AFRICA’S GOVERNANCE RESPONSE TO COVID-19 | PRELIMINARY REPORT 2020 THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND GOVERNANCE IN AFRICA The first case of COVID-19 in Africa was reported in Egypt on 14 February 2020. Since then, 54 countries in Africa have reported more than 81,613 cases and about 2,707 deaths from the new coronavirus by 16th May 2020. Although African countries have resources to pay for the reagents, they are unable to purchase them because of restrictions on export of medical materials in most countries. The epidemiology of the epidemic in Africa presented below, therefore, may offer a mere indication of the actual situation. From a governance response perspective, such a challenge requires multilateral interventions in mediating and reshaping international cooperation in times of crises. Cooperation across Africa is starting to happen, and Africa CDC has a plan to distribute one million test kits by mid-May 2020 across the continent. as of Covid-19, and no death to date. the figures below, presents the trends in Covid-19 epidemiology in Africa as of 16th May 2020. It is important to underline that these data will keep changing everyday as governments report new cases of Covid-19 infections, deaths and recoveries. The data are presented by regions of the African Union. Among the regions on the continent, North Africa is the most affected region by the coronavirus pandemic, in terms of total number of confirmed cases, with 32.38 per cent of the total confirmed cases on the continent, followed by West Africa and Southern Africa, with 28.98% and 19.48% respectively. East and Central Africa, with 9.48% and 9.68% respectively, are the regions with less confirmed cases as of 16th May 2020 (Figure 1). Similarly, North Africa remains the region with the highest number of deaths, contributing 51.64% of the total deaths from Covid-19 in Africa. Lesotho is the only country in Africa with one reported case of Covid-19, and no death to date. These circumstances notwithstanding, Africa CDC continues to collect and consolidate statistics on the incidence and prevalence of Covid-19. Table in Annex 1: Covid-19 Epidemiology in Africa as well Figure 1: Regional Distribution of COVID-19 Infections, Deaths and Recoveries Source: APRM, May 2020 16