This event has now passed. To view the video please visit the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa YouTube page.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact across Africa, with the full social, economic and political implications yet unknown. To different extents African governments have imposed lockdowns, closed borders and seen development initiatives upended at a time when they are needed most. Affecting the poorest the hardest, the crisis threatens to overrun health and social services, exacerbate food insecurity, heighten violent conflicts, and further challenge vulnerable communities such as refugees and internally displaced populations.
Any response must work alongside ongoing efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, including drought, address crop failure, and in some regions tackle pre-existing widespread health issues. At the same time, governments and charities may see their own capacity for interventions diminished.
What is the development and humanitarian outlook for Africa in one year’s time? What national and international actions are expected, and where and how will they be delivered?
Experts on development and humanitarianism in Africa will outline their predictions in the face of the current crisis. By looking ahead, the speakers will highlight emerging challenges and assign priorities as events unfold.
Speakers
Duncan Green is Senior Strategic Adviser at Oxfam GB, Professor in Practice in International Development at the London School of Economics, honorary Professor of International Development at Cardiff University and a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Development Studies. He is author of several books including How Change Happens (OUP, October 2016) and he runs the blog From Poverty to Power.
Vanessa Moungar is Director for Gender, Women and Civil Society at the African Development Bank and a former Senior Manager at the World Economic Forum, responsible for Africa. She has led large-scale public-private collaboration efforts engaging leaders of African governments, the private sector and civil society in partnerships across health, education, infrastructure and energy.
Degan Ali is an Executive Director and Board Member of Adeso, a humanitarian and development organisation changing the way people think about and deliver aid in Africa. She has strong professional qualifications with an impressive track record of more than 20 years of hands-on experience in strategic planning, organisational development, program management, and business development strategies.
Professor Alex de Waal is an Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School, Tufts University and a lead investigator at the LSE Centre for Public Authority and International Development. He has worked in north-east Africa for thirty years, including as an adviser on Sudan to the African Union.
Kiran Jobanputra is Deputy Medical Director of the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Amsterdam centre and head of its Manson Unit in London. His areas of expertise include improving access to care for diabetes in humanitarian settings and management of non-communicable diseases in informal urban settlements.
The livestream was broadcasted on the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa Facebook page.