Cushioning the Impact of COVID-19 on Livelihoods: Africa's Socio-Economic Policies so far

Abstract

The devastating impacts resulting from the coronavirus pandemic cannot be underestimated. The economies of most countries on almost all continents have been adversely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). With Africa's existing socio-economic challenges, the emergence of the pandemic has further weakened and worsened economies and livelihoods within the sub-region. Dwelling on secondary data sources, including journal articles, online news items, and reports, this paper examines socio-economic support programmes implemented by African governments to cushion the pandemic's impact on the already-vulnerable livelihoods in Africa. The study establishes that several successful and some ineffective socio-economic interventions have been implemented so far by countries, including but not limited to Ghana, Botswana, Kenya, and Morocco. These interventions include suspending public gatherings, lockdown regimes, strengthening healthcare systems through increased investment, cash transfers to the most vulnerable groups, free food distribution, reduction of different tax forms and distribution of Personal Protective Equipment (P.P.E.) to households. However, implementing these measures has put high economic burdens on governments due to their associated cost. It is therefore projected that, beyond the COVID-19 regime, most African governments will pursue internal economic policies to chart the course towards economic recovery. The paper recommends that case-by-case empirical studies be conducted to gauge the level of impact the identified COVID-19-driven socio-economic policies had on livelihoods within the African context.