This quarterly report describes the activities of the U.S. Government in support of the East Africa Counterterrorism Operation and the North and West Africa Counterterrorism Operation, as well as the work of the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development to promote the U.S. Government’s policy goals in Africa during the period April 1 through June 30, 2020.
USAID reported that several administrative hurdles, including additional layers of approval at the White House, restrictions on the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) for overseas projects, and inconsistent guidance on the branding and marking of assistance, slowed USAID’s COVID-19 programming in Africa.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, implementers for USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance adapted existing programming and implemented new programming in East Africa, including awareness campaigns, training for health facility staff, installation of isolation points, and logistics and air transport support.
USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance reported that as of June 30, nearly $67 million was planned for the COVID-19 response in Lake Chad Basin and Central Sahel countries. USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives used its ongoing Nigeria Lake Chad Basin program to rapidly provide COVID-19-related activities in the Nigerian states of Yobe, Adamawa, and Borno.