COVID-19 Public Finance Response Monitor

*Data collection for this project ended in August 2021 and it will no longer be updated.

COVID-19 Africa Public Finance Response Monitor provides an overview of expected financing gaps posed by COVID-19 and how African governments are responding to these through expenditure reprioritisation, efficiency gains, resource mobilisation, social assistance, business support, and monetary and macrofinancial policy measures.

The COVID-19 Africa Public Finance Response Monitor also provides information on health financing in Africa (as a proxy of pandemic preparedness) and up-to-date statistics of confirmed COVID-19 cases, tests and deaths. The COVID-19 Africa Public Finance Response Monitor includes a subset of actions taken by governments and does not aim to provide a full picture of the quantitative measures undertaken. Confirmed cases, tests and deaths will be updated daily and response measures will be updated monthly. The Public Finance Response Monitor was last updated on 10 August 2021.

Find out more about the Monitor by downloading the Public Finance Response Monitor concept note below.

Covid 19 PF Response Monitor Concept Note (297.4 KB)

Algeria

Tests p/million: 77

Confirmed cases: 265,975 Source

Confirmed deaths: 6,875 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 15.36% (2022-05-29)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 18.4% (2022-05-29)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 21 May 2020: A comprehensive response plan of 70 billion Dinars (USD 543 million or 0.3% of GDP) to mitigate the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. This includes 3.7 billion Dinars for medical supplies, 16.5 billion for bonus payments to health workers, and 8.9 billion for the health sector’s development. For the economic impact, the law includes 20 billion for allowances to the unemployed because of COVID, and 11.5 billion for transfers to poor households.

Official COVID-19 links: http://covid19.sante.gov.dz/

http://www.premier-ministre.gov.dz/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 676

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 11%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 31%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 11%

Domestic and external financing: The IMF and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development have contributed USD 100 million and USD 32 million (0.06% and 0.02% of GDP) towards COVID-19 medical equipment and drugs, respectively.

The President of the Republic ordered the consecration of an amount of USD 100 million (0.06% of GDP) to accelerate the import of pharmaceutical products.

26 May: Algerian president unwilling to take on an IMF loan; fears of long-term repercussions.

29 June: Announced economic stimulus of USD 323 million (which translates to 1.9% of GDP).

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 30 April: Within the framework of national measures and efforts aimed at preventing and fight against the spread of COVID19, the General Directorate of Customs has established a permanent national unit for prevention, monitoring and combating this virus at the level of the services of customs.

30 April: Contractual deadlines have been relaxed for those rendering services to the public sector. Penalties for companies that experience delays in completing public contracts have also been suspended.

20 May: Notable changes to the 51/49 rule regarding local versus international financing. There are now no restrictions with the exception of a few industries. Further, the removal of the obligation for local financing is hoped to set the economy up to a major influx in foreign investment.

4 June: Supplementary budget law was enacted.

1 March: The Algerian Ministry of Finance published the 2021 Finance Law. In it, the Minister highlighted that the fiscal deficit in light of COVID-19 was expected to hit 13.6% of the country's GDP in 2021, and that measures to mitigate such a rise would be employed, including the reliance on the country's foreign exchange reserves to fund future expenditure and pay off debts. The Finance Law also allows for an exemption for expenses associated with working from home, and a rearrangement of capital gains tax on the transfer of stocks and shares upon reinvestment to ensure increased trade volume in the country.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: End-March: In response to the oil price shock and COVID-19 pandemic, the government will lower recurrent spending by 30%, while keeping wages intact and protecting health and education spending. On 3 May, the Government stated that, instead of the original 30%, it would lower recurrent spending by 50%.

End-March: The authorities announced several measures to cut the import bill by at least USD 10 billion (6% of GDP).

On 18 May, the Minister of Finance presented the Supplementary Finance Bill (PLFC) for 2020 before the Finance and Budget Committee of the National People's Congress (APN). The PLFC 2020 provides for the reduction of budgetary expenditure by 5.7% (representing 2.2% of 2019 GDP) from the initial Finance Law (LF). A first cut of 141 billion dinars was agreed in the operating budget of the State within the framework of the bill of Finances 2020 (PLFC 2020). The budget deficit should reach 10.4% of GDP against 7.2% of GDP in the initial LF.

21 May 2020: The Draft supplementary finance law (SFL) provides 21.2 billion dinars (USD 164 401 705) for the health sector, including medical supplies, bonus payments for health workers, and health sector development. SFL provides 31.5 billion dinars as an economic response, which includes unemployment allowances and transfers to poor households.

4 June 2020: The enacted supplementary finance law (SFL) includes provisions amounting to 70 billion dinars to mitigate the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. This includes 3.7billion for the health sector to acquire medical supplies, 16.5 billion for bonus payments to health workers, and 8.9 billion for the health sector’s development. Available in French: https://www.joradp.dz/HFR/Index.htm

2 April 2021: In its 2021 budget adopted in November 2020, but published now, the government allocated USD 1.4 billion (0.8% of the country's GDP) towards COVID-related spending items. This includes USD 700 million (0.4% of GDP) for the treatment of COVID-19 at medical facilties as well as increased pay for all healthcare workers.

28 June 2021: The government published its economic recovery plan for 2020-2024. The government estimates that the total budget cost of spending measures taken in response to the pandemic at USD 1.8 billion (1% of GDP) for 2020 and the first four months of 2021. This plan also includes a roadmap to diversifying the economy, fostering high value-added sectors and international trade and promoting a favourable business climate and FDI post-COVID.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 31 May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds.Algeria was rated as having minimal accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 April: Authorities banned exports of several products, including food, medical and hygiene items.

On 3 May, at a meeting of the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Trade made a presentation on the digital system for the supervision and monitoring of the market supply of food and agricultural products in the context of the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. This system aims to create a database to identify all the actors involved in the production and distribution of mass consumption products, determine production capacities and organise the distribution perimeter, and ensure periodic monitoring of storage levels at the national level for the public and private sectors.

5 November: The Algerian government has reduced tariffs on medical supply imports as a means to improve imports of these items during the pandemic.

1 January: Algeria announced in late December that it had reached an agreement to obtain 500 000 doses of the Russian vaccine.

On 30 Jannuary, Algeria started the vaccination campaign, with the 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines received from Russia

8 February: Algeria is also expected to receive shipments from China’s Sinovac and British AstraZeneca vaccines over the coming months.

On 18 February, authorities announced that Algeria will receive, in February, 200 000 doses of the Chinese vaccine and about 800 000 doses of the vaccine through the COVAX facility.

15 February: Algeria's Ministry of Health, with support from the United Nations Development Programme and European Union is implementing a USD 50 million (% of GDP) COVID-19 health response plan. The funds will be used for the provision of medical equipment, testing kits and PPE.

25 February: Algeria received a donation of 200 000 Sinopharm vaccines from China. These will supplement the countries immunisation efforts, which started in early January with the Russian Sputnik and AstraZeneca vaccines.

2 April 2021: The government of Algeria has set aside USD 7.6 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) to purchase additional COVID-19 vaccines.

4 April 2021: Algeria received 364 800 AstraZeneca vaccines through the COVAX facility.

9 June 2021: Algeria has placed two purchase orders of 15 million vaccines each, totalling 30 million vaccines, from multiple suppliers. Algeria is set to receive an additional 700 000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine.

9 July 2021: The Government of Algeria has budgeted USD 167 million (0.1 % of GDP) for vaccine procurement.

Business support and tax measures: End-March: Declaration and payments of taxes for small and medium enterprises have been postponed.

19 May: The Algerian Tax Authority has announced the following measures (i) extended the deadlines for monthly tax returns; (ii) extended the payment deadline for the first 2020 prepayment; (iii) for taxpayers under the special lump sum tax regime, the tax authority extended the income tax return for the first quarter of 2020.

On 31 May, Algeria’s parliament passed legislation allowing foreign investors to take majority stakes in projects in “non-strategic sectors” as the country seeks to diversify its economy away from oil and gas in the wake of the economic downturn exacerbated by the COVID-19 outbreak.

On 26 July, The Council of Ministers was held, where Recovery and Development programmes were introduced for certain economic secors. Allocations of financial aid for small trades, to the value of 30,000 Dinars (or USD 233), for a period of 3 month. This is provided on the basis of a rigorous evaluation of each corporation during the last 4 months. This measure should be ratified by an executive decree to be issued before the end of the month.

1 March: To ensure the purchase of locally manufactued goods to boost domestic consumption and the economy during the pandemic, the Algerian Minister of Finance has levied a 45-day credit term for all primary good imports into the country.

2 April: The government has made provision for small businesses to not pay corporate income tax for the remainder of 2021.

Financing social assistance and food relief: End-March: Declaration and payments of income taxes for individuals have been postponed.

End-March: To avoid crowding in post offices, beneficiaries (1 Million) can receive Solidarity Allowance benefits at any time without a specific deadline.

End-March: An in-kind distribution campaign of food and hygiene items to the most vulnerable families was started. This included those living in isolated areas and impacted by the lockdown.

End-March: To reduce exposure for elderlies, a proxy letter can be delivered to another person to receive pensions/benefits in place of the beneficiary.

30 April: Ramadan allowance given to poor households has been increased from USD 47 (6 000) to USD 78 (10 000) dinars.

2 May: Despite the huge reduction in the budget, the government agreed to increase the minimum wage from USD 140 (18 000 dinars) per month to USD 156 (20 000 dinars) while income tax will be abolished for those earning USD 234 (30 000 dinars) or less.

3 May: At the meeting of the Council of Ministers, there was discussion on reviving the National Agency for Support to the Employment of Young People (ANSEJ) through the "Restart Algeria" programme. This programme is a national development plan which will be the engine of global economic development and will provide a more legible picture of the situation of projects subsidised by the ANSEJ scheme, from its creation until the end of the year in courses, numbering 400 000 projects for an amount of approximately USD 2.6 Billion (334 billion Dinars).

21 May: From May to July 2020, the World Food Programme Algeria is increasing the number of beneficiaries receiving general food assistance from 133 672 to 152 786 to include those refugees who had been identified as least vulnerable to food insecurity in WFP’s last assessment. These refugees are likely to suffer from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small businesses and those that are self-employed.

21 May: In response to the economic impact on household and enterprises of the lockdown measures, the authorities also announced that: (i) the declaration and payments of income taxes for individuals and enterprises have been postponed , except for large enterprises; and (ii) contractual deadlines would be relaxed and penalties for companies that experience delays in completing public contracts would be suspended.USD 11.5 billion (or 6.6% of GDP) in transfers to poor households as part of the economic response provisioned in the supplementary financial law.

30 September : Authorities have taken measures to alleviate the economic impact of COVID-19 on households, including (i) temporary suspension of payments of electricity and water bills, (ii) Replenishment of the national food distribution program (Office National de Sécurité Alimentaire, ONASA) , (iii) payment of all death benefits due to deceased civil and military agents, indemnities and ancillary wages owed to retirees and payment of medical expenses for civilian agents and defense and security forces.

1 April: The government earmarked a total of USD 19 million (0.01% of GDP) to increase social and grant payments to vulnerable individuals until June of 2021.

Primary sources: Algerian Prime Minister's Portal
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African Health Stats
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COVID 2019- Ministry of Health Algeria
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IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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Modern Diplomacy
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Daily Maverick

Africa News
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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Bank of Algeria

World Bank Social Protection and Job Responses to COVID-19

AA.com
ITC Trademap

Credendo News

PWC Tax Summaries

Angola

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 99,761 Source

Confirmed deaths: 1,900 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 20.07% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 37.43% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 1 July: The government estimated that USD 217 million was required to finance the vaccine rollout in the country.

Official COVID-19 links: http://www.minsa.gov.ao/

http://www.governo.gov.ao/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 82

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 5,43%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 35%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 5,43%

Domestic and external financing: The Angolan sovereign wealth fund has agreed to offer USD 1.5 billion (1.42% of GDP) on condition of future repayments.

5 May: The UN has offered a grant of USD 12.5 Million (or, 0.01% of GDP) to Angola in order to assist with Covid-19 relief

12 May: The United States government has pledged USD 3.5 million (less than 0.1% of GDP) in support of Angola's Covid-19 response effort.

29 May: The EU has provided the Angolan authorities with a package of 10 million Euros (0.01% of GDP) to assist in Angola's Covid-19 response efforts.

22 June: UNICEF is expected to fund part of the Angolan Covid-19 response plan with USD 7.1 million (less than 0.01% of GDP).

8 September: Angola is participating in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space created by this DSSI amounts to USD 2.65 billion, or approximately 3.1% of GDP in Angola. On November 10, the amount of debt suspension was amended downwards to 2% of GDP or USD 1.8 billion. On 11 February, this amount was again updated to USD 1.74 billion, or roughly 1.9% of the country's GDP. On 23 April, the debt service suspension offered to Angola by the world bank was to the tune of USD 1.29 billion (roughly 1.4% of the country's GDP) in the first half of 2021. This was after confirming that the debt suspension offered to the country was USD 1.74 billion (1.9% of GDP) during the last half of 2020.

16 September: The IMF has provided Angola with concessional funding to the effect of USD 766 million (0.4% of GDP). This is roughly 76% of the total USD 1 billion offered by the IMF to Angola under the current funding framework.

29 December: The EU has provided 20 million Euros to Angola (USD 24.5 million, or 0.02% of GDP) to support the informal economy conversion programme in Angola as part of the country's COVID-19 response.

11 January: Angola is set to receive a payment extension of 3 years on debt worth USD 20 billion (roughly 23% of GDP) with various Chinese entities.

4 February: The IMF disbursed USD 487 million in budget support to Angola to assist the country in responding to the pandemic.

17 May 2021: The African Union approved a USD 3 million facility (less than 0.01% of GDP) for Angola to purchase COVID vaccines.

In June 2021, the IMF approved a disbursement to Angola of USD 772 million (0.9% of GDP) in budget support aimed at accommodating vaccine procurement and strengthening the country's COVID-19 health response, among other things.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: May 4: The Angolan government has eased contractual procurement procedures specifically for public contracts of any goods, services or works related to mitigating the impact of Covid-19 on the country. This relates to the passing of Presidential Decree 120/20 and Executive Decree 153/20.

On 27 June, a revised general state budget proposal was examined by parliament.

30 June: Public procurement procedures have been further informalised to facilitate administrative easing; any written document specifying required information will be accepted and the value of the procedural will be allowed to be conducted.

On 28 July, the National Assembly in Angola adopted a supplementary budget aimed at providing fiscal space for additional healthcare, while also maintaining a sustainable debt path for the country.

20 September: Angola established an inter-ministerial commission to manage the COVID-19 response and introduced a specific COVID-19 programme in the budget classification for this purpose.

19 November: The Angolan parliament aproved the 2021 state budget which is subject to further discussion and final acceptance before being published.

On 31 December, the parliament of Angola published the general budget for 2021.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: In April, additional healthcare spending to mitigate coronavirus, estimated at USD 40 million, was announced.

On 9 April, the Executive designed a set of immediate cost-cutting measures in a Presidential Decree that, including:
Freezing 30% of its goods and services budget and its CAPEX has been suspended pending completion of the budget review;
Suspension of all processes of new admissions and promotions in the Civil Service, with the exception of sectors previously approved, until the completion of the Budget Review;
Reduction of travel by Executive Members and Government Executive Delegations;
Redefinition and classification of the range of vehicles to be attributed to State managers and suspension of the acquisition of new vehicles for personal use;

22 April: the Minister of Finance stated that the execution of all government contracts whose source of funding has not been secured or whose goods/services are not of a priority to the structural integrity of the economy are to be suspended. This suspension does not apply to health, education, social action, logistical supply, sanitation and other previously-secured-fund-contracts with the state.

On 28 July, the national Assembly in Angola passed a revised state budget (OGE). Although no detailed breakdown has been made publicly available as yet, forecasts suggest that revenue collection will be 29% lower than was originally expected from the OGE of 2019 (moving from USD 30 billion to USD 22 billion). In contrast, budgetary expenditure will decrease by 9%, lead by reductions in the purchase of goods and services by roughly 20%, and the reduction of interest expenses by 9%.

11 September: The National Assembly allocated an additional USD 7 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) to the improvement of healthcare infrastructure pertaining to COVID-19 testing.

On 31 December, the Angolan parliament published the 2021 general budget. In it, specific focus is placed on assigning funds to various social services in light of COVID, especially as those services relate to providing education and healthcare services during the coming year. The allocation to these social services for 2021 will be 39.5% of the budget (roughly 15.5% of GDP, or USD 13.8 billion), of which an (as yet) unspecified amount will be COVID-related

30 June 2021: According to the IMF, the 2021 budget statement for Angola is set to build on consolidation efforts from the previous year. It is anticipated that primary expenditure will decline by 0.7% of GDP, and that the non-oil primary fiscal deficit will hover at around 4.8% of the country's GDP. This is in the face of increased expenditure on vaccines and acquiring skilled employment in the healthcare and education sectors, equating to 0.3% of GDP.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 15 April: a website for Economic Relief (https://alivioeconomico.org/) has been recently launched by the Ministry of Economy and Planning. It is a digital tool that outlines the measures taken by the government to alleviate the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the country’s economy. It provides information on tax relief, social security requirements, financing packages and some current expenditure to be carried out.

In May 2021, a paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Angola was flagged as having a limited degree of accountability and transparency in relation to COVID-19 funding. management.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 May: Imports of some food, medicines and bio-safety materials will benefit from a temporary exemption on payment instrument limits, announced the National Bank of Angola, on publishing instruction no. 05/2020, of 30 March.

30 May: Suspension of exports of nationalized food, medicine and medical equipment, including those carried by the inhabitants of border areas.

30 May: A list of Covid-19 prevention and treatment medico-medicated goods subject to the regulated price regime has been released.

30 May: SADC Member States have established National Emergency Operations Centres to facilitate coordination of logistics and stockpiling for disasters at the national level. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies is being implemented to provide sustainable availability and access to affordable and effective essential medicine and health commodities, and Member States have been encouraged to utilise this facility for the procurement of the needed supplies for prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 and any other epidemics.

30 September: Angola has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

14 January: Angola expects to receive five million COVID-19 vaccines in February 2021 and the remaining seven million others in April in partnership with COVAX. Besides Pfizer's vaccines, the minister said, the country may also acquire other vaccines that were certified and authorised by competent health authorities

4 February: The authorities in Angola have approved a vaccination plan, and earmarked USD 217 million (roughly 0.24% of GDP) to cover vaccination rollouts to 20% of the country's population. The funds from the General State Budget will be for operational costs and strengthening of the cold chain. The vaccination plan will comprise two stages, with the first covering people more than 40 years of age and those with high exposure. The second phase will cater for people with ages from 20 to 39 years, market vendors, public service drivers and the like. The government aims to vaccinate 95% of the population.

10 February: Alrosa PJSC will buy and donate an undicslosed amount of Sputnik V COVID vaccines to Angola and Zimbabwe.

24 February: COVAX announced Angola's indicative distribution for the first half of 2021 through the AMC of 2.544 million AstraZeneca Vaccines through Serum Institute India.

30 March: 200 000 COVID-19 vaccines have been given to the government of Angola by China to assist in the country's vaccination drive.

31 March 2021: Angola included COVID vaccine programme costs in its government budget. A total of USD 252.2 million (0.3% of GDP) has been contributed by the government of Angola and its development partners for this programme.

3 May 2021: The government of Angola has purchased and is subsequently expected to receive 20 million doses of Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer and Sputnkik COVID-19 vaccines by the end of May 2021.

On May 17, 2021, additional USD 33 million was approved for purchase of 4 million vaccine doses through the African Union.

30 June 2021: The government in Angola is set to propose an adjustor to the non-oil primary deficit and social spending targets laid out in the 2020/21 state budget to accommodate COVID-19 vaccine import costs.

1 July 2021: The vaccination plan is estimated to cost USD 217 million and aims to cover 20 percent of the population in the first phase.

Business support and tax measures: 30 April: The Ministry of Finance has proposed reducing the Industrial Tax, to give companies more resources to reinvest and thus renew their business; strengthening the capitalisation of the Credit Guarantee Fund; reinforcement of lines of credit to support business initiatives in the private sector.

30 April: Immediate operationalisation of credit to support food producers and start of the Rural Trade Program

30 April: Postponement of the removal of fuel subsidies to another financial year.

30 April: Exemption from payment of Value Added Tax and customs duties for goods imported for the purpose of humanitarian aid and donations.

30 April: In an attempt to promote the oil sector amidst declining demand due to Covid-19, the parliament of Angola has adopted legislation which will grant tax benefits (a deduction of investment premiums on tax on income from oil) to specific oil blocks in the country.

30 April: Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the state will refrain from collecting USD 260 million (0.14% of GDP) in tax revenues from companies. The national institute of social security will also refrain from taking contributions of up to USD 50 Million (0.03% of GDP) as a means to relieve companies paying social security benefits. This applies until the 10th of May 2020, and will be subject to applications from various companies.

11 May: Announcement of measures to ensure financial support to maintain minimum levels of activity of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the manufacturing sector, through the consignment of USD 775 million (0.73% of GDP) and the removal of some administrative procedures. These are mainly related to setting up companies, such as statistical registration and requests for a commercial permit to conduct certain activities.

10 November: Tax relief measures relating to the impact of COVID-19 on the diamond industry in Angola are expected to continue into 2021.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 April: applications for a moratorium on personal credit repayments have begun. These measures apply to personal creditors who have paid their required credit debt off by end of March 2020, and are now facing difficulties paying off credit thereafter. This moratorium will last 60 days.

25 May: As part of a package of social protection responses, the Ministry of Social Affairs, Family, and Women’s Promotion (MASFAMU) announced that the Child Grant implemented in Bie, Moxico, and Uige provinces will be topped up (from 3000 to 5000 Kwanzas, or approximately USD 6 to USD 10 monthly) and a double payment will be made. The government has also adapted the payment procedures to ensure adequate sanitation and worker protection during the transfers.

14 April: The United Nations has granted Angola USD 3.5 million in order to prop up food security in Namibe, Huila, Cunene and Cuando Cubango amidst the Covid-19 crisis.

14 May: The Ministry of Social Action, Family and Women Empowerment is expected to disburse AOA 315 million (USD 562 500) to support food distribution efforts to vulnerable groups throughout Angola.

Primary sources: The Africa Report
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African Health Stats
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Angolan Ministry of Health
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Macau Hub
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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National Bank of Angola

World Bank Social Protection and Job Responses to COVID-19

Embassy of The United States in Angola Website

All Africa News Website

Mondaq News Website

Relief Web

The European Union Website

UNICEF Website

Agencia Angola Press

World Health Organization

Africa CGTN

African News

SABC News

Further Africa News

Moneyweb

Agencia Angola Press

Macau Business

AngoParliament Website

Benin

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 27,122 Source

Confirmed deaths: 163 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 21.61% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 29.22% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: In March, a comprehensive mitigation and prevention plan is estimated at CFAF 60 billion (USD 100 million or 0.7% of GDP).

By April, the Government of Benin had prepared a COVID-19 response plan for USD 320 million (1.7% of GDP) to contain health risks and support the economy.

26 June: The government of Benin has prepared a Covid response plan for USD 672 million, or 4.7% of GDP.

30 August: It was announced that the portion of the response plan allocated to being spent in 2020 was set at CFAF 150 billion (USD 270.6 million or 1.7% of GDP), with the remaining USD 400 million set to be spent over the next 2 years.

31 January: The health preparedness and response plan to the COVID pandemic for 2021 is set at 0.7% of GDP (equivalent to USD 100 million) .

Official COVID-19 links: https://www.gouv.bj/coronavirus/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 17

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 3,72%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 43%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 3,72%

Domestic and external financing: Benin is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust. Benin will receive relief of USD 10.17 million (or 0.07% of GDP).

A COVID-19 Fund has been set up under the Minister of Economy and Finance. The mandate of this fund remains unspecified.

15 May: The IMF Executive Board approved an immediate disbursement of USD 125.1 million (or, 0.87% of GDP) to Benin to address the urgent financing needs stemming spread of COVID-19 and to mitigate its economic and social impacts.

20 May: Additional domestic financing relative to the budget plan of CFAF 65.4 billion (USD 109 million, or 0.76% of GDP).

28 April: The World Bank approved an additional financing of USD10.4 million from the International Development Association (IDA) to support Benin's efforts to fight COVID-19 (coronavirus) and help the country respond to public health emergencies.The Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement Project (REDISSE) has earmarked USD 20 million (0.14% of GDP), while USD 10 million (0.07% of GDP) is being funded by the Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) of the Benin Early Years Nutrition and Child Development Project (EYNCDP), bringing the sum total allocated by the World Bank to Benin's emergency measures to USD 40 million.

26 June:The World Bank Board of Directors approved an International Development Association (IDA) additional financing of USD 50 million (approximately 0.3% of GDP) to help Benin mitigate the impact of the coronavirus health crisis in the socio-economic recovery phase.

24 July: The African Development Bank Board approved a concessional loan of USD 7.4 million (approximately 0.05% of GDP) to help Benin mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

9 September: The World Bank Board approved a concessional loan of USD 6.85 million (approximately 0.05% of GDP) for Benin for COVID-19 Education Response GPE Project.

2 October: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon to Benin on debt servicing through the second tranche of Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust for USD 8.98 million (or 0.06% of GDP).

24 November 2020: The West African Development Bank (BOAD) Board approved a loan of USD 18.5 million (approximately 0.13% of GDP) to help Benin mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

On 21 December 2020, USD 118.61 million (0.82% of GDP) was provided by the IMF through its Rapid Financing Instrument and USD 59.35 million (0.4% of GDP) through the Rapid Credit Facility.

24 February : The World Bank Board approved a concessional loan of USD 0.94 million (approximately 0.007% of GDP) for Benin for COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Project

5 April: The IMF, under the third tranche of its CCRT, has offered debt relief to Benin to the tune of USD 7.52 million (0.05% of the country's GDP)

28 June 2021 : The World Bank Board approved a concessional loan of USD 30 million (approximately 0.21% of GDP) for Benin's COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Project as a second round of additional financing.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: On April 27, Heads of states of the West-Africa Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) declared a temporary suspension of the WAEMU growth and stability Pact setting six convergence criteria, including the 3 % of GDP fiscal deficit rule, to help member-countries cope with the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, allowing member countries to raise fiscal deficits temporarily.

30 April: A committee with special powers to make resource allocation decisions has been created.

28 August: The government’s financial management information system (FMIS) has been combined with other mechanisms to track spending and revenue, including in-kind donations made to the COVID-19 fund.

28 August: Private funds have been administered separately, earmarked for delivering specific services, and tracked through an ad hoc system.

30 March: The UEMOA has set up a COVID-19 voucher system for all countries in its ambit. This voucher system (worth CFAF 972 billion or USD 1.75 billion) will be accessible for all UEMOA member states as a means to stave off the impact of the pandemic, access vaccines and bolster health systems.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: End-April: The mitigation and prevention measures taken so far by the authorities amount to CFAF 10 billion (about USD 17 million or 0.1 % of GDP).

20 May: On the revenue side, the projected tax and customs shortfall due to the economic slowdown and the border closure with Nigeria is estimated at 1.1% of GDP (under the assumption that the border remains closed until mid-year). On the spending side, the authorities plan to reallocate 0.6% of GDP from non-essential goods and services and non-health capital expenditure to the new priorities of the emergency package estimated at 1.7% of GDP. As a result, the 2020 fiscal deficit is revised upward by 1.7% of GDP.

20 May: Within the budget envelope, the authorities have reallocated CFAF 31 billion from low-priority capital projects and CFAF 19.7 billion from recurrent spending.

26 June: Authorities have allocated an increase in healthcare spend by CFAF 60 billion (USD 103 million) as part of their response plan.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 20 May: As part of their committment to the IMF, the authorities are committed to conducting an audit of their response plan next year, which will be independently carried out by the Accounting Chamber and made available to the public on its website. The authorities will also publish the procurement contracts of the main projects, indicating their amount and beneficiaries.

May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Benin was rated as having minimal accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 1 April: The government made protective masks available at the subsidized price of FCFA200 (USD 0,33).

30 April: The government has authorised its central purchasing office to make chloroquine available at a subsidized price.

30 September: Benin has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Benin is set to receive 936 000 AstraZeneca vaccines by late February, produced by the Serum Institute of India.

10 March: Benin received 144 000 AstraZeneca vacines through the COVAX facility

21 March: Benin received 203 000 vaccines produced by SINOVAC (of which 103 000 vaccines were purchased with budgeted funds, and the remaining 100 000 received by donation) from China.

29 June 2021: Benin received USD 30 million from the World Bank for its vaccination programme. Of this, USD 25 million (0.17% of GDP) is for the procurement of vaccines and consumables (including injection materials, safety boxes, and shipment costs) and USD 4 million for Immunization planning, supply chain strengthening, and programme delivery.

Business support and tax measures: April 2020: applications for a moratorium on personal credit repayments have begun. These measures apply to personal creditors who have paid their required credit debt off by end of March 2020, and are now facing difficulties paying off credit thereafter. This moratorium will last 60 days.

10 June: The stimulus package announced by authorities is expected to cover 70% of gross salaries of all formal sector employees, reimburse VAT, and exempt businesses from other taxes and utility payments over a 3-month period.

30 December: In Benin, the authorities are considering providing support to SMMEs in the hardest-hit economic sectors such as the transport and hotel industries. The cost of this support package is expected to be around USD 12 million or 0.4% of GDP.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 21 May: One third of the response plan will consist of transfers to vulnerable households representing above one quarter of the population. A system of cash wires through mobile banking building on ARCH (the new health insurance system) or channelled through the safety nets component of the World Bank ACCESS project is being considered. If technical constraints prevent its use, the authorities will resort to more traditional forms of transfer, such as food distribution programs and utility bill subsidies. Both cash transfers and subsidies are expected to benefit the formal and informal sectors.

Primary sources: The OECD Innovation Hub
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African Health Stats
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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IMF Policy Response to COVID-19

IMF Country Report

BCEAO Website

Relief Web

Botswana

Tests p/million: 1,325

Confirmed cases: 314,242 Source

Confirmed deaths: 2,709 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 63.03% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 70.72% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 1 March: The authorities anticipate spending of around P5 billion (USD 42 million or 2.4% of GDP).

25 March: Presidential Directive directed the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to urgently mobilise P2 billion (USD 166 million or 10% of GDP) through transfers from Special Funds and appropriation from the Consolidated Fund and that the funds be paid into the COVID19 Relief Fund. The Fund will cover provision of psychosocial support to all those affected, support workers, stabilise businesses and ensure availability of strategic supplies and explore opportunities for economic diversification.

26 June: Botswana is estimated to require a total of P40 billion (18.6% of 2018 GDP in Botswana, or USD 3.5 billion) over the next two and a half years to revive its COVID-19-hit economy and to cover its expected budget deficits.

22 October: The expected deficit for the remainder of the Development Plan in Bostwana, which ends in 2023, sit at P13.6 billion (USD1.19 billion or 6.39% of GDP).

Official COVID-19 links: https://cms1.gov.bw/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 521

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 9,15%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 5,25%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 9,15%

Domestic and external financing: On 31 March President Masisi announced that an economic stimulus package is being developed to buffer the impact of COVID-19.

Cabinet members have pledged 10% of their salaries to the relief fund for a period of six months. The amount comes up to about USD 14 000 per month and USD 84 000 over the six-month period.

Judges of the High Court, and Justices of the Court of Appeal have unanimously agreed to contribute 5% of their basic salary towards the Relief Fund.

1 May: The United States government has contributed P56 million pula (USD 4.65 million, or 0.03% of GDP) to Botswana's COVID-19 pandemic response.

8 June: The UNDP is to expand the flagship programme, the "Business Supplier development Programme" (SDP), by providing additional assistance to SME suppliers.

1 July: Botswana may need to approach the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to help with funding to deal with the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the Finance and Economic Development Minister.

22 October: Botswana had approached the World Bank for budgetary suport after the COVID-19 crisis dented state revenues. No quantum is in place yet but ideally authorities are hoping to get about 50% of the expected P13.6 billion (USD1.19 billion or 6.39% of GDP). This amount will cover the deficit for the remainder of the development plan which ends in 2023. Botswana's parliament in September approved a P14.5 billion (USD1.3 billion or 6.98% of GDP) economic recovery plan, which would be funded through a combination of local borrowing and external sources.

3 November: Germany donated USD 5.7 million to Botswana as a means to assist the country in combating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

16 September: Botswana’s parliament has approved a government request to double its domestic borrowing programme to P30 billion (USD2.6 billion or 14% of GDP) to fund its budget deficit and economic stimulus.

5 November: Parliment has approved the mid-term review of NDP 11, including a P15 billion (USD 1.35 billion or 7.25% of GDP) stimulus to support economic recovery and to facilitate structural transformation. The bond issuance programme started at a ceiling of P5 billion (USD451 million or 2.42% of GDP) in 2008 and was increased to P15 billion (USD 1.35 billion or 7.25% of GDP) in 2011, a threshold which was reached in June this year

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 30 April: All Government institutions will pay purchase orders within 5 days and parastatals will pay within 24 hours. Measures have been taken to improve the efficiency of procurement processes. Government will pay all outstanding arrears for invoices within 2 weeks.

30 April: The COVID-19 Economic Advisory Committee has been evaluating the potential economic impact on Botswana, and has prepared a package of interventions designed to mitigate that impact and provide some support to businesses and households, consistent with available fiscal space.

1 June: Moody’s has changed Botswana’s A2 sovereign ratings from stable to Negative due to the Covid-19 shock to growth and revenue on the economy and its diamond sector.

30 September: A dedicated “virtual” spending entity has been created in FMIS to track COVID-19 spending.The “virtual” entity is used to ensure that all related inflows and expenditures are recorded, and budget execution controls are applied.

1 March: As a way of enhancing the efficiency of Government spending in the light of COVID-19, the Ministry of Finance has introduced the Zero-Based-Budgeting (ZBB) approach during the preparation of the 2021/2022 budget. This has provided a framework
to assist Thematic Working Groups (TWGs) and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to work out their funding needs from scratch, and thus, enable them to determine the full cost of their budgetary requirements. This will also assist in appropriately prioritizing spending plans by directing resources to where their greatest areas of need are, guided by what Government can afford.. It is also estimated that 50% of public service vacant positions are to be abolished in an effort to reduce the wage bill and decrease expenditure in light of COVID-19.

1 March: Low levels of development expenditure have been exacerbated by COVID-19 restrictions, however there are deep-seated project execution problems that existed before COVID-19. Bottlenecks in the implementation of the development programme, and the resultant underspending, points to capacity challenges in areas such as project design, contracting processes, project implementation, project monitoring and evaluation. This will be addressed by handing over the responsibility for implementation of selected projects to the private sector, however, with robust contract supervision structures in place.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: On 24 April, Finance Minister Matsheka noted projected revenue will fall from P62.4 billion to 48 billion (22% decline). He said government has revised the budget by doing away with conferences, and deferring salary increment for public servants, which was supposed to come into effect on April 1, 2020. The deferment will last for at least six months. Total expenditure has been revised downward by P8 billion from P59.6 billion.

By 24 April, the Ministry of Health submitted a request of P2 472 700 995 (USD 202 million, or 1.1% of GDP), for laboratory commodities, personal protective clothing and equipment, medicines, linen, accommodation for people on quarantine and operational costs. The government approved a part of this request.

1 March: In responding decisively to the adverse economic impact of COVID-19, Government proposed that P14.5 billion be allocated as additional fiscal resources for the economic recovery and transformation plan, with P7 billion budgeted for the 2021/2022 Financial Year. Spending will be channelled towards the development of economic clusters, such as agriculture, tourism, creative industry, and manufacturing. Furthermore, projects have been identified to expedite the digital transition, SME development, improve health and education outcomes, develop productive infrastructure, as well as enable a conducive environment for businesses.

1 March: In the 2021/22 budget, the Ministry of Basic Education has been allocated the largest share of 18.8 percent of the proposed ministerial recurrent budget. The growth mainly comprises the budgetary provision for creation of a total of 1,751 positions of teachers to align with COVID-19 protocols in terms of reducing class size and social distancing in schools across the country.

1 March: In the 2021/22 budget, the third largest share of the proposed Ministerial Recurrent Budget of P7.90 billion or 15.6 percent, is recommended for allocation to the Ministry of Health and Wellness. The Ministry has recorded a growth of P165.32 million or 2.1 percent over the 2020/2021 approved budget. Additional funding has been included to further support Government’s response and interventions to contain the pandemic and to mitigate the risks of new infections, spread or resurgence of the disease. The funding comprises personal protective equipment for public health personnel and other support frontline workers, medicines for the fight against the pandemic, quarantine costs and acquisition of vaccines in line with the agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO).

Transparency, accountability and participation: On 8 May, The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development informed the public that for transparency and accountability purposes, all name of companies and organisations that have benefitted from the Government wage subsidy for April have been published on the Ministry of Finance Website.

2 August: The Office of the President sacked the Ministry of Health and Wellness permanent secretary and deputy permanent secretary in April. In May, the president disbanded the ministry’s procurement following reports of possible collusion with tenderpreneurs-cum-covidpreneurs taking advantage of the coronavirus panic to overcharge, cheat the government and steal public funds. On 24 May, the Sunday Standard reported that the government had cancelled two tenders worth more than P80-million (USD 7 million) which had been awarded to Pula Rich Investments and Mileage Air (Pty) Ltd to supply testing kits.

End-May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Botswana was rated as having limited accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 April: Botswana Innovation Hub, through its annual innovation fund, called for proposals from entrepreneurs to address challenges in public health systems, public service delivery, transportation and payments, logistics and value chains.

30 May: SADC Member States have established National Emergency Operations Centres to facilitate coordination of logistics and stockpiling for disasters at the national level. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies is being implemented to provide sustainable availability and access to affordable and effective essential medicine and health commodities, and Member States have been encouraged to utilise this facility for the procurement of the needed supplies for prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 and any other epidemics.

3 June: Government will continue to ensure the availability of strategic supplies to Botswana at a regulated price including; a build-up of fuel and grain reserves, and the sufficient provision of water tanks and medical equipment.

30 September: Botswana has submitted non-binding confirmations of intent to participate in the COVAX Facility, a Gavi-coordinated pooled procurement mechanism for new COVID-19 vaccines. Botswana would be able to use the mechanism to buy and procure COVID-19 vaccines at the cheaper prices Gavi has negotiated — but the country would have to allow COVAX to procure and buy the vaccines on its behalf.

21 December: The Government of Botswana will ensure the continued supply of strategic goods through targeted import programmes and domestic production upscaling where feasible. These include; (i) The build-up of grain reserves; (ii) The build-up of fuel reserves; (iii) Sufficient provision of water bowsers, trucks, water tanks, and the supply of medical equipment.

4 February: Botswana has made an upfront payment to COVAX, the World Health Organization's (WHO) vaccine arrangement, to acquire 940 800 vaccines under a two-dose regime, enough to cover about 20 % of the population.

24 February: COVAX announced Botswana's indicative distribution of 117 800 AstraZeneca Vaccines through SKBioScience for the first half of 2021.

25 February: According to XinhuaNet, Health Minister Edwin Dikoloti said Botswana has already paid USD 10 million to secure vaccines through different channels. The government has secured enough doses through COVAX to immunize its frontline workers at a cost of USD 2.9 million. A further USD 7.1 million was paid to the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT). The government continues to engage with other stakeholders including vaccine manufacturers. to secure adequate doses for the country's 2.3 million population.

On 26 March, Botswana started its vaccination campaign, after receiving 30,000 vaccine doses donated by India. Botswana has also received its first consignment of 33,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX facility. Botswana's health authorities say they have arranged to receive nearly 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, enough to cover the entire adult population. If every adult takes the vaccine, Botswana could become the first country in Africa to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

3 June 2021: Botswana entered into a vaccine supply agreement with Moderna which is separate from the GAVI agreement.

4 June 2021: Mining company, De Beers, has pledged USD 6.8 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) to support vaccine procurement and roll out programmes in Botswana and Namibia.

Business support and tax measures: To give businesses cash-flow relief, Government, through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development will:
• Guarantee loans by commercial banks to businesses most affected by COVID-19;
• Give eligible businesses affected by COVID-19 access to credit to support ongoing operations in conditions where credit becomes more difficult to obtain and;
• Give tax concessions to businesses in eligible sectors.
• VAT refunds to businesses will be expedited to assist with cash flow.
• Banks have agreed to offer restructuring of loan facilities through which each bank will consider each case within their credit policy and parameters. This will include owner-occupied residential property mortgages and motor vehicle loans;
• All commercial banks will offer a payment holiday for 3 months with the option to extend to six (6) months to the affected sectors;
• Regular payment obligations including life insurance premium payment, retirement fund contributions and loan instalments will be restructured and rescheduled to offer relief for at least three months to COVID-19 affected people subject to individual policies.

May 7: The government has established a 2 Billion Pula (1.1% of GDP) Covid relief fund aimed at financing a waiver on the mandatory company skills levy, as well as creating a government-backed guarantee fund from which tax-compliant businesses can obtain credit guarantees over the next 2 years. VAT refund periods have also been decreased from 60 to 21 days in the country.

8 September: The Minister of Finance has implemented a tax deferral of 75% of any quarterly payment between March and September 2020 to be paid by end-March 2021

On 3 November, the government of Botswana announced that a wage subsidy for those working in the tourism industry would be extended by five months.

1 March: P1.3 billion (USD 119,6 million or 0,65% GDP) was approved in the Supplementary Budget for the Industry Support Facility (ISF), which provides soft loans for existing businesses across the economy. Of the total, P900 million (USD 82,8 million or 0,45% GDP) is provided for general industry, while there are dedicated sums of P200 million (USD 18,4 million or 0,1% GDP) for tourism enterprises and P100 million (USD 9,2 million or 0,05% GDP) for agricultural enterprises. An additional P100 million (USD 9,2 million or 0,05% GDP) has been made available to provide small grants to informal sector and micro enterprises registered with the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA).

2 April: Using the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a government loan guarantee scheme of P1 billion (USD 92 million or 0,5% of GDP) (20% of which is financed by commercial banks) has been initiated for businesses that are tax compliant (including those who are not eligible to pay taxes/). Guarantee covers a period of 24 months with a max of P25 billion (USD 2,3 billion or12,5 % of GDP) per borrower. Reduce the VAT refund period (from 60 days to 21 days).

6 May: The BURS is focusing on establishing and strengthening the Large Tax Payers Unit, minimising the tax gap, and introducing electronic filing. Botswana has a fiscal year ending on 30 June. However, a business may select its own accounting year, which may end on a date other than 30 June. This accounting year is accepted for the computation of the company’s taxable income.

On 1 July 2021, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development released “Value Added Tax (Remission of Penalties and Interest) Amnesty Regulations, 2021” and “Income Tax (Remission of Penalties and Interest) Amnesty Regulations, 2021” came into effect. These regulations provide an opportunity for taxpayers to regularize their tax affairs and to benefit from the waiver of penalties and interest, provided that certain conditions are satisfied.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 March: government will provide a wage subsidy for citizen employees of businesses mostly affected by COVID-19, to enable them to retain employees.

On 24 April, it was announced that P 114 million (USD 9,34 million) was approved for food hampers for April and P 26 million (USD 2.1 million for temporary social workers. 100 water tanks were acquired to bring 5000 litres of water for those without water connections.

30 March: Social security contributions have been rescheduled to a later date for at least three months from the end of April 2020.

May 7: The government has established a 2 Billion Pula (USD 164 million or 1.1% of GDP) Covid relief fund aimed at subsidising wages (approximately 50% of all affected workers) over a period of 3 months. Employers receiving these subsidies must commit to not retrenching staff due to the Coronavirus.

21 December: The Government has put in place interventions under the COVID -19 Relief Fund, key of which is to ensure the provision of psychosocial support to all those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Primary sources: Botswana Government Facebook Group
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African Health Stats
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Bank of Botswana
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IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus

African Business in Brief

Fitch solutions

Xinhua Net

RSM Global

EY Tax News

World Health Organisation

KPMG

Burkina Faso

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 21,044 Source

Confirmed deaths: 387 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 7.23% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 11.4% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: End-March: A response plan has been estimated at FCFA 394 billion (USD 650 million or 4.5% of GDP) This amount includes the overall health response plan, which amounts to approximately FCFA 178 billion (USD 293 million, or 2.1% of GDP).

10 July: The revised financial requirement induced by the COVID-19 epidemic amount to CFA 394.05 billion (USD 685 million or 4.85% of GDP).

Official COVID-19 links: https://www.facebook.com/finances.gov.bf/

https://www.sante.gov.bf/corona-virus

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 46

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 11%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 31%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 11%

Domestic and external financing: On 14 April, SDR 84.28 million was provided by the IMF through its Rapid Credit Facility.

23 April: the authorities are discussing exceptional financing from the members of the Alliance pour le Sahel, African Development Bank (USD 10 million), China (USD 1.2 million, in-kind grant) and France. The authorities also plan to mobilize additional financing from regional bodies, including the Western African Development Bank (BOAD). The authorities would seek to fill any remaining financing gap by tapping into regional bond market.
end-April: Burkina Faso is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust. By 7 May, Burkina Faso had been offered USD 11.96 million worth of relief from the IMF (translating to 0.08% of GDP).

28 April: The European Union has announced additional support to Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, of 194 million Euros. This comes after the EU pledged to mobilise 449 million Euros earlier on in April for the same 5 countries.

30 April: The World Bank approved USD 21.15 (roughly 0.15% of GDP) million in financing, of which 50% grant and 50% credit from the International Development Association (IDA)* to help Burkina Faso respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

29 May: An EU-IOM partnership seeks to mobilise just over 1 million Euros (less than 0.01% of GDP) to alleviate the impact of Covid-19 on migrants/refugees in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, and Senegal.

5 June: The World Bank approved USD 74 million (0.07% of GDP) in financing to assist Burkina Faso in curbing the impact of COVID-19 in the country. Burkina faso is also participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) offered by the World Bank. The fiscal space that may be created by the DSSI is around CFAF 13 billion (USD 23.3 million or 0.02% of GDP).

9 June: The African Development Bank has approved grant funding of USD 20 million in response to the economic impact of Covid-19 for Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.

