AFRICA’S GOVERNANCE RESPONSE TO COVID-19 | PRELIMINARY REPORT 2020 Table 2: REC Response to Covid-19 in Africa MEASURES AND STRATEGIES RECS Convening Coordination Communication Solidarity Int Outreach ECOWAS 1 1 1 1 1 SADC 1 1 1 1 1 COMESA 0 1 1 1 1 ECCAS 1 1 0 1* 1** EAC 1 1 1 1 1 CEN–SAD - - - - - UMA 0 1 1 1 1 IGAD 1 1 0 1 1 UMA 0 1 0 1 1 IGAD 1 1 0 1 1 1 = Yes, 0= No; *Making progress (e.g. ECAS is finalizing the drafting of the strategic plan, also finalizing the PARCIC project in which solidarity actions are included) = No Information a. ECOWAS 9 response Before the advent of COVID-19, several member states of ECOWAS were in the midst of combating an equally serious threat in Boko Haram. In this REC, the fight against COVID-19 is coordinated by the West African Health Organization (WAHO), a regional Agency charged with the responsibility of safeguarding the health of the peoples in the West African sub-region through the initiation and harmonisation of the policies of member states, pooling of resources, coordination and cooperation among the member states for a collective and strategic fight against the health problems of the sub-region. 10 Established in 1998, WAHO is the highest regional policy-making body responsible for directing the overall response. It has extensive experience in regional health sector governance, including the management of infectious disease outbreaks such as Ebola which ravaged the sub region in 2014. WAHO therefore provides the multilateral legal and institutional platform for the coordination of both the biomedical and public health response, as well as the governance response to COVID-19. 9 ECOWAS is composed of 15 member states Benin, 10 WAHO. https://www.ecowas.int/institutions/west- Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’ Ivoire, The Gambia, african-health-organisation-waho/. Retrieved on 8 April Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, 2020. Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Togo 53