COVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Megan McDonald of Standard Bank about the ongoing economic impacts of the pandemic, recent market developments, and the priorities for a robust recovery.
Dr. Patrick Njoroge, Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya, speaks to COVID-19 Africa Watch about Kenya’s economic journey since the onset of the pandemic, the role government has played in mitigating the worst impacts on households and businesses, and the reasons for optimism when it comes to the path ahead.
COVID-19 Africa Watch talks to State Minister Yasmin Wohabrebbi about the policy response to the pandemic, the efforts to develop the digital economy, and the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI).
“Better disclosure of the terms of the contracts themselves would certainly be better practice going forward, and in times of stress, it can facilitate quicker and easier engagement with the key multilateral actors.”
As India’s COVID-19 disaster continues to unfold, Africans in the country are facing grim health risks and financial hardships, with uncertain prospects of when they will be able to return home.
COVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Senior Director of the Africa Investment Forum, Chinelo Anohu, about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the AIF’s approach and the overall investment landscape across the continent.
“The viruses that we do know are only those that have already caused great harm, but we know that that’s less than 1 percent of all the viruses that have that same potential. Those viruses are currently circulating in wildlife today. The next pandemic, the next epidemic virus already exists.”
Esther Krofah, executive director of FasterCures, talks to COVID-19 Africa Watch about the public health lessons learned so far from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“No serious debt sustainability analysis, and indeed no pre-emptive re-profiling of external debt, is possible without transparency concerning loan agreements,” writes Prof. Danny Leipziger.
In Kenya, the initial rollout of a consignment of 1 million Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has faced several hurdles, including fears about safety and concerns about transparency. Stephanie Wangari reports from Nairobi.
A hub for information, analysis, and the global response to COVID-19’s impact on Africa