On 22 July, the African Development Bank approved, a budget support of USD 284.8 million to support the efforts of the G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad) in the implementation of their response plans to the COVID-19 and economic recover

2 October: The IMF has offered a pardon to Burkina on debt servicing through the second tranche of Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust for USD 14.52 million (or 0.09% of GDP)

10 November: Burkina is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that could be created by the DSSI is USD 25.9 million or 0.2% of GDP

24 November: The West African Development Bank (BOAD) Board approved a loan of USD 18.5 million (approximately 0.12% of GDP) to help Burkina Faso mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

15 December: The World Bank approved USD 100 million (roughly 0.7% of GDP) of budget support, of which 50% is grant and 50% is loan, from the International Development Association (IDA)* to help Burkina Faso respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

15 December: The World Bank approved USD 350 million (roughly 2.3% of GDP) for the country's local development and resilience project, of which 50% grant is and 50% is loan, from the International Development Association (IDA)* to help Burkina Faso respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
20 February,: Burkina is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) for 2021. The potential fiscal space that could be USD 12.7 million or 0.1% of GDP over the first half of 2021. As of end-June 2021, the potential fiscal space created by the World Bank DSSI for Burkina Faso has been updated to be USD 49.7 million, or 0.3% of GDP.

5 April: The IMF has offered a pardon to Burkina on debt servicing through the third tranche of Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust for USD 13.67 million (or 0.09% of GDP).

28 June 2021 : The World Bank Board approved a concessional loan of USD 10 million (approximately 0.06% of GDP) for Burkina Faso for the COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Project.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: On April 27, Heads of states of the West-Africa Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) declared a temporary suspension of the WAEMU growth and stability Pact setting six convergence criteria, including the 3 % of GDP fiscal deficit rule, to help member-countries cope with the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, allowing member countries to raise fiscal deficits temporarily.

On 17 June, the Cabinet approved the draft revised 2020 budget which seeks to address the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19.

10 July: The Supplementary Finance Law (SFL) was revised downward for 2020 due to the impact of Coronavirus on the economy.

30 March: The UEMOA has set up a COVID-19 voucher system for all countries in its ambit. This voucher system (worth CFAF 972 billion or USD 1.75 billion) will be accessible for all UEMOA member states as a means to stave off the impact of the pandemic, access vaccines and bolster health systems.

On 11 May 2021, the national assembly approved the revised 2021 budget which takes to account the change in the government classification and budget support for some partners in response to COVID-19.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: On 2 April, the authorities announced plans to revise the 2020 budget to address the socio-economic impacts of the outbreak. Several measures are under consideration, including, among others: (i) lowering import duties and VAT for hygiene and healthcare goods and services critical to tackle COVID-19, and for tourism businesses; (ii) lowering other selected tax rates; (iii) delaying tax payments, and waiving late payment fines and penalties; (iv) granting exemptions to micro enterprises in the informal sector; (v) lowering the licensing fee for companies in the transportation and tourism sectors; (vi) suspending on-site tax inspection operations; (vii) Donating food and providing assistance to households and local small businesses; (viii) supporting the water and electricity bills, including through cancelation, of the most vulnerable social groups; and (ix) securing adequate stocks of consumer products and strengthening surveillance of prices. An emergency response plan for the health sector has been prepared.

15 May: It was announced that, towards the end of May, budget amendments and adjustments would be voted on given the impact of Covid-19 on the economy of Burkina Faso.

On 17 June, the Cabinet approved the draft revised 2020 budget which seeks to address the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19.

10 July: The Supplementary Finance Law (SFL) was revised downward for 2020 due to the impact of Coronavirus on the economy. The expected revenue has been revised down from CFA 2.2 trillion (USD 3.8 billion or 27% of GDP) to CFA 2.04 trillion (USD 3.55 billion or 25% of GDP). Internal financing has also been revised down from CFA 1.8 trillion to CFA 1.6 trillion (from USD 3.1 billion to USD 2.8 billion or 22% to 20% of GDP respectively). External financing requirements have increased from CFA 339 billion to CFA 367 billion (USD 591 million to USD 640 million or 4.2% to 4.5% of GDP respectively). This SFL prioritises health expenditure and measures to revive the economy, including tax relief measures.

30 September: Contracting procedures between government and healthcare providers were expedited.

End May 2021: The revised 2021 budget leaves the initial overall fiscal deficit unchanged at 5.5 percent of GDP, reflecting the impact of improved revenue collection. On the expenditure side, the authorities made room for COVID-19 related health and transfers expenditures by keeping the wage bill unchanged. The deficit is fully financed by additional external budget support.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 21 May: The authorities have taken measures to transparently track resources and expenditures related to the pandemic, including by opening new accounts at the central bank specific for COVID-related accounts. Periodic report on these accounts will be produced.

6 June: CSO, La Gouvernance Démocratique in Burkina Faso, started discussions around COVID-19 funding after certain sectors received bigger allocations than healthcare.

May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Burkina was rated as having minimal accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Burkina Faso has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

5 November: The government took relief measures to facilitate imports of consumer and pharmaceutical products, such as a decrease in administrative processes associated with importing medical goods.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Burkina Faso is set to receive 1 620 000 AstraZeneca vaccines by late February, produced by the Serum Institute of India.

4 July 2021: To date, Burkina Faso has received 115 200 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. However, the country has yet to administer any of these vaccines.

Business support and tax measures: end-March: Many tax measures have been announced until June 2020, including tax exemption of small businesses, postponement of penalties for companies which have fallen foul of their tax obligations, reduction in licence payments and suspension of Management Learning Tax for transport companies and hotels.

end-April:An economic recovery fund has been established for affected companies in the amount of FCFA 100 billion (USD 164 million). Agricultural supplies and feed have been acquired for support of food and pastoral production, worth FCFA 30 billion (USD 49 million).

17 June: Measures under consideration or taken in the revision of the 2020 budget include: (i) lowering import duties and VAT for hygiene and healthcare goods and services critical to tackle COVID-19, and for tourism businesses; (ii) lowering other selected tax rates; (iii) delaying tax payments, and waiving late payment fines and penalties; (iv) suspending government fees charged on informal sector operators for rent, security and parking in urban markets; (v) lowering the licensing fee for companies in the transportation and tourism sectors; (vi) suspending on-site tax inspection operations.

7 July: The SFL introduced a reduction in VAT from 18% to 10% and a coverage of 70% of the wages of declared workers.

24 November:Through the use of West African Development Bank financing, the government in Burkina Fas o has set up an SMME financing window where small companies can apply for COVID relief measures over the coming months.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 March: Until June 2020, the Government has promised to cover water bills, some electricity bills, reduction in cost of solar kits for vulnerable households, and subsidies on water and electricity costs for market vendors.

30 March: Price controls for staple foods, including cereals (rice, millets, sorghum, maize, beans) and others food items (sugar, oil) but also gasoline and cooking gas.

30 March: A solidarity fund has been established for the informal sector, especially for women, for the renewal of trade activities in vegetables and fruits, worth FCFA 5 billion (USD 8 million).

25 May: Cash transfers to informal sector workers (fruits and vegetable sellers). Total cost of USD 10 million (5 billion CFA) to help the fruits and vegetable informal retailers affected by the situation, particularly women.

25 May: In-kind transfers to market vendors. This aimed at the most vulnerable people of the markets that have been closed due to the outbreak.

22 May: The WHO has given the Ministry of Health medical and personal protective equipment worth around USD 70 000 to support health workers caring for patients as well as the implementation of barrier measures in places like schools when reopen.

Primary sources: IMF Lending Tracker
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African Health Stats
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Burkina Faso Ministry of Finance Facebook Page
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IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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Ministère de l'Économie, des Finances et du Développement
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The European Commission

IMF Country Report

World Bank Social Protection and Job Responses to COVID-19

CNBC Africa Website

BCEAO Website

Social Health Protection Network

Burundi

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 42,398 Source

Confirmed deaths: 38 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 0.11% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 0.12% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: On 24 March, the COVID-19 contingency plan was estimated at USD 14.5 million (0.5 % of GDP). By 1 April 2020, the required funding estimate increased to USD 26 million (approx 0.9% GDP). The cost is anticipated to rise rapidly with the number of cases.

03 April: Launch of the Operational Plan for the response against COVID-19 by the Ministry of Public Health that states that USED 27.8 million is required to respond to the crisis.

30 August: The updated COVID-19 response plan has been re-estimated to cost a total of USD 150 million (or 4.7% of GDP) cumulatively over 2020 and 2021. The plan aims to strengthen the health care system, the social safety net, and parts of the road network to facilitate access to sick people.

Official COVID-19 links: http://minisante.bi/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 15

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 8,50%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 25%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 8,50%

Domestic and external financing: On 14 April, the World Bank approved a USD 5 million grant (0.2% of GDP) from the International Development Association to respond to the threat posed by COVID-19 and strengthen national systems for public health preparedness in Burundi.

8 April: The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocated USD 75 million (approximately 2.5% of GDP) for a humanitarian response to the COVID-19 pandemic
.
On 20 July, IMF Board approved USD 7.63 million (equivalent to 0.2% of Burundi's GDP) through its Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT)

8 September: Burundi is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that could be created by the DSSI is USD 3.9 million or 0.1% of GDP. On 10 November: the amount of debt relief offered under the DSSI increased to USD 4.5 million (also 0.1% of GDP)

2 October: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon to Burundi on debt servicing through the second tranche of Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust for USD 6.8 million (or 0.13% of GDP).

20 February: Burundi is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) for 2021. The potential fiscal space that could be USD 2.8 million or 0.1% of GDP over the first half of 2021.

5 April: The IMF has offered a pardon to Burundi on debt servicing through the third tranche of Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust for USD 5.89 million (or 0.2% of GDP). As of end-June 2021, the amount of debt forgiveness under the DSSI was updated for Burundi to USD 10.2 million or 0.3% of GDP.

On April 22, the World Bank approved a USD 54.6 million grant (1.81% of GDP) from the International Development Association as additional financing to strenghten the health system.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 17 March: The Ministry of Finance in Burundi has published the Finance Law for the fiscal year 2021/22. The document details that the expenditure in the budget will likely be 8.4% higher than the previous year to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the economy. However, with an improvement in revenue collected, the country's budget deficit decreased by 1.5% since the same time last year.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: —

Transparency, accountability and participation: 20 April: As part of their commitment to the IMF, Government committed to conduct COVID-19-specific audit and publish results.

31 May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Burundi was rated as having minimal accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 June: Support to strengthen procurement and supply chains has also made sure medicines and tests are available even in remote communities.

30 September: Burundi has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

26 October: COVID-19 testing for foreign nationals entering into Burundi will cost USD 100- this will cross-subsidise the cost of testing for locals, coming in at USD 30 per test.

14 January: Burundi is set to receive 2.3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine through the AU.

5 February: Burundi is one of a few African countries who have opted not to participate in the COVAX facility. Health Minister Thaddee Ndikumana said that they are more concerned with prevention measures, and do not feel a vaccine is necessary since more than 95% of patients are recovering.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Burundi has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

Business support and tax measures: 30 June: Measures have been taken to support specific hotels and industries. Taxes owed will be forgiven for hotels and industries that will not be able to pay. Subsidies are planned to help pay salaries in these sectors and avoid massive layoffs. Salaries for suspended services will continue to be paid with government support.

Financing social assistance and food relief: On 24 April, it was announced that P 114 million (USD 9,34 million) was approved for food hampers for April and P 26 million (USD 2.1 million for temporary social workers. 100 water tanks were acquired to bring 5000 litres of water for those without water connections.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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World Bank
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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Mail and Guardian
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Relief Web

The East African

Africa Business in Brief

Burundi Eco

Cabo Verde

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 58,176 Source

Confirmed deaths: 402 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 54.71% (2022-05-22)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 63.22% (2022-05-22)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 16 April: Health and social protection measures related to COVID-19 are estimated at 1.2% of GDP.

24 June 2021: The Ministry of Finance has estimated the cost of implementing a COVID-19 response plan in 2021 at USD 17 million (0.9% of GDP). These funds are earmarked for vaccine purchase, healthcare system support and the widening of social safety nets.

Official COVID-19 links: https://www.minsaude.gov.cv/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 197

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 9,89%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 26%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 9,89%

Domestic and external financing: On 2 April, the World Bank approved a USD 5 million (0.25% of GDP) credit from the International Development Association.

On 24 April, the IMF approved a loan of USD 32.3 million (1.63% of GDP) to Cabo Verde, at an interest rate of 0%. This has been made available as direct budget support.

28 April: Cabo Verde's government has approved the use of 1.6 million Euros (roughly 0.1% of GDP) from the country's National Emergency Fund (FNE) in response to Covid-19.

25 May: The African Development Bank approved USD 33 million (1.65% of GDP) loan to tackle Covid-19 in Cape Verde

10 June: The EU has provided 5 million Euro (0.3% of GDP) in funding to assist Cabo Verde with the country's response to Covid-19.

25 June: The World Bank has approved a further disbursement of USD 5 million (0.3% of GDP) available to assist in Cabo Verde's COVID-19 response plan.

3 September: The US government has provided the government of Cabo Verde with a grant of USD 1.5 million (or 0.08% of GDP)

8 September: Cabo Verde is participating in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space created by this DSSI amounts to USD 14.9 million, or approximately 0.7% of Cabo Verde's GDP.. On November 10, the amount of debt suspension was amended upwards to 0.9% of GDP or USD 18 million. On 23 April, the World Bank stated that it would provide debt relief to Cabo Verde to the tune of USD 15.8 million over the first half of 2021, which frees up roughly 0.8% of the country's GDP

11 February: The World Bank has approved a grant of USD 5 million (0.25% of GDP) to assist in acquiring 200 000 vaccines for 35% of the country's population.

On 20 April, the World Bank announced that it would mobilise USD 12 billion over a 2-year period to finance the purchase of vaccines in 17 developing countries, including Cabo Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Eswatini, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Rwanda and Tunisia. Details on the breakdown of this financing have yet to emerge.

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PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 30 June: The proposed procurement approach prioritizes fast track emergency procurement for the required emergency goods, particularly for the prevention and response phases, this extends towards the following key measures; applying shorter bidding time, retroactive financing, no bid security, advance payments, direct payments on a case by case basis.

2 October: A 2021 budget proposal has been tabled for discussion in Cabo Verde.

31 December: Cabo Verde approved and subsequently published the 2021 state budget.

28 February: The Ministry of Finance of Cabo Verde published its budget execution document for 2020/21. In it, the ministry made mention of drop in revenue collected of 33.1% (2.5 billion CVE- USD 27 million, or 1.5% of GDP) than in the same period in 2020, widening the primary deficit even though expenditure decreased by 2.2% (CVE 160.8 million - USD 1.8 million, or 0.09% of GDP) in relation to the previous year's budget.

On 13 July 2021, as part of its review of the country's progress towards 2030 development goals, the Ministry of Finance stated that it had begun drafting the post-COVID economic recovery plan which will take effect between 2022 and 2026. This plan will provide an overview of expenditure and revenue amendments over the 5 year period while making room for increased spending on vaccines and healthcare personnel, among other things.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: On 26 March, given estimates that revenue may halve due primarily to a significant reduction in tourism, the government announced, that it will put forward a revised budget and set new priorities for public investment to guarantee that families have employment and income.

In April, authorities announced they will reallocate budget of CVE 76 million (USD 748 000 or less than 0.01% of GDP) to an emergency plan. These resources will help cover additional expenses for personnel, training and medical equipment. Since the Plan was prepared before the local outbreak, it is being revised upward.

16 April: The authorities have taken measures to contain non-priority spending in view of the weakened revenue collection. They have cut spending for travel, training, recruitment, office supplies, and promotions in the civil service. They have also reduced capital spending for new domestically-financed projects that have not started yet. As a result, and taking into account health and social protection measures related to COVID-19 (1.2 % of GDP), expenditures are expected to increase by less than 1 % of GDP.

16 April: The authorities are planning to revise the 2020 budget to take into account new spending priorities and outlays related to COVID-19. The revised budget is expected to be introduced in parliament in the middle of the year.

2 October: Although the 2021 budget has yet to be finalised, an indication by the minister of finance suggests that healthcare will be allocated an additional 1.15 to 1.65 billion CVE (betwen USD 12.4 million and 17.8 million, or roughly between 0.6% and 0.9% of GDP) in light of the expected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

31 May: According to the monthly budgetary changes document published by the Ministry of the Budget in Cabo Verde, the state reallocated 63 million Escudos (roughly USD 676 000, or 0.03% of GDP) to the Ministry of Health. This funding was reallocated, in the main, from the monthly budgets allocated to the Ministry of Planning (reallocating roughly 55 million Escudos, or USD 590 000- approximately 0.02% of GDP) along with smaller reallocations from police services.

2 October: While the 2021 budget has yet to be finalised, the minister of finance in Cabo Verde has stated the following adjustments with respect to COVID-19::
- 422 million CVE (USD 4.5 million, or 0.2% of GDP) will be allocated to COVID-19 prevention measures
- 225 million CVE (0.1% of GDP or USD 2.4 million) will be allocated to the expansion of a virology laboratory and health centre
- Between 500 million and 1 billion CVE (USD 5.4 million to USD 10.8 million, or between 0.27 and 0.54% of GDP) will then be allocated to the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines once developed
- 323 million CVE (USD 3.5 million, or 0.18% of GDP) will be allocated to educational programming on TV, radio and other digital media as a means to continue on with learning programmes despite the potential for second COVID waves and further lockdowns.

On 31 December, the budget was approved by the parliament of Cabo Verde. While most of the amounts described on 2 October have not changed in the final budget allocation, the final amount of 323 million CVE (USD 3.5 million or 0.18% of GDP) has been revised downward slightly to CVE 312 million (0.17% of GDP or USD 1.45 milion)

28 February 2021: Public debt in Cabo Verde increased from 115.6% to 144.1% of the country's GDP as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and was driven by a large increase in external debt obligations used to finance COVID-related projects.

24 June 2021: The Ministry of Finance in Cabo Verde has earmarked 14.3 million Euros (USD 17 million, or 0.9% of GDP) for spending on COVID-related initiatives, including increasing the vaccine rollout and propping up social safety nets. Expenditure thus far has amounted to roughly 35% of this total amount, with 69% of the expenditure being financed by state guaranteed loans, 26% being financed directly by the Cabo Verde Treasury, and the remanining 5% being financed by international donors.

On 13 July 2021, the Ministry of Finance provided an updated estimate of the country's debt-to-GDP ratio. As it stands, ths ratio increased to 154.9% of GDP as opposed to the February 2021 estimate of 144.1% of GDP. This was due to a sharp fall in revenue and increased expenditure to combat the pandemic.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 28 May: The court of auditors in Cabo Verde have presented a strategic and operational plan to various judges, directors, and employees which, when finalized, updates various accounting, reporting and regulatory practices in the country (especially, in light of Covid-19).

28 February: In order to maintain transparent processes, the ministry of finance in Cabo Verde published the total value of all donations, loans and treasury reallocations needed to finance all COVID-19 related expenditure in the country between March 2020 and February 2021 at the following link. This document also broke down where expenditure was focused per project.

On 13 July 2021, the Ministry of Finance in Cabo Verde published a voluntary national review of the implementation of the 2030 agenda. Te document highlights, inter alia, the government's commitment to producing regular budget expenditure and revenue projection updates in light of the impact of COVID-19 on the country's fiscus.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: On 29 September, the minister of health in Cabo Verde signed an agreement to import medical supplies at lower costs.

30 September: Cabo Verde has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

5 November: The government of Cabo Verde has decreased tariffs on the importing of masks into the country.

30 January: The World Bank has committed USD 12 billion to assist in the rollout of vaccinations across 21 African countries. Of that amount, USD 5 million (0.25% of GDP) is going to Cabo Verde to acquire 200 000 vaccines to vaccinate roughly 35% of the country's population.

8 February: Cabo Verde is one of four African countries that has qualified for the Pfizer vaccine through COVAX, requiring countries to be able to store and distribute doses at minus 70 degrees Celsius.

24 February: COVAX announced Cabo Verde's indicative distribution for the first half of 2021 through the AMC of 108 000 AstraZeneca Vaccines through Serum Institute India and 5850 Pfizer vaccines.

28 February: In an expenditure summary statement, the ministry of finance in Cabo Verde stated that it had budgeted to spend CVE 20 million (USD 2.2 million, or 0.11% of GDP) on the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines. It has yet to mobilise any of this funding amount.

12 March 2021: Cabo Verde received its first 24000 dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. It was recieved from COVAX through the UNICEF suply division. This is part of a larger batch of 108000 doses.

18 March: The rollout of AstraZeneca vaccines in Cabo Verde has halted until such time as doubts regarding the impact of the vaccine on clotting are cleared.

24 June 2021: The World Bank has committed USD 7.1 million (0.4% of GDP) for the procurment of vaccines in Cabo Verde.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Cabo Verde has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

Business support and tax measures: end-March: Micro, small, medium and large enterprises and individuals will have a moratorium that will postpone loan payments until 30 September home loans, and other loans, provided they prove they do not have an income or their income has been significantly affected by this pandemic.

end-March: The government has launched State-backed lines of credit of USD 7.6 million to boost liquidity of companies during the pandemic.

16 April: Support to the corporate sector covers loan guarantees amounting to some CVE 4 billion (about USD 40 million); temporary tax relief, including flexible payment schedule for value-added and other withholding taxes; accelerated settlement of government invoices, and cancellation of contributions to the pension fund for three months. To benefit from these relief measures, companies need to demonstrate a quarterly revenue loss of 30 percent.

7 May: VAT exemptions on the import and local production of medical supplies, PPEs, rubbing alcohol and disinfectant gel came into place.

20 May: Loan guarantees in Cabo Verde, which had originally been penned at CVE 4 billion (USD 4 million) are now expected to reach CVE 2 billion (USD 21 million), split across small, medium, and large enterprises.

1 September: The government of Cabo Verde has extended the moratorium on mortgage loans and other loan repayments for SMEs until the end of December, 2020, provided that these companies can provide proof of a loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

8 September: The government of Cabo Verde has also placed a moratorium on income tax, with individuals in different income brackets being able to defer their tax submissions until as late as the end of November 2020.

2 October: The Minister of Finance announced that the moratorium on tax payments will continue until December 2020. Beyond this, the minister also stated the extension of credit moratoria until June of 2021, and a conditional credit line with interest subsidies of as much as 100% to companies who invest in business recovery post-COVID.

31 December: According to the general state budget for 2021, certified small and micro enterprises in the transport, hotel and restaurant industries will be exempt from paying sa special COVID-related tax for the 2021 financial year. All remaining companies are able to pay this special tax between June 2021 and March 2022.

31 December: The following COVID-related tax measures have come to an end in Cabo Verde:
- The postponement of company tax returns
- Withholding taxes being payable in increments
- VAT being payable in instalments

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 April: Expansion of cash transfers to 8,000 families (from original 5,000). Support for workers in micro and small enterprises and self-employed in the informal sector, including sellers of informal commerce and municipal markets. These workers are guaranteed a value of 10,000 escudos (USD 100) for one month. 30,000 workers are expected to benefit.

30 April: Immediate Food Assistance to 22,500 families (around 90,000 people), whose income is below the minimum wage or without any source of income.

30 April: Support for school feeding for around 30,000 children who belong to the most vulnerable households.

30 April: Households and firms that borrow from banks will, according to a decision announced by the Central Bank of Cabo Verde, have a three-month moratorium on payment of debt instalments. Employees will get 70% of gross salary in the event of the labor contract being suspended. 35% will be paid by the employer and 35% by INPS
(National Institute of Social Security).

24 April: For the most vulnerable, mitigating measures are estimated at CVE 2.2 billion (1.2% of GDP).

On 5 May, the Prime Minister of Cabo Verde has announced that 2.6 million masks will be made available across the country to mitigate the spread of Covid-19. This will form part of the basic basket of goods which the government is set to provide families who are not able to afford their own essentials.

14 May: The Association of Chinese Companies in Cabo Verde has contributed 6.5 million Escudos (USD 64 000) into the state's emergency fund, in order to assist those most vulnerable to the economic impact of Covid-19.

13 April: Cash transfers which originally benefited around 8000 families have now been extended to benefit 20 000 families, and will remain in place until June of 2021.

24 June 2021: The Ministry of Finance in Cabo Verde has allocated an undisclosed portion of its 14.3 million Euro (USD 17 million, or 0.9% of GDP) stimulus package to supporting families in need and casual workers hardest hit by the pandemic.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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OECD Country Policy Tracker
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Macau Hub
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World Bank
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Ugo Gentilini
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Official Government Website- Cape Verde
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus

IMF Country Report

Tribunal de Contas (Accountability Office) Cabo Verde

Further Africa News Website

PWC Website

The European Union Website

Banco de Cabo Verde Website

The IOL Website

National Directorate of the Budget

ICLG Website

ICT TRademap

News24

Relief Web

The East African

Cameroon

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 119,947 Source

Confirmed deaths: 1,930 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 4.46% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 5.73% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: The authorities’ initial preparedness and response plan projected COVID-19-related health spending to reach CFAF 25.5 billion (USD 11 million or 0.01% of GDP) over the next three months.

May 7: This projection has increased to CFAF 58.3 billion (USD 100 million, or 0.44% of GDP) over the next three months.

21 May: Updated estimates of the Covid-19 Preparedness and Response Plan prepared by the Cameroonian government have increased to USD 600 million (or 1.55% of GDP) .

31 August: Further updated estimates of Cameroon’s three-year COVID preparedness and response plan presents a total financing cost close to USD 825 million (approximately 2.1% of GDP) , of which roughly USD 750 million (1.9% of GDP) have been identified or made available.

28 July 2021: The implementation of the national vaccine readiness and deployment plan, prepared under the guidance of the UN country team, is estimated to cost USD138 million (0,35% of GDP) in 2021.

Official COVID-19 links: https://www.minsante.cm/site/?q=en/epid-mie-de-coronavirus-covid---19-

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 23

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 2,95%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 70%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 2,95%

Domestic and external financing: A Solidarity Fund has been established with seed money from Government of 1 billion CFA (USD 1.6 million).

4 May 2020: Cameroon has received USD 226 million (roughly 0.6% of GDP) from the Rapid Credit Facility of the IMF.

14 April: The European Union has released 11 million Euros aid to help Cameroon fight the coronavirus pandemic.

29 May: An EU-IOM partnership seeks to mobilise just over 1 million Euros to alleviate the impact of Covid-19 on migrants/refugees in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, and Senegal.

29 June: The government has announced a USD 97 million (0.25% of GDP) economic stimulus package to respond to COVID -19.

24 June: Cameroon has requested an additional CFAF 60 billion (USD 102 million) from the World Bank.

8 September: Cameroon is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that could be created by the DSSI is USD 276.1 million or 0.7% of GDP. On November 10, the amount of debt suspension was amended upwards to 0.9% of GDP or USD 337.3million.

21 October: In addition to the original disubrsement by the IMF, Cameroon received a disbursement from the Rapid Credit Facility for USD 156 million (0.4% of GDP)

On 24 November, the World Bank approved a loan of USD 45 million (0.1% of GDP) to support the Education Reform Support Project. These funds will, inter alia, help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the education sector.

6 May: Cameroon is participating in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative in 2021. This implies a potential saving, for January to June 2021, of USD 271,9 million (0.7% of GDP).

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 30 April: To ensure continuity of its services amid the coronavirus health crisis, Cameroon’s single window for foreign trade (GUCE) deployed digital and telecommuting platforms.

30 April: Simplified procedures have been put in place for procurement.

30 April: Pending establishment of a special appropriations account to receive and manage all resources made available by funders and the State for Covid-19.

30 April: Pending establishment of sectoral units in all ministerial departments for monitoring and management of funds.

30 April: A supplementary budget is under development.

30 June: To boost efficiency and integrity in public spending, the Government of Cameroon created the 'globally- first of its kind' Ministry of Public Procurement (MINMAP).

30 August: A special COVID-19 account, dedicated to financing the national response plan to the pandemic, has been created and is governed by a circular issued by the Minister of Finance. The circular specifies the modalities of organization, operation, and monitoring-evaluation mechanisms of the account.

On 22 October, the ministry of finance published the "Government's Fiscal and Financial Support Measures in the face of COVID-19 Crisis" document. In it, various tax and business assistance policy changes have been outlined.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 30 April: Non-oil related revenues down by CFAF 106,9 billion (USD 175 million). Oil revenue down by CFAF 70,5 billion (USD 115 million) relative to the 2020 Finance Act.

4 June: President Biya signed the budget into law. The budget is 11% lower than initially stated in November 2019, due to a drop in revenues as a result of COVID-19.

23 June: Country assessment suggests that public spending should be reprioritised in favour of the health sector to enable it to meet international standards. However, it is currently difficult to mobilise more budgetary resources for the health sector since Cameroon does not have adequate fiscal space. The country is heavily reliant on external financing to combat the adverse effects of COVID-19.

25 August: The authorities’ three-year preparedness and response plan presents a total financing cost close to US$ 825 million, of which about US$750 million have been identified or made available. It also includes tax relief to affected businesses estimated at about US$200 million. The plan includes five pillars, namely: (I) health strategy to prevent the spread of the pandemic and take care of infected persons (US$101 million); (ii) mitigation of economic and financial repercussions of the pandemic (US$646 million); (iii) supply of essential products (US$9.5 million); (iv) local development of innovative solutions (US$16.5 million); and (v) social resilience to alleviate the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable people and households (US$52 million). For 2020, the Revised Finance Law enacted in June 2020 allocates about US$310 million to the special COVID-19 account financed at 76 percent by resources released by debt service suspension and external budgetary support.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 20 April: As part of their commitment to the IMF, Government committed to publish COVID-19 public procurement contracts; publish beneficial ownership information of companies receiving COVID-19 procurement contracts; publish COVID-19 expenditure reports; and conduct COVID-19 specific audit and publish results.

28 July 2021: Cameroonian media published an audit by a Supreme Court investigative body, which detailed findings of large-scale corruption and mismanagement involving 180 billion CFA (USD 333 million or 0,85% of GDP) spent in response to Covid-19 up to December 31, 2020.

End-May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. The main finding from the research is that governments are falling short of managing their fiscal policy response to the crisis in a transparent and accountable manner. Cameroon was rated as having limited accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: On 3 June 2020, Cameroon approved exemption of customs duty and import tax for some items related to COVID-19 prevention.

30 September: Cameroon has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

30 September: Specific facilities were selected based on their capacity and thus designated as service providers for COVID-related health services, but without another accreditation process.

On 22 October, the Minister of Finance announced an expansion of customs incentives in favour of pharmaceutical products. As yet, these have not been specified.

24 February: COVAX announced Cameroon's indicative distribution for the first half of 2021 through the AMC of 2,052,000 AstraZeneca Vaccines through Serum Institute India.

2 April: The country has developed a national vaccine readiness and deployment plan. Vaccinations have not yet started.

13 April: Cameroon began vaccinating people against the coronavirus. The campaign kicked off thanks to a donation of 200,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine by China.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Cameroon has been approved to be a part of this initiative. The first tranche of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines will start shipping in August 2021, with 200 million doses scheduled to be delivered by the end of the year. The next 300 million doses will be delivered in the first half of 2022.

9 July 2021: Cameroon has adopted a national vaccine readiness and deployment plan, prepared under the guidance of the UN country team. The total cost for the implementation of the plan is estimated at $138 million in 2021, to cover around 5 million people (20 percent of Cameroon's population).

Business support and tax measures: On 30 April, the president announced various tax exemptions and moratoria for businesses impacted by Covid-19 (especially in the tourism and catering industry)

30 June: A set of measures provide temporary tax accommodation to businesses directly affected by the crisis through tax moratoria and deferred payments, notably (I) exemptions from the tourist tax in the hotel and catering sectors for the rest of the 2020 financial year; (ii) exemption from the withholding tax for taxis and motorbikes and petty traders for the second quarter; (iii) the allocation of a special envelope of CFAF 25 billion (USD 43 million or 0.11 % of GDP) for the expedited clearance of VAT credits awaiting reimbursement, and (iv) the postponement of the deadline to pay land taxes for the 2020 financial year, to end-September. Other pandemic specific measures have also been taken, notable (I) full income tax deductibility of donations and gifts made by companies for the fight against Covid-19, (ii) three-month suspension of the payment of parking and demurrage charges in the Douala and Kribi ports for essential goods; and (iii) the establishment of a MINFI-MINEPAT consultation framework aimed at mitigating the crisis and promoting a rapid resumption of activity.

On 22 October, the minister of finance in Cameroon announced the following COVID-19 measures to assist businesses:
- An increase in the guarantee ceiling from CFAF 40 billion (USD 72.5 million or 0.19% of GDP) to CFAF 200 billion (USD 362 million or just shy of 1% of GDP). This would effectively increase the guarantee offered by governments on loans taken out by disaster-stricken businesses.
- The establishment of financing lines by the BEAC which will assist in financing businesses affected by the pandemic
- The establishment of subsidised lines of credit from domestic banks
- The development of a partnership between the Ministry of Finance and insurance companies in the country to bolster insurance cover on deposits and guarantees
- An increase in the ceiling for reimbursements from CFAF 6 billion (USD 10.9 million, less than 0.03% of GDP) to CFAF 7 billion (USD 12.7 million, still roughly 0.03% of GDP)

This same announcement also announced the following tax measures:
- An increase in the threshold on interest exemptions from CFAF 10 million to CFAF 50 million (respectively, 18 000 USD to 90 000 USD)
- A special government transfer aimed at allowing severely affected companies a break from tax debts
- The extension for an additional year of tax loss carry forward balances
- The extension of various moratoria
- The reduction in corporate income tax by 2 points for SMEs and SMIs for the year 2021.
- The reduction in taxes charged to firms operating in the transportation, hotel and catering, forestry, ICT, agriculture, aquaculture, and health sectors.

15 December: A grant of CFAF 25 billion (0.5 billion USD, or 0.12% of GDP) was made available to small and medium size enterprises affected by COVID-19.

On 1 January, the following significant corporate tax developments were introduced in Cameroon in relation to COVID-19:
• The corporate tax rate has been reduced to 30.8% for companies with a turnover of CFAF 3 billion (USD 5.4 million) or less.
• Extension of an additional year for the deduction of loss carried forwards and depreciation deemed to be deferred for the benefit of companies directly affected by the Covid-19 health crisis;
• Recognition of the deductibility for the financial year 2020 of donations made by companies as part of the fight against the Covid-19 health crisis.

Concerning the customs duties, the major changes are the promotion of the import-substitution policy through the exemption from duties and taxes on imported capital goods for agriculture, livestock and fisheries, imported medicines and inputs for the pharmaceutical industry and reduction of customs duty to 5% and exemption from VAT on imported capital goods intended for the pharmaceutical industry.

8 February: Cameroon extended previously implemented income tax measures into 2021.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 March: Social security contributions have been rescheduled to a later date for at least three months from the end of April 2020.

On 30 April, the president announced (1) an increase in the family allowance/grant from CFAF 2500 (USD 4,11) per month to CFAF 4500 (USD 7,44) ; (2) an increase of pensions by 20% to those who did not benefit from the 2016 pension reform; (3) the payment of social securities to staff of companies that are not able to do so given the impact of Covid-19 on their economic standing, and; (4) spreading the payment of social security into 3 tranches until June.

1 July: The COVID-19 response plan included a pillar focused on social assistance, to alleviate the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable people and households. The state allocated USD 52 million or 0.1% of GDP to this pillar to assist in subsidising food parcels, masks, and medical care for those in vulnerable positions.

13 February: The government is considering offering cash transfers to individuals in certain geographical areas most severely impacted by COVID-19 but is reluctant to extend these cash transfers widely.

2 April: The government has continued efforts to extend the Unified Social Register, which covers socially vulnerable persons.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19

Social Health Protection Network
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African Health Stats
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IMF Lending Tracker
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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United Nations Development Programme
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CABRI Webinar

The BEAC Website

Human Rights Watch

Central African Republic

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 14,649 Source

Confirmed deaths: 113 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 21.23% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 22.38% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 27 billion FCFA (USD 45 million or 1.9 % of GDP). This plan goes beyond an immediate response plan and contains measures to strengthen the ability of the healthcare system to deal with such pandemics in the future. It notably aims at: (i) providing medical care of confirmed cases; (ii) improving the monitoring of the country’s points of entry; and (iii) strengthening the capacities of the medical staff, laboratories and hospitals.

Official COVID-19 links: —

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 4,44

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 5,06%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 43%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 5,06%

Domestic and external financing: USD 6.9 million has been provided by the World Bank's COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Project. This will finance activities related to preparedness, capacity building, and coordination, communication, community engagement, case management and response.

CAR is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust. On April 13, this debt service relief was announced to be USD 4.05 million (0.02% of GDP).

20 April: The IMF has extended credit to CAR through its Rapid Financing Instrument of USD 38 million (0.2% of GDP).

23 April: The World Bank approved a grant of USD 7.5 million (roughly 0.04% of GDP) from the International Development Association (IDA) to help the Central African Republic respond to the threat posed by the Coronavirus outbreak and strengthen national systems for public health preparedness.

On 2 June the African Development Bank granted USD13.55 million to support the CEMAC region.

9 July: Under the revised finance law, the CAR has prioritised CFAF 44 billion (USD 79 million, or approximately 3% of GDP) donor funds to additional support related to the pandemic.

On 24 July, the African Development Bank Board approved grant of USD 14.3 million (0.7% of GDP) to assist the CAR in its COVID-19 response.

On 1 September, the World Bank Board approved grant of USD 50 million (2.2% of GDP) as budget support to the Central African Republic's COVID-19 response component.

8 September: The CAR is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that may be created by the DSSI is USD 6.3 million or 0.3% of GDP. On November 10, the amount of debt relief offered under the DSSI to the CAR increased to USD 7.4 million or 0.33% of GDP.

On 12 January, the IMF completed a a review of the Central African Republic's Extended Credit Facility. This allowed for a disbursement of USD 34 million (1.5% of GDP) which brings the total disbursement under the facility to USD 51.6 million (2.3% of GDP). While this arrangement predated COVID-19, these funds will be used to support economic and social sectors, thereby mitigating against the negative impact of the pandemic.

11 February: CAR requested to participate in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative in 2021. This implies a potential saving of USD 43.9 million (0.4% of GDP)

6 May: CAR is participating in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative in 2021. This implies a potential saving, for January to June 2021, of USD 8,7 million (0.7% of GDP).

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 25 June: A draft supplementary budget law is currently under discussion.
On 9 July, The Central African Republic approved a revised finance law.
2 September: The CAR has put into place the following expenditure measures as a means to finance COVID-19 related expenditure:
Reallocations of budgetary appropriations requiring parliamentary approval
Reprioritisation of expenditure between annual budgets
Across-the-board cuts to recurrent expenditure
Authorising ministries to use existing savings on COVID-19 needs
Channelling funds from contingency appropriations in the approved budget

2 September: The CAR has created a special COVID-19 budget line which aims to ensure rapid delivery of COVID-19 related goods and services

2 September: The following cash and liquidity management practices have been followed by the CAR government:
Cash has been consolidated in ways it has not been done previously
Borrowing programme adjustments have been made to provide bridging finance
Adjustments have been made to billing and purchase order requirements
Additional measures have been put in place to clear or prevent arrears

2 September: The remaining fiscal gap from COVID-19 expenditure is being financed by reducing and restructuring external debt in the CAR.

2 September: In the CAR, a COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan has been drawn up with an indicative budget. Likewise, a Monitoring Committee has been set up under the supervision of the President of the Republic.

2 September: A COVID-19 strategic committee has been set up in the CAR, which is co-ordinated by the Presidency of the Republic

2 September: The Ministry of Finance in CAR has ensured business continuity by relying on virtual networks for communications, and emotely executing the budget.

2 September: The CAR government has funded the production and distribution of 10 000 000 000 handmade facemasks across the country.

5 November: Although detail on this has not been published by the Ministry of Finance and the Budget in the CAR, the draft suppmentary budget law has been adopted by the CAR.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 28 April: The authorities intend to allow the fiscal deficit to increase to accommodate the bulk of the fiscal impact of the pandemic. To limit the resulting widening of the deficit, the authorities will seek to reduce by up to CFAF 6 billion (about 0.5% of GDP or USD 11 million) non-priority expenditures, such as missions and cultural activities that are already significantly reduced as part of the containment measures. They consider that the rest of the impact should be accommodated so as to allow their other considerable social, infrastructure, and security spending needs to be met.

Announced response plan for the health sector that was prepared in strong collaboration with the WHO, with an estimated cost of 27 billion of FCFA (1.9% of GDP or USD 49.5 million). This plan goes beyond an immediate response plan and contains measures to strengthen the ability of the healthcare system to deal with such pandemics in the future. It notably aims at: (i) providing medical care of confirmed cases; (ii) improving the monitoring of the country’s points of entry; and (iii) strengthening the capacities of the medical staff, laboratories and hospitals.

9 July 2020: Under the revised finance law, the CAR has prioritised CFAF 44 billion (USD 79 million, or approximately 3% of GDP) donor funds to additional support related to the pandemic.

31 August 2020: Beyond the originally announced response plan of USD 49.5 million, an additional CFAF 15 billion (1.25% of GDP or USD 26.5 million) has been allocated. Of that CFAF 15 billion, CFAF 12 billion (1% of GDP or USD 21 million) has been allocated to prevention and management of the pandemic, with CFAF 2.5 billion (USD 4.5 million or 0.21% of GDP) being allocated to support SMEs in the private sector, and the remaining CFAF 0.5 billion (USD 900 000 or 0.04% of GDP) being allocated to supporting vulnerable households.

2 September 2020: The CAR government has funded the production and distribution of 10 000 000 000 handmade facemasks across the country.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 20 April: As part of their commitment to the IMF, Government committed to conduct COVID-19- specific audit and publish results.

2 September: The CAR government has established dedicated budget lines to facilitate the monitoring of funds directed at COVID-19-related items.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 2 September: The CAR has also provided insurance for frontline healthcare workers in the country so as to buffer the healthcare workforce in light of the pandemic.

30 September: CAR has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, CAR is expected to receive 372 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO, i.e. listed on the Emergency Use Listing.

15 April: The Central African Republic on Tuesday took delivery of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines for the UN Mission in the country. The AstraZeneca jabs were received at the Bangui airport by UN and government officials.

20 May 2021: CAR started its vaccination programme using 60 000 Covishield vaccines it received thorugh the COVAX facility.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. CAR has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

Business support and tax measures: 25 June: Specific fiscal measures to help the private sector, such as tax relief or suspension and easing of public procurement procedures, are being considered.

1 September: As of 31 August, additional government spending related to supporting businesses in light of COVID-19 amounted to USD 4.7 million (or 0.2% of GDP).

Financing social assistance and food relief: 31 August: The additional spending related to COVID-19 social and household assistance amounts include CFAF 500 million (USD 0.9 million or 0.04% of GDP).

2 April: In addition to the health sector plan, the authorities are envisaging providing financial support to the most vulnerable households and companies, while increasing access to water. The government has requested the help of its development partners to finance this plan, through grants and loans.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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IMF Lending Tracker

The BEAC Website

Chad

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 7,420 Source

Confirmed deaths: 193 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 12.36% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 13.1% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: On 7 May, it was announced that financing for COVID-19 health-related expenditure will exceed the estimated CFAF 15 billion (USD 24 million or 0.3 % of non-oil GDP) and are expected to reach CFAF 31 billion (USD 51 million 0.6 % of non-oil GDP), which are being implemented under a national contingency plan.

30 August: Expenditure on a COVID-19 health-related response plan has been re-estimated at CFAF 42 billion (0.8% of non-oil GDP or USD 76 million).

Official COVID-19 links: https://sante-tchad.org/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 18

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 5,90%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 61%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 5,90%

Domestic and external financing: On 14 April, SDR 84.12 million (USD 114 million, or 1% of GDP) was provided by the IMF through its Rapid Credit Facility.

Chad is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust.

29 April: The World Bank has agreed to a financing agreement with Chad of USD 16.95 million (equivalent to 0.15% of GDP).

28 April: The European Union has announced additional support to Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, of 194 million Euros. This comes after the EU pledged to mobilise 449 million Euros earlier on in April for the same 5 countries.

On 2 June the African Development Bank granted USD13.55 million to support the CEMAC region, and USD 330,000 to Chad.

9 June: The African Development Bank has approved grant funding of USD 20 million in response to the economic impact of Covid-19 for Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.

On 22 July, the African Development Bank approved, a budget support of USD 284.8 million to support the efforts of the G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad) in the implementation of their response plans to the COVID-19 and economic recovery

8 September: Chad is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that may be created by the DSSI is USD 61 million (or 0.5% of GDP). On 10 November, the amount of debt relief offered to Chad was increased to USD 65.4 million or 0.6% of GDP.

2 October: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon to Chad on debt servicing through the second tranche of Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust for USD 2.82 million (or 0.3% of GDP).

On 11 February, The World Bank has approved a COVID-19 grant related to the country's Education Emergency Response Project of USD 6.8 million (0.06% of GDP).

20 February: Chad is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) for 2021. The potential fiscal space that could be USD 43.9 million or 0.4% of GDP over the first half of 2021. By end-June 2021, this amount was updated to USD 152.4 million or 1.3% of GDP.

5 April: The IMF, through the third tranche of its CCRT, has provided Chad with debt relief to the tune of USD 4.13 million (roughly 0.04% of GDP)

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: A committee with special powers to make resource allocation decisions has been created.

28 August: Chad, like several other Francophone countries, has established special earmarked accounts, comptes d’affectation spéciale. On the revenue side, these accounts are meant to be funded primarily from resources outside the state budget, such as donations from individuals and firms and donor grants. On the spending side, they are usually subject to simplified, lighter-than-usual authorisation procedures, but still managed by the Treasury.

26 September: The national assembly adopted the law that establishes the solidarity fund for the vulnerable population amounting to CFAF 100 billion.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 23 April: while the recent increase in the wage bill will be offset by cuts in non-health-related goods and services and non-priority investment, health-related spending is expected to increase by 0.3% of non-oil GDP. In addition, transfers and subsidies are expected to increase by 0.2% of non-oil GDP as a result of new measures to help households. Overall 3% budget surplus will now turn into a deficit of -1.5% of non-oil GDP.

15 April: The authorities are in the process of hiring additional health workers (1600+, 1000 health workers have already been hired).

3 August: It was announced that the expected budget surplus of 3% of non-oil GDP in 2020 is now expected to turn into a deficit of 1.7% of non-oil GDP due to the impact of COVID-19.

