This brief argues that the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic provides renewed urgency for African countries to invest in the inadequate physical infrastructure for basic services such as healthcare, clean water, and sanitation. Investing in basic services infrastructure now can deliver a huge social and economic value, while making the continent more resilient to pandemics and other health shocks. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates every US dollar invested in water and sanitation delivers nearly three-fold and four-fold returns, respectively, in Africa. As the continent braces for a pandemic-induced sharp downturn in economic activities, the region’s health vulnerabilities have become a concern to many.