Lessons Not (Yet) Learned: What African Countries Could Teach the Global North about One Health during the Pandemics

Abstract

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the extraordinary importance of pandemic preparedness for public policy. The article argues that the cases of entrepreneurial and exemplary implementation of the intersectoral and bottom-up One Health policy in Africa can be a chance for the Global North to enhance pandemic preparedness under a changing climate. Using document analysis and participatory observation, the article draws on two case studies illustrating the multisectoral and bottom-up approaches, respectively. The cases demonstrate how the bottom-up community inclusiveness developed during the Ebola outbreak enhanced pandemic preparedness, and how community resilience was improved through sustainable entrepreneurs implementing One Health policies. The article draws important policy lessons for more resilient health systems in the Global North.