Wednesday, March 12
Assessing the challenges to equitable access to COVID-19 vaccine distribution: Case studies of selected African countries
11:30-13:00 CAT │Room MH1
This session will feature key research findings from the Equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines in Africa (ECOVA) project. This project is evaluating policy and legal and governance structures to enhance Africa’s research and development capabilities and bolster the continent’s role in global diplomacy for equitable vaccine trade agreements. Led by AfHEA, ECOVA has conducted multiple regional and continent-wide assessments as well as case studies at the country level.
Epidemics as opportunities for social transformation: A policy framework on collateral effects of responses to epidemics in West Africa
13:45-15:15 CAT │Room AD10
This session will feature insights from the Rectifying the effects of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations in West Africa: a research-action project. A paper will be presented to outline the processes and key attributes in the production of a policy framework to unpack the effects of epidemic responses on people and health systems in West Africa.
Factors influencing equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines: Synthesis of scoping review studies and qualitative analysis in selected African countries
14:00-15:30 CAT │Room MH1
This session will also feature key research findings from the ECOVA project.
Thursday, March 13
Building resilient health systems for emergency preparedness: Gender and health workforce intersections
13:45-15:15 CAT | Room AD10
At this session, a Women RISE project called Women in health and their economic, equity and livelihood statuses during emergency preparedness and response will steer a conversation on the economic and livelihood impact of COVID-19 on the paid and unpaid health workforce in Kilifi and Mombasa counties in Kenya. The Women RISE initiative supports action-oriented and gender-transformative research on the poorly understood relationship between women’s health and their work (paid or unpaid) in the context of preparedness, response and recovery from COVID-19.