What About Africa's Small, Medium Businesses During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

COVID-19's impact on big business across the continent is well documented, however, the pandemic's effect on small to medium business enterprises cannot be overlooked.

Speaking during an online media briefing, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, said that 70% of Africa's working population earns their livelihoods in the informal sector.

As economic growth slows, Moeti said the UN Economic Commission for Africa projected that up to 27 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty due to the pandemic.

"At the WHO we are working closely with our sister UN agencies and other partners to mitigate the socioeconomic impacts," Moeti said.

"We are encouraging a context-specific, risk-based approach with adjustments to facilitate physical distancing, improved access to handwashing facilities, and strengthened hygiene practices."

Moeti said the importance of grassroots activities - like a recent door-to-door campaign in Chad where information on COVID-29 was shared with over 33,000 people - helps people to understand how they can protect themselves and others while also combating misinformation around the outbreak.

"On the public health front, several African countries have recently increased their testing capacities for COVID-19, including São Tomé and Príncipe where we deployed a team this past week.

In some of these countries we're seeing an increase in cases and in others, new cases remain stable from week to week, indicating we need to remain vigilant to stop the spread of COVID-19," Moeti said.

This article was originally published by AllAfrica.

Photo:Sambrian Mbaabu/World Bank