The effect of COVID-19 on the economies of Africa

On 14 February 2020, Africa confirmed its first COVID-19 case in Egypt. To date, over 1 million cases have been reported, and there have been cases in every country on the continent. A study in May 2020 from the WHO Africa Regional Office posited that, within the first year of the pandemic, between 83,000 and 190,000 deaths and 5 million related hospitalizations could occur, and a further 29 to 44 million people could be infected if containment measures failed (WHO Africa, 2020). As of 1 December 2020, a total of 2,179,843 COVID-19 cases and 51,915 deaths had been reported in 55 African countries. This makes up 3.5 per cent of all cases reported globally (Africa CDC, 2020).