Published by permission on the occasion of World PR Day. This paper was presented to the 2021 Africa Public Relations Association Conference by Wynne Musabayana, Head of communication, African Union Commission

1. INTRODUCTION

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (AfricaCDC), an institution of the African Union, often informs the continent that the coronavirus is now in the community and that therefore community leadership, ownership, and response is going to be the answer in the fight against the pandemic. There are of course other key stakeholders like the media, civil society, religious bodies, the political leadership, and policymakers etc.

In these COVID-19 times, there is a very critical role for PR in helping organisations to retain their legitimacy and by extension, their survival in the post-COVID-19 era. Legitimacy has great significance to the survival of institutions and governments, as it influences consumer and citizen behaviour. Organisations that recognise the new realities faced by their stakeholders and show they care about the struggles of the communities they operate in, will have an easier time in the post COVID19 era, than those who choose to bury their heads in the sand and adopt a see you at the other end approach.

This difficult time we are going through presents many opportunities for PR professionals to help their communities and the continent defeat the virus. In discharging this responsibility, they will work very closely with and through the delegated responsible authorities, to provide factual, scientifically based, and updated information.

2. BACKGROUND

At the beginning of the pandemic, Africa leveraged continental collaboration, coordination, communication and cooperation, as well the spirit of solidarity under the African Union to come up with the Joint Continental Strategy to respond to the pandemic; with 3 pillars i.e. prevent infections, prevent deaths and prevent social harms. The continental strategy was adapted to address these factors and endorsed by AU Ministers of Health during a high-level emergency meeting on 8 May 2021. The key principles, goals, and objectives of the continental strategy have essentially remained the same; however, a focus was placed on enhancing the Prevention, Monitoring, and Treatment (PMT) of COVID-19.

The AU established critical partnerships; set up a number of task forces and platforms to manage different aspects of the response, with the AfricaCDC taking the lead. The WHO has remained a critical partner.

Decisions on the way forward are reached through thorough consultations, including with scientists, the private sector, academic institutions, ministers, and heads of state and government. Many of the consultations and discussions are open to the public.

In terms of supplying information to the public, the www.AfricaCDC.org and African Union’s www.au.int websites have information specifically for the African continent. They are also very active on social media. There are regular virtual media briefings every Thursday at 12 noon East African Time and there are WhatsApp groups dedicated to updating media and communication professionals in real-time.

Below are some key messages that PR professionals may find useful.

3. KEY MESSAGES

MESSAGE 1: COVID-19 is real: Debunking myths and fake news is vital

Yes, incredible as it may sound, given that we have been with this pandemic for over one and half years, we still have people that believe that COVID-19 is a hoax, that it is nothing more than a bad flue.

But, let’s look at the facts.

In February 2020 Africa had recorded only two cases. By the 25th of May, the number of infections had risen to nearly 5 million, with more than 4.2 million recoveries and more than 128,000 deaths. These figures come from member states, proving that COVID19 is real.

There is, therefore, need for communicators to debunk fake news in all its forms, remain vigilant and consistently provide scientific facts, updated data, and solid evidence as an antidote.

MESSAGE 2: Prevent infection

a. Adherence to PH and Social measures

The old adage, prevention is better than cure, is as relevant today as when it was created.

Preventive public health and social measures include washing of hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, masking up in public areas, maintaining the recommended physical distance; staying away from large gatherings; covering up our coughs; not touching our eyes and mouths without washing our hands; opening windows, self-isolation etc.

Risk communication experts advise us that when we ask communities to do something, it should be something they feel is in their control. The above measures are definitely something they can control and lead on.

Sharing experiences from elsewhere will help strengthen the case. Let us look at India. Between February and March into April this year, the African and Indian COVID-19 epidemiological curves were very similar. But beginning of May saw an almost perpendicular rise in cases and deaths in India. The Times of India newspaper reported that the exponential increase was caused in part, by relaxation of public health measures, especially the allowance of huge gatherings, with little or no public health measures in place. New variants took hold.

Consequently, hospital bed capacity was strained, ICU’s in the major cities were full to capacity and there was a shortage of oxygen. At its peak, India was recording 400 000 new infections a day. That is more than the total population of some of our smaller cities in Africa. African health experts advise that if we implement what works, i.e. public health and social measures, we can avoid such a situation.

It is therefore important to encourage communities to avoid this dilemma by adhering to public health and social measures.

b. Vaccination will help bring the pandemic to an end

The Africa CDC has a simple but highly effective equation, i.e. vaccines plus vaccination equals lives saved and economies saved. They also add that the vaccination must be done at scale and with speed.

Here again, examples from elsewhere will help communities accept vaccination by providing them with evidence of its effectiveness. American media has quoted the CDC in the US as advising that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear masks nor physically distance. An NBC report

said this was based on the continued downward trajectory of cases, the scientific data on the performance of vaccines and an understanding of how the virus spreads. Already we are starting to see people in the US and elsewhere attending events without masks.

A quick caveat here: Africa is not yet at the point of advising people they can stop wearing masks. A lot still needs to happen before we get there. This is just an example of what is possible with vaccines and vaccination, coupled with public health and social measures.

The African goal to achieve population immunity is to vaccinate 750 million people or 60 percent of the population. The African Union, through the Africa CDC has signed an agreement with Johnson and Johnson for the provision of 220 million doses of its vaccine, to arrive in the third quarter of this year, with an option for 180 million more, bringing the total to 400 million.

