By Zinathi Gquma
“I’m positive about Africa for the future,” says former British Prime Minister Tony Blair at CNBC Africa.
Commenting on Africa’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Blair praised the continent on the initial measures that were taken to curb the spread of the virus. According to Blair, “Africa has got some things right, because the deaths in Africa are a third of the number of deaths in the UK.”
Blair’s comments echoed those of the international community, during the first stages of Covid-19 outbreaks in the continent. However, the surge in Covid-19 infections is increasing at alarming rates; with the former British Prime Minister questioning: “Is Covid-19 in Africa ticking up or taking off?”
“Governments are doing their best, but Covid-19 in Africa can take off if we are careful,” Blair warns.
South Africa, Africa’s most industrialised country, has the fifth largest number of Covid-19 infections in the world; after the US, Brazil, India and Russia. On South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak in the country, Blair commended the President’s leadership, saying, “He was following what Europe has seen as best practice”.
He stated that the hard blockade of Ramaphosa in the early stages has put South Africa in a position to stop the spread of the disease, while leaving the country long enough to develop the capacity of the fitness system.
The former UK Prime Minister now runs the Tony Blair African Governance Initiative, which aims to make African governments work harder for their people. The non-profit organisation has been instrumental in assisting African countries to implement practical measures in the fight against Covid-19, without destroying their economies.
“This is the challenge I’ve noticed for governments,” says Blair, who resigned after a decade in force in 2007.
“I wouldn’t need to make the decisions in government right now.”
Blair says it’s time to restore governance and build capable establishments in Africa so that the continent can succeed in its potential. According to the former stateman, “Africa will have to use this Covid-19 crisis to drive the change procedure.”
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