“Uganda’s economy has been hit hard. Its real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by just 2.9% during the year ending in June 2020, less than half the 6.8% rate reported for the previous year.”
“Afrobarometer’s nationally representative surveys in five West African countries (Benin, Liberia, Niger, Senegal, and Togo) offer less optimistic findings: On average, only four in 10 people say they would be likely to try to get vaccinated, including just one in three Liberians and one in five Senegalese. Most say they don’t trust their government to ensure that the vaccines are safe.”
“More than one in three Zambians say their households lost income during the pandemic, and nine out of 10 report that they did not receive government assistance. A majority of citizens believe that the assistance was not fairly distributed.”
“Despite generally favourable assessments, a majority of Mauritians think resources intended for the pandemic response were lost to government corruption and are worried that politicians will use the pandemic for political gain.”
“Very few citizens trust their government to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are safe, and only about a third say they are likely to try to get vaccinated when a vaccine becomes available. Liberians also overwhelmingly believe prayer is more effective than a vaccine in preventing the spread of COVID-19.”
“Tunisia, especially in the interior region, is plagued by unreliable public services such as medical care and water supply – particular problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tunisia’s public health facilities face severe challenges, including substantial debt, too few beds to meet demand, inadequate equipment, and a shortfall of 14,000 qualified medical staff”
“Afrobarometer survey data from 2017 and 2018 show that a majority of Zimbabwean households didn’t have mobile phones with Internet access, computers, or reliable electricity supply. Even among the youngest adults, only one in three regularly went online. While these numbers may have improved in the past two years, they suggest the enormous hurdles that young Zimbabweans would face in participating in online learning.”
“In April 2020, to mitigate the economic shock of a national lockdown designed to curb the spread of COVID-19, the government introduced a R500 billion ($28 billion) fiscal support package that includes a six-month increase for social grants. A special COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant was introduced to help those who are ineligible to apply for other grants.”
“To date, the South African measures appear to have been successful in slowing the spread of the virus, and have been lauded internationally. But they have also highlighted the challenges and costs of a lockdown, especially for the poor.”
“Zimbabweans have a particular problem that hinders implementation of COVID-19 restrictions: cash. Despite a largely informal economy where cash is king, chronic shortages of both domestic and foreign currency have plagued the country for years. Well before the COVID-19 lockdown, long winding queues were a common feature at banks.”
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