South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his capacity as Chairperson of the African Union (AU), has called on African leaders to take necessary precautions to prevent a resurgence of COVID-19 infections that could lead to a second wave.

Ramaphosa was speaking during the second mid-year coordination meeting of the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Regional Mechanisms (RMs). Where he said the precautions could necessitate the need for countries to revert to stricter lockdown regulations.

With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) set to come into effect next year, he has called on countries to ensure all mechanisms be put in place to pave the way for its implementation.

As of Friday, the continent has over 1.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 1.3 million recoveries and more than 40 000 COVID-19 related deaths.