This article is written by ’Dapo Oyewole, World Fellow at Yale University & Aspen Institute’s New Voices Programme

Watching governments across the world scramble to respond to the multifaceted challenges posed by the novel coronavirus pandemic, has been like looking at a patient's x-ray slides.

Across the world, government systems, structures and resources are being severely stretched, with many bursting at the seams and others on the brink of collapse. What seemed stable just a few months ago now appears frail under the x-ray lens of Covid-19. Clearly, the diagnosis is that globally, no government has shown itself to be fully prepared nor equipped for a pandemic of this nature nor on this scale. And in Africa, we are dealing with added challenges including dense slums and under-resourced health systems.

If we are to stand a fighting chance of successfully tackling pandemics at home and abroad, we must revisit multilateralism and strengthen relevant international and regional agencies, not weaken, undermine, de-fund or discard them

From scientific projections, this fight against the coronavirus could be a dress rehearsal for tackling the “new normal” of waves of global pandemics to come. To prepare for these, and to mitigate the negative impact on lives and livelihoods, it is vital that African governments proactively learn lessons from the ongoing battle against the coronavirus. Below, I highlight some of these key lessons:

Lesson 1: All tiers of government matter — we need inclusion, synergy and collaboration across all tiers of government

Leadership, speed and synergy across government are essential in tackling public health emergencies of this magnitude. In times of crises, there is no place for the theatrics of political grandstanding, government in-fighting or inter-agency bickering. It is the solemn duty of all government agencies and actors to lay aside political differences and focus on working together to save and serve all citizens affected. Therefore, the ability of leaders to proactively draw together and work with the different tiers, arms and institutions of government in providing an effective coordinated response, could make or mar the lives and livelihoods of many.

What I call “The Four Cs of Public Sector Crisis Management”—, "coherence” "communication”, "coordination” and "collaboration”, is more crucial now than ever for saving lives. Fostering these "Four Cs”, may require, for example, the creation of a standing intra-governmental, inter-agency, multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder task force that will be equipped to rapidly respond to pandemic outbreaks and other public health emergencies. To fight pandemics successfully, all tiers, arms and agencies of government at all levels, especially the executive, legislature and judiciary, as well as local and regional governments, must work together if any meaningful response is to be possible. In an existential battle such as this, all tiers of government matter. A government divided against itself in a pandemic cannot stand.

Lesson 2: Multilateralism and global cooperation matter – we need strong and effective multilateral institutions to coordinate an effective global response

Another lesson learnt from this pandemic is that no single country, no matter how rich or powerful, can fight it alone. The virus does not respect territorial borders nor the concept of national sovereignty. It targets all humans alike, irrespective of geographical location, race, ethnicity or nationality. This is why the world needs all nations to come together in tackling what is both a domestic and an international emergency. Now and in the future, if we are to stand a fighting chance of successfully tackling pandemics at home and abroad, we must revisit multilateralism and strengthen relevant international and regional agencies, not weaken, undermine, de-fund or discard them.

Governments that have been slow or reluctant to embrace digital technology or "e-government” more specifically, will remain unable to reach, understand or respond efficiently to the needs of citizens in these challenging times

Global pandemics require a global response and as member states of multilateral and international institutions, African governments must focus on strengthening and more substantively contributing to these global institutions. Without collective systems and structures for global governance that facilitate coordination and cooperation at times of global emergencies, no single country will be able to tackle the pandemic holistically nor sustainably.

Lesson 3: Africa must embrace technology and e-governance – Africa needs to adapt and expand the use of digital technology in public administration and delivery of public services

Technology is one of the greatest, yet untapped, tools for improving the quality of government, enhancing democracy, creating jobs, generating revenue and delivering public services in Africa. It has also proven an effective instrument for tackling corruption, blocking fiscal leakages, improving public sector procurement, and transparency in public financial management. A 2016 McKinsey report on government transformation shows that worldwide, digital governance can boost government productivity by $1 trillion annually.

At a time when physical distancing and restricted movement will become the new normal, governments that have been slow or reluctant to embrace digital technology or "e-government” more specifically, will remain unable to reach, understand or respond efficiently to the needs of citizens in these challenging times. For example, during periods of lockdowns and restricted movement, some essential government functions and services can continue unfettered with the right technology. In large or poor countries where the tentacles of government are unable to reach far-flung regions in the hinterlands, technology can help in delivering health, education and other social services. Also, digital technology such as Artificial Intelligence, FinTech and blockchain, can substantially improve government decision-making, logistics, operations, coordination and communication, while enhancing responsiveness to citizens and improving the infrastructure for delivery of public goods and services.