30 September: The authorities are set to implement their pandemic preparedness plan. While no detail has yet been published on expenditure allocations of this plan, Chad's top priority is to substantially expand spending on healthcare in line with pandemic-related needs, trying to overcome to the greatest extent possible the healthcare system’s capacity constraints.

27 October: Revenues (excluding grants) are expected to decrease by 19%, due to a drop in oil revenue (-42%) and non-oil revenue (-20.3%) while grants increase by 76% (mostly from partners to curb the impact of COVID-19 in the country). On the expenditure side, public spending is expected to grow by 14% thanks to a current expenditure increase in transfers (27%) and wages (8%) -- mostly for Health sector-- in response to COVID-19, as well increase in capital expenditure (19%). Overall, the 3% budget surplus experienced pre-COVID will turn into a deficit of -1.7% of GDP at the end of the 2020/21 financial year.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 6 August: The Goverment, under Decree N ° 0374 of March 24, 2020 created a special allocation account entitled "Special Fund for the fight against the Coronavirus" to keep separate accounts for COVID-19 expenses and provide separate reporting for the transparent management.

May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. The main finding from this research is that governments are falling short of managing their fiscal policy response to the crisis in a transparent and accountable manner. Chad was rated as having minimal accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 August: Chad has simplified the processes of importing food and necessity items, including health equipment, in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, while also making these items tax exempt.

30 September: Chad has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

27 October: The Ministry of Finance in Chad published its budget accounts statement, which outlines changes in revenue and expenditure across all ministries in light of COVID-19.

5 November: As of the end of October, food and medical goods customs duties have been removed. This will continue to be the case until the end of 2020.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Chad is set to receive 1 272 000 AstraZeneca vaccines by late February, produced by the Serum Institute of India.

On March 18, Chad canceled the purchase of an undisclosed amount of COVID-19 vaccines due to concerns over the potential side-effects thereof.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Chad has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

Business support and tax measures: 15 April: Simplification of the import process for food and necessity items, including health equipment, and tax exemptions for these items.

7 May: For small and medium-sized enterprises, the authorities will reduce business license fees by 50% and the presumptive tax for 2020. Also, tax breaks such as carryforward losses and delays in tax payments will also be examined on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, domestic arrears of about CFAF 110 billion (approximately USD 183 million) owed to suppliers will be repaid.

11 May 2020: The National Assembly adopted a new law that establishes a Youth Entrepreneurship Fund (0.6 percent of non-oil GDP).

Financing social assistance and food relief: 15 April: Temporary suspension of payments of electricity and water bills for the lifeline consumption, the establishment of a Youth Entrepreneurship Fund (0.6 % of non-oil GDP), a food distribution program (0.5 % of non-oil GDP) which started already with the help of UN agencies.

15 April: Authorities and will set up a solidarity fund for the vulnerable population amounting to CFAF 100 billion (USD 166 million).

2 May: masks were distributed at no cost to those most susceptible to Covid-19, while the remainder of the population have been able to obtain masks at subsidized rates.

30 August 2020: The national food distribution program has been bolstered by approximately 0.5% of non-oil GDP to assist in providing food parcels to vulnerable households in light of COVID-19.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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IMF Lending Tracker
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Ministry of Health- Chad
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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The European Commission

The BEAC Website

CNBC Africa Website

Ministry of Finance and the Budget Website

Comoros

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 8,131 Source

Confirmed deaths: 160 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 33.9% (2022-05-22)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 38.42% (2022-05-22)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 7 May: The authorities have prepared a plan to minimise the risk of the pandemic, drawing on WHO recommendations. The cost of the plan is estimated at USD 2.2 million (or, 0.2% of GDP).

Official COVID-19 links: https://stopcoronavirus.km/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 17

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 3,63%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 73%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 3,63%

Domestic and external financing: Comoros is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust. This translated to debt relief of USD 1.33 million (0.1% of GDP).

22 April: the IMF has agreed to provide access to USD 4.05 million of rapid credit (0.3% of GDP), and a further USD 8.08 million (0.06% of GDP) of rapid financing instruments to Comoros.

March: UNDP has contributed a total of USD 10 million (roughly 0.9% of GDP) in Comoros' National effort to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. USD 567,000 of this contribution was reprioritized from existing projects, following a programme criticality exercise.

On 30 June, The African Development Bank approved USD 9.52 million (roughly 0.8% of GDP) to enhance coordinated COVID-19 response in the East and Horn of Africa, and the Comoros.

On 6 August, the World Bank approved USD 5 million (0.6% of GDP) of additional financing to strengthen health systems in the Comoros in response to COVID-19.

8 September: Comoros is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that may be created by the DSSI is USD 2.3 million or 0.3% of GDP.

2 October: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon to Comoros on debt servicing through the second tranche of Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust for USD 1.14 million (or 0.1% of GDP).

30 October: The government announced a program to support agriculture and tourism with USD 25 million (2% of GDP) financing from the World Bank.

10 November: The African Development Bank granted Comoros USD 20 million worth of budgetary support (of which, concessional loans amount to USD 4.32 million). This trsnslates to roughly 1.7% of GDP.

On 10 December 2020, the World Bank approved emergency budget support for Comoros' emergency COVID-19 response of USD 10 million (or 0.9% of the country's GDP).

20 February, 2021: Comoros is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) for 2021. The potential fiscal space that could be USD 1.9 million or 0.2% of GDP over the first half of 2021. By end-June 2021, this amount was updated to USD 6.2 million or 0.5% of GDP.

5 April: The IMF, through its third tranche of the CCRT, has offered Comoros debt relief to the tune of USD 0.92 million (roughly 0.08% of the country's GDP).

On 29 June 2021, the World Bank approved concessional loan as Support to COVID-19 Vaccine Purchase and Health System Strengthening for Comoros for USD 21 million (or 1.8% of GDP).

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: A committee with special powers to make resource allocation decisions has been created.

30 September: Import taxes on food, medicines, and items related to hygiene were reduced by 30 percent.

30 September: A supplementary budget with additional budgetary allocations for addressing COVID is in process of approval by the parliament.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 7 May: The authorities intend to raise spending on healthcare by 2% of GDP (reflected in higher current spending).

30 September: The authorities are implementing their pandemic preparedness plan. Their top priority is to substantially expand spending on health care in line with pandemic-related needs, trying to overcome to the greatest extent possible the health care system’s capacity constraints.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 22 April: As part of their commitment to the IMF, Government committed to validate delivery of products and services; publish names of companies awarded contracts; publish beneficial ownership information of companies receiving COVID-19 procurement contracts; publish COVID-19 expenditure reports; and conduct COVID-19 specific audit and publish results and publish results.

31 May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Comoros was rated as having minimal accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 May: SADC Member States have established National Emergency Operations Centres to facilitate coordination of logistics and stockpiling for disasters at the national level. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies is being implemented to provide sustainable availability and access to affordable and effective essential medicine and health commodities, and Member States have been encouraged to utilise this facility for the procurement of the needed supplies for prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 and any other epidemics.

30 September: Comoros has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Comoros is set to receive 108 000 AstraZeneca vaccines by late February, produced by the Serum Institute of India.

2 April: To ensure that Comoros obtains a sufficient quantity of COVID-19 vaccines, the World Bank is set to mobilise USD 20 million (1.72% of GDP) to support the purchase and distribution of such vaccines in the country. Estimates suggest that, with this buttress, the country will receive 20% of its vaccine needs by the end of 2021.

On April 12, Comoros received 12 000 AstraZeneca vaccines through the COVAX facility

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Comoros has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

As of 1 July 2021, the World Bank approved support for the country's vaccine rollout amounting to USD 20 million (1.72% of GDP).

3 July 2021: The AFDB has provided USD 20 million budget support (USD 10 million as Grant and USD 10 million as Loan) which is earmarked for the purchase of vaccines and other medical equipment.

Business support and tax measures: 30 April: Import taxes on food, medicines, and items related to hygiene were reduced by 30%.

7 May 2020: The authorities have delayed deadlines for tax filings from May to July.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 April: The government announced a fund to support employees associated with airport operations.

7 May: The authorities intend to provide income support to SOE workers who have seen their hours reduced (at a cost of 0.1% of GDP, to be saved elsewhere in current spending, for example through civil service hiring restraint). To the extent possible within financing and implementation constraints, the authorities may also provide support to the poor through direct cash transfers (not factored into projections as this measure is not firmly planned). If impossible due to implementation constraints, the authorities may instead support poor communities through free water or electricity supplies.

4 June: In order to assist the state, The World Health Organisation (WHO) technical experts arrived in Comoros to assist the country's COVID-19 response. The expert team of epidemiologists, laboratory experts, pulmonologists, among others, will be supporting Comoran technicians in their efforts to fight the virus.

30 June: The government announced a fund to support employees associated with airport operations.

3 March 2021: The World Bank has provided a conditional grant to Comoros of USD 6 million (USD 0.51% of the country's GDP). With it, the government of Comoros is set to extend social security nets, provide food parcels and community services to those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus

IMF Country Report
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CNBC Africa

AFDB Website

World Bank Website

Cote d'Ivoire

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 82,724 Source

Confirmed deaths: 802 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 20.48% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 29.67% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: A Health Response Plan of 99 billion FCFA (USD 163 million, or 0.4% of GDP) has been adopted to break the chain of disease transmission, to guarantee the best care for the sick, isolate and track people who have been in contact with these patients and to continue efforts to keep populations safe. An Economic, Social and Humanitarian Support programme will also be implemented estimated at 1 700 billion FCFA (USD 2 billion), or about 5% of GDP.

31 August: Updated estimates suggest that the COVID-19 response plan is now set to cost 3.4% of GDP (equivalent to roughly USD 2.1 billion) in 2020 alone.

Official COVID-19 links: http://www.gouv.ci/_grandossier.php?recordID=222

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 42

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 4,88%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 40%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 4,88%

Domestic and external financing: 17 April: the IMF has also offered rapid credit and rapid financing instruments to Côte d'Ivoire of USD 295.4 million and USD 590.8 million (0.69 and 1.37% of GDP) respectively.

On 5 May, The World Bank and the Government of Côte d'Ivoire signed USD 35 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) credit agreement from the International Development Association (IDA)* to scale up efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic (Coronavirus) in the country, supplementing the USD 40 million provided under the Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) of the Strategic Purchasing and Alignment of Resources and Knowledge in Health Project, bringing the total financing allocated by the World Bank to Côte d'Ivoire’s COVID-19 emergency measures to USD 75 million.

9 June: The African Development Bank has approved grant funding of USD 88.8 million (roughly 0.2% of GDP) in response to the economic impact of COVID-19 for Cote d'Ivoire.

14 June: 75 million Euro approved by the African Development Bank in COVID-19 emergency relief packages.

28 August: 4 COVID-19 funds have been established under a Presidential decree states that, after its dissolution, the net assets of the fund shall be remitted to any structure assigned to continue its mission or to a major public financial corporation. These 4 funds are the National Solidarity Fund of 170 billion CFAF (0.5 % of GDP), the Support Fund for the informal sector of 100 billion CFAF (0.3 % of GDP), the Support Fund for the small and medium enterprises of 150 billion CFAF (0.4 % of GDP) and the Support Fund for large companies of 100 billion CFAF (0.3 % of GDP).

10 September: Côte d'Ivoire is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that may be created by the DSSI is USD 232.1 million or 0.5% of GDP. On November 10, the amount of debt suspension was revised downward slightly to 0.4% of GDP or USD 225 million.

8 April: Côte d'Ivoire requested to participate in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative in 2021. This provides debt relief of USD 67.7 million (0.1% of GDP).

On 20 April, the World Bank announced that it would mobilise USD 12 billion over a 2-year period to finance the purchase of vaccines in 17 developing countries, including Cabo Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Eswatini, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Rwanda and Tunisia. Details on the breakdown of this financing have yet to emerge.

On 22 July 2021, the International Fund for Agricultural Development provided a 10.24 billion FCFA loan (USD 18.5 million, or 0.03% of GDP) and 2 billion FCFA grant (USD 3.6 million, or 0.1% of GDP) to the government for an agicultural support programme aimed at supporting households weakened by the pandemic.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: On April 27, Heads of states of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) declared a temporary suspension of the WAEMU convergence criteria, including the 3 % of GDP fiscal deficit rule, to help member countries cope with the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, allowing member countries to raise fiscal deficits temporarily.

28 August: specific procedures for providing financial support to private and public companies from the COVID-19 fund have been set.

30 March 2021: The UEMOA has set up a COVID-19 voucher system for all countries in its ambit. This voucher system (worth CFAF 972 billion or USD 1.75 billion) will be accessible for all UEMOA member states as a means to stave off the impact of the pandemic, access vaccines and bolster health systems.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: A special fund has been set up to finance the health response to which Government has contributed CFAF 25 billion.

24 November 2020: The budget was increased from 8 061 FCFA billion to 8 451 FCFA billion (USD 15.6 billion, or 26.7% of GDP). This is predominantly to assist in the health and socio-economic responses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 3 April: The suspension of tax audits procedures for a three-month period

In May 2021, a paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Cote d'Ivoire ranked among the countries with a limited degree of transparency and accountability regarding COVID-related spending and financing.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 June: Exemption of import duties and taxes on health equipment, materials and other health inputs used in the fight against COVID-19.

30 September: Cote d'Ivoire has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

5 November: Tariffs have been reduced on importing pharmaceutical products and medicines into the country, while an export embargo on hand sanitisers is also put in place.

On 22 January, the Minister of Health announced that vaccinations will start in March 2021. Côte d'Ivoire ordered 200 000 Pfizer vaccines and has established an immunisation plan.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Côte d'Ivoire is expected to receive 2 040 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO, i.e. listed on the Emergency Use Listing.

26 February: Côte d’Ivoire was the second African country to receive its first allocation from COVAX, through which it received 504,000 doses.

16 April 2021: World bank approved USD 100 million (0.2% of GDP) to Cote d'lvoire enabling the county to purchase COVID-19 vaccines.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Cote dlvoire has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

Business support and tax measures: 30 April: Tax audits have been suspended for a period of three months. Penalties for delays in the execution of public contracts and orders with the State have been suspended.

On 31 March, the government announced it will provide relief to hard-hit sectors and firms, and support public entities in the transport and port sectors to ensure continuity in supply chains. In this regard, the authorities created 4 special funds to be spent over 2 years, including the National Solidarity Fund of 170 billion CFAF (0.5 % of GDP), the Support Fund for the informal sector of 100 billion CFAF (0.3 % of GDP), the Support Fund for the small and medium enterprises of 150 billion CFAF (0.4 % of GDP) and the Support Fund for large companies of 100 billion CFAF (0.3 % of GDP). They will also provide financial support to the agriculture sector of 300 billion CFAF (0.8 % of GDP). Support of CFAF 250 billion for cashew, cotton, rubber, oil palm, cocoa and coffee will be provided. Support of 50 billion FCFA for food, vegetable and fruit production will be provided.

30 April: Corporate income tax, levies and social charges will be postponed for three months for affected businesses. The transport license fee will be reduced by 25%. VAT credits will be reimbursed within two weeks.

6 May: The Council has adopted an ordinance that cancels the late penalties to be paid by holders of public contracts and other State orders, from 06 April to 06 July 2020, in order to help companies to safeguard the production tool and jobs.

9 April: Creation of two funds: a Support Fund for Large Enterprises (XOF 100 billion = USD 170 million) and a Support Fund for SMEs (XOF 150 billion = USD 254 million).

9 April: Creation of a specific fund to support informal sector enterprises affected by the crisis for an amount of XOF 100 billion (USD 170 million).

6 May: cancellation of the late penalties to be paid by holders of public contracts, from 06 April to 06 July 2020, in order to help companies to safeguard their production tool and jobs.

3 September: The emergency funding programme for the agriculture sector (PURGA), which is run by the government in the country, has distributed seeds, fertilizer and agriculture equipment to farmers in the various regions across the country who have been impacted by COVID-19.

7 October: Loan guarantee measures and subsidy interventions for farmers under PURGA have amounted to CFAF 34 billion (USD 61.6 million, or roughly 0.1% of GDP)

On 25 January, government spokesperson Sidi Tiémoko announced that the Ivorian government will mobilise a support fund of FCFA 110 billion (USD 200 million, or 0.35% of GDP) to support small and large businesses in 2021.

1 March: As part of a Regular Budget Supplementary Account project, the International Labour Organization together with the government will be implementing a programme to support the post-COVID-19 recovery, specifically to help formalise the informal sector by increasing the opportunity for decent work. The programme, ending in December 2021, will be worth 554 000 USD (0.9% of GDP).

22 July 2021: The Agricultural Emergency Project is the government's latest response to the economic impact of the pandemic. It is based on the “build back better”, focusing on strengthening agricultural productivity.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 March: Payment deadlines for electricity and water bills have been postponed and payment facilities will be offered. Electricity and water bills for poorest households will be covered.

On 31 March, the government announced a package of economic measures to prop the income of the most vulnerable segments of the population through agricultural input support and expanded cash transfers.

10 June: A total of 72,498 beneficiaries, representing 40.9% of the target of 177,198 vulnerable households targeted by the transitional phase, benefited from FSS support.

16 October: The government provided PPE across five regions in the country to hospitals and individuals worth FCAF 2 billion (USD 3.7 million- less than 0.01% of GDP).

1 March: A donor funded programme will help extend social protection to informal economy workers. The programme will be implemented in 2021, worth USD 200 000 (0.0003% of GDP).

28 April 2021: Cash transfers valued at 75,000 CFA (USD 135) were extended to vulnerable households to help with foodstuff for children and utilities.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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ILO Coronavirus Country responses
_
PWC
_
John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
_
The World Bank

BCEAO Website

Relief Web

OECD Policy Tracker

ITC Trademap

GAVI

African Development Bank

International Budget Partnership

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 89,932 Source

Confirmed deaths: 1,345 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 1.85% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 2.62% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 1 May: A preparedness and response national plan is estimated at USD 138 million (0.3% of GDP) aimed at strengthening the medical response that includes the creation of a COVID-19 response team, setting up specialized wards in public hospitals to cater for COVID-19 patients, procurement of
essential medical supplies, and training of medical personnel.

2 May: UNICEF estimates that USD 58 million (0.12% of GDP) is required for an immediate response within its areas of responsibility.

10 April: Relief Web estimates that the total humanitarian response financial requirement for the DRC in 2021 is USD 431 million (0.9% of GDP) to respond specifically to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects in the country.

Official COVID-19 links: https://www.stopcoronavirusrdc.info/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 4,23

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 3,73%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 37%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 3,73%

Domestic and external financing: Under the World Bank's COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Project USD 47 million (or, 0.1% of GDP) has been provided to fund the emergency response to the COVID-19 epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The US Government has provided USD 6 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) in humanitarian funding to the Democratic Republic of Congo to fight COVID-19 pandemic.

DRC is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (USD 20.32 million- roughly 0.04% of GDP- of debt has been relieved).

30 April: The IMF has approved an immediate disbursement to the DRC of USD 363.3 million (approximately 0.8% of GDP) as a means to support the country through the pandemic.

1 May: A special fund has been established to collect tax-deductible contributions from the private sector.

2 May: UNICEF have allocated USD 5 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) to meet critical needs while they work to secure USD 58 million (0.12% of GDP) to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

On 2 June the African Development Bank granted USD 13.55 million to support the CEMAC region. USD 1.22 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) was granted to DRC.

8 September: The DRC is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that may be created by the DSSI is USD 104.4 million or 0.3% of GDP. On November 10, the amount of debt suspension was revised upward to 0.5% of GDP or USD 156.3 million.

2 October: As part of its CCRT, the IMF released a second tranche of debt relief to the DRC of USD 13.96 million (roughly 0.03% of GDP).

7 October: The African Development Bank has approved a disbursement of USD 100 million (0.2% of GDP) of grant funding and USD 42 million (0.09% of GDP) in concessional loan form.

20 February: DRC is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) for 2021. The potential fiscal space that could be USD 105.9 million or 0.2% of GDP over the first half of 2021. By end-June 2021, this amount was updated to USD 342.2 million or 0.7% of GDP.

5 April: The IMF, as part of its third CCRT tranche, has provided the DRC with debt relief of USD 7.01 million (roughly 0.01% of GDP).

On 15 July 2021, the Executive Board of the IMF approved a 3-year arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility for the DRC, with immediate disbursement of about USD 216.9 million (0.4% of GDP) to reinforce international reserves due to COVID-19.

On 29 June 2021, the World Bank approved additional financing of USD 200 million (or 0.4% of GDP) for DRC's COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Project.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: On 18 August, the central bank (BCC), the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Budget formally signed a Stability Pact, which sets a number of policy and operational commitments by those institutions that would contribute to maintaining “macroeconomic stability, as a prerequisite for strong and sustained growth", in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2 September: The DRC has put into place the following expenditure measures as a means to finance COVID-19 related expenditure:
1. Reprioritisation of expenditure between annual budgets
2. Across-the-board cuts to capital expenditure

2 September: The DRC has made extra-budgetary funds available to ensure rapid delivery of COVID-19 related goods and services

2 September: The following cash and liquidity management practices have been followed by the DRC government:
1. Emergency meetings of cash management committees have taken place.
2. Additional petty cash payments to operational bank accounts of line ministries have been made.

2 September: The remaining fiscal gap from COVID-19 expenditure is being financed by the use of concessional loans and grants from donors and international financial institutions in the DRC.

2 September: In the DRC, an interministerial committee has been commissioned to assist in developing responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

30 September: Specific procedures have been introduced for the payment of bonuses to health personnel from the COVID-19 fund.

30 September 2020: In the context of sustained increases in inflation and exchange rate depreciation, on August 18 the central bank (BCC), the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Budget formally signed a Stability Pact, which sets a number of policy and operational commitments by those institutions that would contribute to maintaining “macroeconomic stability, as a prerequisite for strong and sustained growth”

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 1 May: Given spending pressures from the free education initiative and delays in revenue reforms, the authorities intend to contain spending to limit the projected financing gap in 2020 to the impact of the COVID- 19 and avoid an increase in the stock of advances from the central bank. To that effect, current spending excluding wages would fall by about 2% of GDP relative to 2019, supported by the reallocation of expenditures and a 30% cut in the operating budget of ministries and public institutions. This will not affect the budget contribution to vaccination programs, which will continue to be supported by the government.

1 May: The authorities intend also to request transfers from unused revenue of extrabudgetary funds to the central government’s budget and to review the composition of expenditures to reallocate resources to priority sectors.

5 November 2020: Although the budget is yet to be released, the minsiter of finance alluded to the fact that the budget in the Democratic Republic of Congo would be slashed by USD 6.8 billion (close to 14% of GDP). It is expected that this slash will be across the board, weakening health financing prospects inter alia. This drastic cut in expenditure is due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the already weakened economy.

3 July 2021: An additional healthcare budget allocation for COVID-19 is estimated at USD 135 million (0.3% of GDP), although no specific breakdown has been allocated to vaccines or their rollout as of yet.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 1 May: The authorities committed to produce a revised 2020 treasury plan reflecting the expected impact of the pandemic and the additional resources from development partners and to publish budget execution figures contained in the treasury plan on a monthly basis to enhance financial transparency. The authorities have committed to publish online all COVID-19 related procurement contracts that exceed a certain value (and disclose beneficial ownership information for the contracts exceeding USD 1 million), and will undertake and publish an internal monthly audit and a specific audit of COVID-19 related expenditures as part of the annual control of the Audit Court (LOI).

2 August: The Deputy Health Minister, Albert M’peti Biyombo, is reported to have leaked a letter to the Prime Minister in which he accused Cabinet members of receiving kickbacks on contracts for the coronavirus response, while health workers went unpaid for months. He claimed that a “mafia network”, which is taking kickbacks of up to 35% off contracts for supplies, is embezzling Covid-19 funds.

2 September: The government of the DRC has established a supervisory committee for the financing of COVID-19 related expenditures.

In May 2021, the Ministry of Health created a website with detailed information on COVID-19 related spending, including detailed reports by spending category, individual procurement contracts with the names of the health suppliers, and other supporting documentation.

May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. DRC was rated as having minimal accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 May: Emergency clearance of inputs and pharmaceuticals products.

30 May: SADC Member States have established National Emergency Operations Centres to facilitate coordination of logistics and stockpiling for disasters at the national level. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies is being implemented to provide sustainable availability and access to affordable and effective essential medicine and health commodities, and Member States have been encouraged to utilise this facility for the procurement of the needed supplies for prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 and any other epidemics.

2 September: Pooled procurement policies regarding healthcare financing and purchasing processes have been implemented in the DRC.

30 September: DRC has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

30 September: Hospitals selected for COVID-19 treatment have a contract with the government to guarantee service provision by hospitals and the reimbursement of costs by the government.

5 November: The government of the DRC has announced a suspension of all import duties on medical products for 6 months.

30 January: The World Bank has committed USD 12 billion to assist in the rollout of vaccinations across 21 countries, of which DRC is one.

On 2 March, 1.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in the DRC under the COVAX facility. This is the first set of vaccines arriving in the DRC, with more expected to follow in the coming weeks.

30 April: The DRC is set to return 1.3 million vaccines received throgh the COVAX facility before they expire in June of 2021 due to concerns of blood clotting with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. DRC has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

1 July 2021: DRC is receiving USD 200 million (0.3% of GDP) financing from the World Bank to purchase COVID-19 vaccines

Business support and tax measures: 30 March: Exemption for six months from all taxes, duties, levies and royalties on import and sale of pharmaceutical inputs and products as well as medical materials and equipment.

30 March: Suspension for three months of the application of penalties for delays in the customs clearance of basic goods and necessities; Suspension for three months for the payment of rental income tax due by companies; Support to the relaunching of economic activities by means of zero-interest financing from the Industrial Promotion Fun; Suspension for three months of certain tax, parafiscal and economic audits.

19 April: the following measures were approved by the Prime Minister:i) a three-month VAT exemption on pharmaceutical products and basic goods, ii) suspension of tax audits for companies, iii) a grace period for businesses on tax arrears, iv) full tax deductibility of any donations made to the COVID relief fund.

22 April: Reduction of corporate tax rate for 2020, from 30% to 28%. Reduction in the Flat-rate Global Tax, from 2020, from 7% to 5% of the annual turnover excluding taxes for operators selling products with free margin from 10% to 8% of the annual global margin excluding taxes for operators selling products at regulated prices and with controlled margins. These provisions are applicable to operators who keep accounts according to the Minimum Cash System (SMT). Tax exemption of 100% granted to donations made to fight against COVID-19.

1 January 2021: The Ministry of Finance in the DRC has implemented a tax deduction of funds allocated by companies to the National Fund against the COVID-19 pandemic and many other tax measures aimed at bolstering government revenue during the pandemic.

Financing social assistance and food relief: On 19 April 2020, the government of the DRC implemented the following protocols: i) provision of water and electricity for a period of two months to citizens, free of charge, and ii) prohibition to evict renters in case of no payment of financial obligations from March to June 2020.

Primary sources: IMF

African Health Statistics

WOrld Bank

Ministry of Finance Website

Reuters Website

ITC Trademap

Dispatch Live

Social Health Protection Network

Africa News

PWC Website

Devex Website

Djibouti

Tests p/million: 5,421

Confirmed cases: 15,690 Source

Confirmed deaths: 189 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 14.85% (2022-06-13)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 18.85% (2022-06-13)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 21 May 2021: Health and other priority expenditure of approximately USD 75 million (2.4% of GDP) will be necessary to address the health and economic and social consequences of COVID-19.

Official COVID-19 links: https://www.presidence.dj/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 56

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 3,10%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 26%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 3,10%

Domestic and external financing: An Emergency and Solidarity Fund COVID-19 has been established to cover patient care and purchase of healthcare equipment. It will also serve as a national body of financial solidarity for the most vulnerable demographic components and those working in the private sector. 1 billion Djibouti Francs (USD 1.7 million, or less than 0.01% of GDP) has been injected by government and will be complemented by funds from international partners and reallocation of budgeted funds. It is also open to goodwill donation and will have its main account at the Central Bank and will have secondary accounts in various banking establishments..

2 April: The World bank approved credit to Djibouti of USD 5 million (0.01% of GDP) through the International Development Association.

8 May: The IMF has provided access to USD 43.4 million in from its Rapid Credit Facility to Djibouti. The IMF has also offered debt relief of USD 2.3 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) through its Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust.

17 May: The European Union is providing 500 000 Euros (or less than 0.01% of GDP) to Djibouti, to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

24 July: The African Development Bank has approved grant funding of USD 41.2 million (1.3% of GDP) in response to the economic impact of COVID-19 for Djibouti

26 August: The United States is providing COVID-19 related funding assistance through the State Department and USAID. Nearly USD 3.3 million (or 0.11% of GDP) in total will be assigned to Djibouti, including USD2.5 million (or 0.08% of GDP) in ESF to address the second-order impacts of the pandemic.

8 September: Djibouti is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that may be created by the DSSI is USD 59.2 million or 1.6% of GDP.

2 October: The IMF has approved a second tranche of debt relief through the Catastrophe Containment and Refielf Trust (CCRT) of USD 2.38 million (or 0.08% of GDP))

On 10 November, the DSSI was revised downwards to the amount of USD 56.8 million (or 1.7% of GDP)

18 November: A project (AF) has been propsed that will build on the parent project’s design and scale up the World Bank’s support to the government’s efforts to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Specifically, the proposed AF will finance the procurement of key medical equipment, laboratories test kits, and medical supplies.This project will primarily target the education and health sectors of Djibouti. The cost of the project reflects USD 940 000 (or 0.03% of GDP).

19 February: The World Bank has revised the amount of debt forgiveness to Djibouti under their DSSI for January to June of 2021 upwards to USD 66.7 million (or 2% of the country's GDP).

31 March, The World Bank approved today USD15 million (or 0.45% GDP) in additional financing from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s arm for the poorest countries, to support an expanded and enhanced social safety nets system and improve access to basic services and food security in Djibouti’s poorest and most vulnerable communities.

5 April: The Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) 3rd Tranche approved debt service relief of SDR 1.40 million (USD 1.98 million or 0,06% of GDP).

29 July 2021: The World Bank has revised the amount of debt forgiveness to Djibouti under their DSSI for May 2020 to December 2021 upwards to USD 189,4 million (or 5,7% of GDP).

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: —

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 21 May: The government has scaled up healthcare and other emergency spending and to support families and firms affected by the outbreak (2.4% of GDP). Additional spending is primarily channeled through existing programs.0.9% of GDP in capital spending has been cut compared to the initial budget.

16 December: The government included measures amounting to 2.6% of GDP in a revised budget for 2020, and included an additional 0.6% of GDP of measures in the 2021 budget that will aim to improve the economy's response to the COVID pandemic. Measures include increases in health spending, support to firms impacted by the pandemic, and food vouchers to vulnerable households.

4 July 2021: The government included an additional 0.6% of GDP of measures to increase health spending, support firms affected by the pandemic and food vouchers for vulnerable households. Budget spending on vaccination not indicated.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 4 May: The authorities are committed to undertake an ex-post audit of COVID-19 expenditure and to subject them to enhanced public disclosure, including by publishing large procurement contracts (above USD 100 000) and the beneficial ownership of selected firms on the Ministry of Budget’s website and commission an independent ex-post audit of COVID-19-related spending in about a year’s time and publish the results

4 September: Djibouti has engaged in the following measures to ensure transparency, accountability, and participation in light of COVID-19 related spending and PFM measures, the country has; (i) Been committed to publishing COVID-19 procurement contracts; (ii) Publishing beneficial ownership information of companies receiving contracts; (iii) Undergone specific COVID-19 external audits, findings of which will be made publically available.

28 July 2021: To date, no procurement contracts and beneficial ownership information related to COVID-19 spending has been published, given that all contracts have so far fallen under the USS 100,000 threshold for publication. The authorities have confirmed that an independent audit is planned and will be published in 2021.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 27 January: According to the WHO, the COVAX vaccine sharing platform expects to have 25 million coronavirus vaccine doses for the Eastern Mediterranean region (including Djibouti) in March, rising to 355 million doses by end December. It is unclear at this stage what amount of vaccines Djibouti will receive.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Djibouti is expected to receive 108 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO, i.e. listed on the Emergency Use Listing.

6 March: Djibouti becomes the second country in the Middle East and North Africa region to receive COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility. This first shipment of vaccines will support the vaccination of health care workers, people over 50 years of age and people with comorbidities

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Djibouti has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

2 July 2021: Djibouti confirmed purchase of 300 000 doses of CoronaVac.

Business support and tax measures: 15 April: The Emergency and Solidarity Fund will support the private sector.

26 August: Funding from the USA, USD 3.3 million (or 11.16% of GDP) in total, will be used to help preserve and create new livelihoods through increased economic viability, digital adaptations and innovation of micro, small- and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups, civil-society organizations (CSOs) and the self-employed.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 15 April: The Emergency and Solidarity Fund will support vulnerable people.

5 November: Additional support has been provided to vulnerable households, so far this support has been in the form of food vouchers.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Presidential Website- Djibouti
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus

IMF Country Report

ILO Country Policy Responses

CGTN Africa

World Bank Debt Service Suspension Services

GAVI

Egypt

Tests p/million: 244

Confirmed cases: 515,645 Source

Confirmed deaths: 24,720 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 34.56% (2022-06-14)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 47.21% (2022-06-14)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 20 May: The government recently has announced 1 billion EGP (USD 63.5 million or 0.03% of GDP) in extra funding for its health services and applied various measures to increase the country’s capacity to absorb the sudden increase of critical patients that the outbreak might bring.

4 February: The government announced a stimulus package of USD 6.13 billion (1.8% of GDP) to mitigate the economic impacts of COVID-19.

Official COVID-19 links: —

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 151

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 4,22%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 62%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 4,22%

Domestic and external financing: The government has announced stimulus policies in the USD 6.4 billion package (EGP 100 billion, 2 % of GDP) to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19.

On 22 March, the government announced it would allocate USD 1.27 billion (roughly 0.5% of GDP) to support the stock exchange.

On 20 March, the World Bank activated the Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) under the “Transforming Egypt’s Healthcare System Project”. USD 7.9 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) has been provided to fund emergency response activities related to the COVID-19 outbreak in Egypt.

May 11: The IMF has released USD 2.8 billion (1.2% of GDP) to Egypt through its Rapid Financing Instrument.

On May 25, the African Development Bank approved a USD 500 000 (less than 0.01% of GDP) emergency assistance grant to Egypt to provide food relief, and to contribute to restoring the livelihoods of vulnerable populations severely affected by COVID 19.

19 May: Large capital outflows have resulted in a drawdown of reserves to avoid excessive exchange rate volatility from the severe turbulence in financial markets.

11 May: The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved Egypt’s request for emergency financial assistance of SDR 2,037.1 million (USD 2.772 billion, 100% of quota) under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) to meet the urgent balance of payments needs stemming from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Purchase under the RFI entails exceptional access due to outstanding credit under the previous extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility.

27 June: IMF approves USD 5.2 billion (or 2,1% of GDP) loan, under a 12-month Stand-by Arrangement (SBA), for Egypt against COVID-19.

5 November: Egyptian authorities have formed a new guarantee fund of EGP 2 billion (USD 128 million or 0.05% of GDP).

30 November 2020: USD 5 billion sovereign Eurobond and a USD 0.75 billion sovereign Green-bond were issued and a USD 2 billion loan agreement signed with a UAE-led commercial bank consortium.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 18 June: Egypt's budget deficit has reached 6.3%, and is expected to increase to 7.5% on the back of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait.

30 June: All ministries will set an expenditure rationing plan to offset the economic impact of the pandemic.

30 September: Egypt is currently working on several upside and downside macro-fiscal scenarios around a central baseline.

30 September 2020: Egypt plans to revise its fiscal risk statement to account for the impact of COVID-19.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: To support the healthcare sector, EGP 3.8 billion has been allocated, targeted at providing urgent and necessary medical supplies, and disbursing bonuses for medical staff working in quarantine hospitals and labs.

The government has announced stimulus policies in the USD 6.4 billion package (EGP 100 billion, 2% of GDP) to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19.

On 22 March, the government announced it would allocate USD 1.27 billion to support the stock exchange.

On 7 May, the Egyptian Minister of Finance stated that the budget for the new fiscal year would allocate a further USD 6.35 million to raise wages and pensions in light of the economic impact of Covid-19.

18 June: Egypt's budget deficit has reached 6.3%, and is expected to increase to 7.5% on the back of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait.

27 June: Government employees will receive an annual increase of 7-12% costing a total of USD1.8 million.

30 June: The 2021 budget has an allocation of EGP 258.5 billion for health, with an increase of EGP 83.2 billion (47%) compared to last fiscal year. EGP 11 billion has been allocated to support the health sector and disburse incentive bonuses for medical staff and workers in quarantine outlets, isolation hospitals, central laboratories and their branches in governorates, central work teams and their assistants, epidemiological surveillance teams and ambulance agency.

30 November: The budget deficit is estimated to have widened to LE476.8 billion, equivalent to 8.2% of the projected GDP in fiscal year 2020, up from 8.1% of GDP in fiscal year 2019. This was mainly driven by the decline in the tax-to-GDP ratio and exacerbated by economic contraction and postponed tax payments.

3 February: Money saved from cuts to fuel subsidies helped increase allocations to healthcare. Healthcare spending grew from EGP107.3 billion (USD 6.7 billion, or 3.1% of GDP) in 2017-18 to EGP258.4 billion (USD 16.5 billion or 7.5% of GDP) in 2020-21 to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

4 February: To support the healthcare sector, EGP 5 billion (USD 320 million, or 0.32% of GDP) was allocated to providing medical supplies and bonuses for medical staff.

11 May 2021: For the 2021 Budget, general spending consolidation across budget items assisted in rolling off of COVID-related spending, which amounted to nearly 1% of GDP in FY21.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 30 November: As part of the recently launched Budget Transparency series with UNICEF, fiscal measures taken by the government to address the negative effects of the pandemic have been highlighted and publicised.

31 May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Egypt was rated as having minimal accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 June 2020: The procurement fee of medical equipment and drugs used in treating Covid-19 has been canceled.

30 September 2020: Egypt has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

1 January 2021: Egypt intends to buy 40 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine, and had already received 50,000 doses of the vaccine in December and is expecting another 50,000 in the second or third week of January.

3 February 2021: As part of the COVAX facility, Egypt is expected to receive 5 138 400 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO, i.e. listed on the Emergency Use Listing.

7 February: President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi announced approximately 35 million Egyptians will be prioritised for vaccination. They include health workers, the elderly and people with chronic diseases.

8 February: Egypt received 50 000 vaccine doses in December from its close ally the United Arab Emirates.

8 February: Health Minister Hala Zayed has indicated that citizens will pay for the vaccine but that is will be provided to citizens at a low price: LE 100 (USD 6.4) or less for each of the two doses. Citizens included in the cash support program Takaful w Karama, who are unable to purchase the vaccine, will take it for free, Zayed added.

24 February 2021: COVAX announced Egypt's indicative distribution for the first half of 2021 through the AMC of 5,138,400 AstraZeneca Vaccines through SKBioScience.

24 February 2021: Egypt received 300,000 donated doses of the Sinopharm vaccine on Tuesday.

24 February 2021: Health Minister Hala Zayed announced that the government signed a deal to import another 100 million vaccine doses from SinoPharm.

28 February 2021: Egypt received 350 000 doses of a coronavirus vaccine developed by Sinopharm (from China) in two batches since December, in addition to 50 000 doses of a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca in February. The Egyptian Drug Authority approved Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine for emergency use. Egypt’s Prime Speed Medical Services said it had obtained the right to provide Sputnik V in Egypt, without giving details. Egypt began vaccinating frontline medical staff against COVID-19 on Jan. 24 using the Chinese vaccine.

1 April 2021: Egypt received a shipment comprising 854 000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses, upping the total number of the received vaccine to around 1.5 million doses.

6 April 2021: Egypt’s Health Minister Hala Zayed said the country will receive 4.5 million coronavirus vaccine doses through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) by the end of May. In a meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli, Zayed said Egypt has contracted with China’s Sinopharm to receive 20 million vaccine additional doses as well.

22 April 2021: A leading Egyptian pharmaceutical company has signed a deal with Russian Sputnik V vaccince developers to manufacture more than 40 million doses annually in Cairo. It expects to rollout the vaccine in quarter 3 of 2021.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Egypt has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

2 July 2021: Egypt confirmed the purchase of 30 million AstraZeneca, 40 million CoronaVac, 25million SputnikV, 20million Sinopharm and 461 000 undisclosed jabs.

3 July 2021: USD 320 million (0.1% of GDP) is allocated to the healthcare sector targeted at providing urgent and necessary medical supplies including vaccines.

10 August 2021: Egypt has signed an agreement with China to locally manufacture Sinovac. The Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Product and Vaccines will produce an initial 2 million doses, with plans to produce over 5 million doses in the following two months and 40 million vaccines within a year. After it meets domestic demand, Egypt said it will look at exporting Sinovac to other African countries.

Business support and tax measures: 30 April: The moratorium on the tax law on agricultural land has been extended for 2 years.

30 April: The stamp duty on transactions and tax on dividends have been reduced.

30 April: Capital gains tax has been postponed until further notice.

30 April: Withholding tax imposed on dividend distributions made by EGX listed companies has been reduced from 10% to 5% in Egypt.

30 April: Tax breaks for industrial and tourism businesses have been enacted.

30 April: The cost of electricity and natural gas to industries has been reduced.

30 April: As part of the EGP 100 billion (USD6,3 million) stimulus, EGP 50 billion (USD 3,2 million) has been announced for the tourism sector.

30 April: Suspension of credit score blacklists for irregular clients and waiver of court cases for defaulted customers have been announced.

30 April: Individuals filing their incomes tax online will not be charged the subscription fee of the online tax filing portal.

8 September: A Corona tax of 1% has been levied on all public and private sector salaries, and 0,5% on state pensions. The proceeds of the Corona Tax will be earmarked for sectors and SMEs most affected by the pandemic. Real estate tax relief has been provided for industrial and tourism sectors; and subsidy pay-out for exporters has been stepped up, discount on fuel price has been announced for the aviation sector.

30 September: Egypt has also resumed the export of medical supplies, after a temporary halt in March 2020.

5 November: The moratorium on various tax laws have been extended and tax on certain earnings have been reduced, while certain taxes have been postponed until further notice.

5 November: A new guarantee fund of EGP 2 billion (USD 128 million or 0.05% of GDP) has been formed to partly guarantee consumer finance companies, among other intiatives. To support medical professionals, including doctors working in university hospitals, a 75% allowance over the wages has been announced. Energy costs have been lowered for the entire industrial sector; real estate tax relief has been provided for industrial and tourism sectors; and subsidy pay-out for exporters has been stepped up, discount on fuel price has been announced for the aviation sector. The moratorium on the tax law on agricultural land has been extended for 2 years. The stamp duty on transactions and tax on dividends have been reduced. Capital gains tax has been postponed until further notice. As part of the EGP 100 billion stimulus (USD 6,4 billion or 2.5% of GDP), EGP 50 billion (USD3,2 billion or 1.3% of GDP) has been announced for the tourism sector, which contributes close to 12% of Egypt’s GDP, 10% of employment, and almost 4% of GDP in terms of receipts, as of 2019.

4 February: Energy costs have been lowered for the entire industrial sector and a discount on fuel price was announced for the aviation sector. This iintervention is aimed at bolstering production in sectors severely impacted by COVID-19.

27 July 2021: In June 2020, the Enpact's Empowering Entrepreneurship Initiative was created to provide direct support for entrepreneurs in emerging markets including Egypt. To date, the initiative has provided support to 330 businesses in overcoming the challenges of COVID.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 15 April: Pensions have been increased by 14 %.

15 April: A targeted support initiative for irregular workers in most severely hit sectors has been announced, which will entail EGP 500 (USD 32) in monthly grants for 3 months.

7 May: To support medical professionals, including doctors working in university hospitals, a 75 % allowance over the wages has been announced.

7 May: A new debt relief initiative for individuals at risk of default has also been announced, that will waive marginal interest on debt under EGP 1 million ( USD 64,200) if customers make a 50 % payment.

7 May: The Ministry of Social Solidarity is planning to add 60,000 families to Takaful and Karama programs; also, increased payments are envisioned for women leaders in rural areas (EGP 900 per month (USD57) instead of EGP 350 (USD22)).

30 June: In coordination with non-governmental institutions, the Egyptian Food Bank is in cooperation with local/governorate level and the Ministry of Social Solidarity to distribute food rations in various governorates.

8 September: A consumer spending initiative of close to EGP 10 billion (USD 633 million or 0.25% of GDP) has been launched to offer citizens two-year, low-interest loans to pay for consumer goods discounted by up to 10-25 percent and provide ration card subsidies. A new guarantee fund of EGP 2 billion (USD 127 million or 0.05% of GDP) has been formed to guarantee mortgages and consumer loans made by banks and consumer finance companies.

5 November: A new guarantee fund of EGP 2 billion (USD 128 million or 0.04% of GDP) has been formed to partly guarantee guarantee mortgages and consumer loans made by banks, among other things.

4 February: Expansion of the targeted cash transfer social programmes, Takaful and Karama, are being extended to reach more families for 3 months. These grants will reach close to 1.6 million beneficiaries.

2 April: Pension payouts have been increased by 14% to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic on the elderly.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Ugo Gentilini
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PWC
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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Central Bank of Egypt
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The World Bank
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Egypt Today
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Ashram Online

UNICEF

World Bank

GAVI

Equatorial Guinea

Tests p/million: 609

Confirmed cases: 15,951 Source

Confirmed deaths: 183 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 14.26% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 18.31% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 30 April: The government has begun discussions on the National Covid-19 Emergency Response Plan. Estimates suggest that this plan is expected to cost XAF 5 billion (USD 8.5 million or 0.06% of GDP).

31 August: A broad emergency health spending package (1% of GDP or USD 130 million) has been tabled in Equatorial Guinea, and aims to improve hospital preparedness to respond to local COVID-19 transmission.

Official COVID-19 links: https://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/buscador.php?cat=10005

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 197

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 2,59%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 73%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 2,59%

Domestic and external financing: Focus will be given to strengthening tax administration.

Parking lots at the Malabo and Bata airports are due to be nationalised.

Oil and Gas companies are required to pay CIT for 2019 by the end of April and the MMH and MFEP have been empowered to lead the negotiations.

