New Telegraph

COVID-19: AfDB receives kudos for $3.6bn spent on emergency budgetary support

The African Development Bank played a critical role in supporting millions of people across the continent, affected by the impact of the Covid19 pandemic in 2020. This is according to its latest Annual Development Effectiveness Review released on Tuesday. The pandemic caused fiscal deficits to double and indebtedness to rise sharply, reducing the capacity of African countries to invest in economic recovery.

The African Development Bank responded swiftly with a COVID-19 Response Facility that provided $3.6 billion in emergency budget support. The funding went into key areas such as health, social protection, and economic assistance, benefitting 12.3 million vulnerable households across 31 countries. For instance, in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal the Bank helped to subsidize water and electricity bills for vulnerable households.

In Sierra Leone, it supported the training and protection of 11,000 frontline health workers. With the Bank’s support, Ethiopia’s daily Covid19 testing capacity quadrupled. And in Morocco, the Bank helped the country upgrade health infrastructure, allowing for efficient patient care.

The Annual Development Effectiveness R e p o r t notes that s m a l l and mi-cro-enterprises supported by the Bank generated revenues of $2 billion, helping them weather the pandemic in 2020. Through its Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme, the Bank’s support for food security and agricultural development reached 11 million farmers in 28 countries and avoided $814 million in food imports. While many African countries are still grappling with the pandemic, the Bank Group President Dr Akinwumi Adesina is optimistic about Africa’s speedy return to growth and prosperity.

“The African Development Bank’s resolve to support the continent to realize its full potential is stronger than ever, and we look forward to working hand in hand with African countries to help them realize their goals.” Projects funded by the Bank in 2020 connected 260,000 people to electricity supply. Around 16.4 million people benefited from improvements in agriculture. About 9.2 million people gained access to better transport s e r v i c e s , and 8.3 million people benefited from new or improved water and sanitation.

“This year’s edition takes place against the backdrop of an unprecedented global pandemic and economic crisis. And yet, despite all these challenges, the Bank has made some remarkable achievements in 2020, both at an operational and at a corporate level.”, said African Development Bank Senior Vice President Bajabulile “Swazi’’ Tshabalala.

As a development agency, we are proud of our achievements and we must continue to enhance the quality of our operations and increase the development impact of our work. The Annual Development Effectiveness Report found that the African Development Bank continued to improve its efficiency and performance, increased income and reduced administrative expenses.

For another year running, the Bank retained its AAA credit rating. As African countries begin to build back boldly from the pandemic, the Bank’s priority in the coming year will be to help countries identify the right policy measures and investments to achieve inclusive and sustainable economic growth. The report also analyses various aspects of African economies and proposes critical reforms to improve economic gains. For example, for Africa to participate in global value chains, the report recommends more openness to foreign direct investment, and greater trade liberalization to lower tariffs on inputs.

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