He added that Africa will only achieve the necessary behavioural change if people can trust the information they have access to.
Former President of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufuor, has stated that Africa can only avoid a total collapse of its economies from the COVID-19 pandemic if intensive social distancing measures are practised.
He added that Africa will only achieve the necessary behavioural change if people can trust the information they have access to.
This was contained in a piece written by him on Wednesday. 
He said, “Our governments need to invest in trustworthy information and communication systems. This will not be easy given the absence of a dynamic public interest media ecosystem which African citizens can turn to for trustworthy information.
“Africa entered this century with great expectations. Its entrepreneurial and political ambitions were growing. The international community was coalescing behind a new agenda of cooperation crystallised in the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement.“Unfortunately, with its profound health and economic challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic has created an immense barricade to these ambitions. Fulfilling Africa’s future agenda will require us to change the values our societies place on knowledge and expertise and the way we communicate and interact with one another.
“The ability to avert the total collapse of Africa’s already fragile economies in the coming months will require intensive social distancing measures.
“However, we will only achieve the necessary behavioural change if people can trust the information they have access to.”
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Sahara Reporters
