The role of women in peacebuilding continues to receive global attention whilst being mandated by United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325. The Casamance region in southern Senegal provides an excellent illustration of women as peacemakers.
“A village which is not discussed is not built,” or in the Maasai language (Maa), “Ore enkan nemeiguena, nemeshetayiu.” To the 150 Maasai women in the small village of Olmringiringa, Tanzania, nowhere is this adage more true as when parents consult weekly to discuss a number of community service needs, including continuous learning activities for village children who have had their education disrupted since schools were shut down due to COVID-19 in March 2020.
COVID-19 has hit every country hard and South Africa (SA) is no exception. In anticipation of how hard hitting the pandemic would be for SA, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster on March 15 alongside several restrictions a mere 10 days after the first confirmed case. Among these restrictions was a lockdown in which citizens were restricted from moving freely, except for leaving their homes for essential tasks. The resultant effect of this is unprecedented economic strains. This article will highlight the economic impact of the pandemic in SA with regards to poverty, unemployment, gross domestic product (GDP), food insecurity and violence.
It is important to take stock of the research on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Africa, with emphasis on research findings by the international financial organizations that act as the first source of external funding for Africa. This paper focuses on research produced by the African Development Bank Group, International Monetary Fund (IMF), United Nations, and The World Bank, forecasting the impact of the pandemic on Africa. These international financial institutions serve as the principal source of data and a yard stick upon which other international organizations and governments determine their financial aid to Africa. To my knowledge, such an approach in presenting the research of the African Development Bank Group, IMF, United Nations, and the World Bank in a concise manner has not been attempted. Students of African Studies and international development, in general, would benefit from this synthesis of different methodologies and research output in determining the effect of COVID-19 on the African continent.
The spread of the coronavirus pandemic provides violent extremist groups with new opportunities to radicalize and recruit support in northeast Nigeria, where the public health crisis resulted in new restrictions on religious observations, acute economic fallout, and the increasing visibility of security sector abuses. While these developments threaten to exacerbate longstanding drivers of radicalization in the region, the pandemic will likely undermine the Nigerian state’s ability to counter these extremist groups, due to new constraints arising from budgetary shortfalls and shifting priorities that have placed new demands upon the police and military.
In Kenya, thousands of girls below the age of eighteen drop out of school every year due to pregnancies. Experts have predicted an increase in this number due to COVID-19 pandemic school closures. As Kenya continues to respond to the pandemic, it should prioritize and address the urgent need for comprehensive sexuality education in schools to reduce teenage pregnancies and protect the rights of children.
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