Multilateralism and Management of Public Health Emergencies: A Case Study of the Africa Joint Continental Strategy for COVID-19 Outbreak

Abstract

As the world continues to grapple with a pandemic that struck in January 2020, the responses of governments and international organisations to control and combat it varied albeit with different levels of success. Some responses gave rise to nationalist as well as anti-multilateral and -international sentiments and actions, including the politicisation of the pandemic and a retreat from multilateral and international institutions of cooperation. However, the African Union’s response was a beacon of multilateralism as manifested by the adoption of an Africa Joint Continental Strategy for COVID-19 Outbreak. This instrument is a coherent and pervasive framework for combatting the pandemic and forms the basis of the continent’s response by informing the responses of the regional economic communities and member states. Despite this important outline of policy articulation that is geared towards informing policy convergence, the Africa Joint Continental Strategy remains under-analysed and under-appreciated as an example of agency, effectiveness, leadership, multilateralism and indeed sagacity.