‘Ours Was A Baptism of Fire’: Ramaphosa Reflecting On His Term As AU Chair Amid The COVID-19 Pandemic

CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

SOUTH Africa’s term as Chair of the African Union comes to an end later this week. As we reflect on our year in this position, I am reminded of the old saying that ‘in crisis lies opportunity’.
 
Ours was a baptism of fire, having assumed the Chairship in the same month the first case of coronavirus was reported on the continent.
 
The priorities we outlined for our term, among them furthering peace and security, the economic empowerment of women and deepening economic integration, had to be immediately and dramatically reoriented to deal with the pandemic.
 
Our most pressing task was to steer the focus of the African Union to addressing the worst global emergency in over a century.
 
COVID-19 has affected all the countries on the continent. To date there are more than 3.5 million confirmed cases in Africa, and more than 88,000 people