The socio-economic impact of Ebola in West Africa

The socio-economic impact of Ebola in West Africa

August 1, 2016

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is impairing the ability of governments to raise revenues, increasing their exposure to domestic and foreign debts and may make them more dependent on aid.

In total, the governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are experiencing a shortfall of US$ 328 million to be able to function at pre-crisis levels, the study shows. The gaps are caused by increased spending to tackle the Ebola crisis and fiscal constraints resulting from a slowdown of economic activities such as tourism, mining and trade.

The nature of the outbreak imposes serous impacts on the economy. The restrictions on the movement of goods and people have threatened the food chains from production to market access and commerce.

In April alone, inflation rose from 6.39 per cent to 7.8 percent in Sierra Leone2. The fact that July and August period is a planting season in the region makes food crisis imminent in early 2015 and beyond in these countries.

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