Interdependence

The UN children’s fund, UNICEF, is working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to protect over one million people from the recent cholera outbreak declared in Blue Nile state, Sudan on September 8. These two UN agencies are currently engaged in a campaign to vaccinate all of the 1.6 million people in Blue Nile and the neighboring Sinnar State that are over one year of age. Sudan’s bad health infrastructure and dilapidated safe water and sewage system calls for immediate response due to the cholera prone environment. The UN plans on applying the knowledge learned from a similar outbreak in 18 states in Sudan between August 2016 and March 2018 to attack this new issue. Such solutions include the provision of clean water and sanitation facilities as well as good hygiene practices.

The International Monetary Fund recently approved financial assistance of about $200 million to Mali under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF). An intense security crisis since 2012 has resulted in long-lasting economic and humanitarian impacts in Mali. The economic program focuses on creating fiscal space to allow investment, security, and social spending; and ensuring the stability of Mali’s electricity company and electricity supply, an important factor in economic development. According to IMF reports, this program is already proven to be effective and boosted the economy to some degree. However further improvement measures are still being taken. 

The African Union is working towards a smooth transition to democracy in Sudan. Sudan has been under the dictatorship of former president Omar Hassan al-Bashir for the past three decades until April of 2019 when he was ousted. The pro-democracy movement’s previous attempts were met with violence on the behalf of the paramilitary. The Afican Union has served as a mediator between the two opposing sides of Sudan. Together they have settled on the agreement which they announced last Friday. Full details are unknown as the written agreement will be drafted and signed next week. 

The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) as of May 30th, 2019 is official. Negotiations for the AfCTA began back in 2015 upon action from the African Union. The majority of Africa’s exports go to places with lower tariffs such as Europe or the United States, with only 15 percent remaining in other African countries. If predictions are correct, the AfcTA will boost intra-African trade by 52.3 percent by 2022.The improvement in intra-trade will allow Africa to foster sustainable wealth and development within the continent.


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