THE NATIONAL CORONAVIRUS EMERGENCY FUND- 19 is created to raise Economic and Financial Funds to combat the spread of the Coronavirus Pandemic in the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. The government committed to contribute USD10 million to the special emergency fund. Accounts will be opened in national banks for the entry of voluntary contributions called the National Emergency Fund CORONAVIRUS- 19. Any other aid from external sources - country governments, friends, economic institutions and humanitarian organisations - will also be contributed to the Fund.

April: the UNDP has drafted a support package for Equatorial Guinea of USD 650 000 (less than 0.01% of GDP).

28 May: UNICEF has begun the process of providing funding to Equatorial Guinea of USD 1.6 million (0.01% of GDP)

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 30 June: Enabled a special unit for the promotion of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) contracts in basic public services such as: water, sanitation, electricity and communication.

On 27 October, an interministerial council met to table and subsequently pass the Amended General Budgets Preliminary Bill for 2020. While the document has not been published, it is expected to detail reprioritisations made in light of COVID-19, inter alia.

On 6 April, the government of Equatorial Guinea estimated the fiscal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Total revenue declined by 33.9%, which resulted in a drop in national expenditure by 16.6% between 2019 and 2020. This massive revenue drop overshadowed the drop in expenditure to ensure that the country slid into a large primary deficit.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: On 31 March, Decree No 43/2020 was adopted to finance the General State Budget, mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on economic activity and vulnerable populations. It ensure the financing of the 2020/21 budget through bilateral and multilateral financing and rationalising of public expenditure and slowing down execution of non-priority expenditures. The decree ensures the financing of the Plan to Strengthen the National Public Health System. The 2020 Budget will be adjusted to prioritise the most affected ministerial departments, specially Health, Social Affairs, Civil Aviation and National Security.The Government will reprogram public investment expenditures to the second half of the fiscal year to avoid accumulation of arrears.

In March, the government deployed an initial health spending plan (0.07 % of GDP) focused mainly on prevention. In April, the government broadened emergency health spending (0.3 % of GDP), mainly to improve hospital preparedness to respond to local transmission.

30 August: The government in Equatorial Guinea has postponed the execution of non-priority capital expenditures, identifying savings to non-wage current expenditures, urging public enterprises to cut personnel costs as well as continuing the implementation of plans to strengthen the tax administration in the country.

On 22 December, the 2021 general budget was published. In it, focus for the year will be placed on fiscal consolidation by both decreasing expenditure in non-essential areas and improving revenue collection where feasible. Updates suggest that roughly 1% of GDP (approximately USD 110 million) has so far been reallocated to emergency healthcare responses in the country.

18 June 2021: The government of Equatorial Guinea validated the country's COVID-19 preparedness and response plan. This response plan will require a contribution beyond what the state budget has provisioned, and will therefore likely rely on supplementary budget allocations which have yet to be published.

Transparency, accountability and participation: On 21 May, an inter-ministerial council met and discussed the passing of the "Draft Law on the Prevention and Fight against Corruption". In it, various ministries proposed various regulatory and structural changes which would improve the transparency of, inter alia, financial reporting in the country, especially in light of Covid-19.

On 10 November, the Senate Table in Equatorial Guinea tabled a draft law on the "Prevention and Fight Against Coruption". Although this document has yet to be published, it is expected that COVID-related corruption matters will be outlined and potential solutions to these matters will be suggested. .

10 March: The audit committee of COVID-19 funds has met, and has agreed that Ernst and Young should audit all government financial transactions related to COVID-19 over the last year and flag any irregularities.The findings of this audit will be published by media outlets to ensure transparency throughout the process.

In May 2021, a paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Equatorial Guinea was flagged as having among the lowest degrees of accountability and transparency in relation to COVID-19 fund management.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Equatorial Guinea has submitted non-binding confirmations of intent to participate in the COVAX Facility, a Gavi-coordinated pooled procurement mechanism for new COVID-19 vaccines. Equatorial Guinea would be able to use the mechanism to buy and procure COVID-19 vaccines at the cheaper prices Gavi has negotiated — but the country would have to allow COVAX to procure and buy the vaccines on its behalf.

8 February: China will donate the vaccine to Equatorial Guinea.

14 February: According to updates to news sources, the number of vaccines donated by China to Equatorial Guinea is 100 000. This will be sufficient to vaccinate roughly 4% of the country's population.

24 February: Equatorial Guinea has received a batch of Sinopharm vaccine, but is yet to begin giving it to the general public.

24 February: Equatorial Guinea appears to not have made its upfront payment to the COVAX iniative.

On 19 April, 200 000 COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Equatorial Guinea (an additional 100 000 than were anticipated earlier on during the year).

1 June 2021: 320 000 vaccine doses have already been donated to Equatorial Guinea by various countries, with another batch of 500 000 of Sinopharm procured.

Business support and tax measures: The deadline for payment of the minimum income tax (MIT) for the year 2020 shall be extended until June.
The period for voluntary payment of the liquidation resulting from corporate income tax for the year 2019 is extended to July.
The MIT is also reduced from 3% to 1.5% for the year 2020, until 30 September 2020.

Decree No 43/2020 also offers non-fiscal incentives to SMEs in the non-oil sector, including reducing electricity, internet payments

Donations for the Partial Guarantee Fund for affected SMEs will be increased by XAF 1 billion (USD 1,64 million).

Companies involved in food distribution and all companies that hire new employees to reinforce their workforce
to comply with the standards established by the health authorities will receive a bonus of 100% of the
Social Security contributions until September 30th, 2020.

May 7: SMEs and households, in light of Covid-19, have faced reduced electricity bills

31 August: The government has withheld tax rate changes, and delayed tax payment deadlines for small and medium-sized firms, while reducing electricity bills for firms affected by the COVID crisis as well.

On 22 December, the general budget for Equatorial Guinea was published. As part of fiscal consolidation efforts aimed at narrowing the deficit created, in part, by the financial pressures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the state has put forward special increases in taxes attached to alcohol, tobacco, and the operation of vehicles. On the other hand, it has relaxed tax on necessities like water.

31 December: Tax measures related to the extension of the deadline for declaring and paying MIT and CIT for SMMEs has lapsed and the tax measure has therefore ceased.

22 February 2021: To offset the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on public finances and social wellbeing, the state has employed the following tax changes:
- The Minimum Income Tax Rate (MIT) has been reduced from 3 to 1.5%
- Services withholding taxes have been set at 15% for non-resident suppliers
- The registration fee on the awarding of public contracts has been decreased from 2% to 0.5%
- A hotel stay fee has been implemented. This revenue will be earmarked and filter back into the tourism sector in the country.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 7 May: Decree No 43/2020 ensures financing of the Basic Social Guarantees Program. The Program will guarantee: (I) basic food and basic necessities for identified households, (II) a basic personal and household hygiene kit for identified groups; (III) social support consisting of counseling and psychological and health support. The social assistance scheme also includes measures to ensure continuity of education.

7 May: SMEs and households, in light of Covid-19, have faced reduced electricity bills.

21 May: Delegates from the South korean government donated clinical materials to the Ministry for Health and Social Welfare in Equatorial Guinea in order to aid its fight against Covid-19.

28 May: The government of Equatorial Guinea, with the help of UNICEF, has started distributing basic food and personal hygiene kits to vulnerable families, with the hopes of reaching 12 000 families.

On 25 June, the presidency distributed 4 million face masks to individuals across the country.

31 August: A social assistance scheme (0.3% of GDP or roughly USD 40 million) has been approved and initiated for the most vulnerable and will be expanded gradually to cover approximately 15 percent of the population of Equatorial Guinea.

29 March: The government of Equatorial Guinea, with the assistance of UNAIDS, is financing a community outreach programme to assist those most impacted by COVID-19. This includes the financing of home visits to the sick and free COVID-19 testing.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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Africa Health Stats
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African Union
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UNDP COVID-19 Response
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EY
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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Official Twitter Account of the Ministry of Finance, Economy and Planning of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.

Official Website of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea

UNICEF Website

Clarence Abogados and Associates Website

Guinea Ecuatorial Press

The BEAC Website

Ministry of Finance Website

SABC News

GAVI

UNAIDS

PWC

Lexology

Eritrea

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 9,777 Source

Confirmed deaths: 103 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): —

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): —

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: —

Official COVID-19 links: http://www.shabait.com/home

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 16

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 2,92%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 59%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 2,92%

Domestic and external financing: On 3 April, it was announced that members of the Central region Assembly would contribute one-month salary in support of the effort to curb the spread of Covid-19.

6 April: Eritrea has proactively requested USD 450 000 from the UN International Organisation for Migration to fund their COVID-19 Preparedness Plan.

Eritrean nationals in the Diaspora are extending financial support to contain the spread of coronavirus through their embassies. Contributions are published on http://www.shabait.com/home.

2 June: The Contribution by nationals to augment the National Fund to combat the COVID-19 pandemic continues.Cooperative associations and religious institutions contributed a total of Nakfa 63 808 (USD 4 266) .Similarly, small businesses in the Gash Barka, Northern Red Sea and Central regions contributed a total of Nakfa 193 543 (USD 13 000). 20 individuals also contributed a total of Nakfa 132 000 (USD 8 800).

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 13 July: A national COVID–19 pandemic response plan is yet to be announced.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: —

Transparency, accountability and participation: —

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Eritrea has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

30 September: Specific facilities were selected based on their capacity and thus designated as service providers for COVID-related health services, but without another accreditation process.

13 February: Eritrea is among the few African countries who have chosen not to participate in the COVAX initiative, despite being eligible for free vaccines since it is a low income country.

10 March: Eritrea is one of four countries that qualify for free vaccines under the COVAX advance market commitment financing instrument, however, the country is yet to complete the necessary requirements for receiving the free vaccines.

As of 2 June 2021, no vaccination measures have been taken in reponse to COVID-19

Business support and tax measures: Various organisations and ministries have provided extra funding as a means to bolster economically vulnerable sectors.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 6 April: Eritrea's current COVID-19 response involves coordinating with the Ministry of Health to support COVID-19 response through the One UN approach;Procured and delivered PPE and screening supplies, including 100 safety goggles, 300 plastic surgical aprons (disposable), 100 packs of disposable shoe covers, 30 infrared thermometers (non-contact), 300 disposable caps and 100 personal protective gowns.

8 May: The Ministry of Social Welfare with UNICEF plans for social transfers in cash and kind to vulnerable families affected by COVID-19.

6 June:The government has banned layoffs and postponed payment of utility bills

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Ministry of Information- Eritrea
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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Relief Web

Social Health Protection Network

Fitch Solutions

GAVI

Eswatini

Tests p/million: 615

Confirmed cases: 73,006 Source

Confirmed deaths: 1,415 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 28.67% (2022-05-29)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 33.05% (2022-05-29)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 8 September: Authorities have put in place a COVID-19 response package in FY20/21 of E1 billion (USD 59 million or 1.3% of GDP).

21 December: E18 million (USD 1.2 million, or 0.03%) was mobilised towards the COVID-19 response beyond the USD 59 million originally earmarked for the response package.

Official COVID-19 links: http://www.gov.sz/index.php/covid-19-corona-virus/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 460

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 15%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 9,90%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 15%

Domestic and external financing: On 20 April, the World Bank Group approved USD 6 million (0.13% of GDP) in health emergency funding for a project that will help strengthen the country’s health system preparedness to respond to this and potential future emergencies.

13 April Eswatini contributes USD 2.4 million (or 0.05% of GDP) to the governments COVID-19 relief efforts.

On 23 June: the World Bank Group approved a further USD 20 million (0.4% of GDP) for the "Health Systems Strengthening for Human Capital Development Project" aimed at improving the quality and coverage of the Eswatini health system. This project will complement the ongoing Eswatini COVID-19 Emergency Response Project approved in April.

29 June: The IMF approved USD 110.4 million (or 2.3% of GDP) in emergency financial assistance under the Rapid Financing Instrument to support the authorities’ efforts in addressing the severe economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

July: The authorities are requesting a purchase under the RFI equivalent to 100% of quota which is SDR 78.5 million (USD 107.3 million or % of GDP).

On November 19, the World Bank approved a USD 40 million (0.1% of GDP) loan to support the economic recovery in the country.

16 April 2021: Eswatini’s response to COVID-19 got a boost following the approval of USD5 million loan (0.11% of GDP) in additional financing by the World Bank Group Board.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: A committee with special powers to make resource allocation decisions has been created.

29 July: When requesting assistance from the IMF, the government indicated it has set up a transparent strategy to start clearing domestic arrears. All claims will be subject to the standard internal budget spending verification process, including validation of delivery, and the process will be subject to an ex-post review by the Auditor General as part of the budget audit certification process. Cabinet has approved the clearance strategy, which includes Cabinet’s approval of any detailed liquidation schedule before payments occur. Moreover, before clearing any arrears, we will publish on the government’s website (www.gov.sz) the liquidation strategy and schedule, and all pending claims, both verified and not, with information on claiming legal entities.

30 September: Bank reconciliation of COVID-19-related spending has been prioritised to enable timely reporting and audits. To this end additional clerical staff have been employed to speed up the reconciliation process.

1 February: COVID-19 operations are currently managed by the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office through the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) that acts under its direction. Funds are transferred by the Ministry of Finance to the NDMA which then transfers it to MDAs as per NDMA’s budget plan for COVID-19 response. While the Treasury pays for the receipts, the actual budget plan and execution against it is not under its purview While NDMA has a plan and budget for each agency that it will channel funds to, it has not been published it in the public domain. The Treasury is making payments for COVID-19 related expenditure as submitted by MDAs but items are often not tagged to COVID-19.

On 25 January, The contract for the Eswatini COVID-19 Emergency Response Project Procurement Plan was concluded. Some of Emergency Reponse Plan activities include; (i) The printing and distribution of Public Health Emergency Operations Centre Manuals; (ii) Upgrading of Infectious Disease Notification Systems (IDNS); (iii) Procuring 20 phones for RRTs; (iv) Procuring and setting up of surveillance servers; (v) Procuring and installing mounted Med-thermal scanners; (vi) Procuring handheld thermo-scanners and batteries; and (vii) Procuring prefabs for isolation/separation rooms for entry points.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: End-April: A supplementary budget was approved for additional public healthcare of E100 million (USD 5.5 million or 0.14 % of GDP).

Low priority recurrent spending will be redirected to the fight against the pandemic and a portion of the capital budget will be reallocated towards refurbishing hospitals and completing new hospitals.

8 September: Authorities have put in place a COVID-19 response package in FY20/21 of E1 billion (USD 59 million or 1.3% of GDP).

4 November: The budget for 2020/21 aims at reducing the structural and fiscal imbalances which have led to the weakening of confidence in the economy of Eswatini, both internationally and domestically. Over the next three years, the authorities intend to implement fiscal consolidation measures of about 6½ percent of GDP starting in FY21/22. The consolidation plan, recently approved by cabinet, aims to restore debt sustainability, while protecting the most vulnerable through a combination of spending and revenue measures. The plan will be implemented in the context of the future annual budget cycles and is centred around four pillars: (I) Reducing public wage spending, through gradual employment reduction and below inflation salary adjustments; (ii) Rationalizing transfers and expenditure of state-owned entities; reducing (iii) Operational expenditures and improving the targeting of the main social assistance programs; and, (iv) Increasing domestic revenue through rate increases of some major taxes and base broadening measures, while suspending plans to introduce reforms that would reduce corporate income revenue. They intend to
contain reductions in capital spending and better prioritize investment toward high growth impact projects.

21 December: As part of its COVID-19 response, the government recruited various health personnel and is intensifying the process of sourcing PPEs, encouraging local suppliers to produce some of this equipment.

2 April: In FY21/22 the government has budgeted E200 million (USD 11 million or 0.28% of GDP) to procure vaccines for Eswatini's entire population- this is in addition to the supplementary budget in FY19/20 approved for additional public healthcare of E100 million (USD 5.5 million or 0.14% of GDP).

Transparency, accountability and participation: 25 June: The Eswatini Covid-19 Emergency Response Project is being prepared under the World Bank’s Environment and Social Framework (ESF). As per the Environmental and Social Standard (ESS) 10 Stakeholders Engagement and Information Disclosure, the implementing agencies should provide stakeholders with timely, relevant, understandable and accessible information, and consult with them in a culturally appropriate manner, which is free of manipulation, interference, coercion, discrimination and intimidation.

29 July: When requesting assistance from the IMF, the government indicated it will (I) use specific budget lines to facilitate the tracking and reporting of the release of funds of all crisis-mitigation spending, and (ii) publish on the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA)’s website (www.ndma.org.sz) bi-monthly reports on funds released and expenditures incurred for health, social and other crisis-mitigation spending; (iii) regularly publish, on the Eswatini Public Procurement Regulatory Agency (ESPPRA)’s website (www.sppra.co.sz), signed public procurement contracts for crisis-mitigation spending, along with the names of awarded legal persons and their beneficiary owners, and ex-post validation of delivery; in addition, (iv) the Auditor General will undertake a financial and compliance audit of all crisis-mitigation spending and related procurement processes using independent external audit companies and will publish the results within six-months from the end of the 2020/21 fiscal year. Moreover, the Eswatini Public Procurement Regulatory Agency (ESPPRA) will undertake separate compliance and value-for money audits of all procurement activities related to COVID-19 spending, and publish the result on its website. Second, we have set up a transparent strategy to start clearing domestic arrears. All claims will be subject to the standard internal budget spending verification process, including validation of delivery, and the process will be subject to an ex-post review by the Auditor General as part of the budget audit certification process. Cabinet has approved the clearance strategy, which includes Cabinet’s approval of any detailed liquidation schedule before payments occur. Moreover, before clearing any arrears, we will publish on the government’s website (www.gov.sz) the liquidation strategy and schedule, and all pending claims, both verified and not, with information on claiming legal entities. Finally, the government continues to support the strengthening of the Anti-Corruption Commission. Despite the fiscal constraints, the funding to the agency has increased in the last two years to support the upgrading of its systems, building staff capacity, and accelerate the solution of pending cases.

29 July: As part of its commitment to the IMF, the Government will publish COVID-19 public procurement contracts; publish names of companies awarded contracts; validate delivery of products and services; publish beneficial ownership information of companies receiving COVID-19 procurement contracts; publish COVID-19 expenditure reports; and conduct COVID-19 specific audit and publish results.

May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Eswatini was rated as having minimal accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: On 28 March, the Government set the price for hand sanitisers to an amount not exceeding E150 per litre (USD 8,13).

30 May: SADC Member States have established National Emergency Operations Centres to facilitate coordination of logistics and stockpiling for disasters at the national level. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies is being implemented to provide sustainable availability and access to affordable and effective essential medicine and health commodities, and Member States have been encouraged to utilise this facility for the procurement of the needed supplies for prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 and any other epidemics.

30 September: Eswatini has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

4 November: Eswatini have imposed licensing/ permit requirements to export. The DTIC will need to be consulted prior to the export of certain selected goods including face masks and hand sanitiser. The effect on trade in this instance is restrictive and will apply to all countries trading with Eswatini.

6 January: The Eswatini government budgeted E200 million (USD 13.5 million, or 0.04% of GDP) for vaccine purchases from the AU. In addition to the AstraZeneca vaccines Eswatini is set to receive through the COVAX facility, the government ordered 2 million doses from the Serum Institute of India and 237 328 doses from the AU, both expected to arrive in second quarter of 2021.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Eswatini is expected to receive 108 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO.

17 February: The World Bank has committed USD12 billion to African countries to support vaccination programs across the continent in 21 African countries. Eswatini is among these countries, although it is unclear how much of this USD 12 billion will be attributed to eSwatini.

13 March: The Kingdom of Eswatini has received its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines from the global COVAX facility. The batch is made up of 12 000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine & brings the total number of doses received by the country so far to 32 000. The government has also ordered 2 million doses from the Serum Institute of India and 237 328 doses from the AU and both of these batches are expected to arrive in quarter 2 of 2021.

On April 16, 2021, the World Bank Board approved about E72 million (USD 5 million) additional financing from the International Development Association (IDA) to provide Eswatini with safe and effective vaccine purchase and deployment.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Eswatini has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

13 July: The Kirsh Foundation has donated USD 15.8 million and the Government of Taiwan USD 1.5 million to Eswatini's vaccine programme.

Business support and tax measures: Extension of returns filing deadlines by 3 months before penalties kick-in.

Provisional tax payments: Taxpayers projecting losses will file loss provisional returns, hence no payment will be required. The due date has been postponed by 3 months, which means June declarations and payments are due in September and December declarations due in March 2021.

Taxpayers facing cash flow problems should provide evidence to be considered for payment arrangements. This only applies to current dues for Income Tax.

25 June: E90 million (USD 5.19 million) (0.13% of GDP) in tax refunds are offered to SMEs that have complied with tax obligation or have retained and continued to pay employees during the lockdown period.

8 September: The government has set up a revolving fund of E45 million (USD 2,7 million or 0.07% of GDP) to assist SMEs and a E25 million (USD 1,5 million or 0.04% of GDP) relief fund to aid laid off workers. Payment arrangements for taxpayers facing cash flow problems have been made along with a waiver of penalties and interest for older tax debts if principal is cleared by the end of September 2020; and up to E90 million (USD 5,3 million or 0.13% of GDP) in tax refunds for SMEs that have complied with tax obligations, retain employees, and continue to pay them during this period. For more information see: http://www.gov.sz/ .

6 January: The government implemented various efforts to support businesses. These include COVID-19 tests for informal cross-border traders, two reductions in the price of fuel, and deferred increases in water and electricity prices.

31 January 2021: The government previously announced plans to lower the corporate tax rate to 12.5%, from 27.5%, to attract investment and create jobs. Enabling legislation will be presented to parliament within the next few months, but a four-year timeline for reducing the rate may be extended due to the adverse effect the coronavirus has had on state revenue.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 15 April: Food assistance will be provided to the most vulnerable, benefiting over 300,000 people.

25 June: Government has reduced fuel levies twice since lockdown. The scheduled price increases for water and electricity have been postponed.

8 September: Authorities made use of the COVID-19 response package to increase healthcare capacity, ramp up food distribution and social protection transfers, and improve access to water and sanitation facilities for the most vulnerable.

4 November: Food assistance has been provided, benefiting over 360,000 people.

6 January: The government implemented cuts to the fuel price, while also deferring an increase in utility prices.

2 April: The government is subsidising the cost of required COVID-19 tests for informal cross-border traders, many of whom are women whose livelihoods depend on this trading activity.J20

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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World Bank
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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Official Government of Eswatini Website

GAVI

World Bank announcement

Ethiopia

Tests p/million: 40

Confirmed cases: 484,138 Source

Confirmed deaths: 7,523 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 18.06% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 21.01% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: On April 3 2020, the Prime Minister’s office announced a COVID-19 Multi-Sectoral Preparedness and Response Plan requiring USD 1.64 billion in funding (about 1.6 % of GDP). The bulk of the outlays would be channeled toward emergency food distribution (0.6% of GDP) and health sector support (0.4% of GDP).

Official COVID-19 links: https://www.covid19.et/covid-19/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 19

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 6,02%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 37%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 6,02%

Domestic and external financing: By April 2020, the World Bank had provided USD 82 million (comprising 50% loan and 50% grant) to help Ethiopia address critical needs for COVID-19 preparedness and response, including the provision of vital medical equipment, health system capacity-building, and support to establish treatment centers.

In April 2020, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provided Addis Ababa USD 600 000.

On 30 April 2020, the IMF provided a loan to Ethiopia of USD 411 Million through their rapid financing instrument. This will be provided as budget support. It also approved Ethiopia’s request for a suspension of debt-service payments of about USD 12 million to the IMF under the IMF's Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust.

17 May: France will provide EUR 40 million (USD 44 million) budgetary support to Ethiopia to help fight COVID-19 through the French Development Agency (AFD). This is part of EUR 85 million support pledged by the French government in June 2019, meant to assist Ethiopia's implementation of economic reforms.

On 17 June, Ethiopia received a Development Policy Grant from the World Bank of USD 125 million (or 0.2% of GDP). The World Bank provided an additional credit support of USD 125 million (or 0.2% of GDP) to supplement the mitigation of the economic impacts of COVID-19.

25 June: The IMF board approved USD 411 million (or 0.5% of GDP) in emergency assistance to Ethiopia to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 3 July, the African Development Fund approved USD 165 million (or 0.2% of GDP) grant for their national COVID-19 emergency response in Ethiopia.

9 September: The World Bank’s Development Committee and the G20 Finance Ministers endorsed the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) in response to a call by the World Bank and the IMF to grant debt-service suspension to the poorest countries to help them manage the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ethiopia is participating in the DSSI, given that the country is at a high risk for external and overall debt distress. This DSSI creates fiscal space of USD 511 million (or 0.5% of GDP).

10 November: The DSSI debt relief has decreased to USD 472.9 million (or 0.5% of GDP).

1 February: Ethiopia has asked for debt relief under a G20 programme. The G20 debt relief initiative requires borrowers to reach an agreement on their debt with private creditors as well as official lenders. This goes beyond the G20’s debt service suspension initiative (DSSI). At this stage, it is unclear how much debt forgiveness this process will avail to Ethiopia.

19 February: The potential DSSI debt relief for January to June of 2021 was revised downwards to US 359.6 million (or 0.4% of GDP).

2 April: Ethiopian authorities have received IMF support in the form of an RFI at 100% of quota.

5 April: The Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) 3rd Tranche approved debt service relief of SDR 0.47 million (USD 0.67 million or less than 0.01% of GDP).

6 August 2021: The potential DSSI debt relief for January to May 2020 to December 2021 was revised upwards to US 1184,5 million (or 1.2% of GDP).

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 12 June : The following expenditure measures have been used to finance COVID-19 related expenses: (i) Reallocations of budgetary appropriations requiring parliamentary approval; (ii) Prioritising of expenditure between annual budgets; (iii) Authorising ministries to use existing savings of COVID-19 needs; and (iv) Channeling funds from contingency appropriations in the approved budget.

12 June: Other PFM rule and process adjustments extend toward the establishment of pooled procurements at a central level, to ensure rapid delivery of pandemic related goods and services.

12 June: Efforts to ensure greater liquidity and efficient cash management include: adjusting borrowing programmes to provide bridging finance, recalibrating cash buffer levels, emergency meetings of cash management committees, and the placement of additional measures to clear and prevent arrears.

In order to speed up disbursements of funds and spending the following measures have been taken by government; advance payments and cash advances are being made to service-delivery units, payment management processes have been streamlined, as well as disbursing additional petty cash to line ministries’ operational bank accounts.

A national steering committee has been formed in order to increase coordination between the finance ministry/budget office and the relevant ministries (health, agriculture, food) at subnational and central government levels. Business continuity has been ensured for the ministry of finance, given the current containment policies, by way of virtual networks.

Pooled procurement, public-private partnerships, delegation of purchasing to subnational government/ line ministries act as the efficiency and cost-effective measures implemented into the current government financing and purchasing processes.

6 August, 2021: The Prime Minister’s Office released a statement detailing measures intended to support FDI in the country through the crisis and recovery, including: (i) operational facilitation of logistics in export and import process (such as free railway transport of manufacturing goods between Ethiopia and Djibouti); (ii) removal of taxes from the import of raw materials for the production of Covid-19 essential goods, and lifting of the minimum price set by the NBE for horticulture exports

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: end-March: The authorities are loosening the fiscal stance temporarily to combat the pandemic and support the most vulnerable. The initial response included a health sector support package, including to fund medical supplies, facilities, and to cut trade taxes for medical goods, amounting to 5 billion birr (USD 154 million; 0.15% of GDP). The package is expected to be funded by reallocating budgetary funds away from uncommitted investment projects.

6 May: The allocation to health in the response plan increased to USD 430 million (0.4% of GDP) under a worst-case scenario of community spread with over 100,000 Covid-19 cases of infection in the country, primarily in urban areas.

29 June: Ethiopia's parliament approved a supplementary budget of 49.56 billion Birr (USD 1.43 billion or 1.7% of GDP) for the financial year ending July. The supplementary budget will be funded with a mix of external and domestic loans.

12 October: Ethiopia has raised its health budget by 46% this year after the coronavirus crisis exposed the need for more equipment, facilities and personnel. The government's budget showed the sector has been allocated 18.7 billion birr (USD 505 million or 0.53% of GDP) during the 2020/21 financial year, up from 12.64 billion birr in 2019/20.

2 April: For the fiscal year 2020/21, the authorities plan to allocate about 30 bn birr (USD 0.8 billion or 0.83% of GDP) for COVID-19 related spending, including buying medical equipment; additional payment for health workers; food assistance for quarantines and isolation areas; procurement of hygiene facilities, disinfectants, and personal protection equipment.

6 August 2021: For the fiscal year 2020/21, the authorities plan to allocate about 30 billion birr (USD 0.8 billion or 0.83 % of GDP) for COVID-19 related spending, including buying medical equipment; additional payment for health workers; food assistance for quarantines and isolation areas; procurement of hygiene facilities, disinfectants, and personal protection equipment.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 6 May: The authorities are committed to full transparency on the spending for the emergency response and aim to conduct an ex-post audit of crisis-related spending once the crisis abates. As part of their commitment to the IMF, they will publish COVID-19 public procurement contracts; conduct COVID-19 specific audit, although results will not be published.

End-May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Ethiopia was rated as having minimal accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: In April, Ethiopia and the United Nations on Tuesday opened a humanitarian transport hub at Addis Ababa airport to move supplies and aid workers across Africa to fight coronavirus. The arrangement, which relies on cargo services provided by Ethiopian Airlines, could also partially offset revenue losses of USD 550 million between January and April.

6 May: Tax exemptions and preferential access to currency for importers of materials and equipment to be used in the prevention and containment of COVID-19.

12 June: Emergency recruitment of healthcare workers

On June 25, the Prime Minister’s Office released a statement detailing measures intended to support FDI in the country through the crisis and recovery, including: (i) operational facilitation of logistics in export and import process (such as free railway transport of manufacturing goods between Ethiopia and Djibouti); (ii) removal of taxes from the import of raw materials for the production of Covid-19 essential goods, and lifting of the minimum price set by the NBE for horticulture exports.

30 September: Ethiopia has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

14 January: Ethiopia is set to receive 23.1 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from the AU.

4 February: Ethiopia is expecting to import a further 42 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from various sources, and is expected to begin vaccination between March and April.

10 February: The health ministry said the country will need 13 billion Ethiopian birr (USD 328 million) for vaccines and related expenses, which will be covered by the government and international donations.

24 February: COVAX announced Ethiopia's indicative distribution for the first half of 2021 through the AMC of 8,928,000 AstraZeneca Vaccines through Serum Institute India.

24 February:To fund the vaccine, Ethiopia is looking at various financing sources such as local and international donors, multilateral agencies, and the private sector.

30 March: In an effort to accelerate fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, the World Bank is providing additional financing to the Ethiopia COVID-19 Emergency Response Project in the form of a grant totaling USD 207 million (0.22% of GDP) to finance vaccine acquisition and deployment and strengthen the vaccination system.

On 20 April, the World Bank announced that it would mobilise USD 12 billion over a 2-year period to finance the purchase of vaccines in 17 developing countries, including Cabo Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Eswatini, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Rwanda and Tunisia. Details on the breakdown of this financing have yet to emerge.

3 June 2021: Ethiopia received 2.2 million vaccine doses in March 2021 and aims to vaccinate 20% of the population by the end of 2021.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Ethiopia has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

Business support and tax measures: On 30 April, the Council of Ministers approved debt forgiveness of all tax debt prior to 2014/2015, a tax amnesty on interest and penalties for tax debt pertaining to 2015/2016-2018/2019, and exemption from personal income tax withholding for 4 months for firms who keep paying employee salaries despite not being able to operate due to Covid-19.

28 May: A one-month grace period has been granted for the payment of Value-Added Tax (VAT) and Turnover Tax. The Ministry of Revenues will speed up VAT refunds to support taxpayers with cash flows challenges. Materials and equipment to be used in the prevention and containment of COVID-19 are exempt from import duties and other taxes. A tax waiver has been granted to
taxpayers in the manufacturing, construction and financial sector for any assessment due for the period between 2005 and 2015.

28 May : Interest and penalties on outstanding taxes due between 2016 and 2019 will be canceled outright and the underlying tax due can be paid in installments. Firms that pay their tax in a lump
sum will receive a 10% tax credit. There will be as much as 20% discount on taxable income for companies donating to the COVID-19 response. Landlords will be exempted from taxes payable for one tax year. Companies in loss positions during this period should be permitted to carry forward incurred losses for more than two financial years.

28 May: The minimum selling price set by the NBE for the horticulture sector for flower exports has been temporarily removed. Importers of goods for prevention of COVID-19 will be given priority access to foreign currencies. Development Bank of
Ethiopia will issue loans to microfinance institutions who can in turn lend to small and medium-sized enterprises. National Bank of Ethiopia will facilitate loans to microfinance institutions. Registered exporters who are unable to export can
supply their products locally.

4 June: The Jobs Creation Commission of Ethiopia, the Mastercard Foundation and First Consult, announced the creation of the Mastercard Foundation MSE’s Resilience Facility. This is an emergency program that will support micro and small-sized enterprises (MSEs) and start-ups in Ethiopia during the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

12 October: Partially in response to the economic economic of COVID-19, officials have been cutting regulations for businesses and trying to improve the investment climate through initiatives such as a new arbitration law for dispute resolution.The liberalisation of the telecoms sector, one of the most keenly watched, has elicited interest from some of the most recognisable global operators.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 April: Under the Response Plan, USD 635 million (0.6 % of GDP) will be allocated for emergency food distribution to 15 million individuals vulnerable to food insecurity; USD 282 million (0.3 % of GDP) for provision of emergency shelter and non-food items; USD 293 million (0.1 % of GDP) would be allocated to agricultural sector support, nutrition, the protection of vulnerable groups, additional education outlays, logistics, refugees support and site management support.

30 March: As part of the state of emergency measures taken to curb the spread of COVID-19, Ethiopia has prohibited companies from laying off workers and terminating employment.

6 May: Authorities have intensified enforcement action against businesses found to be illegally increasing consumer prices.

25 May: Amhara Regional State started providing flour, oil and sugar to "the poorest of the poor" in city of Bahir Dar and City of Adama (Oromia) started providing bread and water for those who need assistance during the stay at home order. Addis Ababa City Administration allocated 600 million ETB for purchasing stockpile of food/other essential goods and distribute same to 800 retail shops.

25 May: Beneficiaries of the Urban Productive Safety Net Project (UPSNP) will receive advance 3 months payment while on leave from their public works obligations. Ethiopia Rural PSNP will be scaled up. It is likely that benefits will include a cash/ food mix. The cash benefit value will increase by about 22% for scale-up.

25 May: National Expansion of free public transport: government buses to provide free transportation service to the public in order to reduce overcrowding in the public transport system.

9 September 2020: The Urban PSNP is being temporarily expanded in early FY 2020/21 to cover over 500,000 new beneficiaries for three months at a cost of USD 88 million (or 0.1% of GDP). This programme will be expanded to 16 additional cities over the first two months of FY 2020/21, in collaboration with the World Bank.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Official Ethiopian Government Website
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IMF Lending Tracker
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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The World Bank

IMF Country Report
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CNBC Africa
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Ministry of Finance and Economic Development of Ethiopia

The East African

Financial Times

The World Bank

GAVI

Reuters

World Bank announcement

Gabon

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 47,742 Source

Confirmed deaths: 304 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 11.24% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 13.54% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 16 April: Additional healthcare spending to protect people’s wellbeing, take care of the sick, slow the spread of the virus, and ensure the production of medical supplies requires CFAF 65 billion (USD 111 million or 0.7% of GDP).

On April 29, the authorities of Gabon created and disseminated a draft response plan to improve the economic circumstances of the country in light of Covid-19. This response plan is expected to cost CFAF 19.5 billion (USD 32.2 million, or 0.2% of GDP).

30 June 2020: The government of Gabon plans to allocate an additional CFAF 108 billion (USD 194.1 million, or 1.2% of GDP) to the COVID-19 economic response plan..

Official COVID-19 links: http://www.gouvernement.ga/accueil

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 359

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 9,20%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 23%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 9,20%

Domestic and external financing: On 9 April, SDR 108 million was provided by the IMF through its Rapid Credit Facility

19 May: The World Bank approved USD 9 million of financing from their International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

20 April: The French Development Agency has reallocated 5 million Euros (USD 5.5 million).

26 June: The African Development Bank approved a loan of EUR 100 million (USD 112 million) to support Gabon in its Covid-19 relief efforts.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: The Minister of Finance has designated a public accountant in order to facilitate disbursements of health-related spending of the COVID-19 fund.

14 May: To cope with this situation, the President of the Republic instructed the Government to draw up an Amended Finance Law for the 2020 financial year and a plan for economic and social support, without resorting to borrowing

30 October: The Minister of Finance has created a fund available at their Caisse de Depots et Consignation (CDC) to assist the economy recover from the impact of COVID-19.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 16 April: Authorities’ current projection envisages the control of non-priority expenditure and redirecting savings of FCFA 17 billion (USD 454 million or 0.2 % of GDP) to COVID-19 related spending. They are also curtailing domestically financed capital expenditure by about 40% (1% of GDP) of the initial budget appropriation.

16 April: Revenue losses are estimated at between CFAF 230 and 645 billion (USD 378 million and USD 1 billion respectively).

1 April: The promulgated budget law in Gabon has allocated a total of USD 6 million (0.04% of GDP) to the treatment of COVID-19.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 16 April: The government committed to quarterly reporting of emergency funds, and an independent commission of an audit of the expenditure within 6 months of disbursement. The results of the audit and any related procurement contracts will be published. As part of their commitment to the IMF, they will also publish COVID-19 public procurement contracts; publish beneficial ownership information of companies receiving COVID-19 procurement contracts; and publish COVID-19 expenditure reports.

30 October: The Minister of Finance in Gabon has designated the public accountant to facilitate disbursements of health-related spending of the fund associated with the Gabon CDC- the public accountant must adhere to publication guidelines and must relay all information pertaining to expenditure to the minister.

4 February: The parliament in Gabon launched an inquiry committee to investigate the transparency of COVID-19 expenditures by the state.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Gabon has submitted non-binding confirmations of intent to participate in the COVAX Facility, a Gavi-coordinated pooled procurement mechanism for new COVID-19 vaccines. Gabon would be able to use the mechanism to buy and procure COVID-19 vaccines at the cheaper prices Gavi has negotiated — but the country would have to allow COVAX to procure and buy the vaccines on its behalf.

17 February: Although vaccines have yet to be purchased, the Sputnik vaccine was approved for use in Gabon going forward.

12 March: Gabon received the donation of 100 000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from Chinese authorities

9 May 2021: A second batch with 300,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine donations from Chinese authorities arrived in Libreville.

On June 9, 2021, Gabon acquired 10,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.

Business support and tax measures: 14 May: The government plans to allocate an additional FCFA 115.9 billion (USD 193.2 million or 1.3 % of GDP) as an economic response, through food stamps, electricity and water subsidies, direct support to SMEs and tax holidays.

1 September: An additional mechanism of around USD 375 million (2.5% of GDP) has been announced to facilitate access to commercial bank financing for private (formal and informal) companies of various sizes.

Financing social assistance and food relief: On 10 April, the President of the Republic announced the establishment of a massive and exceptional Economic Safeguard and Social Aid Plan in the region of CFAF 250 billion (USD 424 million).
The government announced support for water and electricity bills for the most vulnerable demographics.
The suspension during lockdown of rent payments from people without income
Free land transport provided by public companies
The establishment of a technical unemployment benefit to cover between 50 to 70% of gross salary excluding bonuses to preserve jobs in the formal private sector and maintain workers' purchasing power.
The granting of food aid to people in distress and emergency situations.
Support of CFAF 967 million (USD 1.6 million) will be provided to citizens stranded abroad but unable to repatriate.

7 May: The government has created a fund with an initial allocation of FCFA 4 billion (approx. USD 2 million) for social assistance.

30 June: The government of Gabon has tabled an economic response plan which will provide food parcels/food stamps to vulnerable individuals, along with providing those vulnerable individuals with electricity and water subsidies.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Official Gabonese Government Website
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IMF Lending Tracker
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
_
World Bank

IMF Country Report

The BEAC Website

GAVI

Sputnik Website

Ghana

Tests p/million: 1,430

Confirmed cases: 163,666 Source

Confirmed deaths: 1,446 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 20.2% (2022-05-29)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 30.84% (2022-05-29)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 30 April: The initial COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan was set at USD 6.5 million, but this was revised to USD 100 million (from 0.01% to 0.2% of GDP). The authorities have also announced a USD 166 million Coronavirus Alleviation Program (CAP) to support the economy. Total financing requirement is USD 266 million (0.4% of GDP).

Official COVID-19 links: https://ghanahealthservice.org/covid19/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 73

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 6,54%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 38%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 6,54%

Domestic and external financing: On 2 April, the World Bank agreed to provide USD 100 million (roughly 0.15% of GDP) to Ghana to assist the country in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, available to the government and the people of Ghana as short, medium and long-term support. This financing package includes USD 35 million in emergency support to help the country provide improved response systems.

On 13 April, the IMF approved the disbursement of SDR 738 million (about USD 1 billion- approximately 1.5% of GDP) to be drawn under the Rapid Credit Facility. This will be direct budget support.

15 April: The President has established a COVID-19 Fund, to be managed by an independent board of trustees, chaired by a former Chief Justice to receive contributions and donations from the public to support the welfare of the needy and the vulnerable. The fund’s mandate extends to all activities that complement the efforts of the government to combat the pandemic.

16 April: The government has agreed with investors to postpone interest payment on non-marketable domestic bonds held by public institutions to fund the financial sector clean-up for about GHc 1.2 billion (USD 204 million, or 0.3% of GDP).

7 May: In order to reduce financing needs, the government will draw USD 218 million (0.33% of GDP) from the stabilization fund.

15 May: In Ghana, the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), funded by AFD will fund a 2 year research-action on the pandemic, as part of the Ghanaian government's response.

16 May: Under the bank's emergency financing provisions, which permits it to increase the limit of purchases of government securities, BOG said it had purchased the government's COVID-19 relief bond with a face value of 5.5 billion cedi (USD 935 million, or 1.4% of GDP) at the monetary policy rate with a 10-year tenor and a 2-year moratorium of principal and interest.

26 June: The state will borrow up to GHc 10 billion (USD 1.7 billion or 2.6% of GDP) from the Bank of Ghana.

9 September: African Development Bank Group supports Ghana’s COVID-19 response plan with USD 69 million (0.1% of GDP) grant.

10 November: The World Bank approved an additional credit line of USD 130 million (0.2% of the country's GDP, with a maturity of five years) from the International Development Association (IDA) for the Ghana COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Project. The additional financing in the health sector will support the Government of Ghana to scale up its efforts to mitigate the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic and to safely reopen its economy.

11 November: Ghana is participating in the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) offered by the IMF, to the value of USD 1 billion (or 1.53% of GDP).

19 November: Ghana is participating in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space created by this DSSI amounts to USD 377.9 million, or approximately 0.6% of the country's GDP.

19 February: The potential DSSI debt relief for January to June of 2021 was revised downwards to USD 180.2 million (or 0,3% of GDP).

6 August 2021: The potential DSSI debt relief for May 2020 to December of 2021 was revised upwards to USD 735 million (or 1.1% of GDP).

7 August 2021: To meet its large financing needs, the government issued its first post-COVID Eurobond of USD 3 billion (or 4.48% of GDP) at an average rate of 8% in March.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 16 April: The Minister of Finance has proposed to Parliament to amend the law to grant access to the Heritage Fund of USD 591 million.

30 April: Considering the suspension of the fiscal responsibility rules in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2018 (Act 982) to enable Government to exceed the deficit target of 5% of GDP for 2020 by about 1.1% of rebased GDP.

30 April: The Ministry of Finance constituted a 5-member ‘MoF COVID-19 Response Team’ to ensure quick response to processing of COVID-19 request for payments within 48-72 hours upon receipt; review and validate request for funds to ensure that they meet the standard operating procedures and are eligible under World Bank Financing; provide feedback/reports to management on the drawdowns of emergency funds; and maintain a matrix of all COVID-19 initiatives for coordinating purposes.

30 April: Procurement laws provide for emergency procurement processes such as using sole-sourcing contracts.

28 August: Private funds are collected through separate bank accounts, but are transferred to the national Coronavirus Alleviation Programme which is managed by the Treasury. Private funds are expected to be transferred back to the budget system to support the overall public response.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 15 April: The projected shortfall in Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) is GHȼ3,526 million; while shortfalls in the Ghana Stabilisation Fund and the Ghana Heritage Fund are GHȼ1,058 million ( USD 182,794) and GHȼ453 million (USD 78 million), respectively. Projected shortfalls in transfers to GNPC is GHȼ642million (USD 111 million).

15 April: World Bank funding will cover the USD 100 million to support preparedness and response. Additional funds have been earmarked to address availability of test kits, pharmaceuticals, equipment, and bed capacity.

On 27 March, a Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP) was established. The Ministry of Finance proposes providing 1 Billion Ghana Cedis (USD 173 million) to this. The Ministry is proposing to use the equivalent of USD 219 million from the Stabilization Fund.

On 30 March, the Minister of Finance proposed to Parliament: To lower the cap on the Ghana Stabilisation Fund (GSF) from the current USD 300 million to USD 100 million to enable the excess amount in the GSF over the USD 100 million cap to be transferred into the Contingency Fund. The amount transferred into the Contingency Fund will be used to fund the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP). To arrange with Bank of Ghana to defer interest payments on non-marketable instruments to 2022 and beyond. Adjust expenditures on Goods & Services and Capex downwards by GHȼ1,248 million (USD 215,620). Amend the PRMA to allow a withdrawal from the Ghana Heritage Fund to undertake urgent expenditures in relation to the Coronavirus pandemic. There is an estimated USD 591.1 million in the Ghana Heritage Fund. Realignment of Statutory Funds towards expenditures that tend to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic (sanitation and health related expenditures) and limiting the award of new contracts whiles focusing on the payment of arrears.

30 April: Pension funds and investors have been encouraged to follow the lead of the Banks to support by accepting a 200 bps reduction on short term instruments including T-bills and 364-day paper. This should reduce government expenditure on interest expense by over GHS 300 million (USD 51 million) to help close the fiscal gap.

