A Testimonial against Dismantling USAID

 The Oklahoman published on 7 July 2025 a commentary titled "The Cruelty of Ending Work of USAID Erases a Lifetime of Humanitarianism" by Kama Garrison, former USAID employee.

The author offers a personal account of the abrupt end of her career at the US Agency for International Development.  She concludes that her reaction is not about partisan politics.  It is about moral unraveling.  

Abolishing USAID Is Not the Answer

 Foreign Policy published on 4 February 2025 a commentary titled "Abolishing USAID Is Both Unconstitutional and Disastrous" by Matthew M. Kavanagh and Luis Gil Abinaden, both at Georgetown University.  

This is a convincing argument from a public health perspective why the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) makes no sense. Moving what remains of USAID into the State Department is equally unwise.   

Forum on China-Africa Cooperation at 21 Years

 LSE Ideas published in October 2021 a collection of essays titled "FOCAC at 21: Future Trajectories of China-Africa Relations" by the China Foresight Project.

The next FOCAC Summit is scheduled to take place in late November in Senegal.  The goal of this report is to highlight emerging trends that have the potential to shape China-Africa relations in the near to medium-term future.

It includes the following essays:

--Introduction: FOCAC in a Time of COVID-19 by Chris Alden.

--Can China Pull Back? A Balance-of-Payments Assessment of the Decline in China's Overseas Investment by Stephen Paduano.

--Africa's Priorities at FOCAC: Economic Recovery and Resilience by Mzukisi Qobo.

--Seeking Stability: China's Security Engagement in Africa by Lukas Fiala.

--Going beyond the Stereotypes: China's Digital Infrastructure in Africa by Iginio Gagliardone.

--Education and Knowledge Production by Yu-Shan Wu.

--Expanding Horizons: China-Africa Cooperation on Space Technology by Gidon Gautel.

--China-Africa Public Health Cooperation and Vaccine Diplomacy by Lina Benabdallah.

US Gets WHO and Its Director General Wrong

Ethiopia Insight posted on 21 June 2020 a commentary titled "How the West Gets the WHO and Tedros Wrong" by Henok Reta, former correspondent at Ethiopia's The Reporter and now resident in New Zealand.

The author concludes that the attacks on the WHO and its Director General, Tedros Adhanom, are part of the anti-China policy of the Trump administration and have little to do with the actual competence of either the WHO or its Director General. 

Somalia's Healthcare System

The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies and City University of Mogadishu published a major study in May 2020 titled "Somalia's Healthcare System: A Baseline Study & Human Capital Development Strategy" by Ali Abdullahi Warsame.

The study looks at the state of healthcare in Somalia as it relates to human capital.  It offers an analysis of current challenges and suggests remedial solutions for system-wide recovery strategies. 

Somalia, COVID-19, and Elections

The International Crisis Group published on 8 May 2020 an analysis titled "COVID-19 in Somalia: A Public Health Emergency in an Electoral Minefield."

Somalia is one of the least prepared countries in the world to deal with COVID-19 yet has parliamentary elections scheduled for November 2020 and a presidential election in February 2021. Postponement of the elections would be received badly by opposition parties.

The Politics of Ethiopia's COVID-19 Crisis

The International Crisis Group (ICG) published on 15 April 2020 a commentary titled "Managing the Politics of Ethiopia's COVID-10 Crisis."

The ICG concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered political dynamics in Ethiopia and provided the justification for pausing an electoral schedule that was threatening to become violent. It has also given Ethiopia's politicians a reason to come together.

Public Health Impact of Coronavirus on Africa

The Lancet published on 14 March 2020 an excellent, if technical, analysis titled "Preparedness and Vulnerability of African Countries against Importations of COVID-19: A Modelling Study" by a team of experts.

The study evaluates the preparedness and vulnerability of African countries against their risk of importation of coronavirus. Countries with the highest importation risk (Egypt, Algeria, and South Africa) have moderate to high capacity to respond to outbreaks. Countries at moderate risk (Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sudan, Angola, Tanzania, Ghana, and Kenya) have variable capacity and high vulnerability.

Chinese Efforts to Combat Malaria in Kenya

The Atlantic published on 4 July 2019 an article titled "China Is Leading the Next Step in Fighting Malaria in Africa" by Jacob Kushner.

Chinese researchers are undertaking a mass drug administration that involves giving antimalarial pills to every man, woman, and child in a given area at the same time. The idea is to wipe out malaria among humans, starting in Kenya. But the program also has critics.

China's Medical Aid in Africa

The Diplomat posted on 14 March 2018 an article titled "China's Medical Aid in Africa" by Long Wang, Xiangya Hospital at Central South University, and Joshua Bateman.

This is a generally positive account of China's public health program in Africa that began in 1963 with the sending of a Chinese medical team to Algeria.

Somaliland Bans Most Severe Form of Female Genital Mutilation

Ventures Africa published on 8 February 2018 an article titled "Somaliland Issues a Religious Ban Against Female Genital Mutilation" by Hadassah Egbedi.

Somaliland's Ministry of Religious Affairs issued an edict to ban the most severe form of female genital mutilation known as infibulation. Anyone performing the procedure will be subject to undefined punishment.

China-Cameroon Public Health Cooperation

The China-Africa Reporting Project at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg published on 7 April 2016 an article titled "China's Role in Improving Public Health in Cameroon" by Manyanye Paul Ikome, communication and public relations manager at the Cameroon Development Corporation.

The article discusses China's engagement in the public health sector in Cameroon with a focus on pediatrics, malaria, traditional medicine, and China's "Brightness Action" campaign in Africa.

Public Health in Ethiopia

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published in March 2016 a report titled "Sustaining Improvements to Public Health in Ethiopia" by Richard Downie, deputy director of the CSIS Africa program.

The report offers a generally positive analysis of the public health situation in Ethiopia but raises concerns about governance in the country.  It makes recommendations for the future of US cooperation with Ethiopia in the health sector. 

Ethiopian Medical History

The non-governmental organization, People to People, has just released The Manual of Ethiopian Medical History by Enawgaw Mehari, Kinfe Gebeyehu and Zergabachew Asfaw.  The purpose of the publication is to teach the future generation of Ethiopian medical students and health care professionals about Ethiopia's medical history.

Mekele University and Bahir Dar University have reportedly agreed to incorporate the study into their medical education curriculum. 

US Strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Obama Administration released on 14 June 2012 a major white paper titled U.S. Strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa. Click here to access the document.

The strategy is a solidification of existing policy rather than a statement of new policy. There are no new major initiatives and the paper comes out in a budget climate where it is not reasonable to expect new U.S. government financial flows to Africa. Nevertheless, it does offer a good statement of current U.S. policy towards Sub-Saharan Africa.

The paper does propose a "Doing Business with Africa Campaign" to mobilize the U.S. private sector. If pursued seriously, this could have significant impact. But even this modest project has unfortunate timing. One of the key actors in any such program is the U.S. Department of Commerce and there is no indication that new resources are being made available to support the program within Commerce or by the U.S. Export-Import Bank. The Secretary of Commerce recently experienced a medical issue and may not be available to lend his stature to the initiative.

For a similar reaction to the white paper, click here to read a blog posting by Sarah Margon at the Center for American Progress and previously on the staff of former Senate Africa Subcommittee Chairman Russell Feingold.