AFRICA BEYOND COVID-19: PRESIDENT GEORGE WEAH, US SENATOR CHRIS COONS, TONY ELUMELU AND OTHER GLOBAL LEADERS AT THE 2ND UBA AFRICA DAY CONVERSATIONS URGE GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR COLLABORATION

Group Chairman, UBA Plc, Tony O. Elumelu.

• Demand a new deal in and for Africa

• Advocate speedy implementation of AFCFTA

• Call for Increased Investment in Digital Connectivity

Lagos - United Bank for Africa (UBA) celebrated Africa Day 2020, by bringing together global leaders at the 2nd UBA Africa Day Conversations, screened live across the continent. UBA helps set the debate around African economic development through its series of “Africa Conversations”. This year, the focus was on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Covid-19 pandemic. Leaders emphasised the need for meaningful collaboration between governments and the private sector, as a requirement for the quick recovery of the economy of the African continent post Covid-19.

The panel included the President of Liberia, H.E George Weah; United States Senator Chris Coons; the President & Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export–Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK), Professor Benedict Okey Oramah; President, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer; and was moderated by the Group Chairman, UBA Plc, Tony O. Elumelu.

Other leading voices contributing were the Founder, Africa CEO Forum, Amir Ben Yahmed; the Secretary-General of the African Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), H.E George Chikoti; Administrator, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Achim Steiner and Donald Kaberuka, the former President of the African Union.

Elumelu spoke on the need to mobilise quickly and explained the necessity to identify a more fundamental solution to Africa’s challenges. “This is the time for us to deal with the situation, this is not the time for finger pointing, but for collaborative efforts by governments and organisations, to fight the pandemic globally. There is need to flatten the curve, we need global co-operation to stem global depression. Africa requires a large stimulus package, and we need long-term solutions to prevent a cycle of debt.”

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