On 27 March, the Ministry of Health paid GHȼ300 million (USD 51 million) to NHIA on Friday 27th March 2020 to provide liquidity to Healthcare providers and the pharmaceutical industry.

7 May: The Ghanaian government plans to cut approximately GHc 1.1 billion (USD 190 million, or 0.3% of GDP) of spending on goods and services, transfers and capital investments, and reallocate that spending to Covid-19 response efforts.

9 September: The government has so far committed a total of GHc 11.2 billion (USD 1.9 billion or 3% of GDP) to face the pandemic and its social and economic consequences. The bulk of these funds are being used under the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme. Another GHc 600 million (USD 100 million or 0.2% of GDP) were used initially to support preparedness and response.

12 March: The Ministry of Finance in Ghana tabled its budget for the financial year 2021/22, a summary of which can be found here: https://mofep.gov.gh/sites/default/files/budget-statements/2021-Budget-Highlights_v1.pdf. For 2021, the government has budgeted 1% of GDP (a total of USD 669 million) under the COVID-19 Alleviation and Revitalization Enterprise Support (CARES), of which health care spending amounts 0.7% of GDP including a vaccination campaign of about USD 205 million (or 0.31% of GDP). To meet its large financing needs, the government issued its first post-COVID Eurobond of USD 3 billion (to raise 4.48% of GDP) at an average rate of 8% in March. In addition, the government has agreed with investors to postpone interest payment on non-marketable domestic bonds held by public institutions to fund the financial sector clean-up for about GHc 1.2 billion (USD 204 million or 0.33% of GDP). The government has also drawn USD 218 million (or 0.3% of GDP) from the stabilization fund, and will borrow up to GHc 10 billion (USD 1.7 billion or 2.54% of GDP) from the Bank of Ghana.

6 August 2021: The Ghanaian government introduced new taxes measures combined with tax administration of about 0.9 percent of GDP to face the recovery spending while initiating fiscal consolidation.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 16 April: Should the fiscal rule be suspended, the government will, in accordance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, present to Parliament, within 30 days of suspending the fiscal rule, plans to restore public finances after the emergency.

30 April: Internal audit units are being used to scrutinise all payment requests at the MDA level.

5 May: CSOs have been asked to help provide information to citizens about support policies and how to monitor them.

13 April 2021: The tracking of the COVID-19 expenditures is such that the budget lines related to the COVID 19 expenditures have been assigned special codes in the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information system (GIFMIS) Budget Module to enable tracking of these expenditures. To limit corruption and waste in place, Government is using its own internal mechanisms that apply to all budget lines. The PFM Law and budget implementation instructions specify checks and balances.

End-May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Ghana was rated as having limited accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 March: As Covid-19 began to cause global disruptions in drug supply chains, subsequently threatening the supply of important medicine in Ghana, in mid-March mPharma launched a price control programme called ‘Mutti Keep My Price’. The initiative allows patients in need of chronic disease medication to continue paying the same price for their prescriptions for up to six months, regardless of market prices.

In March, the Government arranged Life and Sickness Insurance for healthcare professionals on the front line of the pandemic.

31 July: Ghana started pooling tests, instead of testing people individually, to conserve scarce resources while still tracking the spread of the disease.

30 September: Ghana has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

1 February: In his address to the nation, President ana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo stated: "Our aim is to vaccinate the entire population, with an initial target of twenty million people. Through bilateral and multilateral means, we are hopeful that, by the end of June, a total of seventeen million, six hundred thousand (17.6 million) vaccine doses would have been procured for the Ghanaian people."

20 February: Ghana will begin to vaccinate some 20 million persons against COVID-19 from the first week of March. The country had gone through all the required processes and will receive its first consignment of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of February.

24 February: COVAX announced Ghana's indicative distribution for the first half of 2021 through the AMC of 2,412,000 AstraZeneca Vaccines through Serum Institute India. Ghana had received 600,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine through Covax by end-February, and expects to start administering them in March.

On 1 March, the Vaccination campaign started, with the President receiving his shot.

12 March: The 2021 budget as presented to Parliament on 12th March, 2021 had as part of its expenditures an amount of GH¢929,296,610 (about $165 million) for COVID-19 Vaccines to cover both the Operational and Procurement costs. This will be financed, in part, by the issuance of a Euro bond which seeks to raise just shy of 4.5% of the country's GDP. Cost of the Ghana COVID-19 Vaccination Programme is additional to support from COVAX, mPharma, etc. to procure over 42 million vaccines before the end of the year 2021.

End-March 2021: Ghana received 50 000 vaccine doses from India.

13 April 2021: The cost of the vaccine was provided by the Ministry of Health with consultations from the Immunisation Department of the Ghana Health Service and support from other Stakeholders such as Gavi, using the global cost of the vaccines. The Ministry of Finance further aligned it as part of the 2021 budget.

13 April 2021: Recurrent costs associated with vaccination have been budgeted for by the introduction of a COVID-19 Health Levy of a one percentage point increase in the National Health Insurance Levy and a one percentage point increase in the VAT Flat Rate.

13 April 2021: The vaccination programme is being handled separately from the regular expenditure pattern of the Ministry of Health (MoH). MoH had a special National COVID-19 Response budget which is different from the Vaccination budget.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Ghana has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

On 10 June 2021 the World Bank approved a USD200 million (0.3% of GDP) COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Project Second Additional Financing for Ghana. In collaboration with the COVAX Facility COVID-19 vaccine acquisition the project will provide financing to support the Government of Ghana to procure and deploy COVID-19 vaccines for 13 million people.

Business support and tax measures: 28 May: The Government will waive VAT on the donation of stock of
equipment and goods for fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

25 June: Tax payers are permitted to deduct donations and contributions towards COVID-19 as an allowable expense for tax purposes. Companies and trusts have six (instead of four) months after the end of their financial year to file their income tax returns. Therefore, companies with year-ends up to end-December 2019 will have until end-June 2020 to file their returns. Companies with 2020 year-ends up to end-June 2020 should submit their returns by end- December 2020.

9 September: The government has used GHc 10.6 billion (USD 1,8 billion or 2.8% of GDP) under the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme to support selected industries (e.g., pharmaceutical sector supplying COVID-19 drugs and equipment), support SMEs, finance guarantees and first-loss instruments, build or upgrade 100 district and regional hospitals, and address availability of test kits, pharmaceuticals, equipment, and bed capacity.

26 October: The government has introduced a variety of interventions to assist those affected. Measures have included soft loans to qualified micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

18 February: Ghans's residency status laws have not changed. However, non-residents who remain in Ghana due to the closure of borders and ports will not become residents for tax purposes.

2 April:The government introduced new taxes measures combined with tax administration of about 0.9% of GDP, to face the recovery spending while initiating fiscal consolidation.

6 August 2021: The 2021 budget statement and economic policy, passed by the Parliament includes tax revenue proposals. The tax provisions include energy sector tax levies imposed on specified petroleum products. There are also measures allowing for waiver of penalties and interest on accumulated tax arrears up to 31 December 2020 for taxpayers that make arrangements with the Ghana Revenue Authority to pay the outstanding tax principal by 31 December 2021. To be eligible for the penalty and interest-relief provisions, the taxpayer must file a written application with the tax authority with tax returns by 30 September 2021.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 31 March: Government through the Ministries of Finance and Gender, Children and Social Protection, is embarking on a food distribution drive to ensure that needy people in areas under the restriction of movement directive by H. E. the President, live in comfort.

31 March: Ghana has extended health insurance to all health workers.

30 April: Food packages and hot meals for at least one million people, procurement of food from Ghana National Buffer Stock Company to support the exercise, Government will make payment of 3-months water bill for all Ghanaians and provide water through water tankers.

30 April: Waiver of personal income taxes for all health workers (241 million cedis), allowance for 50% basic salary for all frontline health workers for 4 months, transport of health workers in Accra, Tema , Kumasi and Kasoa and cover of water sanitation bills of GHS 200 million.

25 May: The government announced hotlines for the needy communities and households to reach them for their food items during the Covid-19 lockdown This has provided food for 400, 000 individuals and homes in the affected areas of restrictions. Total cost is 280 million cedis.

28 May: Taxpayers who pay their outstanding debts due to the GRA by 30 June 2020 will be granted a remission of penalties on the principal debts. Taxes on selected third-tier pension withdrawals will be waived. Incentives for frontline health workers: Exemption from the payment of tax on their employment emoluments for a three-month period commencing from April 2020. A daily allowance of GHS 150 (approx.USD 26) payable to those undertaking contact tracing. Insurance package, with an assured sum of GHS350,000 (approx. USD60,345). To enable everyone to wash their hands frequently, Government will absorb the water bill of every resident individual for a three month period commencing April 2020.

25 June: A tax waiver is available to employees who have lost their permanent employment due to COVID-19 and to self-employed individuals who have lost capital due to the pandemic.

26 October: The government has introduced a variety of interventions to assist those affected. Measures have included several months of free water and free or subsidized electricity services to public utilities customers; free food and other essentials to those in need in Accra and Kumasi during the partial lockdown.

4 January 2021: President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced the extension of the free provision of water and electricity for lifeline customers by three more months.

18 February 2021: The government has changed pension laws as follows: Self-employed individuals who are members of Personal Pension Schemes can withdraw all amounts in their personal savings accounts as part of a special COVID-19 provision. Withdrawals can also be made from Provident Fund Schemes by members who have permanently lost their employment.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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ILO Coronavirus Country responses
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Ghana Web
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World Bank
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Ministry of Finance- Ghana
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All Africa
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Oxford Business Group
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Ugo Gentilini
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IMF Lending Tracker
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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The Bank of Ghana Website

IMF Country Report
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Cabri Strategic Purchasing Webinar
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EY COVID-19 Tax Response Tracker

Gates Foundation

KPMG

Xinhuanet

GAVI

World Bank announcement

Guinea

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 36,817 Source

Confirmed deaths: 442 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 24.98% (2022-05-29)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 39.55% (2022-05-29)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: On 6 April, a COVID-19 economic response plan, estimated at USD 360 million (3.3% of GDP) was announced. The Plan aims at strengthening infrastructure in the health sector, protecting the most vulnerable, and supporting the private sector, notably small and medium enterprises.

16 April: The health preparedness and response plan was initially estimated at USD 13 million (0.1% of GDP).

6 May: The cost of the economic response plan is now expected to be around USD 290 million (2.7% of GDP), while a National Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan for Covid-19 is now estimated to cost USD 47 million. Total financing requirement is USD 337 million (3% of GDP).

Official COVID-19 links: —

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 13

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 4,11%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 50%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 4,11%

Domestic and external financing: Guinea is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust. As of 13 April, debt relief through the IMF came to USD 22.4 million.

16 April: IMF approved a USD 23.5 million (0.22% of GDP) rapid credit facility disbursement for Guinea.

17 June: The World Bank approved funding for a COVID-19 preparedness and response project in Guinea of USD 10.9 million (0.2% of GDP).

19 June: The IMF approved the disbursement of USD 148 million (1.39% of GDP) to Guinea under the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) to address urgent balance of payment and fiscal financing needs stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

24 July: The African Development Bank Board approved a concessional loan of USD 34.8 million (roughly 0.3% of GDP) to help Guinea mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

30 July: The World Bank approved a USD 80 million (1.6% of GDP) concessional loan as budget support to help Guinea mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

8 September: Guinea is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that may be created by the DSSI is USD 129.7 million or 1.8% of GDP.. As of 10 November, this debt suspension was adjusted upwards to USD 147.9 million, or roughly 1.1% of GDP

2 October: Under the second tranche of the CCRT, the IMF has provided Guinea with USD 23.08 million of debt relief (roughly 0.2% of GDP)

11 February: Guinea requested to participate in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative in 2021. This implies a potential saving of USD 29.2 million (0.2% of GDP).

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 30 June: In contrast to the funding of the Ebola Virus Disease (Ebola) Response Plan, which had been the subject of a Special Earmarked Budget (SEB), the COVID-19 Health Crisis Economic Response Plan is managed through a “COVID-19 Response and Economic Stabilization Special Fund”. The resources of this fund are kept in an open account within the books of the Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea. The “Payer Général du Trésor (Paymaster General) is the trustee of this account.

30 June: A joint order issued by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Budget, No. …. of 26 May 2020, established a Committee to facilitate and monitor transactions carried out within the “COVID-19 Response and Economic Stabilization Special Fund” account.

30 June: Expenditure is carried out through special impress accounts established by an order of the Minister of Finance at the request of the sectoral ministers involved. Expenses eligible for these accounts are broken down by economic category according to the current budget classification, as reflected in the impress decrees pertaining to the supplemental appropriation to support the COVID-19 Economic Response Plan. The expenditures are carried out under transfer expenses. A coding system allows for the identification of line items related to the implementation of the response plan in the budgets of all departments involved.

30 June: Subsections have been created in the administrative classification and inserted into the information system database, with a homogeneous coding in the budgetary sections which are responsible for implementing the response plan expenditure. This allows the expenditure to be earmarked according to its economic category (wages, goods and services, transfers, investment) and geographical location. A functional classification allows for the reclassification of all expenses implemented under the COVID-19 Response Plan, regardless of the ministry or department which incurred the expenditure.

On 12 November, the Budget Minister of Guinea tabled amendments regarding the Finance Bill. This was in light of increased government expenditure and decreased tax revenue collection associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: —

Transparency, accountability and participation: 19 June: As part of their commitment to the IMF, they will publish COVID-19 public procurement contracts; publish names of companies awarded contracts; validate delivery of products and services; publish beneficial ownership information of companies receiving COVID-19 procurement contracts; publish COVID-19 expenditure reports; and conduct COVID-19 specific audit and publish results. The government has also committed to strengthen public financial management and anti-corruption framework under the ECF arrangement. The Government has established a dedicated account, as part of the Treasury Single Account at the central bank, to receive and disburse COVID-19 funds. Furthermore, we are creating a budgetary fund that will account for all earmarked external and domestic resources to address the pandemic. They will publish monthly reports on the execution of COVID-19 related spending and the inspectorate-general for finance will conduct timely ex-post control of high-risk expenditures, with the involvement of civil society. They will also publish online, on the websites of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Budget, all awarded procurement contracts for COVID-19 related projects, including the names of entities and their beneficial owners. Furthermore, the Court of Accounts will conduct a full audit of COVID-19 spending (including ex-post validation of goods and services procured), which will be also published online by June 2021.

30 June: In terms of reporting, the computerised expenditure chain helps restore the position of transactions processed in the COVID-19 response account, at any time and in various formats. During the Ebola epidemic, it was not possible to create specific codes for the response plan expenditure, which made it difficult to refund them. With the COVID-19 response plan, the coding system allows the relevant expenditure to be isolated at any time, for refund and audit purposes.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Guinea has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

1 January: Guinea is testing the Russian vaccine, Sputnik V and has ordered 2 million doses.

25 January: Guinea is the only low-income country which has provided any vaccinations, administering doses of the Russian Sputnik vaccine to only 25 people, including its president.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Guinea is expected to receive 1 020 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO.

4 February: It is expected that Guinea will have 200 000 doses of the Russian Sputnik vaccine in the first half of 2021.

2 April: The country expects to receive 600 000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine and more than 1 million doses previously announced via the COVAX facility. The first phase of vaccinations have commenced, prioritising key personnel, with more than 50 000 vaccines administered by the end of March.

On 18 April, Guinea received the 300 000 Sinovac vaccines it purchased from China.

As of 29 April, 91 038 Guineans received at least 1 vaccine dose (0.7% of the population) and 41 302 Guinean have been fully vaccinated (0.3% of the population).

May 2021: The government still expects to receive an additional 400 000 doses of the vaccine from the COVAX facility initiative in the coming months, reaching roughly 2.5 million by August 2021. This would enable the government to reach its goal of vaccinating at least 20% of the population by the end of 2021.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Guinea has been approved to be a part of this initiative. The first tranche of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines will start shipping in August 2021, with 200 million doses scheduled to be delivered by the end of the year. The next 300 million doses will be delivered in the first half of 2022.

On 14 June 2021, Guinea purchased 500 000 COVID-19 doses from China's Sinopharm. The amount spent to procure the doses was not stipulated by the Health Ministry.

On 30 June 2021, the World Bank announced that it is providing over USD4 billion for the purchase and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines for 51 developing countries, half of which are in Africa. Guinea forms part of the 51 countries. The Bank’s vaccine finance package is designed to be flexible. The money donated can be used by each countries respective government to acquire doses through the COVAX facility, the Africa Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) or other sources. It also finances vaccine deployment and health system strengthening, such as vaccine cold-chains, training health workers, data and information systems, and communications and outreach campaigns.

13 July: The cost of vaccine procurement and rollout to reach about 20 percent of the population is estimated at roughly USD 80 million (0.5 percent of GDP). Development partners are expected to support Guinea's efforts to vaccinate a significant share of its population in 2021, providing grants and concessional loans.

13 July: The World Bank is providing upfront financing of USD 28 million to help the government purchase and deploy COVID-19 vaccines. The proposed financing will help vaccinate 8.6 percent of Guinea’s population, while the COVAX AMC Facility will cover 21.1 percent of the population by the end of 2022. Guinea also has bilateral agreements with China and Russia to procure doses of the Sinopharm and Sputnik V vaccines to cover an additional 2.6 percent of the population. Guinea aims to immunize 90 percent of adults (individuals over 18 years); i.e. 38.1 percent of the total population (4,915,162 adults). This AF, the COVAX Facility and bilateral agreements will allow Guinea to vaccinate 32.3 percent of the total population (84.9 percent of the target population).

Business support and tax measures: 21 May: Financial institutions have been granted a 3 month postponement of the payment of supervision -related fees as well as contributions to the deposit insurance scheme. Insurance companies are to postpone the payment of premiums falling due during the epidemic and to suspend policies at the request of customers. Identification requirements for e-money accounts have been eased and companies are encouraged to reduce e-money transfer fees. Dividend payments have been suspended while financial institutions are required to limit technical assistance fees paid to their parent companies to the strict minimum.

30 August: The COVID-19 response plan for Guinea highlighted business support measures including the introduction of temporary exonerations on taxes, social contributions and payments of utilities for firms in the most affected sectors.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 April: Among the measures announced to tackle the coronavirus, the state will pay the electricity bills of the poorest for three months, freeze the price of medicines and basic necessities during the pandemic and introduce free public transport for three months.

25 May: New cash transfers programme of 250 000 GNF (USD 25) per month for 240,000 households (1.6 million people) in various parts of Guinea including Conakry. The programme take place from June to December 2020.

25 May: The new Social Protection agency will distribute sanitation kits to 130,900 households from April 2020.

1 July: The authorities are contemplating additional support measures to the agricultural commodity chain as a means to prop up food security in the country in light of COVID-19.

28 January: After being interrupted in November, the project combatting the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 on households resumed in December 2020. More than 12 000 individuals will benefit from the provision of rice and vegetable oil.

1 July 2021: Cash transfers were scaled up and extended in 2021.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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Africa Health Stats
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Aljazeera
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IMF Lending Tracker
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus

Quartz Africa
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Africa News Room

Ministry of Finance Website

Ministry of Budget Website

GAVI

World Bank announcement

Guinea-Bissau

Tests p/million: 762

Confirmed cases: 8,307 Source

Confirmed deaths: 171 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 16.96% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 26.26% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 27 August: A COVID-19 response plan for Guinea Bissau has been implemented. This response plan is expected to cost CFAF 2.7 billion (USD 5 million, or 3.4% of Guinea Bissau's GDP)

Official COVID-19 links: https://www.covid19gb.com/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 43

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 13%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 35%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 13%

Domestic and external financing: Guinea-Bissau is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust. As of 13 April 2020, this debt relief amounted to USD 1.48 million.

1 May: UNICEF has begun the process of providing funding to Guinea-Bissau of USD 2.5 million (0.55% of GDP) to assist the country in order to curb the impact of Covid-19.

29 May: An EU-IOM partnership seeks to mobilise just over 1 million Euros to alleviate the impact of Covid-19 on migrants/refugees in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, and Senegal.

6 June: The Danish government provided aid to Guinea-Bissau of USD 214 000 (0.02% of GDP) to support the country in its COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts.

3 September: The Islamic Bank has made USD 15 million (3.3% of GDP) available to the government of Guinea-Bissau

2 October: The IMF provided a second tranch of debt service relief through the CCRT to the effect of USD 1.92 million (0.42% of GDP) for Guinea-Bissau.

18 December: The AFDB approved a grant to Guinea-Bissau of USD 9.8 million (0.01% of GDP) to aid in COVID relief measures run within the country.

1 February: The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a disbursement under the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) equivalent to SDR14.2-million (about USD20.47-million, or 50% of quota) to help Guinea-Bissau meet urgent balance of payments and fiscal needs stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. This is equivalent to roughly 1.53% of GDP

11 February: An extension to the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative provided Guinea-Bissau provided debt forgiveness to the value of USD 1.7 million (0.1% of GDP)

5 April: The IMF has offered debt relief to Guinea-Bissau under the third tranch of its CCRT of USD 1.59 million (roughly 0.1% of GDP)

27 May: The Kingdom of Spain has provided debt relief of USD 12 million (0.9% of GDP) to the government of Guinea-Bissau.

21 June 2021: The West African Monetary Economic Union (UEMOA) has promised to provide financial support to Guinea-Bissau to assist in overcoming the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is beyond the assistance that UEMOA has promised to Guinea-Bissau to assist in tax collection processes during the pandemic.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: Guinea-Bissau is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust. As of 13 April 2020, this debt relief amounted to USD 1.48 million.

16 December: The Parliament of Guinea-Bissau has tabled the 2021 budget, which is yet to be finalised. It was proposed and accepted that various taxes and levies would either increase or be put in place to improve revenue within the country in light of COVID-19.

10 February: The government of Guinea-Bissau published an expenditure review in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In it, the state estimated that revenues dropped by 12.5% while expenditures increased by 13.3% between 2019 and 2020 as a result of COVID-19. Beyond this, the document also makes reference to a massive spike in external and internal debt financing. External debt increased from CFAF 4.044 billion to CFAF 6.688 billion, while internal debt soared from CFAF 2.635 billion to CFAF 30.294 billion.

11 February: In a budget progress review, the ministry of finance in Guinea-Bissau pointed out that revenues decreased by 12.5% and expenditure increased by 13.3% relative to 2019, widening the country's primary deficit. Along with this, the document highlights that internal debt ballooned from USD 4.7 million (0.35% of GDP) to USD 54.3 million (4.1% of GDP)- this debt was the primary financing mechanism for funding COVID-19 expenditure in the country.

30 March: The UEMOA has set up a COVID-19 voucher system for all countries in its ambit. This voucher system (worth CFAF 972 billion or USD 1.75 billion) will be accessible for all UEMOA member states as a means to stave off the impact of the pandemic, access vaccines and bolster health systems.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: Emergency measures of about USD 0.5 million have been approved. These are focused on upgrading the main national hospital, and the provision of medicines, food, and medical equipment to the country’s hospitals. The authorities already made available FCFA 100 million (0.01% of GDP, or USD 1.7 million) and will provide monthly FCFA 122 million (USD 2.1 million, or 0.14% of GDP) to the main hospital.

17 June: Healthcare interventions in Guinea-Bissau have been allocated a total of USD 1 million (0.1% of GDP) as opposed to the original amount of USD 0.5 million.

27 August: The government of Guinea Bissau has increased its monthly health expenditure by CFAF 222 million (roughly USD 400 000 or 0.03% of GDP). This is above and beyond funding directed towards the emergency health response plan, for which CFAF 2.7 billion (USD 5 million, or 3.4% of GDP) has been earmarked.

On 19 October, the Ministry of Finance published a bulletin outlining the fiscal and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Guinea-Bissau economy. In this publication, tax and non tax revenues were expected to decrease from CFAF 164.1 billion to CFAF 113.2 billion (From USD 300 million to USD 205 million, or 67% of GDP to 46% of GDP). In contrast, expenditure was expected to reach CFAF 197.1 billion (USD 357 million or 79.3% of GDP), slightly above the expected CFAF 195 million expenditure (USD 355 million, or 78.9% of GDP). This had the impact of widening the primary budget deficit to USD 152 million, or 34% of GDP in the country.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 10 February: The ministry of finance in Guinea-Bissau has fast-tracked the publication of an execution report on expenditure during the first 6 months of 2020. This document (found at the following link: https://www.mef.gw/publicacoes/seguimento-da-execucao-orcamental) aims to provide clarity on where funds were allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Guinea-Bissau has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

24 February: COVAX announced Guinea Bissau's indicative distribution for the first half of 2021 through the AMC of 1,440,000 AstraZeneca Vaccines through Serum Institute India.

24 March: MTN South Africa and the African Union have donated 12 000 AstraZeneca vaccines to Guinea-Bissau.

25 March: The country is still expecting to receive another 120 000 of the AstraZeneca vaccines by the end of May from the COVAX facility. So far, the country has received 28 800 doses of AstraZaneca doses from the COVAX facility and received 10 000 doses of the AstraZaneca vaccine from Senegal. According to COVAX schedule, the aim is to protect about 400,000 people (at least 20% of the population) by the end of the year.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Guinea-Bissau has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

10 June 2021: The World Bank will provide USD 5 million to Guinea-Bissau to help to vaccinate 30 percent of the country’s population, both through the procurement and deployment of vaccines. While the COVAX AMC is expected to provide vaccines to cover 20 percent of the country population by the end of 2021, IDA’s financing will fund vaccines for additional 10 percent of population coverage and deployment costs associated with the total expected coverage.

Business support and tax measures: On 19 October, the Ministry of Finance of Guinea-Bissau released a publication relating to the budgetary and economic impacts of COVID-19 which precedes amendments to the budget. In this document, the Ministry of Finance highlighted that deadlines for tax payments will be extended, and penalties associated with arrears accumulated during the pandemic would be quashed.

16 December: During a discussion regarding the 2021 budget, parliament alluded to the fact that taxes on democracy, audio-visual services, construction materials, telecommunications, sanitation and businesses would rise, partly to curb the revenue impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country during 2020.

2 April: The government provided support to businesses in the agriculture sector of CFAF 790 million (roughly USD 1.42 million, or 0.11% of GDP).

2 April: The government of Guinea-Bissau issued COVID-19 T-Bills to raise USD 27 million (1.8% of GDP) for preferential lending to businesses in the cashew nut industry in the country.

Financing social assistance and food relief: As of 30 April, CFAF 525 million (USD 0.9 million) has been allocated by the state to purchase essential food items for those in relatively weak economic standing. 20,000 bags of rice and 10,000 bags of sugar were distributed across the country.

1 May: UNICEF is expected to donate as many as 20 000 masks to at-risk groups in the country, whilst also delivering other medical and PPE supplies.

18 May: The Chinese state has provided Guinea-Bissau with 500 infrared thermometers, 20,000 sets of disposable gloves, 10,000 surgical masks, and a further 4,000 different masks/coveralls.

22 May: UNICEF has begun the process of designing and implementing a cash transfer programme which will target 1 200 of the most vulnerable families in Guinea Bissau.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Macau Hub
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus

Relief Web Website

CNBC Africa Website

Milken Institute Covid-19 Africa Watch

BCEAO Website

Africa News

Government Website
Ministry of Finance Website

AFDB Website

Plataforma Media Website

GAVI

The East African

UNOCHA

World Bank announcement

Kenya

Tests p/million: 151

Confirmed cases: 329,353 Source

Confirmed deaths: 5,651 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 16.77% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 22.87% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 30 April: COVID-19 spending interventions of KES 40 billion (USD 374 million or 0.4% of GDP) in 2019/20 have been included in a supplementary budget.

1 April 2021: The FY2019/20 budget, initially earmarked Ksh40 billion (USD 374 million or 0.4% of GDP) for COVID-related expenditure, including health sector (enhanced surveillance, laboratory services, isolation units, equipment, supplies, and communication); social protection (cash transfers and food relief); and funds for expediting payments of existing obligations to maintain cash flow for businesses during the crisis. However, the FY2020/21 budget includes a Ksh 56.6 million (USD 526 380 or 0.5% of GDP) "top-up" economic stimulus package.

Official COVID-19 links: http://www.health.go.ke/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 52

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 6,06%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 28%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 6,06%

Domestic and external financing: A Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund has been formed accompanied by regulatory guidelines. The regulations stipulate that the fund shall be terminated when the President declares that the COVID-19 pandemic no longer poses a threat to the country, but they do not specify the use of the remaining balances.

Kenya's executive has agreed to pay cuts as the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced on Wednesday. Kenyatta and his deputy will take an 80% pay cut, while their ministers and their assistants will take pay cuts ranging from 20% to 30%.

The Central Bank released Shs 7.4 billion (USD 69 million or 0.08% of GDP) to the government to support the fight against COVID-19. The bank explained that the money was an “exceptional and unbudgeted windfall” that came from the value of notes that were rendered worthless after the Shs 1000 (USD 9.4) note was demonetized last year.

On 2 April, the World Bank Group Board of Directors approved USD 50 million (0.06% of GDP) in immediate funding to support Kenya’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic under a new operation - the Kenya COVID -19 Emergency Response Project.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions donated USD 19 million (0.02% of GDP) to the country’s coronavirus emergency fund from money that his office had seized from corrupt dealings in the past two years.

On 6 May 2020, The IMF approved USD 739 million (0.84% of GDP) under the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) to meet Kenya’s urgent balance of payments need stemming from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

20 May: The World Bank has approved USD 1 billion (1.14% of GDP) in budgetary support for Kenya as a means to close its fiscal financing gap, and also as a means to respond to the economic impact of Covid-19 on the country.

On 22 May, the African Development Bank approved an 188 million Euro (approximately 0.2% of GDP) loan to support the Government of Kenya’s efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate the related economic, health and social impacts.

9 September: Between June and August, another Sh200 billion (USD 1,84 billion or 200% of GDP) was borrowed locally. Official external borrowing figures are yet to be updated to August.

11 November: Kenya is participating in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space created by this DSSI amounts to USD 630.8 million, or approximately 0.7% of the country's GDP.

25 January: In 2020, Ksh. 350 million (USD 3.2 million, or less than 0.01% of the country's GDP) from the Royal Danish Embassy was disbursed through the Ministry of Health.

2 April: The IMF has provided Kenya with a loan of USD 1.771 billion (approximately 1.85% of the country's GDP) to combat the impacts of the pandemic in the country.

11 June 2021: Kenya received USD 750 million from (0.8% of GDP) the World Bank for COVID recovery efforts. The money will go towards development policy financing to support policy reforms that will strengthen transparency and accountability in public procurement and promote efficient public investment spending.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 30 April: A Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund has been formed accompanied by regulatory guidelines. The Regulations on the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund apply the general PFM Regulations, including provisions for commitment controls. In order to ensure the implementation of budget execution controls, the National Treasury has been appointed to be the administrator of the fund. The establishment of the COVID-19 fund has been supported by donors in order to ring-fence external financing of the emergency response and to reduce fiduciary risk.

11 June: Kenya will remove a range of tax exemptions including for oil and gas exploration as it seeks to make up for revenue lost to the impact of the coronavirus crisis. The tax exemptions amounted to SH 535 billion (USD 5.03 billion or 6% of GDP).

On 30 June, the President of Kenya assented to the Finance Act of 2020. This act describes and amends various corporate and personal tax laws associated with COVID-19 relief.

9 September: The state has fast-tracked payment of VAT refunds and other government obligations in order to increase funding for cash transfers, and several other initiatives.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: The government has earmarked funds for additional health expenditure, including enhanced surveillance, laboratory services, isolation units, equipment, supplies, and communication.

On 25 March, the government announced the disbursement of KES 1 billion (USD 9 million) for the recruitment of additional medical personnel.

Given lower revenues due to decreased economic activity and the need to accommodate emergency spending, the government is currently reassessing the budget deficit target for FY 2019/20.

29 April: To offset revenue losses, and re-direct funds towards coronavirus mitigation, the Treasury tabled a supplementary budget. A new budget line for Covid-19 response was allocated Ksh3.9 billion. In total, the Treasury says it allocated Ksh40.3 billion (0.4% of GDP) for pandemic-related expenditures, including health sector (enhanced surveillance, laboratory services, isolation units, equipment, supplies, and communication); social protection (cash transfers and food relief); and funds for expediting payments of existing obligations to maintain cash flow for businesses during the crisis. Includes KES 5 billion in the health sector, as well as reallocation of previously planned expenditure, most of which will be covered by a USD 60 million support package from the World Bank that also covers 2020/21; KES 13 billion to expedite clearance of unpaid bills with suppliers; KES 10 billion to fast track VAT refunds; and KES 10 billion for cash transfers to the elderly, disabled, and low-income households.

26 June: The government put forward an additional KES 53.7 million (USD 504,780 or 0.5% of GDP) economic stimulus package to be included in its' FY 2020/2021 budget. This includes a new youth employment scheme, the provision of credit guarantees, and several other initiatives. The Treasury has reallocated KES2 billion (USD 18 million or 0.02% of GDP) from the budget to procure Covid-19 testing kits and masks, among others. The purchase of these items was allocated funds in the budget and was to run until June 30. The budget also contains KES 1.5 billion (USD 14 million or 0.016% of GDP) allocated to the Labour Ministry for stipends to the elderly, and a further KES 1.0 billion (USD 9.4 million or 0.11% of GDP) for hiring additional health personnel.

5 November: The government, as part of the FY2019/20 budget (ending June 30, 2020), initially earmarked Ksh40 billion (USD366 million or 0.4% GDP) for COVID-19-related expenditure,

25 January: In order to cushion County Governments against the unprecedented negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government in collaboration with development partners allocated and disbursed additional Ksh 7.71 billion (USD 70 million, or 0.01% of GDP) in the FY 2019/20.

On 10 June 2021, East Africa’s Finance Ministers presented their spending plans for the 2021/22 fiscal year with a key focus on rebuilding economies ravaged by COVID-19, protecting local industries, keeping jobs and up-scaling investment in infrastructure projects critical to the faltering intra-regional trade. Kenya, specifically revealed economic recovery plans which hinged on borrowing at least USD15.88-billion (0.7% of GDP) to fund the ambitious projects such as ports, railways, roads and oil pipelines.

01 July 2021: The budget for FY 2021/22 allocated KES45 bil (USD418.5 mil or 0.4% of GDP) for covid related spending.

01 July 2021: Of the 2021 budget allocation, 14.3 billion (USD133 mil or 0.4% of GDP) is for vaccines roll-out, Ksh 7.6 billion (USD418.5 mil or 0.4% of GDP) is to to enhance access to affordable medical care, and Ksh 23.1 billion (USD214.8 mil or 0.22% of GDP) for economic stimulus programme to cushion vulnerable groups.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 29 April: Kenya’s Parliamentary Budget Office has warned that a significant proportion of reallocations may not be pandemic-related and were made contrary to PFM regulation.

31 March: A public notice was issued requesting citizen feedback on the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund regulations. However only one day was provided for this feedback.

11 May: The Community Health Services Bill came about after public participation.

6 May: To ensure that COVID-19 related resources are used for their intended purpose, the authorities undertake to conduct independent post-crisis auditing of COVID-19 related expenditures and publish the results.

26 June: Ordinary Kenyans will for the first time be able to review details of public procurement contracts via the public procurement information portal (www.tenders.go.ke). Further, a new Debt and Borrowing Policy sets Kenya up to manage its public debt more strategically and transparently, including by specifying clear oversight and audit responsibilities over the use of borrowed funds.

May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Kenya was rated as having limited accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Kenya has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

30 September: COVID-19 health services initially required co-payments, but the government has since mobilised additional funding to expand the benefit package and provide care free of charge for everyone.

5 November: Kenyan firms are banned form exporting face masks, this restrictive exporting measure applies to all countries.

1 January: Kenya ordered 24 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through COVAX, with supply expected to start in the second week of February.

14 January: Kenya is expected to receive 10.8 million doses from the African Union, bringing the total of expected doses for the country to 47 million as the Kenyan government has made a request to Gavi for 24 million doses while it plans to purchase 12 million from other sources. Kenya’s Health Director General, Patrick Amoth said the country has set aside Ksh10billion (USD 91 million) to purchase more doses which combined, will be enough to vaccinate 30% of the country’s population.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Kenya is expected to receive 4 176 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India in the first half of 2021. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO

4 March:The first vaccines to arrive were sent through the COVID-19 COVAX facility, where the country is set to receive 24 million doses through the facility. Kenya released a comprehensive strategy that goes up to June 2023. By this time, the country expects to have received about 49 million doses, covering 30% of the population. Following this, once more doses and funds become available, they will expand the target. Nonetheless, the first phase of deployment, aims to cover 3% of the population by end-June 2021.

4 March 2021: Two thirds of the vaccines are expected to be provided by GAVI/COVAX and the remainder procured by government.

31 March 2021: The parliamentary Health committee has raised the alarm that the Treasury had failed to allocate Sh4.5 billion needed for the next phase of Covid-19 vaccination in the 2021 Budget Policy Statement—a policy document that indicates priorities to guide the national government and counties when preparing budgets for the new year starting July.

16 April 2021: Following Kenya's ambitious COVID-19 vaccination rollout plan – it has only received enough doses for a million of its 50 million citizens, and dispensed slightly more than half of these – 565,000 – to health workers. The Ministry of Health and the National Treasury have asked the Africa Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for assistance in procuring more vaccines.

16 April: The government will add another 1000 vaccination points to the current 658 and private healthcare facilities will add 2,500 facilities during the second phase of the vaccination exercise, set to begin in July.

16 April 2021: Gavi is donating 20 billion Kenyan Shillings (USD 188 million or 0.2% of GDP) and the Kenyan Government will contribute 14 billion Kenyan Shillings (USD 132 million or 0.15% of GDP) towards the procurement of vaccines.This will be contingent upon vaccine availability.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Kenya has been approved to be a part of this initiative. \

On 21 June 2021, Kenya received a donation of 358 000 doses of the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccines from Denmark to boost its vaccine roll out program. At this stage, the government is worried that there arent enough doses for medical professionals to receive their second jabs. Kenya has set a target of vaccinating 30% of its population by 2023. Medical professionals are pleading with the government to budget and buy the vaccine instead of relying on donations.

28 June 2021: The World Bank has approved USD130 million (0.1% of GDP) additional financing for the Kenya COVID-19 Health Emergency Response Project. The financing is meant to facilitate affordable and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for the Kenyan population. This will enable Kenya to procure more vaccines via the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) initiative and the COVID-19 COVAX facilities.

13 July 2021: The budget for FY 2021/22 allocated Ksh 14.3 billion (USD 132 million) for the vaccines roll-out. This is in addition to the Ksh 7.6 billion (USD 70 million) appropriated in the 2020/21 Budget.

Business support and tax measures: 30 April: Tax cuts have been provided to small businesses and corporations. There has been a reduction in the turnover tax rate from 3% to 1% for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises. A reduction in corporate and personal income tax rates from 30% to 25%. The government has also earmarked funds for expediting payments of existing obligations to maintain cash flow for businesses during the crisis.

30 April: Reduction of the standard VAT rate from 16 to 14% and elimination of a long list of exemptions in the VAT and corporate income tax. The annual cost of these tax relief measures is estimated at 1.7% of GDP.

17 May: The government of Kenya is considering the reversal of income tax, value-added tax and sales levy cuts announced by President Uhuru Kenyatta in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic due to IMF advice. The IMF says the cuts will cost the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and compromise the state’s ability to deal with emergencies and spending on development projects like roads, power plants and water infrastructure.

26 June: The base corporate income tax rate is reduced from 30% to 25%. The turnover tax rate for small businesses is reduced from 3% to 1%.

30 June: The Finance Act of 2020 highlights an increase in the minimum taxable salary of employees to KES 288 000 (roughly USD 2 656) per annum as a means to ease the pressure faced by low income earners as a result of COVID-19. Along with this change, the government has made both maize (corn) seeds and ambulance services VAT exempt items in light of COVID-19.

4 February: Some of the tax measures (adopted as above), including the reduction of top PAYE rate, corporate income tax rate and VAT were reversed effective January 1, 2021.

1 January: The rate of turnover tax has been lowered from 3% to 1%. This is applicable to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). However, some of the tax measures put in place during 2020, including the reduction of top PAYE rate, corporate income tax rate (from 30% to 25%) and VAT (from 16% to 14%) were reversed effective January 1, 2021.

As of 1 January 2021, the Finance Act, 2020 introduced a 1.5% tax on income from services accrued or derived in Kenya through a digital marketplace. The tax is applicable on the gross transaction value of the service provided and is due at the time of payment. The responsibility to account for the tax is on the owner of the digital marketplace or an agent appointed by the Commissioner.

1 April 2021: A package of tax measures has been adopted, including full income tax relief for persons earning below the equivalent of USD 225 per month and a reduction of the top pay-as you earn rate from 30 to 25%.

1 April: The economic stimulus package announced by the government includes the provision of credit guarantees to companies and the fast-tracking payment of VAT refunds.

01 July 2021: The FY21/22 Budget included tax relief for various pharmaceutical products and medical equipments.

On 29 June 2021 the Finance Act, 2021 was signed into law. There are provisions that are intended to provide relief to taxpayers from the effects of the pandemic on the economy. For instance, one measure repeals the 10-year limit for the use of tax losses. Additionally, the Commissioner is now allowed to refrain from assessing or recovering unpaid tax from a taxpayer when there is an inability to recover the unpaid tax.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 15 April: Tax relief for low income earners (earning up to USD 240).
A reduction in the VAT rate from 16% to 14% with effect from 1 April 2020.
Suspension of the country’s three credit reference bureaus, which among them have about 2.5 million Kenyans negatively listed and unable to obtain credit from banks or fintech apps, beginning 1 April.
The National Treasury appropriated an additional Ksh 10 billion (USD100 million) for supporting the elderly, orphans and other vulnerable members through Kenya’s relatively well-developed cash transfer system.
Fee waivers on person-person mobile money transactions on M-PESA were approved.

11 May: Together with the EU, Sweden, Finland and Denmark are providing Ksh 211 million (USD 2 million) in order to improve access to water and sanitation to 119 000 Kenyan residents most impacted by Covid-19.

26 June: Full income tax relief is provided for persons earning below KES 23 962 (USD 225) per month, and a reduction of the top PAYE rate from 30% to 25% has been passed.

9 September: Amendments have been made in the Finance Act, these include; the zero rating of VAT on maize, cassava and wheat flour for 6 months so as to make unga affordable. The new Finance Act also extends the zero rating of VAT on cooking gas for one year.

1 April: The economic stimulus package announced by the government includes a new youth employment scheme and increased funding for cash transfers to ensure that social security nets remain strong in the face of the pandemic.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Anadolu Agency (AA)
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World Bank
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KPMG
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Ugo Gentilini
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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Quartz Africa

The Africa Report
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ENS Africa
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The European Union
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IMF Country Report

The East African
EY Website

GAVI

World Bank announcement

Lesotho

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 33,746 Source

Confirmed deaths: 699 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 34.07% (2022-04-26)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 43.25% (2022-04-26)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 15 April: The World Bank estimates that Lesotho will require 11% of GDP to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

12 May: The government has budgeted M698 million (USD 40 million- 2.5% of GDP) for the Covid-19 response.

Official COVID-19 links: https://www.gov.ls/about-coronavirus-covid-19/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 155

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 11%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 19%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 11%

Domestic and external financing: 14 April: Although free of COVID-19 , Lesotho has has formally initiated talks with the World Bank and the European Union (EU) for assistance.

On 17 April, Econet Telecom Lesotho with the Government of Lesotho through the National Command Centre launched channels to solicit donations towards the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 23 April, it was announced that the Governor of the Central Bank will be approaching the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on possible balance of payments support under the provisions for COVID-19.

On 14 May, the World Bank approved a M130 million (USD 7.5 million or 0.27% GDP) credit from the International Development Association (IDA) to support Lesotho’s efforts to prevent, detect and respond to the global COVID-19 pandemic

On 17 June, Lesotho's application for a COVID-19 accelerating funding request has been approved to the amount of USD 3.47 million (roughly 0.13% of GDP) from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

26 June: The African Development Bank has approved USD 8.9 million in grant funding for 6 SADC countries (Lesotho, Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe).

29 July: IMF Executive Board Approves USD 49.1 million (or 1.8% of GDP) in Emergency Support to Lesotho to Address the Covid-19 Pandemic.

9 September: The World Bank’s Development Committee and the G20 Finance Ministers endorsed the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) in response to a call by the World Bank and the IMF to grant debt-service suspension to the poorest countries to help them manage the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lesotho is participating in the DSSI, given that the country is at a moderate risk for external and overall debt distress. This DSSI creates fiscal space of USD 9,5 million (or 0.3% of GDP). On 10 November, this debt relief amount was increased slightly to USD 9.8 million (now, 0.4% of GDP)

19 October: The World Food Programme in conjunction with the Food and Agriculture Organisation has provided USD 5.2 million (or 0.19% of GDP) in grant funding for the country to respond to food security threats due to COVID-19.

21 December: Some private businesses have volunteered to assist the country by setting up testing centres across the country. In addition, Lesotho will also receive donations of laboratory testing equipment from the WHO.

11 February: Lesotho requested to participate in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative in 2021. This implies a potential saving of USD 5.9 million (0.2% of GDP).

29 July 2021: The IMF approved USD 49.1 million (2.1% of GDP) emergency support under the Rapid Credit Facility and the Rapid Financing Instrument to help Lesotho meet urgent balance of payments needs stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: At a Cabinet meeting on 6 May it was decided that all COVID-19 support be placed under the direct control of Disaster Management Authority (DMA). It was also proposed that the DMA should be established into an independent entity not a department for proper governance and accountability since it already operates with a board.

9 September: Lesotho has made use of the following measures to finance COVID-19-related expenditure; (I) Virements across line ministries' approved budgets; and (ii) Reallocations of budgetary appropriations requiring parliamentary approval . The country has also made use of a single-source procurement and adjustments were made to the invoicing purchase order requirements to ensure more efficient cash management and liquidity during this crisis. The remaining fiscal gaps for COVID-19 expenditure will be filled through external debt relief or restructuring and by channelling funds from contingency budgets and disaster funds. There was political buy in to have a budget reallocation done before the usual mid-year time. The parliament endorsed the appropriation. The budget data was used and inactive line items were reviewed and adjusted accordingly.

