David O. Kuranga, Ph.D.
The author is the Managing Director and Principal of Kuranga and Associates, a full-service investment, political and economic risk consultancy, and asset management firm that specializes in Africa. He is also the author of The Power of Interdependence with Palgrave Macmillan Press.
Behind the scenes I have been working to convince decision-makers in both Guinea and Sierra Leone to stop wasting time and resources building treatment centers for Ebola patients. Instead I have lobbied for them to effectively evacuate and shut down two University Campuses in each country, both large enough to house the entire infected population in each country as it stands today. Universities are already equipped with buildings and beds, and are large enough to isolate the infected population an thus begin to halt the spread of infection in each of the countries.
Many of the schools are already closed due to the crisis, so not utilizing them to bring a swift end to the problem, is a travesty. While many Africans I have spoken with see the clear wisdom in leveraging our existing resources to get the job done, our voice is being muzzled by international NGOs, IGOs, and aid groups including WHO that have adopted the time-consuming and resource-squandering tactic of building new treatment facilities from the ground up. Their disposition is rooted in the condescending approach that many international aid groups adopt towards Africa that lead them to ignore the resources available in Africa rather than harnessing them. In Africa the mentality is to use what we have, its no surprise that despite all the WHO experts everywhere a Liberian doctor, Gabriel Gordon has stumbled on a treatment for Ebola using drugs for HIV that are more readily available; SEE: http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=355164328
Going forward, since time is of the essence, it is imperative, more so now than ever that African resources are leveraged to combat the spread of Ebola. Trying to build shiny new treatment centers when there are unutilized university campuses is a clear sign of the dire need for a shift in approach.
Kuranga and Associates Global Consultancy is a political and economic risk management firm and an asset manager with a principle practice area of Africa. To learn more about Kuranga and Associates go to www.kaglobal.net. © Copyright 2014 David Kuranga. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
David O. Kuranga; Ph.D. Managing Director
Kuranga & Associates Global Consultancy
Phone: 212.363.0936
david.kuranga@kaglobal.net
https://kurangaandassociates.wordpress.com
http://us.macmillan.com/thepowerofinterdependence/DavidOladipupoKuranga
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