Africa ought take care of not to be hit by poverty born

socio economic crisis

By Simachew Alemu

The world bank expressed out its fear that huge number of the world people will get sever
poverty, ILO also expressed out its fear that more than 28 millions unemployed citizens
will be revealed due to Corona virus pandemic.WFP warns that at least 10 most poor
countries will face severe starvation problem. In this aspect Africa’s fate will be much
more different from the rest of the world.
The corona virus pandemic which has begun from Wuhan region of the big china first has
infected more than 81000 china’s people and killed more than 3300 among the infected
people.Next the virus expanded to European countries and USA. Some European
countries like Italy, Spain, UK, Franc etc have lost thousands of their citizens and faced
highest socio economic crisis. USA stands at the top of the ladder in the magnitude of the
pandemic devastation. However, because USA and the stated European countries are
wealthier countries they are struggling to reduce the socio economic impact of the virus
and over all crises during lock down.
Lately this Human enemy virus found its root in almost all African countries. The
African countries as clearly known are suffering from mal nutrition, poor health services,
poor scientific knowledge, poor family planning, low per capita income, and myths, etc.
As the expansion data of the virus in African countries reveals with all these socio
economic problems the infection and death rate of the corona virus and its health impact
in African countries is slower than in the European countries and USA .Not only this.
The infection and death rate situation of South American countries is also similar to most
African countries. The reason behind is not so far clear.
Currently, most African governments are taking strong measures like lockdown parallel
to awareness creation about body distancing, personal and communal hygiene and
sanitation to prevent the damage of the pandemic. This is good. In addition to these
measure actions, some countries have closed down schools, stop public transport, closed
universities and Government institutions and organizations and business firms. But these
and the like strong measures are going to smash the survival of the poor African peoples.
As it is clearly understood most African peoples lead hand to mouth (subsistence)
economic standard. Economically well to do families are a few in number. So if the
majority of the African peoples stop day today business transactions, truly speaking, they
will be starved with in a few days. Starvation itself also leads to many health problems
and social instability. The daily laborers, the taxi drivers, the brokers, the industry
workers, the private service employees, the mammy street traders in Africa have to be
engaged in to work in order to earn payments for their survival and for their family
members. Many house holds lives are dependent up on the low income of the father, the
mother ,the sister or the brother or the son or the daughter and many extended families
share that low income to survive .
These families will automatically be starved if the income generator person of the house
hold stops work. So Starvation born plague may occur in many African countries. If this
happens it will be also much more difficult to manage than COVID-19 pandemic. Even
USA and some European countries have facing social unrest due to lock down measures
they have undertaken.
Therefore, the writer of this article, as one of the concerned citizens would like to suggest
the following solutions before Africa goes to huge socio economic crisis.
1. As I have tried to explain above although the problem created by COVID-19 is
beyond the capacity of utterance it is not much more than the economic crisis for
African and south American peoples.
2. As history shows us some viruses strongly attack a certain genetic mixes. For
instance EBOLA had strongly attacked black origin people than whites. The same
epidemiological situation may be true to corona various.
3. When we see the demography of the African countries major portion of the
population is youngsters and children. These social groups, even though they could be
trapped up by the virus are not strongly attacked by the virus like old peoples in
Europe and USA.
4. The lock down measures by some African governments may lead to political
instability. For instance, so many poor peoples opposed lock down measures in South
Africa, Kenya and Rwanda and go to the streets to fight against the security guarding
forces. So it is better to allow the working force to continue the business transactions
 together with strong and wide awareness creation activities about the pandemic and
by taking regulatory and legislative measures on negligent individuals.
5. The poverty born health and socio economic crisis will be higher than corona virus
crisis in Africa. Therefore, African peoples must continue their usual transactions
with careful body distancing and keeping up hygiene and sanitation.
6. Schools at all levels should remain lockdown until treatment or vaccine is avail to the
human race because they are the most risk areas.Children who are living with
involuntary actions and hot adolescents can not control themselves to respect physical
distancing.
7. To conclude before taking lock down measures to prevent corona virus infection,
African governments have to analyze and deeply see the pros and cons of the actions.
Africa should take care not to be hit by poverty born socio economic crisis in relation
to COVID-19 pandemic

Let the Almighty God save the Human race!