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Across Africa, there is some evidence of COVID-19 private sector activities to tackle COVID-19 which include the development of rapid diagnostic kits, deployment of e-health platforms for bespoke health workforce training, disease surveillance, reporting, auto-screening and advisories. Inequities in living and access to care by disadvantaged populations in the rural areas have been ameliorated by multi-pronged responses such as that mounted by the Joseph Ukpo Hospitals and Research Institute (JUHRI) in Nigeria. The provision, production and donationof personal protective equipment (PPE), the production of hand sanitizers and the engagement of the local community in the process represents an effective strategy to contain COVID-19, protect health workers and provide pathways for economic support for people whose sources of income have been upended during the pandemic.The JUHRI experience underpinned by Catholic medical ethics provides concrete evidence of the value of private sector participation in dealing with public health emergencies.

Cochrane Africa is a network of researchers and health stakeholders who aim to support the use of high quality Cochrane evidence to improve health outcomes in Africa. It comprises a coordinating centre in South Africa, a Francophone hub directed from Cameroon, a Southern and Eastern Africa Hub directed from South Africa and a West Africa Hub directed from Nigeria. The network supports the engagement with healthcare decision makers to guide priorities, production of high quality context-relevant Cochrane systematic reviews, capacity building to conduct and use reviews, dissemination of evidence, knowledge translation, partnerships for evidence-informed healthcare and the creation of opportunities to expand the network.