Browsing: Covid updates

Covid-19 is pushing SubSaharan Africa’s leading economies back into poverty, according to the results of GeoPoll’s six-nation survey on the financial and social impact of the pandemic across the continent.

The poll of 2,400 respondents in South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Kenya found rising unemployment, further falls in incomes, drastic cuts in spending on essential and non-essential items, and mounting concern over meeting  bills in the three months ahead.

“The picture that emerges is of a further sharp deterioration in the financial position of many individual Africans in the first quarter of 2021,” said Scott Lansell, GeoPoll’s VP – International Development.

The poll, which was conducted from March 24th to April 12th, found two-thirds of respondents, at 66 per cent, reporting that their income had fallen since January 2021, with 42 per cent saying it had fallen by a lot. This …