Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

What assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on the economies of African countries.

The economic implications of COVID-19 will be huge for Africa, possibly worse than the health impact itself. The IMF predict the worst growth rates in Sub Saharan Africa since the 1970s – a recession for 2020 of -3.2%.

I am therefore working with the IMF, World Bank and the African Union to ensure we support their efforts to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic across the continent, including through support to the IMF’s Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust, and its Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust, both of which will support African recovery.