• AFRICAN BUZZ
MOZAMBIQUE:
SOME RELIEF FOR
MOZAMBIQUE
SIERRA LEONE:
SIERRA LEONE’S MALARIA THREAT
As far as diseases go, malaria is the biggest killer on the African
continent – although, thanks to impressive continent-wide
interventions, it is not as lethal as it used to be. Between 2000
and 2015, the number of malaria cases in Africa declined by 42%,
according to the World Health Organisation, and the number of
malaria deaths dropped by two-thirds.
This impressive progress is under threat because of another
disease – Covid-19. As African countries scramble to respond to
the pandemic, there is a risk that they neglect the continuous
public health measures necessary to reduce cases of malaria.
Leon Louw
Mozambique's struggling economy will benefit from the IMF’s relief
programme.
Mozambique will be one of the 25 countries benefitting
from the IMF’s debt relief programme. Since its adaptation
in 2015 as the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust
(CCRT), the trust has managed to broaden the range of
extreme situations covered to include fast-spreading
epidemics. The debt service relief will ease some of the
pressures faced by the Mozambican government, which at
this stage expects growth to come in at 2.2% y/y in 2020
supported by the construction and logistics sector (3.0%
y/y and 2.0% y/y respectively), and will face serious strain if
international lockdown measures continue.
The IMF’s relief programme will ease pressures on the
government’s fiscal budget, but it is still expected that the
country’s economy will go into the red by -3.0% y/y for 2020
as mining, transport and tourism edge lower.
ETHIOPIA:
ETHIOPIA HEADS INTO NEGATIVE
TERRITORY
S&P has revised its sovereign outlook on Ethiopia from stable to
negative while affirming the country’s B/B status. The change
in outlook reflects the expected weakness in Ethiopia's external
debt figures and likely softer growth performance over the
next 12 months. According to the ratings agency, covid-19
is depressing tourism receipts thus straining already limited
foreign exchange reserves.
Furthermore, they expect a negative impact on the external
debt indicators as revenue collection will likely come under
strain in the next 12 months. Ethiopia joins a host of countries
that have seen their ratings outlook changed or lowered over
the past few months since the outbreak of the pandemic.
8 • African Mining •May 2020
It has happened before. Sierra Leone is among the countries
most affected by malaria, and the disease is an ever present part
of daily life. Stories of its social and economic effects are heard in
every part of the country: families lose loved ones, students miss
exams, footballers sit out key games and farmers are unable to
work. It is the reason for nearly 40% of hospital consultations.
When the first case of Ebola was recorded in Sierra Leone, on 24
May 2014, it had a devastating effect on the country’s healthcare
system. Among the 3 589 Ebola-related deaths were at least 221
healthcare workers, an enormous loss in a country where there is,
on average, just one nurse per 10 000 people. At the same time,
poor communications and distrust of the government means that
people became increasingly reluctant to go to hospital — after all,
that is where almost all of the Ebola victims would go to die.
During this time, there was a surge in deaths attributed to malaria.
Deaths that, in normal circumstances, should and would have
been prevented. The same was true of deaths attributed to HIV
and tuberculosis.
A study in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal found that
there was a 50% reduction in access to healthcare services
during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in the three most affected
countries: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. It estimated that this
increased death counts from malaria, HIV and tuberculosis by an
additional 6 269 people in Guinea, 1 535 people in Liberia and
2 819 people in Sierra Leone.
These statistics should provide a stark reminder to policymakers
today. Even while governments fight to contain the coronavirus,
they cannot neglect the treatment of other diseases such as
malaria. Doing so would reverse all the gains achieved over the
past decade in controlling the disease.
As of April 13, there were 10 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Sierra
Leone, according to the World Health Organisation. Neighbours
Guinea and Liberia have 250 and 50 cases respectively. Even
before Sierra Leone’s first case was recorded on March 30, the
country had 370 test kits available and had identified the rapid
deployment isolation treatment facility in Freetown as the main
treatment centre for the coronavirus. It has activated a public
health emergency operations centre, and developed a Covid-19
preparedness plan, which includes strengthening surveillance
and improving case management.
The World Bank has approved a USD7.5-million grant to help
Sierra Leone respond to the pandemic. What is missing in the
government’s planning is to take into account the knock-on effect
of another public health crisis on diseases such as malaria. We
need to make sure that even as we confront one public health
threat, we do not let another get out of control.
www. africanmining.co.za