ANKARA

The Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta urged his African counterparts to bank on the creativity of youth in fighting COVID-19 pandemic, the presidential office said in a statement on Friday.

Speaking at the fifth virtual meeting of the African Union Bureau, President Kenyatta said the youth are Africa's biggest resource, stressing that their creative minds and immense energy should be utilized to boost coronavirus response measures.

"I also wish to reiterate that the biggest resource at our disposal is our people and especially the youth, Kenyatta was quoted in the statement as saying.

"Indeed, we need to harness the digital revolution and innovation witnessed during this pandemic as a catalyst for post-COVID-19 economic revival, and which is key in the creation of jobs for our youth," he added.

The meeting was chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa who is the current chairperson of the African Union.

Kenyatta said cooperation among African countries has helped slow down the spread of coronavirus on the continent.

The public health and social measures the African governments have put in place with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners have been effective in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in Africa, according to the WHO.

Former Minister of Finance of Nigeria Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala reiterated that the continent has the potential to access the global COVID-19 response resources through innovation and flexibility.

According to Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the continent has so far reported 216,446 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 97,756 recoveries and 5,756 deaths.