“The lessons from India’s experience are especially relevant to other developing countries, like those in Africa, that will not benefit from the shield of mass vaccination in the near term. The overarching lesson is that COVID-19 is a ‘complacency virus’; its surveillance and suppression must be continually adapted.”
“The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development estimates that the continent will require $200 billion to address the financial and socioeconomic impacts of the global pandemic. “
“While Nigeria has, so far, seemingly been spared the public health onslaught created by COVID-19, the country has not escaped the urgent economic crisis created by the pandemic. Worse, hardest hit have been the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), whose operations are largely traditional and dependent on physical contact with their consumers and partners.”
“Every day, adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa face barriers caused by cultural norms, practices, and biases that limit their access to economic and social opportunities relative to boys, including health care and education services. COVID-19 has exacerbated these challenges, with girls and women disproportionately affected by the economic impacts and disruptions in core services caused by pandemics.”
“African countries should consider reducing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from the current set of 17 to a smaller much more manageable set that fully recognizes this new world, and redirect many of those efforts to fighting the crisis at hand.”
“COVID-19 presents us with an opportunity to re-imagine a better future through our response—a fairer and more equal world. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is aligned with the African Union Agenda 2063, remains the best framework for doing just that.”
“We find that following initial declines in per capita economic growth over the 1980s and 1990s, the countries that adopted the reforms experienced notable increases in per capita real GDP growth in the post-2000 period.”
“Sub-Saharan Africa’s services-led economic growth has been under increasing strain due to COVID-19. Beyond the threats to health and livelihoods the pandemic has thrown a wrench into some of the most promising sectors for economic growth in the region, including its industries without smokestacks”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has seen the widespread use of expansionary fiscal policies which, in terms of scale, is simply unprecedented. Crucially, for many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, these fiscal stimulus packages have deepened their debt challenges.”
“African elections held early on in the pandemic have compelled urgent adaptations and innovations to electoral processes and timelines.”
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