COVID-19 PANDEMIC, ICT AND EDUCATION SYSTEM IN AFRICA: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Proceedings of the International Conference of the Association for the Promotion of African Studies on the Impact of Covid-19 on Africa and the Quest for Afrocentric Perspectives 17th September, 2020
EDITORS
Ikechukwu Anthony Kanu
Chiugo C. Kanu
Ejikemeuwa J. O. Ndubisi
First Published in 2021
A publication of The Association for the Promotion of African Studies
COPYRIGHT © 2021 by The Association for the Promotion of African Studies
ISBN: 978-978-988-731-6
INTRODUCTION
Since December 2019, the Covid-19 virus has spread to nearly every continent in the world, and case numbers have continued to rise. There are authoritative reports from 211 countries and territories reporting several novel cases worldwide. Humanity will never forget December 2019 when the strange virus emerged. Since then, it threatens to become one of the most difficult tests faced by humanity in modern history, with a huge potentiality to take lives, overwhelm health systems, and trigger lasting geopolitical change.
With these developments of ill-health, deaths and restrictions of movements to curtail the spread of the virus, the consequence on the economy of Africa and Nigeria in particular would obviously be disastrous. This piece would focus on how COVID-19 has affected the Nigerian economy. It would further make suggestions on the way forward towards boosting the Nigerian economy.
The International Monetary Fund Report in 2020 observes that in the face of COVID-19 pandemic, the global economy faces its worst downturn since the Great Depression. Following the IMF, the Oxfam International in her 2020 report warned that half a billion people could be pushed into poverty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With particular reference to Africa, there are three major impacts that COVID-19 is already having. Each of the three impacts is very devastating.
- COVID-19 has led to economic suffering in Africa, through loss of jobs and other incomes.
- The situation is gradually dragging the African economy deeper and deeper into recession.
- The financial and corporate sectors in Africa are beginning to suffer deterioration.
It is in the face of these impacts that scholars of the Association of the Promotion of African Studies have undertaken to study the Covid-19 pandemic from an African perspective and to draw out the economic and health challenges on the African people. This piece, is a major contribution to knowledge not only relevant for scholars but also policy makers and None Governmental Organization workers.
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
