Dr. Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, speaks to COVID-19 Africa Watch about the future—and renewed importance—of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the role of technology, infrastructure, and governance will play in the recovery from the pandemic, and the global response to the economic crisis.

Key Takeaways

The following are a few of the main takeaways from COVID-19 Africa Watch‘s conversation with Dr. Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and U.N. Under-Secretary General:

• In much of the world, the health crisis caused by COVID-19 hit first. But in African countries, the economic crisis has come first.
• COVID-19 has underscored the importance of intra-African trade for economic resilience and for the AfCFTA as an essential architecture for ensuring medical supplies and other goods manufactured in Africa can travel seamlessly across the continent.
• Improving technological access and ICT infrastructure is central to ensuring health systems can cope with increased stressed the pandemic is causing.
• The initial global response has provided much-needed liquidity, but Dr. Songwe calls for “more global solidarity” both in ensuring access to eventual COVID-19 treatments and in helping African countries recover economically.

The interview was conducted by Lilian Best, Secretary to the Board of Governors of the Central Bank of Liberia and IFC-Milken Institute Capital Market Scholar.