West Africa facing inequality crisis, Oxfam warns

West African governments are planning to “slash and burn” their way out of Covid-19 induced economic loss, a new report from Oxfam says.

The development charity says that the policies could bring new levels of inequality.

Its report singled out Nigeria as the worst performing West African country when it came to tackling inequality going into the pandemic.

It said that the country’s health spending is the third-lowest in the world at 3.6% of GDP, and that 40% of its population does not have access to healthcare services.

The new financial analysis by Oxfam and Development Finance International also scored Sierra Leone low on its index of countries committed to reducing inequality in Africa.

The report warned that any massive cut on public finances could push millions more West Africans into poverty and hunger.

Oxfam is calling for urgent large-scale investment in education, health and social protection.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: Oxfam