Nearly 50 million Africans could fall into extreme poverty due to the economic consequences of the coronavirus epidemic, said the African Development Bank (AfDB) in a report released Tuesday.
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While forecasts projected that a third of Africans, or 425 million people, live below the poverty line (on less than $ 1.90 a day in purchasing power parity) in 2020, the impact of the pandemic on should greatly worsen the situation, says the AfDB in its " African Economic Outlook ".
Africa is - after Oceania - the continent least affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with nearly 500,000 cases, including nearly 11,700 dead, according to an AFP count on July 7. However, the continent is hit hard by the global economic crisis brought on by the epidemic. " Between 28.2 and 49.2 million Africans could fall into extreme poverty " this year and next year, according to the AfDB's " basic " or " pessimistic " scenarios , depending on the duration and extent of the economic recession.
Nigeria particularly affected
The African development institution, based in Abidjan, anticipates a major economic recession for the continent, with a contraction of GDP from 1.7% to 3.4% this year. Or a loss of 5.6 to 7.3 points compared to growth forecasts before the Covid-19 crisis, which were largely positive.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had mentioned at the end of June a 3.2% recession this year for sub-Saharan Africa, and a drop in the incomes of the inhabitants to their levels of 2010. According to the ADB, between 24.6 and 30 million jobs will be lost this year.
It is Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa with 200 million inhabitants, which should see the greatest increase in poverty. Between 8.5 and 11.5 million Nigerians were expected to fall into extreme poverty in 2020, in this country very dependent on its oil sector hard hit by the global economic crisis and the drop in black gold prices.
Fourth most populous country in Africa with 90 million inhabitants, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could see falling into extreme poverty 2.7 to 3.4 million people, while this country in Central Africa already has 72% of residents living below the threshold of $ 1.90 a day. The DRC's economy is suffering from its dependence on mineral exports, the prices of which have fallen on world markets.