Thursday 11 June 2020 - President Paul Kagame on Thursday attended the virtual meeting of the African Union (AU) Bureau of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government and Chairpersons of AU Regional Economic Communities (RECs), chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his capacity as African Union Chairperson. The AU Special Envoys also participated in the meeting which discussed the continued collaboration towards ending COVID_19 pandemic.

Commenting on the progress of the battle against COVID_19 in the East African Community, President Kagame said that member countries are putting more effort in establish harmonised prevention and mitigation measures as well developing same understating on the pandemic’s impact and its management.

“In the East African Community, we continue to work together to establish procedures to facilitate the flow of trade, while also protecting public health.  This includes expanded use of digital tools and working to harmonise testing guidelines” President Kagame said.

President Kagame also praised the excellent work of AU six envoys  who were tasked to mobilize international support for Africa’s efforts to address the economic challenges the Continent will face as a result of COVID-19

“Providind adequate fiscal space to Africa does not only benefit Africa. It should be seen as part of over all effort to stabilise the global economy. This is in every one’s interests” President Kagame noted.

Also in his address, The Head of State regretted the untimely passing of the President of the Republic of Burundi and extended condolences to his family and the people of Burundi.

The meeting takes place against the backdrop of the rapid spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). The pandemic continues to have major impacts on the health and lives of people and threatens to have an even longer-lasting economic and social impact on the economies of Africa.

The African Union has adopted a joint continental strategy for COVID19 outbreak and through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established a task force to coordinate the efforts of Member States and partners to ensure synergy and minimize duplication. The Union has further set up a special COVID-19 Fund, embarked on efforts to strengthen the capacity of the Africa CDC and constituted a team of Special Envoys in support of its strategy. The appointed Special Envoys are tasked to mobilize international support for Africa’s efforts to address the economic challenges the Continent will face as a result of COVID-19. They are expected to solicit rapid and concrete support as pledged by the G20, the European Union (EU) and other international financial institutions.

The Thursday’s meeting followed previous meetings held by the AU Bureau and AU RECs will receive a briefing on the Africa COVID19 pandemic strategy and updates on the situation on the continent. It also received a report on the economic relief measures from the AU Envoys and a presentation, ahead of the public launch, of the Africa Medical Supplies - a pool platform for African countries for the procurement of critical medical supplies and personal protective equipment.