There are opportunities for advocacy here, in terms of encouraging member states to:

a. take up their vaccine allocations through the Africa Medical Supply Platform (www.AMSP.africa ), and to engage with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to work out the details for the advance purchase agreement.

b. Use all their stocks quickly so that vaccines do not expire before they are administered. Every dose is precious.

Yet again there is a lot of fake news about vaccination, with some even claiming that the vaccine itself causes COVID-19, leading to vaccine hesitancy.

It will help PR professionals to invite public health experts, influencers or opinion leaders into the conversation, to explain the efficacy of vaccines and their critical role in preventing severe illness and/ or death.

c. Being tested is important to defeating the virus

If you test you find and if you don’t test, you don’t find – another brilliant slogan from the Africa CDC.

And why should we encourage testing? A recent sero survey e.g. showed that in some African countries, up to 20 out of every hundred people have been exposed to the virus. Testing helps scientists to know where we are with the virus, and to adapt strategies and response activities.

MESSAGE 3: Calming fears due to uncertainty

The situation of COVID-19 is fluid. Fluid situations bring uncertainty and fear of the unknown, making it difficult for people to plan their lives. They need answers.

When the pandemic started, scientists and communicators shared the facts as they stood at that time. They continue to do that today, but the facts change every so often. Since the start of the pandemic, terms like strains, variants, vaccine nationalism, waves, lockdowns, community spread etc., have been added to the lexicon.

As communicators, we need to be aware of this changing narrative and be updated in order to inform and explain correctly. It is important to update stories as information evolves; to continue communicating calmly and clearly in order to calm the audience and keep control of the narrative; as well as to verify and fact check everything with trusted institutions before publishing or launching awareness campaigns.

MESSAGE 4: We need to defeat COVID-19 to get our economies and livelihoods back on track

A press release issued by the African Development Bank on 12 March this year stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a massive toll on Africa, and has deepened inequalities.

By now we all either have experienced the negative impact of COVID19 at a personal level, or know someone whose livelihood has been affected by losing their job, taking a salary cut, or whose business has had to close down due to the pandemic. Big businesses have not been spared either. To get back to “normal” our economies need a reboot.

Discussing the linkages between the pandemic and our socio-economic status will help convince communities that COVID-19 is real and take responsibility for adherence to public health preventive measures.

MESSAGE 5: Share African best practices to encourage positive behaviours

There is nothing like a good, relatable success story to encourage learning. When giving best practice examples, it is important to look within the continent and share knowledge that can easily be replicated across societies.

Some good examples of positive stories from the continent include:

 African leadership has been exceptional during this pandemic. Common planning and execution has helped ensure that every single one of the 55 member states, despite their circumstances, received COVID-19 supplies. It has also helped in the timely sharing of vital preparedness and response information and strategies as well as coordination on vaccine acquisition and distribution.

  • The common aproach, underpinned by solidarity, has so far helped us avoid the worst effects of the pandemic, such as the predicted catastrophe of 10 million deaths, and bodies on the streets.
  • A number of member states have shown that it is possible to bend their waves, even without a lot of vaccines: e.g. Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire
  • Countries like Rwanda have been particularly successful in administering vaccines.
  • South Africa leads the continent in testing and was last year ranked 19th in the world

Such positive stories would serve as best practices to communities and governments across Africa.

MESSAGE 6: Building the legitimacy of African institutions

The legitimacy of institutions is critical to ensuring effective public health responses to the pandemic. Low levels of trust make it difficult for people to believe anything an institution says or advises. This is according to the World Bank this year. Conversely, it stands to reason that high levels of trust make it easier for communities to believe information and advice from trusted institutions and therefore adopt appropriate behaviours and attitudes.

The Africa CDC, which is an African institution has proved its credentials in the five short years since its formation. It effectively fights for African interests in international forums, negotiates for equitable access to vaccines and other essential supplies, has received the highest recognition at continental and international levels, and is staffed by highly qualified African personnel who produce reliable and timely data and advice; it is accessible, and, very importantly, it has a stake in the success of the response effort.

We also have the global WHO, which has an Africa region.

PR professionals, due to their unique competencies, are able to continue building the brands, credibility, and reputations of our trusted African institutions.

4. CONCLUSION

I wish to conclude with an example of a widely viewed communication/ PR event that may be a good best practice.

In March 2020, US basketball star Steph Curry had a 28-minute interview with Dr Anthony Fauci on COVID 19 that reached hundreds of thousands both live on Instagram and on archived versions, posing questions sent in by the public and getting factual answers from an expert on the mater. No doubt, many more read the follow up articles, watched the summaries on TV or listened to radio news and commentary. ABC news reported that Curry was inspired to do the interview after seeing images of young people partying on beaches and hanging out in parks. Steph is what is known as a macro influencer, with millions of followers on Twitter and on Instagram.

This was a highly innovative, exciting, and unmissable session that enabled the targeted youthful population to engage directly with Dr Fauci, get their answers, and air their opinions.

Together they disrupted the normal menu on Instagram, to bring a global health story to the platform’s mostly youthful users.

I’m sure you know where I am going with this.

Let us think about it.

Lastly, allow me to thank Dr. Benjamin Djoudalbaye of the Africa CDC for reviewing this presentation and ensuring that it is fit for purpose.