The global pandemic is a humanitarian and economic crisis with serious immediate and also potentially long-term impacts, particularly on the social and economic goals. An additional 60 million Africans could be pushed into poverty and food insecurity is expected to nearly double. An estimated 110 million African children and youth are out of school, fragile health care systems are being tested, and women are at risk of being left out even more. Slow economic activity and lockdowns will increase unemployment and debt, while decreasing remittances, development assistance, and domestic revenue are added risks to financing for development and SDGs.
This report provides an assessment of where African countries stand with respect to the SDGs and their progress towards achieving them. It also includes a preliminary analysis of the impact of COVID‑19 on the SDGs in Africa.
The year 2020 is a year unlike any other, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to severely hit countries, resulting in more than 70 million infected people globally, a million deaths, millions of unemployed people, a