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The African Development Institute will next week hold a virtual seminar to highlight how the impact of COVID-19 on Africa’s macro-economic policy and planning.
ADI will host the e-seminar in conjunction with the African Development Bank Group. Other players to join the event will be the African Economic Research Consortium, top African universities, and several other economic policy think tanks.
Slated for Wednesday, April 29, 2020, at 14:00 – 1800 GMT, the virtual seminar looks to discuss Africa’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Participants will expect to gauge the macro-economic outlook of the continent.
The discussion will be on “Enhancing Resilience in African Economies: Macro-Economic Policy Responses to COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa.”
Fiscal and monetary policy experts will be brainstorming on the challenges African governments and business leaders continue to face in this period. These parties have a lot to grapple with, especially in mobilizing emergency funds as they try to curb any further spread. There are also problems with what to do as officials ponder social stimulus packages to cushion populations whose livelihoods have been hit by restrictive lockdowns.
Efforts like that of Nigeria’s PalmPay and other fintech startups have helped, but more still needs to happen to prevent another humanitarian crisis cropping in the shadow of the pandemic.
The African Development Bank will be taking a closer look at the session’s policy deliberations to inform its planning and interventions.
The ADI event is set to happen at the same time as Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo speaks to business leaders from across Africa. The session will be a webinar organized by Africa.com, also scheduled for April 29, 2020.
