Getting timely, accurate data to get the COVID-19 pandemic under control in Africa is critical for the success of global efforts, experts said on Monday, April 20.
This was as the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) unveiled an initiative to strengthen Africa’s data ecosystems in the face of the current pandemic.
The initiative was officially announced in a virtual press briefing.
It seeks more collaboration in the areas of access to relevant data, analytics and visualization, training and capacity development, technology and connectivity, as well as financial resources.
The two organisations are collaborating in an effort towards contributing to data-driven decision-making that can expedite the fight against COVID-19.
Globally, the pandemic has caused untold suffering; killed more than 165,000 people, so far, and endangered the global economy.
"Tackling the pandemic requires data and information to ensure that policies, resources and technology are deployed in the right place and time to make the biggest possible impact,” said Vera Songwe, ECA Executive Secretary.
Songwe noted that data systems for health and other areas of policy in Africa are often fragile and frequently inadequate.
"Critical gaps in coverage and timeliness can leave governments uncertain of where the risks of infection are highest and how to deploy resources in the most effective way, as well as where food aid is needed the most in particular for women and children," Songwe said.
According to Claire Melamed, the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data’s CEO, the vulnerability of low-income countries is more alarming.
She said: "The lack of adequate shelter, sanitation, and health systems in low and lower-middle-income countries puts us at the precipice of the worst humanitarian crisis in 100 years."
"Getting timely, accurate data to get the pandemic under control in Africa is critical for the success of global efforts, and will help build strong data systems for the long term."
As explained, areas, where better data can save lives during the pandemic, include population, where it is important to understand who is most at risk, to allocate resources effectively; and health infrastructure and staffing.
Also key is in virus monitoring; and tracking the economic impacts, including business closures, the impact on agricultural production, and on trade and public spending, to put in place the right support and avoid long-term devastation.
The ECA-GPSDD partnership will work in a coordinated and coherent manner with various partners to, among others, put tested solutions to work, bringing together the right partners to understand what data and solutions are needed, make them available, and ensure they are used to save lives.
They will also work to help strengthen systems by ensuring new solutions are sustainable and can be maintained for the long-term by increasing interoperability between data sets and developing capacity among users to understand and work with data for policymaking.
They will increase the effective use of resources by targeting areas where data gaps are most acute and minimize duplication of effort.
They will also share learning and information among partners and countries for quick adoption and replication of effective solutions.
We should adapt
Speaking to The New Times, Ziad Hamoui, the National President of Borderless Alliance in Ghana, said: "Beyond the availability of data, most of the statistics are showing that the trend and timeline of the COVID-19 spread across Africa, is different than that of the rest of the world.
"So, we should adopt standardised metrics that allow us to measure and compare the variable African countries, in order to design suitable interventions in respective countries affected."
Second, Hamoui stressed, this global pandemic emphasizes the need for Africa to integrate deeper, in order to become more socially and economically resilient to fight off its repercussions, "as it disrupts international value chains."
"The upcoming FAO-AGRA webinar (on risks the pandemic poses to food supply chains in Africa) will emphasize the role of public-private collaboration in creating more resilient national and regional value chains, to the benefit of African governments, business entities and citizens."
The FAO-AGRA webinar will be held on Wednesday, April 22.
According to Teddy Kaberuka, a Rwandan economist, the continent now needs more, in addition to timely and accurate data to effectively combat the pandemic.
Kaberuka said: "True, Africa needs data in fighting the pandemic. But also it needs a very strong health system; hospitals with equipment, doctors, and nurses, capable of providing quality health services."
"Also citizens need to have an income allowing them to afford basic needs such as food and non-food essential needs."
The GPSDD is a global network including governments, businesses, and civil society organizations working around the world to harness the data revolution for sustainable development.