Is sovereign debt impeding Africa’s COVID-19 recovery?
1 Dec 2021
Africans realised early on in the pandemic there was a tough period ahead – repeating the long pattern of Africa feeling the worst impacts of global dynamics.
Africans realised early on in the pandemic there was a tough period ahead – repeating the long pattern of Africa feeling the worst impacts of global dynamics.
FAO economist Josef Schmidhuber has suggested that people in low-income countries tend to spend more than 60% of their earnings on food, leaving them particularly at risk. As hunger rises, so too does the potential for socio-economic disruption aimed at governments.
The crippling socio-economic and emotional toll of the pandemic has been countered by an inspired, energetic, and resilient youth who have organised, volunteered, and used their generation’s knowledge of technology and global networks to ‘bounce back better.
The decline in remittances is threatening the stability of millions of families on the African continent. This is why the government and international community should work together to support African households experiencing hardship.
The Upcoming 8th FOCAC Summit gives both Africa and China an opportunity to focus on cooperative efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and on the post-COVID-19 economy.
The COVID-19 pandemic came with destabilising effects on the Southern Africa Development Community’s (SADC) development agenda on industrialisation, trade and free movement across borders. COVID-19 has also had a significant impact on national politics in the region as can be witnessed through political changes and developments that have taken place in countries such as Eswatini, Zambia, South Africa and Madagascar where there have been hostilities, civil unrest and instability owing largely to economic hardships in the respective countries.
Africa had time to prepare for the pandemic outbreak after the first wave of COVID-19 in China and Europe. However, Africa is one of the continents most affected by the third wave, with South Africa being particularly affected. Africa is faced with over 5.6 million COVID-19 cases and 146 497 deaths (06 July 2021). South Africa is leading with over 2 million coronavirus cases (06 July 2021)
The spread of COVID-19 throughout Africa has not only generated health emergencies across the continent but has also had devastating impacts on local and national economies, lives and livelihoods. Inevitably, marginalised populations such as migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced people (IDPs) have been some of the worst affected, including increased risk for their health, wellbeing and protection.
The COVID-19 crisis has wreaked havoc across the world and changed our understanding of the relationship between health and governance in many ways. With the virus having affected over 150 million people all over the world in a period of 12 months, it has become the biggest health crisis the world has faced in many decades.
Like all other parts of the world, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic since 6 March 2020 and all eleven member countries had registered their first cases by 6 April 2020. In addition to a number of steps taken by ECCAS, plans are also moving forward to establish a sub-regional body for the coordination of health issues in ECCAS.