9 September: The Ministry of Finance has ensured business continuity through the use of virtual networks.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: On 13 April, the Prime Minister’s speech unveiled updated fiscal measures of M1.2 billion (USD 67 million) to support food security and to assist those most affected by the crisis. M500 million (USD 28 million) of that goes to a Contributory Fund that the government has started.

At a Cabinet meeting on 6 May, it was recommended that consideration be given to reallocating the construction of sports facilities for the Commonwealth Games to financing of COVID-19 interventions. It was also proposed that all the reductions proposed by the Committee be directed towards purchasing and/or improving the government fleet of ambulances to the required standard for ferrying Coronavirus patients.

On 23 April, the Prime Minister noted that the Disaster Relief Fund which has a budget of M698 million (USD 39 million) will be used to fight COVID-19.

12 May:The government will soon request parliament to redirect M659 million (USD 40 million) from the 2020/2021 capital budget towards the country's Covid-19 response programmes. The M4, 7 billion (USD 271 million) capital budget would be reduced by M659 million if parliament approves the government's request.

26 June: Two fiscal packages are being implemented; (i) A M700 million (USD 40 million or 2% of GDP) fund set aside for the National Covid-19 Response Integrated Plan 2020; more than half of which is being used for the purchase of critical goods and services and health care personnel, the remainder covering border management, logistics, and security; (ii) A M1.2 to M1.5 billion (USD 70 million to 87 million, or between 2.5 and 3.2% of GDP) fund for emergency assistance and expanding social protection.

On 18 November, the mid-term budget speech was delivered by the Minister of Fnance in Lesotho. The following estimates and reprioritisations relate to the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Overall revenue is expected to decrease by 14% in light of the pandemic. This results in a fiscal deficit of 4.4% of GDP in 2020/21.
- Throughout the 2020/21 fiscal year, M146 million (USD 9.5 million, or 0.35% of GDP) of transportation infrastructure expenditure is expected to be reprogrammed towards the health and social response of COVID-19.
- M103 million (USD 6.7 million, or 0.25% of GDP) was also reprogrammed from the budgetary line on development of electricity generation capacity towards the COVID-19 health and social response.
- M180 million (USD 11.7 million, or 0.43% of GDP) was reallocated from sports and cultural activities towards the COVID-19 response.
Beyond this specific breakdown, the minister of finance made mention that expenditure on the healthcare response to COVID-19 would likely increase, although no breakdown of expected expenditure has been provided as yet.

21 December: The Government of Lesotho made an emergency allocation of USD 50 million (2.1% of GDP) to the National Emergency Command Centre for prevention, surveillance, response and clinical management.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 29 July: As part of their commitment to the IMF, the Government will publish COVID-19 public procurement contracts; publish names of companies awarded contracts; validate delivery of products and services; publish beneficial ownership information of companies receiving COVID-19 procurement contracts; publish COVID-19 expenditure reports; and conduct COVID-19 specific audit and publish results.

2 August: In Lesotho the National Emergency Command Centre (NECC), comprising various government ministries and departments, and which is charged with spearheading the fight against Covid-19, was in May accused of misusing public funds meant to fight the virus. According to the Lesotho Times, a leaked budget revealed corrupt procurement plans with a non-contact thermometer.

May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Lesotho was rated as having limited accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 May: SADC Member States have established National Emergency Operations Centres to facilitate coordination of logistics and stockpiling for disasters at the national level. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies is being implemented to provide sustainable availability and access to affordable and effective essential medicine and health commodities, and Member States have been encouraged to utilise this facility for the procurement of the needed supplies for prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 and any other epidemics.

9 September: The emergency recruitment of healthcare workers was adopted into the healthcare financing and purchasing processes, as a measure to improve efficiency. The government provided financial support to COVID-19 related industries (local producers of PPE equipment, RnD towards diagnostics and vaccine development) by enhancing access to credit in the private sector.

30 September: Lesotho has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

5 November: The Government of Lesotho has stated that licenses and permits are required to export face masks and hand sanitisers. This is to ensure that the supply of such items is regulated within the country.

7 January: The Minister of Health, Mr. Motlatsi Maqelepo says Lesotho will access the COVID-19 vaccine in April 2021. The vaccine, which the Minister said will be free is to be provided by COVAX Facility, will be administered to 20 percent of the population. No other plans to procure the vaccine have been announced.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Lesotho is expected to receive 156 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO.

4 February 2021: In addition to the vaccines Lesotho will receive from the COVAX facility, the government annnounced that it will provide M 240million (USD 16.2 million or 0.9% of GDP) for vaccine purchases. Lesotho aims to vaccinate 75% of its population by the end of 2021.

4 March 2021: Lesotho received 36,000 vaccines as part of an initial tranche of deliveries of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine licensed to the Serum Institute of India, which represents part of the first wave of Covid-19 vaccines headed to several low and middle-income countries.

6 April 2021: A Lesotho private sector initiative (Sesiu sa Tšoele le beta Poho Fund) has been set up for the purpose of augmenting the acquisition and roll-out of the national Covid-19 vaccine programme for all private sector corporations that make up the fund’s consortium. This will provide an initial target of 560,000 vaccines for all staff and 10% of their clientele across the country. This will equate to 30% of the population being inoculated. However, there has been delays due to government officials not providing a letter of authorisation. Sesiu, a solidarity fund, says that its has raised M25 million (USD 1.7 million, or less than 0.01% of the country's GDP) and secured the Russian vaccine, Sputnik V pending said authorisation.

27 April 2021: Lesotho has paid a deposit of M25 million to buy 1.1 million Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccines will be delivered early next month. The million vaccines will be in addition to the 36 000 AstraZeneca acquired through the COVAX facility. The Lesotho government has paid 15% of the deposit of M25 million for the J&J vaccines.

31 May 2021: The second batch of 36 000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines under the COVAX facility was donated to Lesotho by France. The total vaccines from the COVAX facility are expected to cover 20% of the population, while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is expected to cover the 40% of the population..

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Lesotho has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

16 June 2021: Lesotho is expecting more vaccines from the African Union (AU) and a donation of over 100 000 vaccines from China. The arrival of more doses will enable those who are yet to be vaccinated to be jabbed.

On 30 June 2021, the World Bank announced that it is providing over USD4 billion for the purchase and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines for 51 developing countries, half of which are in Africa. Lesotho forms part of the 51 countries.

Business support and tax measures: As part of the fiscal measures announced on 13 April, M200 million (USD 11 million) will be spent on agriculture for food production. The government will also pay business rentals in May and defer certain taxes until September. The country is also improving credit facilities for SMEs, guaranteeing 75% of principal rather than 50%.

On 23 April, the Prime Minister announced a M500 million (USD 28 million) fund to support private businesses

13 May: Informal traders will not pay licence fees during lockdown and 2 months after. Tax compliant businesses to get payment deadline extension till end of September – deadline to be communicated later. Simplified business taxation for non essential services including transport will not be payable. Banks directed to extend 3-month payment holiday for all affected individuals and companies. Lending and mobile money interest rates to be lowered.

26 June: The government to provide up to M20 000 (USD 1149) matching grants to companies, with number of employees ranging from one to 50, on condition the companies retain and do not retrench workers.

9 September: The authorities intend to provide a subsidy to 45 thousand industrial workers, and M100 million in subsidies to support food production (USD 6 million, or 0.2% of GDP). The authorities also intend to clear arrears to MSMEs and are expanding credit guarantee facilities by M450 million (USD 27 million, or 1% of GDP). They are also offering grants and rent subsidies to MSMEs and rent holidays to firms renting from the Lesotho National Development Corporation and local/municipal governments. The Lesotho Revenue Agency defers CIT for the first two quarters for all businesses and provide tax deferrals for the Pay as You Earn (PAYE) and VAT.

21 December: Lesotho has put in place various relief measures to mitigate against the impact of COVID-19 on businesses. Tax relief covers Corporate Income Tax, Pay As You Earn and other administrative measures to ease cash flow. Further, the government introduced a other measures to support the private sector such as expanding the credit guarantee facility, matching grants and rental subsidies.

21 December: Lesotho is in discussions with South Africa to protect jobs for Basotho mineworkers. The government is also exploring how it can deal with the influx of returning migrant workers.

1 April 2021: The Lesotho Revenue Agency defers CIT for the first two quarters of 2021 for all businesses, and has also provided tax deferrals for the Pay as You Earn (PAYE), VAT, and Simplified Business Taxes for non-essential service providers. These tax measures are to ease the impact of the pandeic on workers and firms across the country. Further, the authorities also intend to clear arrears to SMMEs and are expanding credit guarantee facilities by M450 million (USD 41 million or 1,3% of GDP). The state is also offering grants and rent subsidies to SMMEs and rent holidays to firms renting from the Lesotho National Development Corporation and local/municipal governments.

Financing social assistance and food relief: As part of the fiscal measures announced on 13 April, social protection schemes will be expanded. Existing cash transfers, such as the Child Grant Program will be topped-up. Public assistance will be expanded for 3 months, to add vulnerable groups such as children, elderly disabled, and those working in the informal sector.

On 23 April, it was announced that Lesotho's 45 000 factory workers would each be given LSL 800 (USD 44) monthly payments by the government over the "next two or three months" to enable them to meet some of their basic needs. That money would be separate from the LSL 500 million (USD 27.8 million) earmarked for businesses.

May 5: Food packages will be delivered to the vulnerable through a government-based delivery programme.

13 May: International students (within, outside SADC) to receive additional payments of 3 months. International (outside SADC) students to be paid additional $300 dollars for 3 months = $900. They are advised to remain at their bases. Students within the region will continue to receive allowances – will be assisted to return home if need be.

9 September: The authorities intend to provide a subsidy to 45 thousand industrial workers, and M100 million in subsidies to support food production (USD 6 million, or 0.2% of GDP).

29 October: A COVID-19 relief fund for persons between 60-69 has been launched in Lesotho. This fund is expected to run for three months, and is expected to reach 35 000 vulnerable households countrywide, providing a top-up grant of M831 (USD 55) per month.

1 April: Of the M1.2 billion (USD 84 million or 3.5% of GDP) for emergency assistance and expanding social protection: Existing cash transfers, such as the Child Grant Program has been topped-up. Public assistance is expanded for 3 months, to add vulnerable groups such as children, elderly disabled, and those working in the informal sector.

As of 1 July 2021, LSL213.5 million (USD14.7 mil or 0.6% of GDP) on pandemic-related social assistance for up to three months in FY20/21. Measure included increasing existing benefits LSL50.1 mil, (USD mil or 0.2% of GDP), payments to new beneficiaries LSL112.1 mil (USD mil or 0.3% of GDP), food security LSL46.0 mil (USD mil or 0.1% of GDP) and gender and sports LSL5.2 million (USD mil or 0.1% of GDP).

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Market Watch
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Official Government Website- Lesotho
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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Central Bank of Lesotho Website
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Africa News

Africa Inc Magazine

Relief Web

Government of Lesotho Website

GAVI

World Bank announcement

Liberia

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 7,489 Source

Confirmed deaths: 294 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 27.76% (2022-05-22)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 33.81% (2022-05-22)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: On 13 April, President Weah announced that anticipated financing to cover food relief, healthcare and other areas is USD 40 million (1.2% of GDP).

6 June: The pandemic opens a balance of payment need of USD 150 million (or 5.1% of GDP) in 2020, which largely arises from a domestic revenue shortfall projected at USD 119 million.

1 April 2021: The government is working to develop a preparedness plan—no other special fiscal measures have yet been adopted. However, there are no estimates as yet pertaining to the cost pf such a preparedness plan for the 2021/22 financial year.

Official COVID-19 links: http://moh.gov.lr/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 19

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 3,86

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 47%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 3,86

Domestic and external financing: In March, the World Bank has to date approved USD1.5 million of financing (which is yet to be utilized). Areas of concentration under the plan include support to health care workers, purchase and rehabilitation of health care equipment, procurement of drugs and other medical supplies, deployment of surge staff to contact tracing activities, border areas, rapid response teams, training of responders, planning, communications and information sharing, staffing and equipping of laboratories, and logistical and supply support.
On 9 April, the World Bank approved additional USD 7.5 million International Development Association (IDA) financing to help Liberia respond to the threat posed by the Coronavirus outbreak. The financing consists of a USD 3.75 million grant and USD 3.75 million concessional IDA credit.
Liberia is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust. As of 13 April, the IMF has offered debt relief to Liberia of USD 15.92 million.
17 April: An Emergency COVID-19 Relief Fund will be established at commercial to complement Liberian Government's purchase of necessaries such as food, medicines, face masks and face shields for vulnerable people, and testing kits, personal protection equipment and other protective gears for contact tracers and health workers. The Relief Fund shall be funded by assessment of 25% of the net salaries of all employed persons (both in the private and public sectors) for two months (May and June, 2020). Payment to the Emergency COVID-19 Fund shall be made in the same manner as payroll taxes are collected through the Liberia Revenue Authority as the intermediary; and all moneys collected by the Liberia Revenue Authority shall be deposited into the account(s) established at the commercial bank(s) designated by the Minister of Finance and Development Planning.

The African Development Bank is preparing a significant budget support operation under the COVID-19 Response Facility which was approved on April 8.
11 May: The United States Government has committed USD 1 million in health funds to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Liberia.

8 June: The IMF approved the disbursement of a loan to Liberia equivalent to USD 50 million or 1.7% of Liberian GDP.

On 24 June, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) approved Liberia's application for a COVID-19 accelerated funding request of (USD 7 million or 0.2% of GDP). The IMF approved the disbursement of SDR 36.17 million (USD 50 million of 1.7% of GDP) under the Rapid Credit Facility to support Liberia in their response to COVID-19.

26 July: African Development Bank approves an ADF grant of UA 10.15 million (USD 846 thousand or 0.03% of GDP) for COVID-19 response in Liberia.

On July 28, the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank approved USD 14 million (or 0.43% of GDP) direct budget support for Liberia as part of a multi-country COVID-19 response to help bolster the fight against the pandemic.

2 October: Liberia received the second tranche of the IMF's CCRT. This tranche is valued at USD 15.78 million (roughly 0.5% of GDP)

On 10 November, the World Bank noted the availability of Debt Relief (which has yet to be claimed) for Liberia to the tune of USD 2.6 million, or roughly 0.1% of GDP.

1 April: The World Bank approved about USD 17 million (0,6% of GDP) of off-budget project funding for the health sector in Liberia, of which USD 7.5 million (0,2% of GDP) was new investment financed by the COVID-19 Fast Track Facility and USD 9.5 million (0,3% of GDP) was temporarily diverted from existing projects

5 April: The IMF, under its CCRT, has offered a third tranche of debt relief to Liberia of USD 16.26 million (roughly 0.58% of the country's GDP).

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 25 June: Liberian authorities have taken measures to raise domestic revenue, including legislative approval of an excise tax on fuel and adoption of a resolution to channel all revenues acquired by two large state-owned entities to the government’s consolidated account.

28 August: Liberia has used earmarked taxes (on public sector wages) as one of the sources of financing for its COVID-19 fund.

18 February: The Ministry of Finance in Liberia has published a medium-term debt management strategy which considers the economic impacts of COVID-19. This strategy highlights that, to date, external debt to the country's GDP is untenable (sitting at roughly 30%), and provides strategies on consolidating and repaying that debt solidly over the coming three years. These potential strategies and their potential impacts(explained here https://www.mfdp.gov.lr/index.php/component/edocman/liberia-medium-term-debt-management-strategy-mtds-2021-2023?Itemid=0 ) are as follows:
- 50/50 split between concessional and semi-concessional loans
- Introduction of treasury bills into the domestic debt market
- Introduction of longer term domestic debt instruments

18 February: As part of the same strategy document, the Ministry of Finance alluded to the fact that the current account deficit in the country would be funded by a mixture of the use of IMF credit and COVID-19 subsidies for the agriculture, mining and infrastructure sectors.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: By 14 April, the Government of Liberia had provided USD500,000, as support to the fight against the COVID 19 outbreak.

15 April: President George Weah is requesting the Legislature to re-appropriate USD 25 million for the remainder of the 2019/2020 budget year in support of the government's stimulus package to facilitate food distribution for designated households for 60 days.

1 June: The proposed recast national budget reflects the redirection of L32 million (USD 11,2 million or less than 0.03% of GDP) towards a new “COVID-19 Response” budget item. The following items are seen to experience budget cuts; (i) Use of goods and services- decreased by close to L20 million (USD 100,000 or 0.003% of GDP); (ii) Spending on subsidies- decreased by L608 000 (USD 3040 or less than 0.001% of GDP); (iii) Spending on grants – decreased by L16 million (USD 80,000 or less than 0.002 % of GDP).

31 December: In a retrospective document related to the financial statements of the country (found here https://www.mfdp.gov.lr/index.php/main-menu-reports/mm-fa/quarterly-financial-statement ), the Accountant General pointed out that the healthcare allocation in 2020 (19.1% of the country's GDP, or USD 87 million), would be decreased quite substantially for the 2021 financial year to 12.4% of GDP (USD 70.9 million). This is due to decreased spending on COVID-related interventions.

01 July 2021: Measures to speed up and facilitate the importation process (including by removal of the pre-shipment inspection requirement and some protective surcharges) and some COVID-19-related expenditureare are included in the recast Budget.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 7 April: The Central Bank and Ministry of Finance and Development Planning intend to conduct a post-crisis audit of the expenditure by an independent auditor.

5 June: As part of their commitment to the IMF, the Government will publish COVID-19 public procurement contracts; publish names of companies awarded contracts; validate delivery of products and services; publish beneficial ownership information of companies receiving COVID-19 procurement contracts; and conduct COVID-19 specific audit and publish results.

25 June: The Liberian government has made significant improvements in the monitoring, control, and transparency of expenditure, including by tabulating and publishing detailed weekly reconciled spending reports, by requiring all budgetary entities to utilize the centralized financial management system, and by committing to the timely publication of an audit of crisis spending.

May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. The main finding from this research is that governments are falling short of managing their fiscal policy response to the crisis in a transparent and accountable manner. Liberia was rated as having limited accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Liberia has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Liberia is expected to receive 384 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO, i.e. listed on the Emergency Use Listing.

4 February: Liberia has implemented measures to ease the importation process. These include the removal of pre-shipment inspection and some protective surcharges for medical equipment, inter alia.

6 March: Liberia received 96 000 COVID-19 vaccine doses shipped via the COVAX initiative. The delivery is part of a first wave of shipments that will continue to different countries in the coming days and weeks. In addition to the vaccines, Liberia also received 97 000 syringes and 600 safety boxes that will be used for the administration and disposal of immunization waste.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Liberia has been approved to be a part of this initiative. The first tranche of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines will start shipping in August 2021, with 200 million doses scheduled to be delivered by the end of the year. The next 300 million doses will be delivered in the first half of 2022.

30 June 2021: The World Bank approved Additional Financing to the Liberia COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Project to enable affordable and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. The financing, in the total amount of USD 8 million (0.26% of GDP) grant (USD 7 million -0.23% of GDP- International Development Association-IDA and USD 1 million -0.03% of GDP- Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Multi-Donor Trust), will support the purchase of vaccines and their deployment, reaching approximately 386,000 people. The resources will also help strengthen systems of vaccination programs more broadly and support other COVID-19 response activities.

Business support and tax measures: On July 28, the budgetary support provided by the African development Bank of USD 14 million (or 0.43% of GDP) is announced to be partly targeting the business community and small and medium-size enterprises.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 April: Government switched to take home meals, an approach they used during Ebola alongside their neighbor Sierra Leone.

25 May: The government is appropriating the amount of USD 25 million (or, 0.77% of GDP) to support food distribution to households in designated affected counties for a period of 60 days.

25 May: The Government is planning to take up the electricity bill of households in the affected counties for the duration of the STAY-AT-HOME. Cost of this measure is USD 4 million (0.12% of GDP).

On July 28, the budgetary support provided by the African development Bank of USD 14 million (or 0.43% of GDP) is announced to be tailored largely towards financing vulnerable female-headed household and school-going children.

4 February: The Legislature approved USD 25 million (0.9% of GDP) for food distribution to the most vulnerable citizens. The World Food Programme implemented initiative is also supplemented by USD 5 million (0.18% of GDP) of donor funding.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Anadolu Agency (AA)
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World Bank
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Ugo Gentilini
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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The OECD
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IMF Policy Paper- CATASTROPHE CONTAINMENT AND RELIEF TRUST
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All Africa

World Bank Website

Mining Review News Website

GAVI

Diario Online de deportes

Libya

Tests p/million: 16

Confirmed cases: 502,076 Source

Confirmed deaths: 6,430 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 16.92% (2022-06-12)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 32.48% (2022-06-12)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 15 April: The Government of National Accord (GNA) announced a package of LD 500 million (USD 355 million, or about 1% of GDP) in emergency COVID-19 related spending. The exact nature and use of this spending is yet to be specified, but it is believed to be aimed at supporting the medical system in expanding testing and responding to a possible surge in infections, once the coronavirus arrives in Libya.

10 May: In Libya, the requirement for the COVID-19 Health Sector Plan stands at USD 15 million (0.03% of GDP).

27 May: USD 130 million (0.3% of GDP) required to respond to humanitarian need in Libya's COVID-19 response.

1 April: The Libyan government has thus far spent LD 1.3 billion (USD 0.29 billion, or 2.5% of GDP) on its COVID-19 emergency response package. This more than doubles its initial estimate of LD 500 million (USD 355 million, or about 1% of GDP).

Official COVID-19 links: —

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 397

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): —

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 37%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): —

Domestic and external financing: 10 May: Libya, has only received USD 4.5 million in funding (far less than 0.01% of GDP).

The 2020 HRP for Libya remains significantly underfunded and as of 10 May 2020 has received USD 15.6 million (less than 0.01% of GDP); 12% of the requirement. The Inter-Sector Coordination Group conducted an exercise that identifies USD 30.8 million (additional to the USD 15m for the COVID-19 Health Sector Plan) to be required for critical HRP activities addressing the direct and indirect
impacts of COVID-19 on the most vulnerable people in need over the next three months.

22 June: To date, Libya has received USD 39,1 million (0.1% of GDP) of the required funding to respond to humanitarian need as a result of the pandemic.

9 August: The EU Emergency Trust Fund has mobilised USD 23.7 million (0.05% of GDP)
.
9 September: African Development Bank grants Libya USD 0.5 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) emergency relief assistance for PPE protection against COVID-19.

4 November: USAID has provided grant funding to Libya of USD 14.7 million (0.02% of GDP) so as to bolster their public health response to the pandemic.

21 January: The Central Bank of Libya loaned the government LD 26.7 billion (USD 5.88 billion, or 11.2% of the country's GDP) to fund the budget deficit.

13 April: The French government donated EUR 370 000 (USD 444 832, or 0.9% of GDP) to the World Food Programme in Libya, which is helping combat the deterioration in food security since the pandemic.

2 May: Germany is providing USD 6 million (0.05% of GDP) to Libya, via UNICEF, to help with the country's vaccination programme. The German Embassy in Libya said that these funds are expected to help vaccinate 4.8 million people, including migrants and refugees.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: On 15 March, a decree was passed banning export of personal protective equipment.

9 September: The GNA announced a 20% pay cut for civil servants.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: April 8: As a means to bolster the funds available to the Libyan state, the GNA has announced a pay cut to all civil servants of up to 20%, which is expected to be reallocated to other necessities within the budget.

9 September: the Government of National Accord (GNA) announced a package of LD 500 million (USD 366 million or 0.8% of GDP) in emergency COVID-19 related spending. While the exact nature and use of this spending was not specified, it was believed to be aimed at supporting the health system in expanding testing and responding to a possible surge in infections.
The total amount of funds approved by the Ministry of Finance to combat the Coronavirus pandemic had reached LD 847 million (USD 621 million or 1.3% of GDP), of which LD 562 million (USD 412 million or 1.2% of GDP) was allocated to the Ministry of Health. In addition, about LD 50 million (USD 37 million or 0.1% of GDP) were allocated to municipalities and local councils, about LD 95 million (USD 70 million or 0.14% of GDP) to the military for medicines and medical equipment, and about LD 41 million (USD 30 million of 0.05% of GDP) to Libyan embassies and consulates overseas.

21 January: In the 2021 budget, a subsidy of LD 850 million (USD 190.5 million, or 0.4% of GDP) was made to the State Medical Supply Organization to purchase medicines and medical equipment. In addition, the Central Bank of Libya provided LD 1.27 billion (USD 0.28 billion, or 0.54% of GDP) for other COVID-19 related spending.

30 June 2021: The 2021 budget is further delayed as Members of Parliment were unable to agree on reduced budget. This further hampers the country's economic and pandemic recovery.

Transparency, accountability and participation: —

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Libya has submitted non-binding confirmations of intent to participate in the COVAX Facility, a Gavi-coordinated pooled procurement mechanism for new COVID-19 vaccines. Libya would be able to use the mechanism to buy and procure COVID-19 vaccines at the cheaper prices Gavi has negotiated — but the country would have to allow COVAX to procure and buy the vaccines on its behalf.

5 November: In order to ensure a sufficient supply within the country, the Libyan government has prohibited the export of face masks, respiratory ventilation aids and sterilizing products.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Libya is expected to receive 343 200 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO.

4 February: Libya signed a contract for the purchase of 2.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The cost of these vaccines is estimated at USD 9.4 million (0.02% of GDP), and delivery is expected in late Spring.

On 4 April, Libya received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines. The shipment consisted of 101 250 doses of the Russian Sputnik vaccine.

On 8 April, Libya received 57 600 AstraZeneca vaccine doses as part of the COVAX facility.

On 17 April, Libya began its vaccination drive in 430 centres across the country. The National Centre for Disease Control said that medical personnel and those aged 50-60 will receive the Russian Sputnik vaccine while the AstraZeneca vaccine will be administered to those over 70 years old.

2 May 2021: Germany is providing USD 6 million (0.05% of GDP) to Libya, via UNICEF, to help with the country's vaccination programme. The German Embassy in Libya said that these funds are expected to help vaccinate 4.8 million people, including migrants and refugees.

19 May 2021: The Libya national deployment and vaccination plan for the COVID-19 vaccine has been developed under the guidance of the National Coordination Committee in close coordination with the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group, the Ministry of Health, and the National Centre for Diseases Control in partnership with WHO, UNICEF, IOM, and UNHCR. The Government of Japan continues its partnership with UNICEF in providing support to Libya’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout. With the purpose of vaccinating 1.5 million people, the project will support approximately 200 facilities and 1,000 health officials and health care staff.

3 June 2021: Media reports suggest that Libya has so far received 200,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine and more than 57,000 AstraZeneca shots through the WHO.

Business support and tax measures: —

Financing social assistance and food relief: 25 May: To prevent food prices from increasing, the Minister of Economy has adopted a regulation controlling the prices of 16 food items such as fruits, vegetables and meat. The regulation will be revised every 3 months.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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The Africa Report

ITC Trademap

EU Website

USAID Website

GAVI

ReliefWeb

Libya Herald

Libya Review

Madagascar

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 64,685 Source

Confirmed deaths: 1,396 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 4.22% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 4.54% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 10 April: While the exact financing requirement associated with mitigating the health and economic impact of the crisis was not found to be available, it is estimated that the budget deficit will increase to 2% of GDP (from an expected surplus of about 1.1% before the shock).

Official COVID-19 links: http://www.sante.gov.mg/ministere-sante-publique/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 43

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 18%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 22%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 18%

Domestic and external financing: On 3 April, SDR 122.2 million was provided by the IMF through its Rapid Credit Facility.

On March 12, the World Bank provided a grant of USD 3.7 million (0.02% of GDP) to strengthen prevention against the COVID-19 pandemic, purchase materials and equipment, and train health workers. On April 2, 2020, the World Bank approved USD 100 million (0.7% of GDP) Development Policy Operation (DPO) for budget support to improve the human capital.

Madagascar is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust.

Madagascar has been granted a loan through the IMF rapid credit facility of USD 165.99 million (1.2% of GDP), and was relieved of a further USD 4.19 million (0.03% of GDP).

15 May: The United States of America has granted Madagascar USD 2.5 million in health assistance.

26 June: The African Development Bank has approved USD 8.9 million in grant funding for 6 SADC countries (Lesotho, Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe).

22 July:The African Development Bank Board approved concessional loan of USD 41.2 million (0.04% of GDP) to help Madagascar mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

On 30 July, the IMF approved a second disbursement of USD 171.9 million (or, 1.7% of GDP) through its Rapid Credit Facility.

6 September: World Bank approved a USD 75 million (0.54% of GDP) loan for development objectives to mitigate the impact of Covid-19. The loan feeds into Madagascar's Covid-19 Response Development Policy Financing strategy.

8 September: Madagascar is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that may be created by the DSSI is USD 24 million or 0.2% of GDP.

2 October: Madagascar is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT). The second tranche of the CCRT worth USD 4.31 million (0.3% of GDP) has been provided.

28 October: The AFDB provided a concessional loan to Madagascar to the value of USD 17.2 million (or 0.12% of GDP).

11 February: Madagascar requested to participate in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative in 2021. This implies a potential saving of USD 8.5 million (0.1% of GDP).

29 March: The IMF has provided a line of credit to Madagascar to the effect of USD 312.4 million (or 2.22% of the country's GDP).

5 April: The IMF, through its CCRT, has provided a third tranche of debt relief to Madagascar to the tune of USD 8.65 million (0.06% of GDP)

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 10 April: In the context of the IMF's support and as resources will be redirected by the central bank to the Treasury, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the central bank and the government will be signed. The MoU signed by the central bank and the ministry of economy and finance in the context of the ECF (part of the disbursement with the first review was used for budget support) will be updated and signed. It will specify (i) the maintenance of a specific government account at the central bank to receive IMF resources; (ii) the requirement that the government should hold foreign exchange balances only with the central bank; and (iii) the establishment of a clear framework agreement between the central bank and the ministry on responsibilities for servicing financial obligations.

On 25 June, the Madagascar parliament voted unanimously on updating various aspects of the 2020 Budgetary Finance Bill, mainly focusing on the recouping of revenue shortfalls and assisting the economy out of a Covid-19-led recession. A detailed version of this document will be promulgated in the coming weeks, once finalised.

29 July: The Ministry of the Economy and Finances in Madagascar published the amendment to the Budgetary Finance Bill for 2020.

6 September: Through Madagascar's Covid-19 Response Development Policy Financing, it has set up a dedicated Covid-19 response fund to transparently manage emergency spending. The policy fast tracks the opening of e-money accounts to facilitate rapid cash transfers to vulnerable populations.

31 October: Madagascar has passed its pandemic response budget, which outlined reprioritisations across some budget items in light of the pandemic.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 10 April: The government is working on a revised budget law that will consider additional fiscal and support measures and increased spending on epidemic prevention and control.

15 April: The government has begun to increasing health spending, with the prioritization and reorientation of spending, and through targeted investments to strengthen the health system, following the activation of the national contingency plan to fight the pandemic and with the support of development partners.

22 June: The authorities in Madagascar have amended their budget given the impact of Covid-19 on the country's economy. Various budget reallocations and additional spending components of the budget are expected, with the final version of the budget document yet to be approved for distribution. The budget for the immediate COVID-19 Emergency Response alone amounts to USD 132 million, this does not yet include the financial needs for social protection and recovery, which is being finalized through a socioeconomic plan.

29 July: The budget deficit, which was originally projected at 2.3% of national GDP, is now expected to balloon to roughly 6.3% as a direct result of COVID-19. This was driven by increased expenditure on COVID-related measures which have assisted the healthcare and social systems in combating the impact of COVID-19.

31 October: An additional line of Ar 8.7 billion (USD 2.2 million - 0.2% of GDP) was spent on medical consumables and pharmaceuticals. This amounts to 0.7% of the total pandemic response budget.

04 February: As part of the national contingency plan, in coordination with the WHO, targeted investments were made to strengthen the health system as a response to the pandemic.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 10 April: As part of the support from the IMF, the authorities have committed to transparency on the planning, using, monitoring and reporting of additional health spending, whose modalities will be discussed with the World Bank and other donors.

On 18 November, the Ministry of Economy and Finance set up its digital platform for the reporting and publication of Covid-19 related revenue and expenditure. The platform covers Covid-19 related expenditure from March 2020 to October 2020 and is an attempt at promoting budgetary transparency and better public financial management.

May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Madagascar was rated as having limited accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 15 April: SADC Member States have established National Emergency Operations Centres to facilitate coordination of logistics and stockpiling for disasters at the national level. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies is being implemented to provide sustainable availability and access to affordable and effective essential medicine and health commodities, and Member States have been encouraged to utilise this facility for the procurement of the needed supplies for prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 and any other epidemics.

30 July: Medicine and medical equipment were exempted from paying import duties.

30 September: Madagascar has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

27 November: Madagascar affirmed its decision not to participate in the COVAX global initiative. A government spokesperson confirmed that Madagascar will resort to traditional medicine that its own scientists discovered earlier this year. The tonic, based on the plant Artemisia annua which has anti-malarial properties, was not proven by the WHO but had put it on sale to several African countries.

10 March: The WHO’s Dr. Richard Mihigo, programme area manager for immunisation and vaccine development, said that four countries that qualify for free vaccines under the COVAX advance market commitment financing instrument — Tanzania, Madagascar, Burundi, and Eritrea — have not yet completed the necessary requirements. Public health experts have called on such countries to follow scientific evidence and give their citizens the option to choose whether they want to be vaccinated. Tanzania and Madagascar have been clear about not wanting to participate in the COVAX initiative, Mihigo said, while Burundi and Eritrea have indicated that they are still going through the documentation. Last year, a spokesperson for the Madagascar government had reportedly indicated that the country would not participate in COVAX and would instead continue to use a kind of traditional medicine developed in the country. Known as COVID-Organics, it is available in tea and pill form and has been touted as both a cure and treatment for COVID-19 by President Andry Rajoelina. Vaccine hesitancy in Madagascar and Tanzania goes beyond official channels. Citizens in these countries also say they have or once had reservations about the COVID-19 vaccines available.

1 April: Madagascar has changed course and joined the global COVID-19 vaccine initiative COVAX after having originally intending to use natural local medicines.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Madagascar has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

6 July 2021: The WHO provided support to stregnthening the COVID-19 Vaccine Purchase and Health Systems in Madagascar. The total cost of the project is USD 100 million (0.71% of GDP).

Business support and tax measures: 10 April: After meetings with the private sector (including the banking sector), the government announced a number of tax measures, including some deadline extensions for certain declarations and payments, and some tax exemptions on social and health spending related to the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, in case of temporary impediments to work ("chomage technique"), employees can benefit from a government allowance while the employer social contributions are suspended. Companies facing difficulties will be able to benefit from a moratorium on their bank credits.

28 October: The Industrialisation and Financial Sector Support Project will aim to boost Madagascar's industrial sector. The project will aim to assist SMMEs in the finance sector and throughout the industrial value chain in light of COVID-19.

31 October: Ar 22.5 billion (USD 5.6 million - 0.40% of GDP) paid in transfers as a subsidy to the private sector as part of the COVID-19 Pandemic Response Fund Budget. This is approximately 87% of the amount committed to transfers to the private sector.

01 September: The Ministry of the Economy and Finance, aware of the difficulties encountered by taxpayers, has decided to extend the deadlines for tax obligations.

Following the meeting with the private sector and the government and concerning temporary technical unemployment in particular, the following decisions were taken: (i) suspension of payment of social charges, (ii) right to a monthly allowance within the framework of an Emergency Social Plan established by decree, (iii) postponement of bank maturities for the next three months for those who have taken out consumer loans and mortgage loans, (iv) establishment of a moratorium for the repayment of bank loans for the benefit of companies, (v) use of amicable payment deadlines, (vi) payment of social security contributions due for the first and second quarters of 2020.

1 January 2021: As per the Financial Act of 2021, there have been VAT exemptions for operations on certain products:
- Sale of maize (local sale) and flour (locally manufactured).
- Sale of edible oil manufactured by local industries.
- Import and sale of wheat, iodine, and fluorine.
- Import and sale of medical materials, equipment, and consumables.
- VAT rate of 5% for locally produced butane gas and pasta products, instead of 20%.
- Deductibility of VAT on purchases of petroleum products for duly authorised hotels and restaurants using generators when their establishment is situated in a locality with no current power.

4 February: Priority interventions to support the private sector include tax relief, suspension of government fees and waiving of social contributions.

25 March 2021: Through a World Bank loan guarantees were made to ensure up to 75% of cash flow credits or investment credits for SMEs.

18 June 2021: Madagascar has announced a stimulus package offering close to a 1 million small businesses secure loans at below market rates to help weather the impact of COVID. The government will roll-out USD73 mil (0.05% of GDP) in three loan tranches with interest rates ranging from 4.97% to 9% and repayment periods of 6-24 months.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 10 April: Cash-transfers and in-kind necessities will be provided to the poorest and those unemployed. First measures include government donations (notably rice, sugar, dry peas, soap, and oil) to the most vulnerable, notably the homeless and the elderly, as well as some workers in the informal sector particularly affected (such as taxi and other public transport drivers and street vendors).

10 April: Workers temporarily out of work can postpone repayment of their mortgage or consumer credit for the next three months.

30 April: President Andry Rajoelina has introduced a “social emergency plan” that includes food and cash disbursements (of USD 2.7 million or 0.02% of GDP) for those unable to work due to the lockdowns imposed on Antananarivo and Toamasina.

8 May: The Ministry of Public Health has authorised that, during the state of emergency, all pregnant women will be granted transportation to hospitals free of charge.

25 May: There is a cheap market organized by the State in each "district" (quartier) where people can buy at a low price 3 kg of rice and 1l of oil for around 1.5 USD, per family (half of the price).

31 October: The pandemic response budget provides Ar 7.7 billion (USD 2.03 million - 0.14% of GDP) worth of goods and services; these are classified as foodstuffs, clothing, water and electricity, and household supplies. These make up 0.6% of the total pandemic response budget.

04 February: Social assistance was expanded, including cash-transfers and in-kind necessities to the poorest and unemployed.

1 April: The government is aiming to implement measures including the expansion of social assistance to the most vulnerable, including cash-transfers and in-kind necessities to the poorest and those unemployed.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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IMF Lending Tracker
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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Control Risks
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Central Bank of Madagascar

IMF Country Report
_
Agence Francaise de Development

Africa Inc Magazine

Garda World News

Africa Check

UNFPA Website

The Ministry of the Economy and Finance Website

Africa Business in Brief

GAVI

Diario Online de deportes

Malawi

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 86,204 Source

Confirmed deaths: 2,644 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 8.09% (2022-05-29)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 10.42% (2022-05-29)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 8 April: The Malawian government's Preparedness and response planoutlines the need for USD 213 million (approximately 3% of GDP) to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

Official COVID-19 links: —

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 32

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 9,83%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 11%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 9,83%

Domestic and external financing: Malawi’s president and cabinet will take a 10% salary cut and redirect the money towards the fight against coronavirus.

On 15 April, the World Bank approved USD 7 million (0.1% of GDP) in immediate funding to support Malawi’s response under a new Malawi COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness project. In addition to the new operation, USD 30 million has been made available from the Disaster Risk Management Development Policy Financing with a Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option (Cat-DDO) to strengthen the country’s response to the pandemic.

By 27 March, the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) has provided approximately 1.7 billion Kwacha (USD 2.3 million or 0.03% of GDP) to UNICEF to strengthen Malawi’s capacity to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak.

Malawi is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust of USD 9.85 million (0.14% of GDP).

As of 1 May, the IMF has loaned Malawi USD 91 million (roughly 1.3% of GDP) through its rapid credit facility.

2 May: While the World Bank first released USD 7 million to Malawi in immediate relief funding, it then released an additional USD 97 million (1.4% of GDP) into the Covid-19 relief effort of Malawi.

15 May: The Global Partnership for Education approved an accelerated funding request of USD 10 million (0.12% of GDP), with a 7% agency fee for UNICEF (the grant agent in this case).

26 June: The African Development Bank has approved USD 8.9 million in grant funding for 6 SADC countries (Lesotho, Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe).

23 July: Malawi to receive USD 45.07 million (or 0.6% of GDP) for national COVID-19 emergency response from the African Development Bank. The package comprises a loan of USD 24.48 million (or 0.35% of GDP), and a grant of USD 20.59 million (or 0.3% of GDP) as direct budget support, and complements an earlier sum of USD 8.9 million (of 0.1% of GDP) to six countries in the region, including Malawi.

3 September: The World Bank has provided a conditional, concessional loan of USD 86 million (1.1% of GDP) to Malawi. The conditionality of the loan revolves around the use of the loan on supporting SMMEs who have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

2 October: The IMF has provided a concessional loan to Malawi through the second tranche of its Rapid Credit Facility to the effect of USD 102 million (or, 1.36% of GDP).

2 October: The IMF offered an additional tranche of debt relief to Malawi through the CCRT, amounting to USD 10.15 million (0.14% of GDP).

26 October: The EU has allocated USD 46 million as a conditional grant (0.7% of GDP) as a means to bolster the country's COVID-19 social assistance response.

10 Novemeber: The World Bank has provided debt relief to Malawi under its DSSI programme to the effect of USD 17.4 million, which translates to the creation of fiscal space equivalent to 0.2% of GDP. On 11 February, this amount was updated to USD 16.7 million for 2021, creating fiscal space equivalent to 0.2% of GDP.

2 February: The United States Government has disbursed USD 1.3 million as a conditional grant. This grant will be used for the purchase of PPE.

24 February: The United States government has disbursed a grant to Malawi of USD 21.5 million (roughly 0.3% of GDP) to be used for technical and material support for Malawi to improve its testing, sanitation and clinical care standards.

5 April: The IMF has offered a third tranche of debt relief to Malawi under the CCRT, amounting to USD 11.06 million (or 0.14% of GDP).

18 June 2021: The World Bank approved USD30 million (or 0.39% of GDP) for Malawi’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

6 August 2021: The potential DSSI debt relief for January to May 2020 to December 2021 was revised upwards to US 51.4 million (or 0.5% of GDP).

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 20 May: In addition clearing arrears to inject liquidity into the economy, to prevent future arrears, procedures have been implemented that require Ministry of Finance vetting and registration of contract sums against available funding before contract signing.

10 June: The Public Finance Management Reforms (Chuma Cha Dziko) programme in Malawi has assisted in the drafting of emergency procurement procedures and ensuring that ex-post checks are fully integrated to properly direct goods and services.

30 September: Malawi is currently working on several upside and downside macro-fiscal scenarios around a central baseline.

30 September: Malawi is considering using the funding source segment within the existing COA to assign a code for “COVID-19 Response” and to track spending.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: end-March: The government’s response plan includes USD 20 million (0.25 % of GDP) in spending on health care and targeted social assistance programs. The details of the plan are still being refined.

20 May: The Government has committed to increase health sector outlays related to COVID-19, including developing testing capabilities, equipping treatment centers, importing medical equipment and supplies, hiring 2000 additional medical staff, and raising public awareness, by 0.3% of GDP in FY 2019/20 and at least 0.3% of GDP in FY 2020/21.

20 May: Injected liquidity into the economy, by paying domestic arrears accrued by the Roads Fund during 2012-19. The Auditor General has verified unpaid bills of close to 1.1% of GDP in the Roads Fund and certified that, of these unpaid bills, 0.8% of GDP were arrears as of end-December 2019. As of end-March 2020, the government had already cleared half of these (0.4% of GDP) and the other half is expected to be cleared by end-2020—assuming no additional pandemic-related spending needs. The remaining 0.3&% of GDP in unpaid bills are under dispute.

20 May: The FY 2020/21 budget will include fiscal measures to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. The budget will be submitted to Cabinet in May and is expected to be approved by Parliament by end-June. Contingency measures, should COVID-19 related revenue shortfalls and spending exceed projections at the time of budget approval, are being discussed. These could include re-prioritizing non-essential spending on goods and services and development projects in non-health areas and reduced purchases of motor vehicles, office equipment, and non-essential recurrent spending.

25 June: The Minister of Finance presented the 2020/21 National Budget, with the backdrop of a 35% drop in revenue collection. This budget has been pegged at K2.2 trillion (USD 29 billion or 28.3 % of GDP) representing a 9% increase from the previous years' budget. The Minister of Finance announced that it is impossible to reduce public debt in light of the COVID-19 related slowdown in the economy, and that should the pandemic extend towards December the domestic economy is likely to enter a recession. The budget reflects the efforts of government to continue to tackle four key issues; economic growth, job creation, economic empowerment, and infrastructure development. It was further revealed that the 2020/21 National Budget will incur a budget deficit of K632 billion (USD 850 million or 10% of GDP).

25 June: The Mwanza District Health Office was allocated K35 million (USD 47 000) for the fight against Covid-19; of which about K16.8 million (USD 22 500) has been spent on various activities related to the fight against the global pandemic.

8 February 2021: The government has recruited over 1,100 medical personnel to beef up human resources in the country's health sector, and according to President Chakwera, more than 250 new medical personnel will be recruited. The government has also disbursed funds amounting to approximately 1.3 million U.S. dollars to the country's 28 district councils for the procurement of face masks to be distributed to every Malawian.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 1 May: As part of its commitment to the IMF, the Government commits to publish names of companies awarded contracts; publish tenders; publish bids; validate delivery of products and services; publish beneficial ownership information of companies receiving COVID-19 procurement contracts; publish COVID-19 expenditure reports; conduct COVID-19-specific audit and publish results.

25 June: Government has asked local councils in the country to uphold principles of transparency and accountability on the use of financial resources provided by government for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Government is interested to know how the resources that were sent to the councils have been used and what has been done on the ground at council level regarding the pandemic.

30 April: Results from a COVID-financing related audit were published in media. The audit found that approximately USD 1 million was irregularly spent, while other money donated expressly to the country for their COVID response was spent on items unrelated to the pandemic. With the publication of such results, the government of Malawi has aimed to root out corruption in the country.

End-May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Malawi was rated as having minimal accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 15 April: SADC Member States have established National Emergency Operations Centres to facilitate coordination of logistics and stockpiling for disasters at the national level. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies is being implemented to provide sustainable availability and access to affordable and effective essential medicine and health commodities, and Member States have been encouraged to utilise this facility for the procurement of the needed supplies for prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 and any other epidemics.

end-April: The Ministry of Industry and Trade has challenged local manufacturers to rise to the occasion by engaging in import substitution amid the COVID-19 outbreak that has affected regional and global trade. In an interview, the ministry’s Principal Secretary Ken Ndala said local manufacturers have opportunity to produce for the local market, especially when the raw materials are sourced locally.

