COVID-19 and Human Security in Africa

This book details how the spread of COVID-19 on the geographically vast continent of Africa has been of particular concern. In Africa, one finds some of the world's most worrying statistics, representing the highest rates of "extreme poverty" and lowest overall numbers on the UNDP's Human Security Index (HSI). The chapters in this book are testimonies from African scholars and public health experts of that harrowing period of COVID-19, as experienced in the African context, starting in early 2020. All of the chapters contain first-hand knowledge and lived experiences of COVID-19 in Africa. Throughout, concerns regarding Africa's future preparedness for another pandemic are expressed but the perspectives, as required in any meaningful discussion of both the COVID-19 pandemic and human security, are wide, varied, and often interconnected. This book is of interest to both academics and researchers interested on the lasting effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Professor Christopher LaMonica is the Program Chair of the Department of Government at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, USA. He holds a PhD in Political Science (African Studies) (2000), an MA in International Relations (1993) from Boston University's International Programs (Paris, France), and a Master's in Public Policy (Political and Economic Development) (1997) from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, USA. He is the author several books.Nathanial Umukoro is a Professor of Security Studies and International Affairs in the Department of Political Science, Western Delta University, Nigeria. He completed his Peace and Conflict Studies PhD program at the University of Ibadan (Nigeria) as a fellow of the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa unit of the Social Science Research Council, New York. He has over 90 publications to his credit. He is currently a Senior Research Fellow at Point Alpha Institute, Germany.