Browsing: East Africa COVID-19

Vaccine diplomacy will take centre stage for the global political economy in 2021. It is rapidly emerging as an important tool in the arsenal of global superpowers as they seek to expand their geostrategic influence amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Affordable and equitable access to Covid vaccines has the potential to shape the global economic recovery, and speedy and effective rollout represents a huge opportunity to redraw global power maps and reshape strategic alliances. Naturally, the stakes are high, and the competition is intense to achieve both first-mover advantage and scale.

Africa will emerge as a theatre of competition. But with limited financial resources and a lack of bargaining power the option set will be limited for African countries as they try to procure the vaccine. This lopsided power dynamic, which has entrenched them firmly at the back of the vaccine queue, is being described as vaccine apartheid. John Nkengasong of …

Tanzania just stepped into a whole new ground in fighting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as president John Magufuli assured Tanzanians on stringent actions in safeguarding the economy, which is restricted by the virus. The head of state was addressing worshipers during a Sunday service in his hometown.

“We have had several viral diseases, including AIDS and Measles. Our economy must come first. It must not sleep. If we allow our economy to sleep, we will not receive salaries, church offerings will cease if we announce a lockdown, Life must go on,” he said

According to President Magufuli, COVID-19 cases have shrunk to low levels, compelling him to reopen universities and the football leagues. In March, the East African nation saw the closure of hotels, schools, universities, and other social gatherings–in response to curb the virus.

Since the first COVID-19 case broke, Tanzania’s air travel, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions) …