Obasanjo, Kufour, Others Decry Africa’s Porous Borders, Seek Joint Efforts to Fight COVID-19

Nigeria’s former president, Olusegun Obasanjo has asked for joint efforts to collectively win the fight against the deadly coronavirus pandemic in the African continent.

In a statement which he signed with 11 former African Presidents on Tuesday, Obasanjo decried that porous borders on the continent was militating the battle against the pandemic.

The ex-African leaders are John Kufour (Ghana), Hailemariam Desalegn (Ethiopia), Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia); Joyce Banda (Malawi), Joaquim Chissano (Mozambique) and Thabo Mbeki (South Africa).

Others include Kgalema Motlanthe (South Africa), Benjamin Mkapa (Tanzania), Jakaya Kikwete (Tanzania), Mohamed Marzouki (Tunisia) and Festus Mogae (Botswana).

They warned that “with porous borders all over Africa, national efforts will not be enough to combat the pandemic”.

Stressing further, they asked the African Union (AU), United Nations (UN), World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank and G-20 to urgently have a plan that will moderate the social and economic effect of the onslaught of COVID-19 on Africa.