Abstract
Like the rest of the globalised world, Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing the acceleration of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. Comparative legal scholars, however, tackle it as ‘business as usual.’ The article reappraises the patterns whereby the pandemic may be addressed. The first pattern is ‘fractalic’ and echoes the features of African politico-legal traditions; the second one is consistent with the Western-oriented WHO health policies and may be termed the ‘pyramids’. The article argues that the fractalic response favours inclusive policies, which reflect not an abstract commitment to human rights and development, but the desired futures of African societies.