, so we must share our vision. That is one of the core principles that has guided the Africa 2.0 community as it has come together in recent weeks to compile the paper “Collateral Benefits” that launches today on the organisations website. The paper brings together 27 opinion pieces from 17 thinkers and doers, providing a nuanced, multi-country-multi-sector outlook on both the challenges and opportunities for Africa, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Africa 2.0 is a pan-African civil society group
made up of emerging and established leaders who have a shared vision for the
transformation of the continent. This paper draws on the experience and
expertise of the organisation’s membership community, to bring a much-needed
Africa perspective to the global conversation surrounding the impact of
COVID-19. Mamadou Touré, Chairman and Founder of Africa 2.0 said “there is
much to be proud of within Africa and its Diaspora, but also much that needs to
improve and the COVID-19 pandemic is a test to our African resilience. With
Collateral Benefits we want to use this situation to ignite actions that leave
behind a long-lasting legacy based on unity, freedom and prosperity”.
Lead editors of the paper, Susana Edjang and
Sarah J Owusu explain: ‘we wanted to create a rich resource, that lifts up the
human perspective and encourages African people everywhere to start imagining
what may be possible beyond the immediate disruption caused by the spread of
the virus.’
The contributions to the paper span topics such
as agriculture, gender relations, media and culture, youth, health and
education, leadership, entrepreneurship and diaspora. The editors want this
paper to encourage people to join the conversation, bring visibility to what is
happening and spark action so that, as they say in the paper, “when we
emerge from our lockdowns, the narrative has changed for the better, for the
benefit of all”.
Read the article here: https://tinyurl.com/y9ha6aln
Collateral Benefits – Africa 2.0 paper
List of articles
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
The accelerated transformation of Africa’s digital
economy
Grace Obado
At last a pan-African synchrotron
Susana Edjang
Platform revolution for Africa rising
Teddy Waria
AGRICULTURE
& SUSTAINABILITY
A green revolution: Putting agribusiness first
Caleb Tamfu
A chance for sustainable food security?
Ayo Sotinrin
ECONOMY,
FINANCE & NATURAL RESOURCES
Opportunities on the financial front
Caleb Tamfu
Africa’s energy: a sudden confluence of
uncertainties
Adebowale Lukanmbi
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Time for sleeping giants to wake
Doreen Mbaya
Africa’s secret weapon: women and youth
Mireille Tushiminina
We all must be entrepreneurs
Ruth Dresseign Deneke
Let entrepreneurs redefine the economy
Sefa Gohoho Boatin
HEALTHCARE
Agrihealth: expanding Africa’s superfoods
Caleb Tamfu
Healthcare is an ecosystem
Ngu H. Morcho
Investments in health are investments in our
future
Ngu H. Morcho
A renewed value for African health workers
Susana Edjang
LEADERSHIP
& HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
After the masks
Ciku Kimeria
Seize the moment and look within
Dr. Elizabeth Mary Okelo
A new narrative: the rise of African leadership
Sarah J. Owusu
INCLUSIVE
DEVELOPMENT
Accelerating the case for women’s empowerment
Marina Diboma
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for
Sefa Gohoho Boatin
CLIMATE
CHANGE
A greater commitment to green growth
Ayo Sotinrin
ARTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT
Overcoming fake news and media
Obi Asika
Nurturing the thirst for African original content
Obi Asika
Created in our own image
Sefa Gohoho Boatin
COMMUNITY,
CULTURE & DIASPORA
Recognition, justice and development
Susana Edjang
Time to put people first
Rita Chami
FABA. For Africa. By Africa. (an origin story)
Obi Asika
FEC, meeting, VPN, COVID-19, virtual, access
COVID-19: Buhari to meet ministers online as FEC goes virtual
Tomorrow, (Wednesday May 13, 2019), President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to chair the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting – the country’s highest decision-making body, virtually. The FEC meeting will hold within a virtual private network (VPN) allowing access only to those permitted to log on and join the meeting.
The weekly FEC will be reconvening after it was suspended indefinitely in March following the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown across Nigeria. The last FEC meeting held physically March 18, 2020, inside the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Tomorrow’s FEC meeting makes history as the first time Nigerian government will be meeting to take the decisions at the highest level within virtual space.
Earlier in the week, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami had supervised a test run of the virtual tools that the FEC will leverage to have its novel online meeting.
Three agencies under the supervision of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy are providing the connectivity and online tools.
The agencies: Galaxy Backbone, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSat) Limited are providing the digital platform and technical support to ensure a glitch free FEC meeting.
While work has gradually resumed in most public establishments, government businesses are largely conducted online as ‘partial lockdown remains to check the spread of the dreaded coronavirus.
Ministers are expected to join the president from their respective offices.
