You are watching Africa 54, your daily news and feature magazine-style program, from the Voice of America. Host Esther Githui-Ewart and a team of correspondents zero in on the big stories making news on the continent and around the world with context and analysis.

Top Stories:
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling for global solidarity with Africa as an essential part of ending the coronavirus pandemic, saying international action is needed to help strengthen its health care systems and food supply and to avoid a financial crisis. Guterres said he commends African countries and the African Union for acting quickly to enforce quarantines and border closures and relying on regional cooperation to try to stop the spread of the virus.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that COVID-19 has killed more than 2,800 people. Most of the confirmed cases are in South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, and Nigeria.
Worldwide, there are more than 4.9 million confirmed cases and 323-thousand deaths from the coronavirus.

In Burundi, polls opened amid health concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the nation’s first competitive presidential election since civil war broke out in 1993, according to Reuters. The election commission is asking for a peaceful vote despite sporadic political violence. President Pierre Nkurunziza is stepping down after 15 years. His government has often been accused of human rights abuses. The national head of the World Health Organization was kicked out of the country last week following criticism that political parties were holding rallies further risking the spread of coronavirus. Burundi has reported only 42 COVID-19 cases and one death. 

Kenya has forcibly evicted over 7,000 people from Nairobi slums this month, despite a court order, and in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in a small riot. Authorities say they demolished the homes because they were built on public land.

As the global coronavirus pandemic continues to affect people's lives, some observers say Africa is likely to become the next epicenter. So far, the continent has recorded the lowest numbers of COVID-19 cases compared to others region in the world, but the number of infections continues to increase. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a public health agency of the African Union, aims to build the capacity of member states to address any public health emergencies on the continent. Africa 54 health correspondent Linord Moudou spoke with Dr. Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, deputy director of the Africa CDC. 

A54 Technology: Master Card study, conducted early this year, says Africa is leading in the Fintech market. It's rapidly adopting digital finance, mobile payments, digital credit, and crypto-currency faster than the western world. In Kenya, Popote Pay, a platform that enables businesses to go 100 percent digital, is making it easy for companies and businesses to monitor payments, sign checks, and other management and accounting requirements. Africa 54’s Paul Ndiho spoke to Sam Wanjohi, founder and CEO of Popote Pay.

#Coronavirus #UnitedNations #Africa #CDC # COVID19 #Burundi #Kenya #FinTech #PopotePay

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