ALN Academy Talks | Governance and COVID-19. When COVID-19 hit, IGAD collaborated with various partners to bridge the health materials supply gap, enhance access to healthcare services, and aid cross-border communities in Africa. In this episode, Aisha Abdallah, Board Director of the ALN Academy and Partner at ALN Kenya, and Dr Girum Maheteme, Regional Coordinator, COVID-19 Response, discussed the crucial lessons learned from this pandemic, the necessity for sufficient support from governments within the bloc, and the role that IGAD has played in coordinating the COVID-19 response over the last few years. Populations living on the border, refugees, migrants, and internally displaced people are usually far from the centres and unable to access the supplies and materials required to safeguard themselves against COVID-19 and other pandemics. Expanding water and sanitation systems and health services as well as having a risk communication strategy and an emergency response system will increase pandemic preparedness. The IGAD COVID-19 response team continues to work towards the establishment of cross-border committees between the states. They have agreed in partnership with the member states to focus on strengthening health systems in cross-border regions, which includes training and access to necessary resources, without compromising the existing health systems in the member states. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is a regional economic community bloc serving eight countries in the Horn of Africa, namely, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda. Its mission is to work with and supplement the social development agendas of its member countries. Click here to listen to the podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1739846/10… The podcast is available on all podcast platforms. Stay tuned for more content on the rule of law, governance, and sustainability!