News & Analysis: Guinea
“Across the region, the devastating impact of armed conflict in countries such as Ethiopia, Mozambique, Cameroon, and Nigeria, was compounded by the pandemic as a number of states weaponized it to crack down on human rights. The crackdowns included killings of civilians and arrests of opposition politicians and supporters and human rights defenders and activists in countries such as Angola, Guinea, and Uganda.”
“The Guinean health authorities announced the resurgence of Ebola less than a month after the death of the first official victim, who was a nurse from Gouécké, at the end of January.”
“As rich countries race to dispense COVID-19 vaccines, poorer nations have a fear of missing out. The UK has inoculated more than 4m people while South Africa, which has also been severely struck, has yet to administer a single non-trial dose.”
“Vaccinations against COVID-19 with a Russian produced vaccine on an experimental basis began on Wednesday at a centre in Conakry, Guinea. Government officials were the first to receive the Sputnik V vaccine at a vaccination centre in Conakry.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the weaknesses of the health system in Guinea-Bissau. For the most part, health infrastructure is obsolete and poorly equipped, while an estimated 60% of the population does not have access to a health facility within 5 km.”
“The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the Fifth and Sixth reviews of Guinea’s economic performance under the program supported by an Extended Credit Facility (ECF). Completion of these last two reviews of the ECF-supported program enables the immediate disbursement of the equivalent of SDR 34.43 million (about US$49.47 million), bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to the equivalent of SDR 120.49 million (about US$166.60 million).”
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“This year, the coronavirus pandemic has forced governments to grapple with difficult questions regarding lockdowns, contact tracing and the provision of emergency financial assistance to citizens now without work. In developing countries, these hardships are magnified with the World Bank estimating that remittances – money transfers sent from foreign workers to their home countries – to low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are projected to fall by 19.7 percent (from $554 billion in 2019 to $445 billion in 2020). Considering the significant role that remittances play in alleviating poverty and improving nutrition, many governments have turned to mobile cash transfers for vulnerable citizens to use while minimising COVID-19 exposure.”
Malado Kaba, former Minister of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Guinea, speaks to COVID-19 Africa Watch about the potential for digital disruption in government and public service in the wake of the current pandemic.
Malado Kaba, the former Minister of Economy & Finance of Guinea, writes, “I also believe this crisis is an opportunity, a decision point, a key moment for my country and others to strengthen transparency and accountability.”
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