Philanthropist Strive Masiyiwa is a special envoy for the African Union. We interviewed him as as part of our #PassTheMic series. Here’s some of what he had to say in the interview. From Africa’s perspective, we have to tackle the problem both globally and continentally. Africa is 54 sovereign countries, so its leaders have formed an executive committee that meets every two weeks to review how the continent and the countries within it are tackling the problem. We’ve also got to realise...
Vera Songwe is executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa. We interviewed her as part of our #PassTheMic campaign. Here’s some of what she had to say. One of the biggest economic challenges we are currently seeing is that 50 million people are losing their jobs. So a coordinated global response to coronavirus would ensure that we get back to recovery faster. My personal priority right now is Africa and getting its growth back. It’s getting the private sector...
Agnes Kalibata is the UN’s special envoy for the Food System’s Summit and president of AGRA (Growing Africa’s Agriculture). We interviewed her as as part of our #PassTheMic series. Here’s some of what she had to say in the interview. This is probably the first time that mankind has had one common enemy in the last 100 years. It’s not a one person, one country, or one continent problem. It’s a global problem that we have to deal with together. Coronavirus has...
Dr. Joannie Bewa is a public health researcher and women and girls activist. We interviewed her as part of our #PassTheMic series. Here’s some of what she had to say. When it comes to women and girls during COVID-19 there are a lot of challenges, related to both health and non-health issues. I’m seeing many things through a gender perspective, which is lacking on several levels. The first thing lacking is the acknowledgement that women are a large part of the...
Aya Chebbi is an activist and AU Youth Envoy. We interviewed her as part of our #PassTheMic campaign. Here’s some of what she had to say. The COVID-19 pandemic is taking over the world, causing a worldwide impact on education. School and university closures are disrupting the education of over 1.53 billion learners, 743 million of whom are girls. School and university students around the world have had to adapt to e-learning. Lockdowns, quarantines, curfews, isolation, and social distancing that you...
Melene Rossouw is the founder of Women Lead Movement. We interviewed her as part of our #PassTheMic series. Here’s some of what she had to say. Within a few short months, COVID-19 has left a trail of devastation. It has severely affected our health and social welfare systems. In poorer countries, it has exacerbated another humanitarian crisis, where the fight between virus, hunger, and adequate hygiene has become a daily and ever growing battle and concern. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed our...
Dr. Bonaventura Clotet is the director and president of Fundació Lluita contra la Sida (Fight against AIDS Foundation). We interview Dr. Clotet as part of our #PassTheMic campaign. Here’s some of what he had to say. This is a virus that recombines significantly, which is why it became even more contagious. So we need to design a new strategy that can cope with all these variations and mutations. I think what’s very important these days is that we move forward to set...
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala is chair of the GAVI board and the former finance minister of Nigeria. Danai Gurira interviewed Dr. Okonjo-Iweala as part of our #PassTheMic series. Here’s some of what she had to say. This pandemic has made the world wake up to interconnectedness — how we are so interconnected that people in a remote area in one country are connected to a remote area in another country. What that says to me is that no one in the world...
Dr. Craig Spencer works in an emergency department in charge of its global health programme and is on the board of directors of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). We interviewed Dr. Spencer as part of our #PassTheMic series. Here’s some of what he had to say. We’re not safe until this virus is controlled everywhere, whether it’s in Alabama or Burundi. I recognize that for us in the US, the acute focus needs to be on our preparation and saving lives...
Dr. Jen Kates is senior vice president and director of global health & HIV policy at The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Actress Connie Britton interviewed Dr. Kates as part of our #PassTheMic series. Here’s some of what she had to say. One of the ongoing challenges that comes up again and again, whether you’re talking about testing capacity, supplies, or what’s going to happen when there’s a vaccine, is this tendency for everyone to pull inward and not realize...