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Extreme Poverty Rises in West Africa Due to Covid-19 Pandemic

Extreme poverty in West Africa rose by nearly 3% in 2021, another fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new report by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

According to the report, a proportion of people living on less than U.S.$1.90 a day jumped from 2.3% last year to 2.9% in 2021, while the debt burden of countries increased amid slow economic recovery, shrinking fiscal space, and weak resource mobilization. 

The report highlights the effects of measures aimed at preventing coronavirus spread, such as border closures, movement restrictions, and disruption of supply chains. These measures had an impact on income-generating activities, and on food prices in markets, with small traders, street vendors, and casual workers most affected.

The deteriorating economic situation has adversely affected food security and nutrition in West Africa. More than 25 million across the region are struggling to meet their basic food needs. The situation is most severe in those areas affected by conflicts, such as the Lake Chad Basin region, the Sahel, and the Liptako-Gourma region, which borders Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

InFocus

Safidy Andriananten/UNICEF

(file photo).

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