Lusaka, Zambia, 29 March 2023 (ECA SRO SA) – The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Sub-regional Office for Southern Africa (ECA SRO-SA) held its third and final webinar in the series under the United Nations Development Account 12th Tranche Project on Wednesday, 29 March 2023 discussing the theme ‘Building Sustainable Resilience: Post-COVID Recovery and Coping Strategies in Southern Africa’.
The objectives of the webinar were to explore practical and innovative ways to accelerate socio-economic recovery from the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic, promote sustainable growth and build resilience in the region. The Webinar provided participants with a platform to discuss practical ways to promote resilience and sustainable economic growth in the region. It also enabled participants to share insights into the impact of COVID-19 on the region's economies and social systems as well as provide a platform for disseminating the findings and recommendations of the ECA study on the impact of the pandemic.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Eunice Kamwendo, Director, ECA SRO SA said the interactive webinar was an opportunity to rethink Southern Africa’s approach to resilience post COVID. She emphasised the importance of partnerships for accelerated recovery and sustainable growth post-COVID by addressing the root causes of vulnerabilities, noting that, " it is necessary to realise the importance of building resilience in a sustainable way that considers both the short-term and long-term impacts of interventions. When rebuilding infrastructure damaged by COVID-19, it is essential to ensure that infrastructure is more resilient to future crises, such as climate change. It is also important to build on the resilience of communities and individuals, including their cultural, social, and economic resources, to ensure that recovery efforts are inclusive, sustainable and effective”.
Mr. Oliver Maponga, ECA Economic Affairs Office, gave the background of ECA response to COVID-19 and presented a study initiated by ECA-SRO-SA to look at economic and social impacts of the pandemic, establish lessons learned from the COVID-19 for future pandemics, and provide recommendations to create resilience in the region. He outlined some of the direct economic impacts as being contraction of economies, rising fiscal deficits, decline in the approval processes of new investment projects, low commodity prices, declining remittances, disruption of trade links and supply chains and rising unemployment.
One of the highlights of the webinar was the panel discussion moderated by Mr Mubusisi Mabuku from the National Planning Commission of Namibia with experts from Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe who shared experiences, perspectives and recovery strategies to address the effects of COVID-19. Mr. Mabuku highlighted that the Namibian economy rebounded in 2021 following the Government’s introduction of fiscal support packages totalling 8.4 billion Namibia dollars to support education, the private sector and poverty reduction initiatives. The Government also partnered with the private sector in supporting recovery.
Dr Munyaradzi Dobbie, Director at Ministry of Health and Childcare shared Zimbabwe’s mitigation measures of the COVID-19 pandemic championed by the Ministry of Health and Child Care including investment in health infrastructure, building health centres, training of health workers and the vaccination of almost 69 percent of the population with the first dose. He said that “Zimbabwe has also introduced allowances and incentives for health workers as a measure to curb brain drain from the sector referring to over 2000 nurses leaving the service. As a part of their resilience measures, the Government is promoting local production of masks, hand sanitisers as well as implementing an emergency plan that enhances preparedness for future emergencies”.
Dr. Sydney Mwamba, Executive Director, Policy Monitoring and Research Centre, presented the Zambian experience, noting that the country went from one of the fastest growing economies in the early 2000s to recession. GDP slowed to 3 percent due to declining copper prices and the disruption of agriculture production. He informed the meeting that, in 2022 and 2023 the government introduced budget frameworks to enhance development and stabilise macro-economic fundamentals, limit domestic borrowing and support the private sector. He underscored the need to make the manufacturing sector more resilient through value chains to take advantage of the opportunities from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Dr Grace Kumchulesi, Director of Development Planning at the National Planning Commission of Malawi said, COVID-19 presented an opportunity to create a recovery plan for intervention in building a resilient health, education, social, economic and labour systems embedded in the National Development Plan. She reported that “significant health efforts included mass vaccination, construction of 23 health facilities and establishment of a health fund. Education was reinforced by equipping schools, and the social system through cash transfers that also catered for productive sectors and the economy and labour market by creating a digital economy that can help the country to be functional during the crisis”.
The second panel looked at supporting recovery and building resilience and the role of the United Nations and Development Partners. United Nations Resident Coordinators (UNRC) from Botswana, Namibia and Zambia shared UN support to their respective countries through partnership frameworks, technical assistance, country programmes and social protection policies that enable implementation of health, education, economic and social projects. During COVID-19 the UN response was adapted to focus on national priorities. Ms. Hopolang Phororo, UNRC for Namibia said their response had a special focus on fighting gender-based violence during the crisis; UNRC for Zambia, Ms. Beatrice Mutali, highlighted the importance of UN collective mandates and partnership with the European Union that permitted the country to recruit 30 000 teachers and Mr. Taimur Khilji, Economist UNRCO, Botswana said the UN family proposed a new social protection framework spread among all ministries to improve efficient programme delivery. He advised that Botswana also ratified the AfCFTA to help Small and Medium Enterprises to become part of the regional value chains that can help diversification away from diamonds.
Ms. Dailes Judge, Oxfam, Regional Director for Southern Africa spoke about the role of partnerships with the government to meet immediate needs for local communities. She said Oxfam contributed to research on the impact of COVID on the population and the necessary responses needed for governments to support protection of women and the ability to continue taking care of their families, protection of agricultural sectors, helping small holder farmers to access markets and pushing for fiscal regulation to be improved.
In her closing remarks Ms. Olayinka Bandele, Chief of Inclusive Industrialization, ECA SRO-SA underscored the importance of building resilience through social plans. She called for an inclusive recovery that leaves no one behind by putting special focus on women, youth and those with disabilities.
Issued by:
The Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa
UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
P.O. Box 30647, Lusaka, Zambia.
Media Contact:
Ms. Lavender Degre,
Communication Officer,
Tel: +260 211 228502/5 Ext. 21307
DL: +260 211 376607
Email: lavender.degre@un.org