Discussion Paper – April, 2020: Covid-19: Socioeconomic Impacts on Africa

The novel coronavirus is a global health, economic and social crisis. With over 750 000 confirmed cases in 202 countries, territories and areas, Covid-19 had by the 1st of April 2020 caused over 35 000 deaths (WHO Africa, 2020). The effects of the virus have brought economies to an abrupt halt and will affect the possibility to achieve many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

While Africa is (as of March 31st) the continent with the least cases globally, the number of cases has been growing rapidly over the last few days. As of 31 March 2020, the number of cases were approaching 3,500. With 1326 infected, South Africa is currently the African country with most cases, accounting for almost 40 % of the continent’s registered cases.