7 May: The Ministry of Health has adopted a national tool developed by UNICEF for tracking supplies of personal protective equipment, medical equipment and medicines available in-country. This tool will assist with mapping and tracking of these supplies. Based on the samples submitted by the local suppliers, latex gloves, apron plastic, heavy-duty gloves, surgical masks and N95 masks will be procured locally.

30 September: Malawi has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

5 November: The Government of Malawi has waived duties on the import of ventilators, oxygen concentrators, PPE, hand sanitisers and soaps to assist in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.

25 January: The rollout of first vaccines in Malawi is expected to start in April 2021. Ministry of Health has prioritized and the targeted group identified for vaccination in order of priority (as per WHO guideline): Frontline health care workers; Co-morbid: 10% (the older and Co-morbid population can get severe sickness and death); and >45years: 10.7%

2 February: New information from the presidency suggests that the rollout of vaccinations in Malawi will now begin in March of 2021, given that the first consignment of vaccines is set to be delivered to Malawi by the end of February.

8 February: The country has acquired 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Supplemented with other vaccines, a total of 4.5 million Malawians will be vaccinated (roughly 25% of the country).

18 February: The government of the United Arab Emirates has donated USD 582 000 worth of medical supplies and materials to Malawi to support the country's COVID response efforts.

24 February: COVAX announced Malawi's indicative distribution for the first half of 2021 through the AMC of 1,476,000 AstraZeneca Vaccines through Serum Institute India.

5 March: Malawi has received 360 000 AstraZeneca baccines from the through the COVAX facility

24 April: Due to the slow rollout of the vaccination, the Malawian government has decided to destroy 16 440 expired AstraZeneca vaccines in their current stocks.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Malawi has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

18 June 2021: The World Bank approved USD30 million (or 0.39% of GDP) for Malawi’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

Business support and tax measures: 7 May: The Government has announced a number of measures aimed at cushioning small- and medium-sized businesses, including tax breaks, a reduction in fuel prices and an increase in risk allowances for health workers.

7 May: The government will also increase loans under the Malawi Enterprise Development Fund that will help micro, small and medium scale businesses that have been seriously affected by the pandemic to 15 billion Malawi kwacha ($20.69 million) from 12 billion kwacha.

7 May: President Mutharika also ordered tobacco markets to be opened and allowed to operate without disruption to protect small farmers and bolster foreign currency receipts.

7 May: The Reserve Bank of Malawi has instructed banks to offer a three-month moratorium on interest payments on loans to small- and medium-sized businesses.

7 May: Tax waivers will be granted on imports of essential goods to manage and contain the pandemic.

25 June: A (USD 50 million or 6% of GDP) Emergency Cash Transfer Programme, which is mostly financed by development partners, will be implemented during May through to November to support small businesses in major urban areas. To address the immediate need, the World Food Programme (WFP) has distributed cash to almost 350,000 vulnerable people in the country’s most food-insecure districts.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 7 May: An Emergency Cash Transfer Program of about USD 50 million (0.6 % of GDP), mostly financed by development partners, will be implemented during May-November 2020 to support small businesses in major urban areas.

20 May: The Government has committed to increase social assistance spending under the social cash transfer program (SCTP) to help the most vulnerable households mitigate the economic impact of the virus. In response to COVID-19, during FY 2019/20, under the foreign-financed portion of the SCTP, the number of beneficiaries—especially in urban areas—has been expanded through universal transfers to all residents of vulnerable urban neighborhoods. In FY 2020/21, the transfers provided to each recipient of the SCTP will be permanently raised by 40%. SCTP payments will be fast tracked, with a four-month payment covering up to June delivered in April.

21 May: Purchase and storage of maize by the Agricultural Development and Market Corporation (ADMARC, a state-owned enterprise), financed by borrowing from banks and 0.1% of GDP from the budget for each of FY 2019/20 and FY 2020/21. This measure is intended to mitigate the impact of partial market closures on farmers’ incomes and ensure food security for the second half of the year—especially for the most vulnerable.

25 June: 172,000 households are to receive a monthly payment of USD 50 through mobile money transfers from government.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
African Health Stats
IMF Lending Tracker
World Bank
UNICEF
The Daily Times- Malawi
John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
Africa News
ENSAfrica
The United Nations
All Africa News
Global Partnership for Education
IMF Country Report
Africa Inc Magazine
World Bank DSSI Website
ITC Trademap
Europa Website
XinhuaNET Website
GAVI
World Health Organization
VOA News
US Embassy Website
Devex
UNOCHA Website

Diario Online de deportes

Mali

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 31,137 Source

Confirmed deaths: 736 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 5.97% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 8.13% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 28 May: The expected financing requirement of a Covid-19 response plan has been estimated at approximately FCAF 15.5 billion (USD 26.7 million, or 0.2% of GDP).

Official COVID-19 links: http://www.sante.gov.ml/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 25

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 5,43%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 35%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 5,43%

Domestic and external financing: On 6 April the United Nations provided support of approximately USD 7 million (0.04% of GDP), some of which is in-kind support. An update on June 18 suggested that funding from the United Nations had increased from USD 7 million to USD 23 million (closer to 0.13% of GDP).

On 10 April, The World Bank has approved a USD 25.8 million (0.15% of GDP) International Development Association 50 % grant and 50% credit to support Mali’s response to Covid-19.

Mali is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust.

On 31 March, the Prime Minister's announced the creation of a Special Solidarity Fund to fight against Covid-19.

As of 30 April, the IMF has offered Mali rapid credit facility relief to the tune of USD 166 Million (roughly 0.97% of GDP), and a further USD 10 million (0.06% of GDP) worth of debt pardon

28 April: The European Union has announced additional support to Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, of 194 million Euros. This comes after the EU pledged to mobilise 449 million Euros earlier on in April for the same 5 countries.

9 June: The African Development Bank has approved grant funding of USD 20 million in response to the economic impact of Covid-19 for Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.

On 22 July, the African Development Bank approved, a budget support of USD 284.8 million to support the efforts of the G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad) in the implementation of their response plans to the COVID-19 and economic recovery.

8 September: Mali is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that may be created by the DSSI is USD 52.3 million or 0.3% of GDP.
On 10 November, this was revised upwards to USD 82.5 million or 0.5% of GDP.

30 October: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon to Mali on debt servicing through the second tranche of Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust for USD 10.58 million (or 0.06% of GDP).

24 November: The West African Development Bank (BOAD) Board approved a loan of USD 55.4 million (approximately 0.4% of GDP) to help Mali mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

On 21 January, the World Bank has approved COVID-19 emergency funding of USD 3.4 million (0.02% of GDP) for Mali.

16 February: The International Fund for Agricultural Development has agreed to financing Mali's rural population resilience plan with USD 24.7 million (roughly 0.15% of the country's GDP).

20 February: Mali is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) for 2021. The potential fiscal space that could be USD 46.3 million or 0.3% of GDP over the first half of 2021. By end-June 2021, this amount was updated to USD 168.1 million or 1% of GDP.

On 18 March, 2021, the World Bank has approved for Mali a loan of USD 31.7 million (0.18% of GDP) as additional financing for Deployment of State Resources for Better Service Delivery and Local COVID-19 Response Project.

5 April: Under the third tranche of the CCRT, the IMF has offered debt relief to Mali to the tune of USD 10.9 million (equivalent to 0.63% of the country's GDP)

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: On April 27, Heads of States of the West-Africa Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) adopted a Declaration suspending temporarily the application of the Union’s Pact for Convergence, Stability, Growth and Solidarity among its member-countries. This suspension will allow member-countries to raise their overall fiscal deficit temporarily and use the additional external support provided by donors in response to the Covid-19 crisis.

On 4 February, the Ministry of Finance in Mali published their updated 2021-2023 Finance Law. The document (found here: https://www.finances.gouv.ml/sites/default/files/LF%202021_VF_04-01-2021.pdf) highlights financial reallocations in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, and also points out decreased revenues and increased expenditure for the financial year 2020/21.

30 March: The UEMOA has set up a COVID-19 voucher system for all countries in its ambit. This voucher system (worth CFAF 972 billion or USD 1.75 billion) will be accessible for all UEMOA member states as a means to stave off the impact of the pandemic, access vaccines and bolster health systems.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: On March 17, 2020, the President of the Republic announced the availability of an envelope of 6.3 billion CFA (USD 10.4 million or 0.06% of GDP) to fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. An action plan for the prevention and response to COVID-19 has been developed by the Government. This plan is budgeted up to 3.3 billion FCFA and revolves around prevention and management, that is to say the response.

By 23 April, the health response plan had been revised upwards to 0.5 % of GDP to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and strengthen its medical care capacity, in collaboration with the World Health Organization.

30 April: response plan is expected to widen the fiscal deficit from 3.5% of GDP projected prior to the crisis to 6.2% of GDP in 2020.

28 May: An amended Financial Bill has come into effect in light of the economic impact of Covid-19 on Mali's economy. The amendment has, among other things, allocated funds to a Covid-19 response plan for the country. The amended Financial Bill 2020 was published, along with an amended 2020 budget. The health budget in the country has been allocated a further FCAF 40 billion (USD 68.8 million, or 0.4% of GDP). For the full budget amendment, see the following French-only link: https://www.finances.gouv.ml/lois-des-finances/projet-de-loi-de-finances-rectificative-2020 .

15 September: COVID-19 prevention and medical support spending registered 60 percent execution; while the execution of other COVID-related spending, including spending on vulnerable households, had not yet started.

4 February 2021: According to the updated finance law passed in Mali, the Ministry of Finance has allocated a package of USD 138 million (0.8% of the country's GDP) to the health and social response for COVID-19 (including the purchase of medical equipment, upgrading of health facilities, and support packages to households and firms). After this initial response, though, the Minister of Finance alluded to a slowdown in social spending thereafter.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 7 May: As part of their commitment to the IMF, authorities commit to quarterly reporting of all COVID-19 spending, the commission of an independent and robust third-party audit of this spending in a year's time, and to publish its results. The Government will also publish regularly on its website documentation on large public procurement projects, together with ex-post validation of delivery along with the name of awarded companies and the name of their beneficial owner(s).

May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Mali was rated as having limited accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 July: The Mali government has announced a 3-month exemption from customs duties on the import of basic food (including rice and milk).

30 September: Mali has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

5 November: The government bans exports of personal protective equipment (e.g. masks, gels) and certain food products (rice, millet, sugar, milk, pasta)

25 January: Through COVAX, Mali's government says it has chosen to use the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in its plan to initially immunise 4.2 million people by the start of April. The council of ministers on Thursday in a statement released on social networks said it wanted to buy more than 8.4 million doses of the COVID vaccines which would cost more than USD 58 million. It however explained the funds would be sought with assistance from the financial contribution of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization and the World Bank.

5 March: Mali received 396,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX facility

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Mali has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

Business support and tax measures: No official measures taken by the Government in favor of enterprises. However, meetings between the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, the Prime Minister and the National Employers Council took place.

7 May: A package of economic measures was also announced to ease liquidity constraints on ailing firms, including an SMEs-support guarantee fund, clearing the budget spending float, granting tax deferral and relief to ease liquidity constraints on the hardest-hit companies, especially in the hospitality sector (hotels, restaurants, transportation).

30 July: The Mali government granted a 3-month exemption from VAT on electricity and water tariffs for businesses.

15 September: The government has provided revenue support to electricity and water SOEs so as to ensure their continued operations.

As part of the finance law passed on 4 January, the government of Mali has allocated a portion of USD 138 million (0.8% of GDP) to assisting businesses in the country in their recovery efforts post-COVID.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 7 May: The setup of a special fund to provide targeted income support to the poorest households, a mass distribution of grain and food for livestock to poorest households, the supply of electricity and water free of charge to the poorest consumers for the months of April and May 2020, a 3-month exemption from VAT on electricity and water tariffs, and a 3-month exemption from customs duties on the import of basic food (rice and milk).

7 May: 10 million masks were distributed to the population by the state.

13 May: The PARSANTE project has assisted with providing healthcare services and healthcare items (hydroalcoholic solutions, soap, thermometers, masks and gloves) to Malians.

25 May: Free distribution of fifty-six thousand tonnes of cereals and sixteen thousand tonnes of livestock food to vulnerable populations affected by COVID-19.

30 July: The government is implementing a package of social measures to support the most vulnerable households. Included in this package of social measures is the setup of a special fund to provide targeted income support, as well as assist in distributing grain and food for livestock to the poorest households.

1 March: The government has allocated CFAF 15 billion (USD 27.4 million, or 0.16% of the country's GDP) to the rollout of a feeding scheme in the country for those most affected by the pandemic. This CFAF 15 billion facility also includes space to purchase feed for subsistence animal breeders most impacted by COVID-19.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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World Bank
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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Africa News
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The European Commission

IMF Country Report

BCEAO Website

Relief Web

Ministry of Economy and Finance Website

CNBC Africa Website

Mali Ministry of Finance Website

Diario Online de Deportes

Mauritania

Tests p/million: 128

Confirmed cases: 59,304 Source

Confirmed deaths: 982 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 27.89% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 40.3% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 29 April: Balance of payments need stemming from the COVID-19 crisis are estimated at USD 370 million (7.1% of GDP). USD 210 million (4% of GDP) is required in additional health, medical supplies, social protection, SME support, foodstuff stocks, and security-related expenditures to address the pandemic.

Official COVID-19 links: http://www.sante.gov.mr/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 60

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 5,53%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 51%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 5,53%

Domestic and external financing: On 2 April, The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved a USD 5.2 million (0.1% of GDP) grant from the International Development Association to support Mauritania in strengthening the national public health preparedness to the COVID-19 pandemic. This new project complements USD 2 million (0.03% of GDP) of support provided under the existing Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement (REDISSE III) project for the national COVID-19 response plan.

The government on March 25 announced the creation of an emergency fund of about USD 80 million (1.1 % of GDP) for urgent procurements of medical supplies and equipment; subsidies to 30,000 poor households; and financial support to small individual businesses.

To help provide much-needed resources for health services and social protection programs, the IMF Board on April 23, 2020 granted to Mauritania an emergency financing of SDR 95.68 million (USD 130 million, or 2.5% of GDP) under the Rapid Credit Facility. The country has also appealed to development partners for additional financing.

28 April: The European Union has announced additional support to Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, of 194 million Euros. This comes after the EU pledged to mobilise 449 million Euros earlier on in April for the same 5 countries

31 May: UNICEF is attempting to earmark external grant financing for Mauritania of USD 17.3 million (roughly 0.3% of GDP) in order to assist the country with its Covid-19 response efforts.

9 June: The African Development Bank has approved grant funding of USD 20 million in response to the economic impact of Covid-19 for Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.

On 22 July, the African Development Bank approved, a budget support of USD 284.8 million to support the efforts of the G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad) in the implementation of their response plans to the COVID-19 and economic recovery.

On 31 July, The World Bank Board of Directors approved today a USD 70 million (roughly 1.3% of GDP) grant from the International Development Association (IDA) to support Mauritania in strengthening the response to the pandemic.

3 September: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board has approved the authorities’ request for an augmentation of access of SDR 20.24 million (about USD 28.7 million or 0.55% of GDP) to address higher-than-anticipated financing needs stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The augmentation brings total access under the ECF arrangement to SDR 136.16 million (about USD 193 million or 3.7%). The completion of this review allows Mauritania to draw SDR 36.80 million (about USD 52.2 million or 1% of GDP).

8 September: Mauritania is participating in the DSSI, given that the country is at a high risk for external and overall debt distress. This DSSI creates fiscal space of USD 90 million (or 1.2% of GDP). On 10 November, this debt relief was increased slightly to USD 90.8 million (still 1.2% of GDP)

9 September: The World Bank’s Development Committee and the G20 Finance Ministers endorsed the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) in response to a call by the World Bank and the IMF to grant debt-service suspension to the poorest countries to help them manage the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

31 October: The Global Partnership for Education has provided a conditional grant to Mauritania of USD 3.5 million (0.07% of GDP). This grant funding needs to be spent on bolstering the education system in light of the pandemic by making online learning resources available, inter alia.

11 February: Mauritania requested to participate in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative in 2021. This provides debt relief to the tune of USD 102.5 million (1.3% of GDP).

3 March: After completing the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement's sixth review, the IMF approved a USD 23.8 million disbursement (0.3% of GDP). These funds feed into the government's increased spending plans, which aims to boost the post-pandemic recovery.

21 May 2021: The AfDB approved approximately 3.6 million euros (USD 4.2 million, or 0.06% of GDP) in grant funding for Mauritania's Economic Governance and Investment Management Support Project, which is intended to strengthen the country's response to the pandemic.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 30 June: A COVID-19 fund has been set up but with no involvement from the Ministry of Finance.

28 August: Specific procedures have been set for direct purchases of supplies from the COVID-19 fund.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: End-March: The government is expected to announce soon a large set of measures to further address the pandemic and support the population and the economy, including financial assistance to negatively impacted people and businesses.

End-April 2020: The Ministry of Health has prepared a USD 10 million (0.13% of GDP) short-term response plan to contain the spread of COVID-19. The plan includes the procurement of medical supplies and equipment as well as the recruitment of additional medical staff.

29 April 2020: Government has programmed additional budget outlays of USD 143 million (2.2% of NEGDP) for health (USD 40 million), direct support for agricultural production (USD 53 million), direct support for SMEs (USD 18 million), and build-up of stocks of essential foodstuffs (USD 32 million) and stand ready to take further social action if the fluid situation deteriorates.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 29 April: The Government is committed to full transparency in the use of resources deployed for the emergency response, to channel all spending through the budget (including the social assistance fund), and to track, account for, and report in a transparent manner. To help deter misappropriation of crisis mitigation funds and assist fundraising from donors, the authorities will set up a supervisory committee for the social assistance fund and will ask the Court of Accounts to audit crisis mitigation spending once the crisis abates and to publish the results. They will also publish information on the Ministry of Finance’s website regarding public procurement contracts related to crisis mitigation, the names of the awarded companies and their beneficial owners, and ex-poste validation of delivery.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Mauritania has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

5 November: In order to ease the impact of the pandemic on households, the government of Mauritania will exempt various food products from taxes and customs duties until the end of 2020

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Mauritania is expected to receive 360 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO.

24 March: China donated 50 000 Sinopharm vaccines, which is the first delivery of vaccines to the nation.

On 26 March, Mauritania began its vaccination drive, starting with medical staff in the capital Nouakchott.

On 14 April, Mauritania received 69 500 AstraZeneca vaccines as part of the COVAX facility. In total, the nation has been allocated 300 000 vaccines.

0n 26 April, 31 200 vaccine doses arrived in Mauritania via the COVAX facility.; these were donated by France.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Mauritania has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

6 July 2021: Through the WHO's Mauritania COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Project (SPRP), additional funding of USD 15 million (or 0.2% of GDP) will be provided to the Government of Mauritania. The grant will provide upfront financing that will help the Government of Mauritania purchase and deploy COVID-19 vaccines that meet the Bank’s vaccine approval criteria (VAC), and strengthen relevant health systems that are necessary for a successful deployment and to prepare for the future.

Business support and tax measures: 29 April: Government has waived taxes on and SMEs (the government’s contribution to the fund represents about $67 million or 1% of GDP so far).

18 November: Heads of families working in the traditional fishing sector are exempt from all taxes and fees until the end of the year.

31 December: Mauritania's President announced a two month municipal tax exemption for small businesses and liberal professions.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 31 March: Measures to mitigate the socio-economic impact of these decisions are being implemented, such as the exemption of 174 707 households from paying electricity bills for two months. On April 8, the army started food distribution to vulnerable households in Nouakchott.

29 April: the authorities have deployed a sanitary preparedness plan to prevent and response to the pandemic. To mitigate the economic and social impact, they have set up a special social assistance fund (open to private funding) to procure urgent medical supplies and support 30 000 vulnerable households (about USD 14 million or 0.03% of GDP, in line with the existing cash transfer program supported by the World Bank).

10 June: In association with the Mauritanian government, the UNHCR and the World Food Programme have provided food and cash assistance to all refugees in the Mbera camp.

18 July 2021: In coordination with the government, the World Food Programme provided provided 1.136 mt of food and USD 1.9 million (0.02% of GDP) in cash transfers in May 2021.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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IMF Lending Tracker
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World Bank
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Reliefweb International
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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The European Commission
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The United Nations Refugee Agency

IMF Staff Country Reports

CNBC Africa Website

Relief Web Website

The Arab Weekly News Website

ITC Trademap

Global Partnership for Education

PWC Website

GAVI

Diario Online de deportes

Mauritius

Tests p/million: 6,510

Confirmed cases: 227,442 Source

Confirmed deaths: 1,000 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 74.18% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 76.74% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: The authorities have announced plans to increase public health spending by Rs 208 million (USD 5.2 million, or 0.04% of GDP), with half already disbursed. There are a range of other fiscal support measures including an additional Rs 4 billion (USD 100 million, or 0.8 % GDP) in financing.

31 August 2020: The expected financing requirement of a COVID-19 response plan has been re-estimated at approximately Rs 25.2 billion (USD 627.7 million, or 5.6% of GDP).

Official COVID-19 links: http://www.covid19.mu/

http://mof.govmu.org/English/Covid-19/Pages/default.aspx

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 532

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 9,96%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 48%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 9,96%

Domestic and external financing: 30 March: Through the Finance and Audit (COVID-19 Solidarity Fund) Regulations 2020, Government has set up a COVID-19 Solidarity Fund to provide support to the population and the community at large who are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The regulations do not set any “sunset” clause but require the remaining balances of the fund to accrue to the Consolidated Fund. Some countries provide for various uses of these balances.

22 May: The African Development Bank has approved a 188 million Euro loan (USD 210 million, or roughly 1.5% of GDP) to the Republic of Mauritius to finance a national budget support programme to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Group’s Board of Directors said Friday.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: The Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development constituted the COVID-19 Managing Committee.

13 May: COVID-19 and the Quarantine Bills were introduced into the National Assembly.

23 June: Authorities submitted the Supplementary Appropriation Bill (2019-2020) at the National Assembly.

On 7 August, the Government of Mauritius assented to the publication of the 2020 Finance Act. This act gives effect to relief measures outlined in the 2020/21 budget speech relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

4 February: The government submitted a supplementary appropriation bill for 2021 to the Mauritian parliament.

On 26 March 2021, the Ministry of Finance in Mauritius published its budget circular. In this circular, the Minister of Finance made calls, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, to all departments to reduce recurrent expenditure by a minimum of 25% compared to the voted provisions in the 2020/21 budget. Budget 2021/2022 will focus mainly on projects and schemes that have high impact on growth and job creation and reviewing processes and procedures to ensure effective and timely implementation of projects, and improvement in service delivery.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: On 13 March it was announced, additional funds of Rs 208 million (USD 5.2 million or 0.04% of GDP) are being made available to the Ministry of Health and Wellness for the acquisition of new medical accessories and equipment, of which Rs 108 million have already been disbursed. There are a range of other fiscal support measures including an additional Rs 4 billion (USD 100 million or 0.8 % GDP) in spending/financing.

On 4 June, the Mauritian government presented the amended 2020/2021 budget. The budget prioritises economic responses post-Covid, across various key sectors of the economy were discussed at a sectoral level. The Budget, seeks to maintain an equilibrium while ensuring the development of the country, promoting the welfare of the population, catering for vulnerable people of the social ladder and preserving employment.These allocations include the provision of MUR 12 billion (USD 303 million or 2.1% of GDP) for the construction of 12,000 social housing units, earmarking of MUR 34 million (USD 856,967) for support to local artists, and MUR 35 million (USD 882 172) for preservation and rehabilitation of historical and cultural sites. These are further broken down in English and French at the following link: http://budget.mof.govmu.org/

23 June: Authorities submitted the Supplementary Appropriation Bill (2019-2020) at the National Assembly. The revised budget breakdown is as follows: 1) Rs 1.2 billion (USD 29.9 million- 0.2% of GDP) for the purchase of Medical Supplies in connection with the COVID-19; 2) Rs 11.billion (USD 274 million or 2% of GDP) in respect of the Wage Assistance Scheme put in place to provide financial support to employees of the private sector who became technically unemployed during the COVID-19 lockdown/curfew period; 3) Rs 45 million (USD 1.2 million, or 0.01% of GDP) for basic food items distributed to families on the Social Register of Mauritius, those receiving Carers' Allowance as well as residents of homes in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic; 4) Rs 10 billion (USD 249 million- roughly 1.8% of GDP) as transfer to the National Resilience Fund for implementing schemes and programmes to ensure resilience in the wake of COVID-19.

31 August: The authorities have announced plans to increase general public health spending by Rs 1.3 billion (USD 32.4 million, or 0.3% of GDP)

4 February: Although no details have been provided as yet on expenditure breakdowns, the government has submitted a supplementary spending bill of Rs 17 billion (3.6% of GDP, or USD 506 million).

On 20 April, the National Assembly in Mauritius tabled a supplementary budget of USD 420.8 million (3% of GDP). Although the document has yet to be released publically, the focus of this supplementary budget will likely be to support the economy as it attempts to recover from the latest COVID-related economic lockdown.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 2 May: The accounts of the COVID-19 Soliddarity Fund formed by the Mauritian government and the Annual Report would be audited by the Director of Audit.

2 August: The government pounced on the opportunity to profit from the repatriation of over 3,500 Covid-19 stranded Mauritian workers abroad through a corrupt repatriation plan. The plan was coordinated in an exclusive public-private “partnership” between the government and Air Mauritius, a subsidiary of Mauritius Air Holdings Ltd, a major Mauritian tourism corporation, of which the government owns over 43%. The Jugnauth administration and Air Mauritius restricted travel to the island by any other means but its own. Then, it raised the prices in an attempt to aid the airline’s falling shares.

12 August: The Mauritiun government passed the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism Act for 2020, some of which details various transparency measures used to by the state to ensure that COVID-19-linked expenditure is above the board.

1 September: In Mauritius, the government portal includes a dedicated section on COVID-19 support detailing the various relief measures in implementation.

On 26 March, the ministry of finance in Mauritius published an updated monitoring report for the COVID-19 Solidarity Fund. In this report (found here: https://mof.govmu.org/Documents/Covid-19%20Solidarity%20Fund/Update%20as%20at%2026%20March%202021.pdf#search=vaccine), the ministry highlights all contributions to the fund by local and international sources, as well as a summary of the way in which these funds have been spent.

In June of 2021, the Ministry of Finance published its 2021/22 budget. In the document, the Minister of Finance stated that the ministry would set up a project implementation and monitoring agency aimed at monitoring, overseeing, co-ordinating and assisting the implementation of budgetary measures and projects (including those related to COVID-19) to ensure transparency.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 15 April: SADC Member States have established National Emergency Operations Centres to facilitate coordination of logistics and stockpiling for disasters at the national level. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies is being implemented to provide sustainable availability and access to affordable and effective essential medicine and health commodities, and Member States have been encouraged to utilise this facility for the procurement of the needed supplies for prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 and any other epidemics.

30 April: Hand sanitiser, other breathing appliances and gas masks, excluding protective masks having neither mechanical parts nor replaceable filters, and protective masks are being made zero-rated for VAT purposes. According to MRA, the measure will cost around Rs 5.5 million on a yearly basis.

5 November: The country has lifted the temporary ban on importation of live animals and fish from all EU countries, as well as China, Iran and South Korea to prop up the country's food security during the pandemic.

26 January: 60% of the Mauritian population is set to be vaccinated by the end of 2021, according to the country's vaccine rollout plan. So far, India has donated 100 000 AstraZeneca COVID vaccines to Mauritius. The adminsitration of those vaccines to frontline healthcare workers began during January 2021.

24 February: COVAX announced Mauritius' indicative distribution for the first half of 2021 of 100 800 AstraZeneca Vaccines through SKBioScience.

On 26 March, the ministry of finance in Mauritius published a monitoring report linked to the country's COVID-19 preparedness fund. As part of this, the document highlights that the fund has been used, in the main, to acquire vaccines for the people of the country. In total, Rs 400 million (USD 10 million, or 0.1% of GDP) has been spent on the national COVID-19 vaccination programme.

13 April 2021: The full procurement of vaccines against Covid-19 is being taken care of by Government. The vaccination programme is being financed from the National Budget.

13 April 2021: The National Covid-19 Vaccination Programme Fund has been set up as a Special Fund under the Finance and Audit Act, to finance the National Covid-19 Vaccination Programme. The objective of the Fund is mobilise and manage the funds required for the implementation of the Programme, including the costs of the vaccines, storage equipment, air freight and other logistic. The Fund consists of sums received from the National Budget; contributions from public enterprises and statutory bodies; contributions and donations from the private sector; contributions, donations, grants etc from any national or international organization, development partners, friendly countries or persons. By 13 April, the Fund has received contributions of Rs 431,916,998 (USD 10.5 million).

13 April 2021: Mauritius has initiated procedures for the procurement of vaccines through various sources, both at multilateral level and development partners as well as through bilateral cooperation. Through the COVAX facility, the Mauritian allocation is for 507,200 doses of which 100,800 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines were to be supplied in March/April. However, up to now only received 24,000 doses. Payments made to COVAX are as follows: Down payment: USD 811,521, and a Bank Guarantee of USD 3,350,690. USD 451,658 for the supply of 100,800 doses of AstraZeneca, including freight, insurance and handling charges. Through the African Union, the African Medical Supplies Platform allocation is 151,231 doses of Johnson & Johnson for which an amount of USD 230,198 has been paid as 15 % down payment. Serum Institute of India from whom they have received 100,000 doses of Covishield as donation and purchased 100,000 doses for an amount of USD 523,501.78. 200,000 doses are still outstanding. Bharat Biotechnologies India Limited from whom they have purchased 200,000 doses of Covaxin at the price of USD 3,456,702.10. 100,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines received as donation from the People’s Republic of China. An order has also been placed on the Russian Direct Investment Fund for the supply of 1,250,000 dose of Sputnik vaccines at the rate of USD 19.90 per dose. The order has not yet been confirmed. An order has been placed on the Afreximbank for the supply of 700,000 doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccines at the rate of USD 10 per dose. A down payment of USD 1,050,000 has been effected.

On 15 April, the government of Mauritius received 100 000 doses of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. Beyond this, the government announced that an additional order of 500 000 doses of Cthe Sinopharm vaccine has been ordered.

14 June 2021: The Minister of Finance presented the 2021-22 Budget. The new Mauritian budgetary measures ensure sustainability of its national COVID-19 vaccination campaign and encourage local manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines to better fight the pandemic. MUR 1 Billion (USD 28 million or 0.2% of GDP) will be injected in the economy to encourage the Mauritius Institute of Biotechnology, to produce COVID-19 vaccines and other pharmaceutical products. Attractive fiscal incentives in the form of tax credits and tax exemptions will be thus offered to private companies to construct purpose-built factories for manufacturing of pharmaceutical products.

Business support and tax measures: The State Investment Corporation will raise Rs 2.7 billion (0.5 % of GDP) to make equity investments in troubled firms. Government is waiving the fees payable by sellers of vegetables, haberdashery and general merchandise in markets around the island during the curfew period.

On 13 March it was announced, to support to economic operators, across all sectors of activities including local manufacturing and SMEs will require mobilisation of Rs 9 billion, out of which Rs 1 billion will be from the Consolidated Fund and the remaining Rs 8 billion from Public Bodies.
The Development Bank of Mauritius will give Rs 200 million (USD 5 million or 0.04 % of GDP) in credit for firms short on cash.
Affected firms will receive extra tax deductions.
Government has implement a Wage Assistance Scheme during the COVID-19 Curfew Period through the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA). Every business in the private sector will be entitled to receive an amount equivalent to the 15 days’ basic wage bill for all of its employees subject to a cap.
Eligible Self-Employed individuals will receive a financial support of Rs 5 100 (i.e. 50% of Guaranteed Income) for the period 16th March 2020 to 15th April 2020.
In addition to the moratorium of 6 months on capital repayments, eligible SMEs will also benefit from a moratorium of 6 months on interest payments on their existing loans with Commercial Banks.

15 May: Companies contributing to the Covid-19 solidarity fund in the country now qualify for various tax deductions. Further, companies having benefited from wage subsidies may be subject to a levy once the balance sheet of the company has recovered.

4 June: In order to ease business conditions in light of Covid-19, the Mauritius Revenue Authority will regulate fees on freight, whilst various fees for reinstating companies will be revised downwards from Rs 15 000 to Rs 5 000 (from USD 375 to USD 125). It was also announced that the Development Bank of Mauritius would offer loans at concessional rates for businesses within the agriculture sector. The same announcement pointed out that Rs 19 million (USD 476 000) would also go towards supporting firms and employees in the cultural/entertainment industry, given the economic impact of Covid-19 in the industry. The government introduced a levy for a company with annual gross income exceeding MUR 500 million or forming part of a
group with annual gross income exceeding MUR 500 million. Insurance, property and financial institutions will contribute 0.3% of annual gross profits, while other companies will contribute 0.1%.

5 June: Hotels operating in the tourism industry have been allowed to convert some rooms into residential structures due to Covid-19, and have been provided with waivers on state land rental payments and license fees due to Covid-19..

26 June: Tax return deadlines have been extended, with tax returns filed before or on 31 July not subject to interest/penalty assessments.

5 November: The Mauritian government has earmarked Rs 9 billion (USD 224 million, or 1.6% of GDP) to ensure that unemployment in the country doesn't rise drastically due to the pandemic. This funding will be made available from November until the end of June 2021, and will constitute the following interventions:
- Absorbing more individuals into training programmes to ensure that their employability be maintained in the ICT, construction, manufacturing, agro-processing, renewable energy and ICT sectors
- Rolling out employment support schemes to benefit SMMEs who collectively employ 11 000 individuals with a monthly payment of Rs 10 200 per capita (USD 253)
- Rolling out the air freight scheme which places the national carrier under administration and will assist in ensuring that jobs are preserved during the pandemic

15 March: To support SMMEs through the renewed economic lockdown, the central bank with support from the government have begun an interest-free loan scheme offering Rs 100 000 (USD 2 500) in support per company with a five-year repayment moratorium has been extended throughout economic sectors. This is above and beyond th extension of a preferential loan scheme for SMMEs in the country for as much as USD 25 000 without a guarantee, at 0.5% p.a.

On 20 March, the ministry of finance began a one-off grant scheme aimed specifically at all self-employed individuals in Mauritius of Rs 5 287 (roughly USD 125). On 10 April, this scheme was extended for a month to also include individuals in the tourism sector, and SMMEs, with a maximum level of per capita wage assistance set at Rs 25 375 (USD 634)

30 May 2021: The government has extended tax deadlines to the end of June 2021.

In June of 2021, The Ministry of Finance published the 2021/22 budget speech. In it, the minister stated that the Insolvency Bill will be updated to preserve businesses amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In the document, SMMEs are also able to access USD 23 000 worth of COVID relief grants. A further USD 23 000 can be accessed by women in entrepreneurship to increase female participation in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

19 July 2021: The Ministry of Finance released the Finance Bill for 2021. The bill includes proposed incentives and tax credits under the corporate tax regime to assist businesses stave off the impact of the pandemic on their balance sheets.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 15 April: All labor contracts set to expire this year are extended through December 3, 2020. The government will also introduce a Wage Support Scheme to limit the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 by providing financial support to employees who would become unemployed on a temporary basis.

15 April: Funds of an amount of Rs 2.6 billion (USD 65.5 million, or 0.5% of GDP) will be provided under the Wage Assistance Scheme.

30 March: Mauritian households impacted by COVID-19 may request their commercial banks for a moratorium of 6 months on capital repayments on their existing household loans as from the 1st April 2020.
In addition, for households earning a combined monthly basic salary of up to Rs 50 000 (USD 1 250) the Bank of Mauritius will bear the interest payable for the period 1st April 2020 to 30th June 2020 on their outstanding household loans with commercial banks.

30 May: Enterprises will be entitled to receive an amount equivalent to the 15 days’ basic wage bill for all of its employees drawing a monthly basic wage of up to Rs 50 000 (USD 1 250) subject to a cap of Rs 12 500 (USD 315) per employee.

9 April: The Ministry of Social Security in Mauritius announced that the 65 000 most vulnerable households in the country would benefit from a 20% reduction in their electricity bills going forward.

9 April: The Ministry of Social Security in Mauritius announced that a grant to all those informally employed of Rs 5 100 (USD 128) would be provided over the following months.

In June of 2021, the Ministry of Finance published its budget. In it, the following provisions were made to assist informally and self-employed individuals: Planters in the farming industry are able to obtain COVID-19 relief of up to Rs 1 million (USD 23 000); Fishermen are eligible to obtain COVID relief of up to Rs 1 million (USD 23 000).

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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Africa Health Stats
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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ENSAfrica
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Bank of Mauritius

Ministry of Finance Website

EY Website

KPMG Website

ITC Trademap

Bowmans Website

Africa News

GAVI

Bloomberg

Anadolu Agency News

Ministry of Social Security and National Solidarity Website

All Africa Report

Morocco

Tests p/million: 260

Confirmed cases: 1,185,990 Source

Confirmed deaths: 16,087 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 62.73% (2022-06-15)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 66.79% (2022-06-15)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 7 May: Moroccan authorities have authorised a special COVID-19 relief fund, which amounts to USD 3.2 billion (2.7% of national GDP), and will be financed by a mixture of government and voluntary contributions.

5 November 2020: An updated estimate of the plan to ease economic recovery and recover employment levels which were weakened drastically due to COVID-19 envisages a financing package of DRH 120 billion (USD 13.2 billion, or roughly 11.1% of GDP). Just over two thirds of this USD 13.2 billion will be used to finance loans guaranteed by the state.

Official COVID-19 links: http://www.covidmaroc.ma/Pages/AccueilAR.aspx

https://www.sante.gov.ma/Pages/Accueil.aspx

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 218

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 9%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 49%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 9%

Domestic and external financing: On 6 April, it was announced that Morocco's government will suspend its USD 3 billion foreign-debt ceiling, allowing it to borrow more money as it tries to respond to the coronavirus crisis.

The EU has granted 450 million Euros (0.43% of GDP) to Morocco to help with its emergency fiscal package.

On April 7, the Moroccan authorities purchased all available resources (about USD 3 billion or 2.5% of GDP) under the Precautionary and Liquidity Line (PLL) arrangement with the IMF. The authorities will use funds to cope with the social and economic impact of COVID-19 and to maintain strong external buffers.

King Mohammed VI launched the Special Fund for Management and Response to COVID-19 earlier this month. The fund initially held USD 1 billion (or 0.83% of GDP), a figure that more than doubled thanks to donations from public and private sector institutions, as well as individuals. Fund donors include King Mohammed VI, government officials, and several banks. Morocco’s Ministry of Economy launched an SMS messaging option for anyone wishing to contribute to national efforts under the fund.

30 May: The EU has contributed 157 million Euros to Morocco's special fund, and has pledged more grants by the end of the year.

16 June: The World Bank has allocated USD 13.01 million (0.01% of GDP) of undisbursed funds from its existing health programme, and raised a further USD 35 million (0.03% of GDP), to assist in Morocco's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

31 August: The European Investment Bank has released the first tranche (USD 118 million or 0.1% of GDP) of a concessional loan to assist in the country's healthcare response to COVID-19

4 November: The African Development Bank has made USD 140.2 (0.1% of GDP) million of loan funding available to Morocco in attempts to bolster their COVID-19 response efforts.

3 December: The World Bank approved a loan of USD 400 million (0.33% of GDP) to support Morocco's Social Protection Emergency Response Project. The project is intended to provide support to poor households during the pandemic.

7 December: The KfW Development Bank is supporting Morocco's loan guarantee scheme for small and young enterprises by providing EUR 400 million in loans (USD 484 million, or 0.4% of GDP).

11 May 2021: The AfDB provided USD 1 million (% of GDP) in grant funding for Morocco's post-pandemic recovery.

17 June 2021: The World Bank provided a USD 450 million (% of GD) loan for the Second Financial and Digital Inclusion Development Policy Financing, which, in part, articulates Morocco’s response to COVID-19 by supporting digital access.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: End-April: The Moroccan government has launched a new economic monitoring committee to follow the developments of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and mitigate its impact on the national economy. The new committee will develop measures and mechanisms to closely follow up on the developments of the epidemic and find ways to support the economic sectors directly affected by the global health threat, notably tourism and transport. Chaired by Minister of Economy.

12 May: According to a circular issued by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministries and the High Commission, a single portal for administrative correspondence, was created to allow administrations and citizens to interact with administration and send their administrative correspondence remotely. An electronic administrative correspondence service has also been set up to manage incoming and outgoing mail, as well as those exchanged between internal services at the central and decentralised levels of administrations and to enable administrations to dematerialise administrative documents, electronic signature and workflow management. All public administrations will be able to use this application for free , in addition to that, the agency of digital development offer personalized assistance according to the specific needs of each other, in parallel training is provided remotely to help users to take full advantage of these solutions.

20 July: Moroccan authorities have revised and tabled their budget.

28 August: Morocco, like several other Francophone countries, has established special earmarked accounts, competes d’affectation spéciale. On the revenue side, these accounts are meant to be funded primarily from resources outside the state budget, such as donations from individuals and firms and donor grants. On the spending side, they are usually subject to simplified, lighter-than-usual authorisation procedures, but still managed by the Treasury.

16 November 2020: In light of the pandemic, the Finance Law for 2020 has been amended and passed to support the housing sector.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 31 March: Morocco reallocated 150 million Euros from the current budget to the Special Fund for the Management of Covid-19.

20 July: Moroccan authorities have revised their budget. The revised budget contains no major tax measures but aims to provide economic relief while limiting the rise in spending. The authorities estimate that around 1.5% of GDP in spending will be geared towards supporting the economic recovery and have enhanced the mechanism for state guarantees on bank loans to SMEs, under which 1.7% of GDP in loans has been extended so far. The revised budget also increases the government's investment spending by 22% (2.5% of GDP). Higher spending on health and other goods and services is offset through savings on payroll and other recurrent expenditure as well as through lower spending on butane gas subsidies as international prices are now projected to be 17% below the initial budget assumptions.

The government has also allocated MAD16 billion (USD 1.7 billion or 1.5% of GDP) to support state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Around MAD6 billion has been earmarked to shoring up the national airline, Royal Air Maroc (RAM), including MAD2.5 billion (USD 270 million or 0.23% of GDP) in loan guarantees. Support to RAM will be conditional on the implementation of a comprehensive restructuring plan, including a 30% reduction in capacity and headcount, according to media reports. Total SOE debt is comparatively high, at around 25% of GDP, of which around 14% of GDP is guaranteed by the sovereign, raising contingent liability risks in a volatile economic environment.

21 October 2020: In order to finance increased healthcare expenditure and expenditure on the recovery of the housing market in Morocco, the proposed Finance Bill for 2020 reprioritised USD 7 billion from the education sector. This number is expected to be updated once the finalised Finance Bill is published.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 12 February: Transparency and corruption remain issues in Morocco, and the pandemic response has not been immune. Despite the National Anti-Corruption Strategy being adopted, there has been no tangible change. During the pandemic, there has been suspicious awarding of contracts and overall poor procurement controls. Public officials who commit wrong-doings have been shielded from repercussions.

In May 2021, a paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Morocco ranked among the countries with the lowest degree of transparency and accountability regarding COVID-related spending and financing.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Morocco has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

5 November: Morocco has implemented the following import and export restrictions and liberalisations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Customs duties on certain foodstuffs have been suspended
- Certain PPE items now require export licenses to be exported (a prohibitive measure meant to decrease exports of these goods)

1 January: Morocco ordered 65 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China and of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Serum Institute India and Russia's R-Pharm.

On 28 January, Morocco began its vaccination campaign. The nation plans to vaccinate 80% of Moroccans over a period of three months subject to further vaccine availability.

1 February: In the third week of January, Morocco received 2 million doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first African country to get a large enough shipment to start rolling out a nationwide free immunisation programme.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Morocco is expected to receive 1 881 600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO.

8 February: Moroccan King Mohammed VI received the first shot of COVID-19 vaccine at the end of January as a nationwide vaccination campaign was launched across 3,000 locations, a day after Morocco received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines from China's Sinopharm.

26 March: The Moroccan Health Ministry announced it is expecting to receive 4.2 million vaccines soon (2 million Sinopharm doses, 1 million Sputnik doses and 1.2 million AstraZeneca doses).

On 30 April, Morocco received 500 000 Sinopharm vaccine doses from China, increasing the country's total vaccine supply to 9.5 million.

As of 1 May, 5 055 239 Moroccans received at least one vaccine dose (13.9% of the population) and 4 260 605 have been fully vaccinated (11.7% of the population).

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Morocco has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

5 July 2021: Morocco will invest a USD 500 million (0.42% of GDP) budget to launch its COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing project; the country aims to start with the production of five million doses of COVID-19 vaccines per month through Sothema, a local pharmaceutical firm.

Business support and tax measures: On March 16, the Economic Monitoring Committee CVE announced that all companies with an annual turnover of less than MAD 20 million (USD 2 million) can, if they wish, postpone their tax payment deadlines from March 31 to the end of June. Moroccan companies with an annual turnover equal to or higher than MAD 20 million can request a postponement of their tax payment deadlines.

30 March: Companies can benefit from the suspension of social security contributions for the period from March 1 to June 30, 2020 with graceful remission of late payment increases for this period for employers in difficulty.

On 24 April, Companies can benefit from the suspension of social security contributions for the period from March 1 to June 30, 2020 with graceful remission of late payment increases for this period for employers in difficulty.

12 May: The launch of the product DAMANE OXYGENE, a guarantee product put in place by MEFRA with the Caisse Centrale de Guarantee (CCG), aims to provide coverage for an exceptional overdraft up to 95% for SMEs and mid-sized companies with a turnover of between 200 million and 500 million DH (between USD 20 million and USD 50 million), and whose activities have been impacted by the crisis.

28 May: Deadline for CIT returns due 31 March 2020 is extended until the end of the emergency state- practical aspects yet to be confirmed as this is supposed to cover only taxpayers encountering difficulties due to the current crisis.

24 July: Responding to the COVID-19 impact on the Moroccan economy, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has provided USD 100 million (0.9% pf GDP) loan to Banque Centrale Populaire (BCP) for on-lending to local private businesses that have been severely impacted by the pandemic.

