Collaborations among African countries in the fight against the COVID-19 disease can help the
continent scale through the crisis, Dr. Amy Jadesimi, the Managing Director of LADOL Free Zone (LADOL) has said.
continent scale through the crisis, Dr. Amy Jadesimi, the Managing Director of LADOL Free Zone (LADOL) has said.
Dr. Jadesimi, who is a Supergroup founding member of the African Influencers for Development
Initiative (AIDI), a coalition set up with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), disclosed this in a statement by LADOL’s Public Relations Office.
Initiative (AIDI), a coalition set up with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), disclosed this in a statement by LADOL’s Public Relations Office.
This coalition of current and future development champions in African business, academia and the arts, supported by the UNDP, is focused on co-discovering and co-implementing innovative solutions for some of Africa’s biggest challenges
The statement quoted Dr. Jadesimi as saying: “Working with the African Union, AU and/or otherwise collaborating with other African countries will help us get through this crisis.
“We should help our smaller neighbours, both because this is the right thing to do morally but also because from an epidemiological perspective, if we don’t eradicate this virus or the threat it poses, every country in Africa remain at risk.
“The economic ramifications may be as devastating for us as the health crisis, which is why the Government’s quick action in setting up funds to protect SMEs and Nigerian jobs is very reassuring.”
The LADOL MD added that “working with the AU will also enable the best minds on the continent to work together to come up with the solutions Africa needs in the short, medium and long-term.
“We could also collectively bargain for the materials, equipment and machinery we need and disseminate the same across the continent. Negotiating as the AU or a regional collective, would greatly strengthen our ability to purchase the right preventatives such as sanitizers, gloves, face masks and even test kits etc… as well as the machinery and equipment for treatment, not just to buy the equipment but also to manufacture it locally.
“In fact, some materials and equipment can be manufactured locally today in African countries which will be easier for us to purchase and learn from, to increase our local manufacturing capabilities.”
“I often say to people that being a Nigerian is what maintains my faith in humanity and times like this really reinforce that belief – despite the fear, the challenges and the uncertainty we are coming together as a nation and supporting each other through this,” she said.
Dr. Jadesimi believes that as the most populous nation in Africa, Nigeria has unique challenges, responsibilities and opportunities, and that both Federal and State Governments had risen quickly to the challenge and acted far quicker than some Western Governments.
“Nigeria, in fact Africa, must deal with this alone so it is good that the public and private sector are working together on this effort,” she said.
