Like the rest of Africa, Senegal is not spared from the COVID-19 pandemic which is straining health systems and is shaking economies around the world. Mamadou Ndiaye, Ambassador of Senegal to China, granted an interview to ChinAfrica, in which he spoke about what Senegal has done to fight the pandemic and the prospect of China-Africa cooperation. Edited excerpts of the interview follow: 

Mamadou Ndiaye, Ambassador of Senegal to China 

What is the situation of COVID-19 in Senegal? What are the main challenges facing the country? 

Mamadou Ndiaye: Senegal declared its first case of COVID-19 on March 2. As of April 29, the number of cases has reached 882, of which 315 have been cured, nine have died, one has been evacuated and 557 are being treated. These statistics show that the pandemic is progressing very quickly. Fortunately, the government reacted vigorously to control the chain of transmission of the disease and ensure the rapid treatment of patients and the traceability of contacts of people declared positive.  

All the country's borders have been closed since March 20, the movement of populations between regions is restricted, and a curfew is in effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. throughout the national territory. 

Today, the main challenge is to control community transmission because many people have been infected without being possible to know where they contracted the disease. If this trend continues, there will unfortunately be a problem of identifying the prevalence areas, monitoring potential carriers of the virus and especially the availability of beds in hospitals.  

This is why, for the past few weeks, the Ministry of Health has been focusing on raising awareness among the populations. Admittedly, this awareness-raising work is not easy because people are accustomed to their ways of life. But they are becoming more and more aware of the risk of infection and the instructions given by the authorities are gradually being followed.

Treating severe cases is also a major challenge. Even if, for the moment, Senegal has not recorded many serious cases of COVID-19, it is absolutely necessary to prepare for any eventuality and this requires the acquisition of certain equipment such as respirators which are in high demand worldwide.   

I would point out that, to deal with the pandemic and its effects, the Senegalese Government has launched an economic and social resilience program that aims to strengthen the health system and support people and businesses. Planned spending under this program is covered by a state-funded fund of over $2 billion and voluntary contributions. 

From the start of the epidemic, China has received support from African countries. Today, while the continent is fighting the pandemic, China in turn shared its anti-epidemic experience and donated medical equipment. In this context, what role has China-Africa cooperation played? 

The peculiarity of this pandemic is that it spares almost no country. Therefore, it appeals to the international community in its entirety. It is fortunate that this has been well understood by many countries which have used various mechanisms and means to express their solidarity with each other and have combined their efforts to meet this unprecedented challenge. This was particularly the case for China and the African countries which have shown that they are friends in moments of happiness and in times of crisis.  

During the epidemic, African people living in China were seen volunteering to help fight the epidemic or offering donations to the sick and the people in Hubei Province and other Chinese cities. Similarly, Chinese citizens and businesses established in Africa have contributed to the initiatives of African governments to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.    

The reciprocal manifestation of solidarity between Africa and China shows that the Sino-African friendship is true and sincere. This surge of solidarity is, moreover, a message that must be disseminated to the African and Chinese people so that they participate in cooperation between their governments and that they know that the Sino-African partnership is based on very strong humanitarian values. I am convinced that the African and Chinese people must be the pillars which support the community of shared future between Africa and China.  

In your opinion, how can China and Senegal strengthen cooperation in jointly fighting COVID-19? 

China has successfully overcome the pandemic in three months. This would not have been possible without the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the State Council. It is this leadership that has enabled the proper coordination of crisis management operations in the vast Chinese territory. This good management of the crisis, from which Africa could draw inspiration, was observed at four levels.  

First, it is thanks to the effectiveness of the Chinese authorities' communication policy that the prevention and hygiene instructions were well disseminated to the populations, who were sensitized to act responsibly. In this regard, we must salute the civic spirit and patriotism of the Chinese people who have behaved as partners of the State in the fight against the epidemic. This COVID-19 epidemic was the concern of all Chinese society as a whole and each citizen played his or her role in anti-epidemic operations. 

Next, the outburst of solidarity from other Chinese provinces toward Hubei was a determining factor in the management of the epidemic. The mobilization of medical personnel and logistical support in favor of the most affected areas as well as the organization of neighborhood management committees are examples that reflect the efficiency and harmony of China's governance system.  

In addition, we must welcome the measures taken, both at the national level and in the provinces, to reassure foreigners by giving them the information necessary for their orientation. This has helped to make life easier for foreigners and in particular for the members of the diplomatic corps who benefited from special attention during this difficult period. 

Finally, mastering the effects of the crisis has been remarkable. To give just one example, apart from the province of Hubei, which was in an exceptional situation due to confinement, there was no shortage of foodstuffs for everyday consumption. Although there was a slowdown in economic activity for several weeks, supplies to the markets were regularly assured. This has helped save China from economic and social chaos.  

That said, it must be recognized that each country is responding to the health crisis according to its own realities. Therefore, good practices that have proven themselves in China can succeed in Africa if the necessary arrangements are made for their appropriation by the populations and adaptation to local realities.    

Since the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic, what progress has been made in strengthening the public health system in your country? How could China and Senegal cooperate better in the future to improve this system to better cope with health crises like the novel coronavirus? 

In Senegal, managing the Ebola epidemic has been a successful experience in disease prevention and control. Based on this experience, the government has made the management of health emergencies a major focus of its public health policy.  

Thus, since 2014, a health emergency operation center has been created, whose mission is, among other things, to supervise the policy for responding to health emergencies, to define the measures to be implemented in case of emergency and to coordinate the actions involved in this type of operation.  

The establishment of this center represents a significant step forward in preparing Senegal for health crises, training health personnel in emergency operations and raising awareness among populations, especially those living in border areas. 

However, COVID-19 has shown that a health system is never entirely perfect and that it must be improved all the time. The proof is that many countries which were supposed to have an efficient health system have encountered difficulties in coping with this pandemic. 

In the case of Senegal, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed needs in terms of health coverage, rapid detection and treatment of severe cases of disease in areas far from large urban centers. This means that certain localities in the country do not have the appropriate equipment and infrastructure to react quickly enough in the event of a sudden and unexpected crisis like the one we are experiencing at the moment. Therefore, cooperation with China must be directed as a priority toward the improvement of health infrastructures in certain major centers so that patients in remote areas can get closer to centers where they can benefit from in an emergency. 

In addition, given the size of the African market and the many challenges that exist on the continent in terms of public health, Chinese companies could be encouraged to invest in the sectors of health infrastructure and equipment, medical research and the pharmaceutical industry.