SHARM EL-SHEIKH – The World Youth Forum resumes its activities to form constructive visions of our common future. As Covid-19 has hit every corner in the world, it was of paramount importance to tackle Africa’s post-pandemic future in light of the 2063 agenda.
Ambassador Namira Negm, the first woman in charge of the African Union (AU) Legal Counsel Office, delivered a speech on this issue to the forum. In an interview with The Egyptian Gazette, Negm spoke about AU action to address the challenges facing the African continent in view of the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Basically, we are not yet over Covid-19. The AU has been supporting its member states during the pandemic with kits for PCR tests and training medical teams,” Negm said.
“At the beginning of the crisis, we found that only three countries – Senegal, Egypt and South Africa – were able to do testing,” Negm added.
As for the African Centre of Disease Control, which is part of the AU, she said: “It plays big role in training medical teams and at the same time it plays a major role in mobilising resources from all over the world either in form of donations or PCR kits and medication, while it is trying to provide vaccines and distribute them in member states.
“Covid-19 had a profound impact on our programmes supporting member states as we have been running on an austerity budget for the last two years. The budgets of international organisations depend on member states, and if member states are suffering, we suffer,” she said.
“Now it’s our new life. We try to adapt to it. We also try to gain more support from our partners who are also suffering economically. We are trying so hard to assist member states as much as we can,” she added.
Regarding her participation in the WYF, the ambassador, “Being here is as part of AU efforts to work with youth and participating countries. This will help us understand the problems and see what we can do to help,” the ambassador said.
Despite the challenges, Negm has sent a message of hope for Africa’s economic development in the post-Covid era.
Negm believes that many lessons from the pandemic highlight the need for more research and development of medicine and medical tools.
As for climate change, the ambassador stressed the importance of devising strategies to counter the negative impacts of climate change and ensure the growth of entrepreneurship among young people in order to limit migration.”
The African Union has launched five-year continental Green Recovery Action Plan 2021-2027 for a clean and resilient recovery in Africa that will not only create jobs in the industries of the future, but also overcome challenges in public health, prosperity and climate change.
Regarding the future of digital transformation in Africa, Negm said digitisation has become the new norm. She referred to AU elections that were held remotely online for the first time in the history of the organisation.
“In the forum, we have seen remote participation in hybrid sessions with great interaction,” she said.
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