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This paper seeks to demonstrate the possible socio-economic repercussions of the pandemic to the continent and proposes amongst others that, African countries should prioritise cheaper solutions in the fight against the COVID-19 given the acute financial constraints burden by these countries before the outbreak of the pandemic. Also, it is recommended that African countries reinforce the inter-continental trade agreement such as the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) which could increase intra-African trade by 15 to 25% higher by 2040. And lastly the paper draws attention to the need for good governance and leadership in adequately fighting the harmful effects of the pandemic. To fight the pandemic, governments are taking a series of important decisions and allocating enormous sums of money in the procurement of medical equipment and supplies or direct state aid to businesses to boost the economy. High-value contracts are also swiftly and discreetly being assigned and dizzying sums of relief and recovery money are being infused in the economy on a fast-track basis. It is crucial for the government to remain vigilant and invest significant efforts to ensure that this money is used appropriately, and that unscrupulous actors do not take advantage of the crisis to enrich themselves at the expense of the public.

The agricultural sector is important to the Nigerian economy, not only because it employs so many Nigerians, but also because Nigerian policy has recently shifted towards agricultural protectionism. The short-term effects on food security and production are unsurprising in the context of a globalized economy built around comparative advantage. Domestic farmers tasked with filling the sudden gap between supply and demand will need to implement yield-improving techniques to succeed. Nigerian policymakers must apply successful models of agricultural development that improve efficiency at an affordable cost. I propose that equipment sharing services and subsidies for equipment leasing enterprises would most effectively accomplish this goal.

It is important to take stock of the research on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Africa, with emphasis on research findings by the international financial organizations that act as the first source of external funding for Africa. This paper focuses on research produced by the African Development Bank Group, International Monetary Fund (IMF), United Nations, and The World Bank, forecasting the impact of the pandemic on Africa. These international financial institutions serve as the principal source of data and a yard stick upon which other international organizations and governments determine their financial aid to Africa. To my knowledge, such an approach in presenting the research of the African Development Bank Group, IMF, United Nations, and the World Bank in a concise manner has not been attempted. Students of African Studies and international development, in general, would benefit from this synthesis of different methodologies and research output in determining the effect of COVID-19 on the African continent.

The large-scale effect of coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) sparked world-wide concerns over global economic developments. For Sub-Saharan Africa, the pandemic’s spillover effect on global trade and commodity prices has rendered its economic outlook bluntly uncertain. Particularly, because of the fact that the region’s economic trajectory remains on a balance-of-payments-constrained growth path. Which implies that Sub-Saharan Africa’s growth depends strongly on export, but the ability to import is also constrained by financial inflows and strong export performance; which in turn predictably depends on stronger commodity prices, foreign demand, and competitive depreciations (at least in the short run).