You need experienced experts to make well-informed decisions

Lesson 4: Africa must rethink its spending priorities — budgetary priorities must focus more on health, education, human capital development and social protection

It is often said that what you spend on reflects your priorities. Sadly, as a legacy of the colonial era and as a result of several civil wars and coups between the 1960s and 1990s, many African governments have continued to prioritise security and defence budgets over health and education. The hard lesson taught by the coronavirus pandemic is that "state-centric” budgeting and spending patterns are no longer feasible, as we now battle new threats to human and national security. The world has changed, Africa has changed and government budgetary priorities on the continent must now also change.

Currently, African countries spend an average of about 6% of their GDP on health and roughly 5% on education. An immediate increase in health budgetary allocations to no lower than the 15% of GDP pledged by AU Member countries at the Abuja Declaration of 2001 and a corresponding increase in education budgets to an even higher percentage, are crucial for the continent’s long-term economic growth and social development. Further investment in human development and social protection programmes are also essential to help cushion the impact of lockdowns and social restrictions during outbreaks. Additionally, Africa must invest more in both scientific and academic research, and also develop or adopt technology to address its own unique challenges. All these will not only create jobs, build domestic capacity and increase self-sufficiency and national pride, but will also allow countries on the continent to determine their own priorities and decide the best approach towards solving their own problems.

Lesson 5: Experts matter – you cannot wing it, find the best experts and listen to them

The prioritisation of political expediency above intellectualism has bedevilled the global political space in recent times. This has seen the snubbing and ridiculing of the advice of experts and scientists on a variety of serious policy matters ranging from climate change, to national security and even in tackling this coronavirus. However, as we have learnt in this crisis, the role of scientists, subject-matter experts and technocrats cannot be overstated. When it comes to public health emergencies, the opinion of experts outweighs that of political actors, arm-chair analysts or spin doctors. You need experienced experts to make well-informed decisions.

While tackling the pandemic at the medical frontlines, rigorous scenario planning and in-depth policy thinking should also be taking place on how African countries can use this global "reset”, forced on us by the coronavirus

Sadly, in many African countries, the experts and scientists are few, badly remunerated and oftentimes, completely relegated to either rubber-stamping or legitimising political decisions. This must change. The practice of filling technical positions with political allies that may not have any meritorious basis for holding such positions; or the practice of side-lining experts to the "geek corner” cannot continue if politicians wish to make the right decisions that will save lives not just win votes.

Lesson 6: Africa must position itself for the post-Covid global economy – the continent must pre-empt emerging needs in the post-Covid global economy and position to meet them

The Harvard political economist Joseph Shumpeter spoke of the concept of "creative destruction” in describing the dismantling of established processes to make way for improved methods of production in an economy. If we apply this concept to the state of global markets today, it can be argued that the outbreak of the coronavirus has hit the button of creative destruction in the global economy.

Global trade and supply chain systems and structures have broken down and as a result, some industries are set to collapse from the attendant logistical challenges and losses. Conversely, new industries are already mushrooming in response to new needs ushered-in by the "pandemic economy”. Now, this could be good or bad for Africa, depending on how well governments prepare and position for these emerging opportunities.

If African governments, begin to think through and plan for the post-Covid global economy today, they could position themselves to benefit from the new economic order to emerge from the "creative destruction” triggered by this pandemic. While tackling the pandemic at the medical frontlines, rigorous scenario planning and in-depth policy thinking should also be taking place on how African countries can use this global "reset”, forced on us by the coronavirus, to reposition themselves in the global marketplace. This could be the silver lining for Africa if governments on the continent seize the opportunity. — 'Dapo Oyewole

’Dapo Oyewole is a Yale and Aspen Fellow. A graduate of the London School for Economics and Political Science (LSE), he is Co-Editor of "Development as Dignity”and an adviser to governments, international agencies, academic institutions and consulting firms in the areas of governance, public policy and development. Email: dapo@dapo-oyewole.com

(Picture credit: Unsplash)

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