The African Union will open a two-day virtual summit on Saturday to discuss the continent’s response to Covid-19 and security issues that have been overlooked during the pandemic.
This is coming one year after the continent recorded its first coronavirus case in Egypt.
The continent has so far recorded 3.5 percent of global coronavirus (105,957,146) cases and 4 percent of global (2,310,159) deaths, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Many African countries are battling with the second wave of the virus, and struggling to procure sufficient vaccine doses from more advanced countries to curb the spread of the virus. And African leaders are speaking out against hoarding by rich countries at the expense of poorer ones.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver a pandemic response update during the closed portion of the summit on Saturday, AFP reports.
The leaders will also discuss the issue of vaccine financing, says Africa CDC director John Nkengasong, at a conference.
