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Addressing Poverty and Vulnerability in Africa during the COVID-19 Pandemic
14 May, 2022
Background
The disruptions caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic pushed an estimated 55 million Africans into extreme poverty in 2020 and reversed more than two decades of poverty reduction in Africa.
Non-poor people whose level of consumption was at $1.90–$2.09 a day (0–10 per cent above the poverty line) fell into poverty because of the pandemic, since even a small amount of consumption volatility could push them below the poverty threshold. Poor people with few assets, limited access to credit, informal employment and low wages were particularly severely hit by containment measures introduced during the pandemic.