On August 6, the authorities announced a plan to sustain the economic recovery and employment levels. The plan envisages the mobilization of DRH 120 billion (USD 13 million or 0.01% of GDP), mainly in the form of credit guarantees to firms and funding for a newly -created “Fund for Strategic Investment”, which will finance investment projects (including PPPs) and sustain the capital of firms that needs equity injections to develop their business. In addition, the government has decided to accelerate payment to its suppliers to support businesses.

16 November: The 2020 Finance Law has been amended to provide COVID-19 assistance to companies in the real estate sector in the following ways:
- The government has suspended the real estate price reference framework until such time as the market gains back some of its losses
- Registration fees are exempted for purchasers of social housing purchasing at prices between MAD 140 000 and MAD 250 000 (USD 15 000 to USD 27 400) in the hopes of boosting demand for real estate in the sector until December 31 2020
- Registration fees have been cut by as much as 50% on residential land or land intended for residential use, provided that the price of such land does not exceed MAD 2.5 million (USD 274 000)

9 April: The government is assisting businesses and employees through the pandemic by providing compensation (COVID-19 allowances until 31 May 2021) to employees and trainees facing temporary loss of employment in certain sub-sectors: cultural and artistic industries, private gyms, private nurseries,and tourism.

29 June 2021: The government launched three new facilities to provide financing to small real estate and tourism firms, providing loans worth approximately USD 120 million (0.1% of GDP) to these firms in total.

Financing social assistance and food relief: End-April: Employees registered under the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) will benefit from a MAD 2,000 (USD 200) monthly stipend, in addition to family allowances and health coverage. Meanwhile, workers in the informal sector who cannot practice their activity due to the lockdown will receive compensation through the National Medical Assistance Program (RAMED). Households of two people or less will receive MAD 800 (USD 80) monthly, while households of three to four people will receive MAD 1,000 (USD 100). Households of more than four members will benefit from MAD 1,200 (USD 120) monthly.

End-April: The Economic Watch Committee (Comité de veille économique) (CVE) decided to activate a mobile payment device to transfer cash to workers operating in the informal sector adversely affected by COVID-19 (only for those who have been directly affected by the confinement. The electronic cash transfer program will reach half of the informal sector workers (estimated 3 million workers to receive payment). The speed and scale is facilitated by the use of a health insurance fee waiver registry in the first phase and a simple payment mechanism.

End-April: The CNSS will ensure transfer of family allowance/child allowance and reimbursements of medical expenses through the Compulsory Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie Obligatoire).

End-April: Formal employees who lose their jobs and are registered with the pension fund will receive 2,000 dirhams ($203) a month (MAD1,000 for March, MAD2,000 for April, May and June) and defer debt payments until 30 June.

28 May: Deadline for filing individual income tax returns due before 1 April is extended until the end of the emergency state - practical aspects yet to be confirmed.

2 June: The government has implemented medical aid coverage and a pension scheme from which approximately 11 million Moroccans (5 million self-employed workers and their beneficiaries) will benefit.

9 September: The government also took measures to support households working in the informal sector. Households’ benefiting from the non-contributory health insurance (RAMED) received a monthly mobile payment of DRH 800-1200 (USD 80-120). Other households which do not benefit from RAMED can claim cash support by registering online. In April, 85 percent of eligible households in the informal sectoral were covered.

1 April 2021: The government extended earlier implemented social transfers to temporarily unemployed workers and deferred social contributions for some sectors until 31 March 2021.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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IMF Lending Tracker
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Public Debt Net
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Morocco World News
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Ugo Gentilini
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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The European Commission
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The OECD

The North African Post

The World Bank

The Bank Al-Maghrib Website

The African Development Bank

ITC Trademap

EIB Website

Morocco World News Website

Quartz Africa

GAVI

Yahoo! Finance

International Budget Partnership

Mozambique

Tests p/million: 24

Confirmed cases: 227,127 Source

Confirmed deaths: 2,209 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 66.24% (2022-05-29)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 68.98% (2022-05-29)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 11 May: While more details regarding the expected financing needs of the Mozambican Covid-19 response plan are being fleshed out, the government expects the health portion of its intervention plan alone to cost close to USD 260 million (approximately 1.77% of GDP) .

20 January: In a review of 2020 COVID-related finances, the government stated that the state required USD 100 million to assist in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. To date, the amount of USD 111 million has been raised.

On 9 July 2021, in a publication outlining the usage of COVID-19 related funds, the Ministry of Finance provided an updated estimate of financing requirements to stave off the impact of COVID-19. In total, the financial requirement is roughly USD 700 million (4.6% of GDP). This is broken down into four themes: Prevention and treatment of COVID-19 (USD 100 million, as estimated in January 2021); Mitigation of the budgetary impacts of COVID-19 (USD 200 million); Social transfers to families (USD 240 million to aid 1 695 004 families); Microenterprise support (USD 160 million).

Official COVID-19 links: https://covid19.ins.gov.mz/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 33

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 8,35%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 7,67%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 8,35%

Domestic and external financing: The Government of Mozambique has asked for USD 700 million (roughly 4.8% of GDP) from development partners to help combat the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mozambique is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust

On 27 April, the IMF has provided Mozambique with a loan equivalent to USD 309 Million (2.1% of GDP), under their rapid credit facility. This is earmarked for the healthcare sectors, as well as for support to SMEs within the country.

6 May: The EU is expected to provide 110 million Euros (approximately 0.84% of GDP) to assist Mozambique in their Covid-19 containment measures.

4 June: The Humanitarian Country Team in Mozambique has earmarked funding of USD 68.1 million (0.5% of GDP) to assist Mozambique with its Covid-19 response.

26 June: The African Development Bank has approved USD 8.9 million in grant funding for 6 SADC countries (Lesotho, Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe).

8 September: Mozambique is participating in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space created by this DSSI amounts to USD 249.2 million, or approximately 1.6% of the country's GDP. This was increased to USD 290 million, or roughly 1.9% of GDP

2 October: A second tranche from the IMF's CCRT has provided Mozambique with USD 13.35 million (0.04% of GDP) worth of debt relief.

22 October: The World Bank approved a USD 100 million grant (roughly 0.7% of GDP) to assist Mozambique in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

11 February: The World Bank's DSSI has now created additional fiscal space for Mozambique to the effect of USD 250.2 million, or 1.6% of the country's GDP. This amount of debt forgiveness is set to come into place between January and June of 2021.

22 February: The World Bank has provided a third tranch of funding to Mozambique of USD 26.2 million (0.17% of GDP) to assist in the country's response to COVID-19.

On 3 June 2021, the World Bank provided USD 115 million (0.8% of GDP) of grant funding to Mozambique to assist the country increase vaccination rollout.

3 June 2021: The African Development Bank provided a grant of USD 1.6 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) to purchase health materials in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Mozambique.

On 9 July 2021, the Ministry of Finance published its 2020 balance of social development statement. In it, the minister outlined that the bank of Mozambique issued USD 500 million (3.3% of GDP) of financing to banks in Mozambique throughout the last fiscal year as a means to access and subsequently provide liquidity to businesses and individuals during the crisis.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 15 April: Simplified licensing for the import of essential goods and total exemption from customs duties and miscellaneous taxes on imports of medicines and reagents, as well as, all the COVID-19 prevention material.

7 May: A committee with special powers to make resource allocation decisions has been created.

7 May: An exceptional public procurement regime has been announced for the purchase of urgent goods and services necessary to control and combat the pandemic.

31 August: The Ministry of the Economy and Finances in Mozambique published its Medium Term Fiscal for 2021-2023 in light of COVID-19. In it, while revenues are surprisingly expected to increase slightly (from 23% of GDP to 23.1% of GDP), expenditure has increased at a faster pace (from 32.2% to 33.9% of GDP). This has increased Mozambique's debt to GDP ratio to 113.7%. In order to reign this debt in, the Mozambican government is aiming to reign in public debt to only 101% of GDP by 2023.

29 September: Although the 2021 general budget is yet to be passed, a proposal document for the 2021 budget has been published by the government of Mozambique. While not specific, this document alludes to various reprioritisations based on decreased revenues and increased expenditures in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: On 2 April, to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, the Council of Ministers approved by Decree 12/2020, a set of fiscal measures to safeguard human life, public health and the functioning of services, which will be in force during the State of Emergency.

On March 27, the government increased the budget allocation for the health sector, from about MT2 billion (roughly USD 28 million, or 0.2% of GDP) to about MT3.3 billion (0.3% of GDP or USD 46 million). Revenue measures to ease pressures on families and the health sector are being implemented.The overall fiscal deficit is expected to increase significantly in 2020 owing to lower revenues—resulting from lower activity and fiscal measures to support the private sector—and higher spending on health and social transfers to the poorest segments in society.

15 April: The health budget has been revised upwards from USD 30 million (0.2% of GDP) to USD 50 million (0.4% of GDP) this year.

25 August: According to the Situational COVID-19 report issued by the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, the government has allocated a total of USD 79.5 million to the health sector for the acquisition of PPE and ventilators to date. This translates to roughly 0.5% of GDP.

31 August: The Ministry of the Economy and Finances in Mozambique published its Medium-term Fiscal Framework for 2021-2023 in light of COVID-19. In it, while revenues are surprisingly expected to increase slightly (from 23% of GDP to 23.1% of GDP), expenditure has increased at a faster pace (from 32.2% to 33.9% of GDP). This has increased Mozambique's debt to GDP ratio to 113.7%. In order to reign this debt in, the Mozambican government is aiming to reign in public debt to only 101% of GDP by 2023.

29 September: Although the 2021 general budget is yet to be passed, a proposal document for the 2021 budget has been published by the government of Mozambique. While not specific, this document alludes to the fact that taking out foreign debt will likely not be a solution to funding gaps created by COVID-19. Instead, reallocations/reprioritisations to areas like social assistance and protection, healthcare, education and sanitation/hygiene.

20 January: In a review of its 2020 finances, the government stated that the following reallocations and updates were made with respect to the original 2020 budget::
- USD 183 million (1.2% of GDP) related to lost revenue due to a decline in GDP
- USD 4.7 million (0.03% of GDP) was attributed to emergency interventions in the education space (to enable offline learning)
- USD 15 million (0.09% of GDP) was provided as support to SMMEs
- USD 12.7 million (0.08% of GDP) was allocated to bolstering the healthcare system
- USD 8.3 million (0.05% of GDP) was allocated to improving social security nets offered within the country during the pandemic.

31 March: The government released an expenditure update for the first quarter of 2021. The document highlights an additional amount of USD 66.641 million (0.44% of GDP) to assist the Ministry of Health in curbing the spread of the virus and an additional amount of USD 15.247 million (0.1% of GDP) to assist the central hospital in Maputo with combating the pandemic.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 24 April: All acts relating to expenses in the context of combating Covid-19 will be publicly announced, to allow them to be scrutinised by Mozambican society and the international community. As part of its commitment to the IMF, the authorities will undertake independent audits of crisis-mitigation spending and related procurement processes once the pandemic abates and will publish the audited results. In the interim, they will publish the related large public procurement contracts and their beneficiaries.

28 June: Reports outlining all in-going and outgoing donations related to Covid-19 (both cash and in-kind) are gazetted to be published by the Ministry of Health in Mozambique.

2 August: In June, Mozambican authorities detained two journalists in Sofala province, central Mozambique, on Covid-19 related corruption charges, according to the Office for Combating Corruption (GCCC) in the province.

13 November: The government has published reports on the status of commitments to partners during the COVID-19 pandemic as a means to improve transparency. These reports detail expenditure breakdowns and disbursements received by various partners.

On 20 January, the Ministry of Finance published a document outlining all expenditure and support received with respect to the COVID-19 crisis during 2020. Further details about the fund within which the revenue was deposited into were also provided.

In May 2021, a paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Mozambique was rated as having limited accountability.

On 9 July 2021, the Ministry of Finance in Mozambique published a COVID-19 funding usage report, outlining the way in which COVID-19 financing from domestic and foreign parties was spent.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 15 April: The Government is monitoring prices of essential goods for preventing price gouging and redirecting the industrial sector toward the production of goods necessary for the prevention and mitigation of the Covid-19 pandemic.

15 April: SADC Member States have established National Emergency Operations Centres to facilitate coordination of logistics and stockpiling for disasters at the national level. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies is being implemented to provide sustainable availability and access to affordable and effective essential medicine and health commodities, and Member States have been encouraged to utilise this facility for the procurement of the needed supplies for prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 and any other epidemics.

30 September: Mozambique has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

5 November: Mozambique has suspended import tariffs on oil and hygenic products

25 January: The government of Mozambique has secured 70 000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, set to be distributed to frontline health professionals between February and March.

24 February: COVAX announced Mozambique's indicative distribution for the first half of 2021 through the AMC of 2,424,000 AstraZeneca Vaccines through Serum Institute India.

24 February: Mozambique on Wednesday received 200,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine donated by China. India has also pledged to donate 100,000 shots to Mozambique.

12 March: Mozambique is set to receive an additional 1.7 million vaccines from various bilateral sources by May.

31 March 2021: In its expenditure update, the Ministry of Finance in Mozambique highlighted that a portion of the additional support to the Minstry of Health (of USD 66.641 million, or 0.44% of GDP) had been diverted towards the purchase of vaccines.

On 3 June 2021, the World Bank approved a USD 100 million (0.65% of GDP) grant from the International Development Association (IDA) and a USD 15 million (0.1% of GDP) grant from the Global Financing Facility (GFF) in support of Mozambique’s efforts to expand its current COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

1 July 2021: The Mozambique Government received 500 000 doses of vaccine against the coronavirus that causes the Covid-19 respiratory disease, purchased by 318 private companies.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Mozambique has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

Business support and tax measures: On 30 March, the President announced the need to adopt fiscal and monetary policy measures to support the private sector to address the economic impact of the pandemic.

30 March: Extension of the Decree on Exemption from Payment of Charges (Fines, Interest, tax enforcement) resulting from the delay in paying tax obligations until December 2020.

15 May: VAT exemptions for sugar, cooking oil and soap have now taken effect in order to alleviate pressures on consumers who have been impacted by Covid-19.

24 May: The National Institute of Social Security (INSS) will establish a MZN 600 million (USD 8.6 million or 0.05% of GDP) fund to alleviate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

1 June: Mozambique's Council of Ministry has approved various tax measures, relating to the waiver of advance income tax payments during the state of emergency and the deferral of special advance payments (minimum tax). Further, taxpayers may offset VAT input credits against any other tax debts.

25 August: The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Action has, to date, provided USD 15 million (0.1% of GDP) worth of preferential credit services to 200 SMEs as a means to ensure that these SMEs remain operational. The remaining amount earmarked to assist these SMEs over the next 6 months (until February 2021) is USD 160 million (1.1% of GDP)

29 September 2020: Although the 2021 general budget is yet to be passed, a proposal document for the 2021 budget has been published by the government of Mozambique. While not specific, the document states that there will be a continuation of subsidies to businesses who have suffered production and revenue deficits in light of the pandemic.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 26 May: The government of Mozambique has requested food security support for 1 million vulnerable households to the effect of USD 20 million given the country's decreased food security due to Covid-19.

29 May: The EU, together with UNICEF, delivered 11 tons of medical supplies to Mozambique. These supplies include 145 000 masks, 30 000 medical overalls, 192 no-contact thermometers, and 600 pairs of goggles.

29 September 2020: Although the 2021 general budget is yet to be passed, a proposal document for the 2021 budget has been published by the government of Mozambique. While not specific, the document states that a wider social assistance net will be cast to assist those most affected by the pandemic.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
_
National Government Website
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National COVID response website
_
John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
_
Further Africa News
_
Club of Mozambique News
_
IMF Country Report

The Presidency of Mozambique

Xinhua News Website

Relief Web

Bank of Mozambique Website

US Embassy in Mozambique Website

Orbitrax Website

Africa Inc Magazine

Ministry of the Economy and Finance Website

World Bank Website

ITC Trademap

Xinhuanet

GAVI

TimesLive

Diario Online de deportes

Namibia

Tests p/million: 142

Confirmed cases: 168,868 Source

Confirmed deaths: 4,056 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 16.49% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 19.19% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: On 1 April, the government launched the 8 billion Namibian Dollar Economic Stimulus and Relief Package to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 (USD 425 million or 4.25 % of GDP).

17 March 2021: The initial N 8.1 billion fiscal stimulus package was scaled up to N 9.1 billion (USD 0.63 billion, or 5.1% of GDP). The multi-pronged stimulus package comprises purchase of medical supplies and PPE, emergency income grant, wage subsidy and salary protection, various construction activities, mostly aimed at promoting water and sanitation in school hostels, and water supply in rural and urban areas

Official COVID-19 links: http://www.mhss.gov.na/corona

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 600

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 14%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 7,72%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 14%

Domestic and external financing: 25 April: The EU has donated 8.4 million Euros (approximately 0.06% of GDP) to Namibia as a means to assist with it's (Namibia's) response to Covid-19.

8 May: The UN country team in Namibia has re-programmed USD 3.725 million (0.03% of GDP) to minimise the impact of Covid-19 on public health and socio-economic wellbeing in Namibia.

29 July: Namibia has approached the International Monetary Fund for a 4.5 billion Namibian dollar (USD 273 million or 2% of GDP) emergency loan to help the government battle the Covid-19 pandemic.

On 31 March, the IMF approved a USD 270.83 million (2.2% of GDP) loan to Namibia under the Rapid Financing Instrument. These funds will help address fiscal imbalances, and specifically to assist the country with vaccination procurement and roll-out.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: On 28 April, the president of Namibia suspended more than 20 provisions across various employment, criminal and price control acts due to the Covid-19 epidemic as a means to ease the transition through the economic impact related to the virus in the country. A full list of these changes can be found at https://www.tralac.org/documents/resources/covid-19/countries/3550-namibia-proclamation-state-of-emergency-covid-19-suspension-of-operation-of-provisions-of-certain-laws-and-ancillary-matters-regulations-28-april-2020/file.html.

On 27 May, the Namibian budget statement, as well as updates to the Namibian Appropropriation Bill and Expenditure Framework were tabled. In these documents, officials outlined the changes needed and being made by the fiscus in order to mitigate some of the economic impact of Covid-19 on the Namibian economy. A more detailed discussion of these documents can be found at https://mof.gov.na/budget.

8 July: The earlier released budget proposes an increase in the rate of excise tax on alcohol and tobacco products (so-called “sin taxes”). The establishment of the Namibia Revenue Authority is a key administrative proposal for 2020-2021. Other proposals from previous budgets are still under review and pending consultations, and include proposals for; (I) Introduction of a 10% dividend tax for residents; (ii) Repeal of the conduit principle that would result in the taxation of trusts; (iii) Imposing “normal” corporate income tax on income derived from commercial activities of charitable, religious, educational and other types of institutions; (iv) Introduction of value added tax (VAT) on the income of “listed asset” managers; (v) Removing zero-rating VAT with respect to sugar; (vi) Mandatory requirement for vendors to issue tax invoices for VAT purposes; (vii) Phase out of tax incentives for manufacturers and exporters of manufactured goods; (viii) Repeal the provisions of the export processing zone rules; (ix) Introduction of a “special economic zones” regime. The proposal to disallow the tax deductibility of royalties for mining entities was withdrawn.

14 February: The Namibian government is allowing businesses to negotiate a temporary salary reduction during the pandemic. Negotiations are to be conducted though a consultative process with employees and labour unions. The worst affected industries can negotiate up to a 40% reduction while other industries can reduce salaries by up to 20%.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: On 1 April, the government launched the Economic Stimulus and Relief Package to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 (8 billion Namibian Dollars, or USD 425 million (4.25 % of GDP)), including I) expenditure measures of 2.2 bn (USD 123 million) for health, wage subsidies, and income grants; and ii) guarantees of up to 2.3 bn (USD 128 million) to support low interest loans for small and agricultural businesses, and individuals. The government called off the Independence Celebrations and reallocated the corresponding financial outlay to the fight against COVID-19.

27 May: An emergency budget reallocation frontloaded a further 727 million Namibian Dollars (USD 49 million or 0.3% of GDP) specifically into the healthcare sector in Namibia. This is in conjunction with an emergency budget which was made available to the Ministry of Basic Education, Arts and Culture of 600 million Namibian Dollars (USD 40 million or 0.26% of GDP). This was against a backdrop of a 14.3 percent decrease in expected revenue collection from 59.7 billion Namibian Dollars in the MTEF target document to 51.4 billion Namibian Dollars (from USD 4 billion to USD 3.4 billion or from 28 to 23% of GDP).

20 March: The 2021/22 budget was tabled at N 67.9 billion (USD 4.74 billion, or 39% of GDP), of which, N 8.1 billion (USD 0.56 billion, or 4.6% of GDP) was allocated to the Ministry of Health and Social Services. With regard to the COVID-19 response, the budget prioritises a vaccination plan, the purchase of pharmaceuticals and providing health services across the country.

Transparency, accountability and participation: On May 27, the 2020/20201-2022/2023 Fiscal Strategy, the Development Budget for FY 2020/21, and the Government Accountability Report 2018/19 were presented along with the updated 2020/2021 budget. These documents outline various avenues through which the Namibian government will report throughout (and after) the Covid-19 financial crisis.

2 August: In April 2020 the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development identified SMEs across the country to make masks on behalf of the government of Namibia. However, Market Namibia Tender Bulletin later reported that the ministry did not issue a public tender for the procurement of suitable materials for mask production. No information was available on where the ministry had got the material that was distributed to mask makers, but it was reported that the material was valued at N$40,000 (USD 2,400). According to the Procurement Tracker Namibia, the masks were to be provided for between N$15 (USD 0.91) – N$25 (USD 1.51), but the price had been increased drastically by some of the state-sponsored mask manufacturers, resulting in a public uproar. Mask makers, however, claimed that the material provided by the government was not of a good quality and that they had to buy better fabric, which pushed up the price of masks.

In May 2021, a paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Namibia ranked among the countries with a limited degree of transparency and accountability regarding COVID-related spending and financing.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 15 April: SADC Member States have established National Emergency Operations Centres to facilitate coordination of logistics and stockpiling for disasters at the national level. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies is being implemented to provide sustainable availability and access to affordable and effective essential medicine and health commodities, and Member States have been encouraged to utilise this facility for the procurement of the needed supplies for prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 and any other epidemics.

30 September: Namibia has submitted non-binding confirmations of intent to participate in the COVAX Facility, a Gavi-coordinated pooled procurement mechanism for new COVID-19 vaccines. Namibia would be able to use the mechanism to buy and procure COVID-19 vaccines at the cheaper prices Gavi has negotiated — but the country would have to allow COVAX to procure and buy the vaccines on its behalf.

5 November: Face masks and hand sanitisers will now require an export permit in order to be exported from Namibia. This is to disincentivise the exporting of goods necessary for the Namibian fight against COVID-19.

30 November: Namibia has approved an upfront payment of NAD 26.4 million (USD 1.7 million or 0.01% of GDP) to the COVAX global COVID-19 vaccine distribution scheme, which will give it access to COVID-19 vaccines for 20% of its population. The government also signed a Financial Commitment Agreement on 5th November 2020 for the remaining USD 9 096 780. Apart from the COVAX Facility, there have been engagements with Pfizer on a bilateral basis, China, Russia, and other countries that are making great progress in the manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines for possible bilateral deals and or donations. Additional resources need to be secured for acquisition of additional doses to vaccinate at least up to 60% of the population. The government has called upon the medical aid industry to support beneficiaries of their medical aid scheme to access the vaccine. In the same vein, the government will be engaging Cooperate Namibia for support.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Namibia is expected to receive 127 200 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO.

18 February: Despite efficacy concerns, Namibian health authorities have announced that they will proceed with the AstraZeneca vaccine. The first consignment of vaccines should arrive by late-February.

24 February: Namibian officials said Beijing would donate 100,000 doses of vaccines and that India would donate 30,000 shots.

On 23 March, Namibia began its vaccination campaign with the vaccines received from China and India.

On 16 April, Namibia received 24 000 AstraZeneca vaccines as part of the COVAX facility. The country has thus far been allocated a total of 108 000.

On 21 May 2021, Namibia received its second batch of vaccines from the COVAX facility, comprising 43 000 doses.

On 25 June, a representative from the Namibian Health Ministry mentioned that the country is anticipating a further 150 000 Sinopharm vaccines, 100 000 AstraZeneca vaccines, 80 000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines and 80 000 of Russia's Sputnik V vaccines. The anouncement came in the midst of Namibia's third wave at a time when the country is running out of vaccines and other health supplies.

Business support and tax measures: 30 April: Fast-tracked payment of overdue and undisputed invoices for goods and services provided to GRN to inject about N$800 million to businesses.

30 April: A 500 million Namibian Dollar (USD 29 million, or 0.2% of GDP) non-agricultural small business loan scheme to be disbursed through the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) and a 200 million Namibian Dollar (USD 12 million or 0.09% of GDP) agricultural business loan scheme to be disbursed by the Agricultural Bank of Namibia.

30 April: Tax-back loan scheme for non-mining corporates capped at 470 million Namibian Dollars (USD 27 million, or 0.19% of GDP) and a tax-back loan scheme for individuals that are tax registered and paying (PAYE) guaranteed by the government to the tune of 1.1 billion Namibian Dollars (USD 63.8 million, or 0.44% of GDP)

7 May: Tax-back loan scheme for tax registered and tax paying (PAYE) employees and self-employed individual persons who have lost income or part thereof.

7 May: Taxpayers can borrow an amount equal to 1/12th of their tax payment in the previous tax year, to be repaid after one year. The interest rate will be favourably low at the prime lending rate less 1% on the back of a Government guarantee.

9 September: The Bank of Namibia announced it will participate in the operationalization of the loan guarantee program, providing 50 million Namibian dollars (USD 3 million or 2.25% of GDP) in capital targeted to SME credit.

1 November: 95% of interest balances on taxes will be eradicated for all taxpayers during the pandemic up until February 21. The government also announced that all penalties for taxpayers who settle capital amounts by February 1 2021 will be reversed. Thereafter, and for the next 12 months, 75% of interest balances on tax will be eradicated in order to improve taxpayers financial positions during the pandemic.

14 February: Government announced it will provide a wage subsidy to prevent further job losses. The subsidy is offered to the tourism, travel and aviation and construction sectors.

17 March: According to the 2021/22 budget, the Development Bank of Namibia will continue the loan guarantee scheme worth N 450 million (USD 31.4 million, or 0.3% of GDP).

29 June 2021: The Namibian President established a Business Rescue Task Force to review business and insolvency legislation with the aim of rescuing businesses in financial distress. This was spurred by the mining and tourism industries being severely affected by the pandemic.

Financing social assistance and food relief: On 1 April, the Minister of Finance announced a new grant for people who were struggling as a result of the pandemic. Just over one week later – on Thursday 9 April – he announced details of the once-off Emergency Income Grant of N$750, to be paid to people aged 18-59 who had lost informal livelihoods or were already unemployed. People who had been formally employed but had lost their jobs would be supported through a separate scheme, through Namibia’s Social Security Commission. Applicants for Namibia’s Emergency Income Grant could registered by sending an SMS to a toll-free number and following a set of clear and simple instructions. Applicants did not need to use their own phones but they did need to use a Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) phone. Payment will be made within 7 days utilising the banking sector’s ATM infrastructure. The total amount for this measure is costed at a maximum of N$562.00 million.

15 May: Government will ensure that water points are kept open without a need for water cards during lockdowns, through NamWater and Local Authorities that will subsidize this critical service.

27 May: the National Employment and Salary Protection Scheme for Covid-19 was launched in collaboration with the Namibian Social Security Commission. Wage subsidies to the effect of 645 million Namibian Dollars (USD 43.3 million) have been committed to this scheme and are aimed at preserving the earning power of those most vulnerable in the labour market.

On 15 June, the government announced it will extend the deadline of submitting Individual Income Tax returns from end-June to end-September (not the payment of taxes due, which is still end-June).

29 June: Relaxation of labour regulations has been utilised to ensure the protection of jobs. Employers will be allowed to negotiate temporary decreases in salaries by 20% and 40% decreases for sectors that are worst-hit.

14 February: The Ministry of Finance and the Social Security Commission will be providing a relief package worth N$653 million (USD 45.1 million, or 0.36% of GDP) to relieve the impact of COVID-19 on various at-risk individuals within the economy.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Ugo Gentilini
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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Southern Times Africa

Ministry of Finance Namibia

IOL News Website

TRALAC Official Website

Africa Business in Brief

ITC Trademap

GAVI

Times Live

Reuters

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

European Commission

International Budget Partnership

Niger

Tests p/million: 183

Confirmed cases: 9,031 Source

Confirmed deaths: 310 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 6.19% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 8.75% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: A plan has been presented to donors with an estimated cost of USD 600 million (7.4% of GDP), divided into an immediate health response and broader economic and social mitigation.

May 7: This crisis plan was revised, and it is now expected to cost USD 1.5 billion (18.4% of GDP).

14 April: The cost of the riposte plan is estimated at CFAF 597 billion (USD 999 million or 7.6% of GDP). To be fully implemented, the plan requires significant amount of grants and concessional financial support from the international community as it will entail losses of domestic revenue and increases in public expenditure in favor of health and social programs.

Official COVID-19 links: —

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 15

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 5,69%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 59%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 5,69%

Domestic and external financing: On 14 April, SDR 83.66 million (USD 114.9 million or 1.2% of GDP) was provided by the IMF through its Rapid Credit Facility.

Niger is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust. Debt relief of USD 7.72 million (0.08% of GDP) has been provided.

On 15 April, the World Bank approved USD 13.95 million to prevent, detect and respond to the threat posed by COVID-19 and strengthen national systems for public health preparedness in Niger. The IMF provided emergency funding of USD 114.5 million (or 0.15% of GDP) in addition to relief from its debt service.

28 April: The European Union has announced additional support to Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, of 194 million Euros. This comes after the EU pledged to mobilise 449 million Euros earlier on in April for the same 5 countries

18 May: The EU has granted Niger 31 million Euros (approximately 0.4% of GDP) as a means to assist against the economic impact of Covid-19 on the country.

10 May: UNICEF has begun the process of providing Niger with USD 17.4 million (0.2% of GDP) in an attempt to assist Niger in its Covid-19 response.

9 June: The African Development Bank has approved grant funding of USD 20 million in response to the economic impact of Covid-19 for Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.

On 10 June: The UNHCR, in preparation of the revised COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan to be executed in the next 9 months, has earmarked USD 7.4 million (or 0.08% of GDP) for Niger.

29 June: The Niger government received a USD 25 000 grant from South Korea in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

22 July: The African Development Bank Board approved a grant of USD 53.7 million and loan of USD 55.1 (between 0.4 and 0.5% of GDP) million to help Niger mitigate impacts of COVID-19.

On 3 August, the World Bank approved USD 100 million (0.9% of GDP) to assist Niger in governance

On 6 August, the World Bank approved a USD 250 million budget support package for Niger (approximately 2.3% of GDP), with a strong focus on Niger's COVID-19 response and recovery plan.

8 September: Niger is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that may be created by the DSSI is USD 25.8 million or 0.2% of GDP. On 10 November, this debt relief amount increased slightly to USD 26 million (still 0.2% of GDP).

2 October: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon to Niger on debt servicing through the second tranche of Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust for USD 7.95 million (or 0.06% of GDP).

30 October: The African Development Bank Board approved a loan of USD 35 million (0.3% of GDP) to help mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19 in rural areas in Niger.

20 February, 2021: Niger is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) for 2021. The potential fiscal space that could be USD 24 million or 0.2% of GDP over the first half of 2021. By end-June 2021, this amount was updated to USD 75.2 million or 0.6% of GDP.

5 April: The IMF, through the third tranche of its CCRT, has offered debt relief to Niger of USD 13.51 million (0.1% of GDP).

On 25 June 2021, the World Bank approved Additional Financing for Niger COVID-19 Emergency Response Project for USD 29.2 million (or 0.2% of GDP).

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 15 April: Establishment of removal credit facilities for any importer who wishes for a period of 15 to 90 days, subject to production of a bank guarantee.

On April 27, Heads of states of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) declared a temporary suspension of the WAEMU Growth and Stability Pact setting six convergence criteria, including the 3 % of GDP fiscal deficit rule, to help member-countries cope with the fallout of COVID-19. This temporary suspension will allow member-countries to raise their overall fiscal deficit temporarily and use the additional external support provided by donors in response to COVID-19. The Heads of States’ Declaration sets a clear expectation that fiscal consolidation will resume once the crisis is over.

7 May: A committee with special powers to make resource allocation decisions has been created.

30 March 2021: The Minister of Finance of Niger held a press briefing in which he pointed out expenditure growth of 20.8% in 2020 as a result of COVID-19 in comparison to revenue which grew at 3.7%. This, in turn, widened the primary deficit in the country. In order to curb the impact of the pandemic, the Finance Minister also alluded to the fact that the UEMOA has set up a COVID-19 voucher system for all countries in its ambit. This voucher system (worth CFAF 972 billion or USD 1.75 billion) will be accessible for all UEMOA member states as a means to stave off the impact of the pandemic, access vaccines and bolster health systems.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: end-April: To fund the emergency response plan, 1 billion CFA (USD 1.6 million) from the national budget will be provided.

On 8 May, the cabinet approved a supplementary budget with 1.3 % of GDP in resources re-allocated to additional spending toward health, security and social assistance.

14 April 2021: The fiscal deficit has been revised to 5% of GDP, compared to 2.7% of GDP previously projected.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 14 April: When requesting assistance from the IMF, the government committed to refrain from crisis measures that would permanently damage the revenue base, maintain fiscal transparency by enshrining fiscal crisis measures in a supplementary budget, and centralise the costing and the keeping count of crisis measures at the Ministry of Finance.

May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Niger was rated as having limited accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Mozambique has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

30 September: The authorities have started price controls for essential goods (foods and medicines) for a period of 3 months

5 November: The government of Niger has made all goods necessary for the combat of COVID-19 customs free, reducing tariffs on various PPE to 0%.

14 April : Niger received 355,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX facility

On 30 June 2021, the World Bank announced it will be providing more than USD 4 billion for 51 developing countries to purchase and roll-out vaccines; Niger is among these countries. More than half of these funds are offered on grant or concessional basis, via the Bank's IDA fund.

10 June 2021: Niger is among the 92 low- and lower-middle income countries set to receive its share of 500 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinces.

Business support and tax measures: 15 April: Exemption from VAT for the entire duration of lockdown for interurban land transport.
Postponement of the payment of the second installment tax for the transport sector to May 1, 2020 instead of March 1.
Application of a reduced rate of 10% in terms of VAT in the hotel sector.
Suspension of proceedings for the recovery of taxes and duties for three (3) months, ie until June 30, 2020 for travel agencies.
Suspension of collection of taxes for two (2) months from April 1, 2020 for bars and drinking places and sport and leisure sectors.
Application of a depreciation rate for buildings of 5% instead of 2% to take into account the importance of the capital invested in the hotel sector.
Exemption from duties and taxes on all taxed products which fall within the scope of the fight against the coronavirus.

7 May: Tax relief is being discussed with respect to businesses in the worst-impacted sectors within the economy of Niger.

29 June: The Finance Ministry also announced credit support to the private sector in the form of loan guarantees. The revised cost includes large-scale support for agricultural production, revenue shortfalls, and the building of liquidity buffers.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 15 April: Two months of free utilities for vulnerable households and distribution of food from the strategic reserve will be provided. Reinforcement of the annual support plan to support vulnerable people (free distribution of food for the most deprived, sale at moderate price, etc.).

Since 23 April 2020, price controls for essential goods have been implemented for the period of Ramadan.

May 7: The state has provided 2 months of free utilities to vulnerable households

29 May 2020: In order to assist in the health services effort, the government of Niger is funding the training of an additional 2 700 healthcare workers to ease the pressure on the healthcare sector currently.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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ILO
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Finance Ministry-Niger
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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World Bank
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Ecofin Agency Website
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The European Commission

IMF Country Report

Relief Web

BCEAO Website

CNBC Africa Website

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

Nigeria

Tests p/million: 24

Confirmed cases: 256,573 Source

Confirmed deaths: 3,144 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 7.96% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 12.96% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: In March, it was estimated that to procure all needed equipment, material and infrastructure over N 120 billion (USD 308 million) would need to be raised.

By 6 April 2020, approval had been given to create a USD 1.39 billion (roughly 0.35% of GDP) Coronavirus Crisis Intervention Fund to strengthen healthcare infrastructure.

Official COVID-19 links: https://covid19.ncdc.gov.ng/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 28

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 5,01%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 75%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 5,01%

Domestic and external financing: In March, The Central Bank of Nigeria announced an intervention fund of N1.1 trillion (USD 2.5 billion or 0.6% of GDP). N1.0 trillion (USD 2.5 billion or roughly 0.55% of GDP) will be used to support local manufacturing to boost import substitution, while N100 billion (USD 250 million or 0.06% of GDP) will be used to support the health services sector and products. In addition, N900 billion (USD 2.3 billion- approximately 0.5% of GDP) will be made available to pharmaceutical companies through loan interventions to re-establish drug manufacturing firms. It is expected that through these interventions, about N3.5 trillion would be injected as stimulus to support the Nigerian economy during this trying time.
In April, Nigeria’s Central Bank launched a drive to raise N120 billion (USD 3 billion, or 0.8% of GDP) from the private sector to source equipment and infrastructure to fight the pandemic. As of 8 May, N28 billion (USD 72 million- approximately 0.02% of GDP) had been received under the Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) Fund, domiciled at the CBN and the five COVID-19 donors in the Treasury Single Account (TSA) sub-accounts.
In April, Nigeria asked for USD 2.5 billion (roughly 0.55% of GDP) from the World Bank and USD 1 billion (a further 0.2% of GDP) from the African Development Bank.
As of 16 April, a USD 50 million (0.01% of GDP) grant had been approved by the European Union.
As of 28 April, the IMF has allocated a loan to Nigeria of USD 3.4 billion (0.9% of GDP).

29 May: An EU-IOM partnership seeks to mobilise just over 1 million Euros to alleviate the impact of Covid-19 on migrants/refugees in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, and Senegal.

24 June: Contingency funds of N984 million (USD2.7 million, less than 0.01% of GDP) have been released to Nigeria’s Center for Disease Control, and an additional N6.5 billion (USD 18 million; also less than 0.01% of GDP) was distributed for purchasing more testing kits, opening isolation centers and training medical personnel. Grant of N10 billion (USD28 million or 0.01% of GDP) was released to the Lagos State to increase its capacity to contain the outbreak.

25 June: The Nigeria Solidarity and Support Fund was established, looking to raise USD 50 million to support physical infrastructure of healthcare centers in Local Governments and existing Social Investment Program.

7 August: The World Bank Board of Directors approved a USD 114.28 million (or 0,0% of GDP) financing to help Nigeria prevent, detect and respond to the threat posed by COVID-19 with a specific focus on state level responses. This includes USD 100 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) and USD 14.28 million (or 0,0% of GDP) grant from the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility.

9 September: The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank on Friday approved a USD 288.5 million (or 0.0% of GDP) loan to help Nigeria tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate its impact on people and businesses.

9 September: The Federal Government adopted a revised budget for 2020 in response to the COVID-19 shock

10 November: The World Bank announced that Nigeria was eligible for USD 123.5 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) worth of debt relief (although this debt relief would not be under the DSSI and would not be covered under the joint Bank-Fund Debt Sustainability Framework for Low Income Countries). This has yet to be taken up by Nigeria, but is available.

4 February: The World Bank has updated the amount of debt suspension that Nigeria can receive from USD 123.5 million to USD 155.2 million (less than 0.01% of GDP). This is still yet to be accessed by the Nigerian government.

25 February: The African Development Bank has provided Nigeria with a USD 600 million (0.02% of GDP) loan to assist in the country's COVID-19 response efforts.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 31 March: An Economic Sustainability Committee (ESC) has been established, chaired by the Vice President to come up with a plan to turn the current challenges from COVID-19 pandemic to real opportunities for Nigerians by setting the economy on a solid footing.
On 5 May, The Minister of Finance was told to promptly liaise with the lawmakers to pass a supplementary budget for the utilisation of the funds based on estimated total collection for the year and it must detail the needs submitted by the affected line ministries together with estimated costs. Funds are to be appropriated directly to line ministries and spending units rather than to an intermediary. It is mandated that all collections into the commercial bank accounts should be swept into FGN Sub-Recurrent Account with the CBN. Only the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) is permitted to be used in making payment to necessary agencies in accordance with the laws, rules, and regulations, including those relating to the Public Procurement Act (subject to the guidance of the Bureau for Public Procurement).

7 May, the Accountant-General of the Federation had issued eight guidelines needed for the management of the COVID-19 Funds in Nigeria.

11 June: The existing budget reflects reallocations of budgetary appropriations requiring parliamentary approval as an expenditure measures used to finance COVID-19 related expenses. The government has also amended their PFM rules and processes to ensure rapid delivery of COVID-19 related goods and services through the creation of a special COVID-19 budget line. Borrowing programmes have been adjusted in order to bridge pandemic related financing needs and ensure increased cash management efficiency, and liquidity.

11 June: Two committees have been formed in order to increase coordination between finance ministries/ budget offices and other relevant line ministries at subnational and central government levels: (i) a Crisis Management Committee, headed by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning; (ii) an Economic Sustainability Committee.

11 June: The Ministry of Finance, following containment policies, has ensured business continuity through the use of virtual networks, submission of invoices by email, and streamlined security checks.

25 June: The Economic Sustainability Committee set up by President completed a response plan that recommends directing oil companies and oil service companies to sell foreign exchange to the CBN rather than the state oil corporation (NNPC) to improve foreign exchange supply.

30 June: the new budget deficit represents 3.55% of the GDP, which contravenes the Nigerian Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) (2007). The FRA, enacted to ensure prudent fiscal management and long-term macro-economic stability, stipulates that the budget deficit should not exceed 3% of the GDP, except in the cases of threats to national sovereignty and security.

On 8 October, the Nigerian Budget Office of the Federation tabled and presented the 2021 Appropriation Bill and the 2021 Budget Speech.

30 November: in collaboration with the United Nations in Nigeria (UNAIDS and UNDP), the FGoN launched a COVID-19 Basket Fund. The Basket Fund is to serve as the single COVID-19 financing and investment platform for international donors to channel their financial support to Nigeria in order to ensure that their support is used efficiently, effectively and impactfully.

8 February: Proceeds from unclaimed dividends of listed companies and unutilised amounts in dormant bank accounts outstanding for six years or more will be channelled to the COVID-19 fund. The unclaimed dividends and bank balances are subject to a perpetual trust to be managed by the Debt Management Office (DMO), with governing council to be chaired by the finance minister and co-chaired by a nominee from the organised private sector who is of impeccable integrity and reputation.

5 January: The government in Nigeria has tabled the 2021 Finance Bill, which seeks to amend aspects of the Companies Income Tax Act, the Personal Income Tax Act, andthe Tertiary Education Tax Act.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: On 27 March, the Federal Government released a grant of USD 26 million to Lagos State to increase its capacity to respond to COVID-19 outbreak.By 6 April, the government had provided 102.5 billion naira (USD 285 million) to support the healthcare sector. USD 21 million of this was from contingency funds released to Nigeria’s Center for Disease Control to equip, expand and provide personnel to its facilities and laboratories across the country.

By 24 April, announced plans to cut/delay non-essential capital spending by USD 4.4 billion (1 % of GDP).

On 7 April, The House of Representatives, an arm of Nigeria’s National Assembly, passed the Emergency Economic Stimulus Bill to boost Nigerian economy given the debilitating effect of COVID-19.

16 April: A N500bn COVID-19 crisis intervention Fund has been set up on budget to cover costs of much needed health equipment and medicine, as well as shore up the economy through public works programs.

By 23 April, it was decided in view of the current challenges facing the Federation, and highly uncertain revenue profile in the immediate future, to distribute N661.427 billion (USD 1.7 billion) only and save N119.550 billion (USD 306 million) in the Excess Oil Revenue Account.

25 June: The government is reviewing its 2020 budget and, given the expected large fall in oil revenues, announced plans to cut/delay non-essential capital spending by N1.5 trillion (close to 1 % of GDP).

9 September: The Federal Government adopted a revised budget for 2020 in response to the COVID-19 shock. The previously mentioned COVID-19 intervention fund is included in the revised budget, where this fund will facilitate the allocation of resources to additional health-related current and capital spending (tests, supplies and facilities) and public works programs to support the incomes of the vulnerable. The coverage of the conditional cash transfer program has been broadened and an allocation of N150 billion (USD 392 million or 0.0% of GDP) to support state and local governments’ spending needs has been made available through the budget.

On 8 October, the Budget of Economic Recovery and Resilence was passed. The budget detailed the following:
- That revenue available in light of the COVID-19 pandemic would be roughly N7.886 trillion (USD 20.7 billion, or 4.6% of GDP). In contrast, expenditure was expected to rise to N13.08 trillion (USD 34.3 billion, or 7.7% of GDP).
- That N1 trillion (USD 2.63 billion, or 0.6% of GDP) will be allocated to business safety nets for large agriculture and manufacturing businesses
- That N100 billion (USD 263 million, or 0.06% of GDP) will be allocated to the healthcare and pharmaceutical indystry
- That an additional N100 billion (again, USD 263 million or 0.06% of GDP) will be allocated to households and small businesses)

25 February:: A supplementary budget will be drawn up in March to cover the cost of Covid-19 vaccinations, for which no provision was made in the 2021 finance bill adopted in December.

As of 1 April, the supplementary budget has yet to be tabled at the National Assembly in Nigeria. However, the government has announced that an allocation of 296 billion Naira (USD 710 million, or 0.16% of the country's GDP) will be proposed for the procurement of vaccines.

On 22 June 2021, a supplementary budget was tabled by the National Assembly in Nigeria. The bulk of this budget comprises of security spending, but also includes COVID-19 related health and vaccination expenditure of roughly 163 billion Naira (USD 394 million, or 0.1% of GDP), much less than was originally anticipated.

On 7 July 2021, the Budget Office in Nigeria released its amended Medium-Term Economic Framework in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The document outlines that roughly 186 billion Naira (USD 439 million or 0.1% of GDP) had been transfered from special COVID-19 revenue accounts to interventions associated with COVID-19 across the Nigerian federation.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 5 May: The National Assembly asked that funds not be disbursed until after appropriation.

13 May: The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation must publicise daily, all inflows and outflows for the funds, and the statement must show the source of the outflow. All line ministries were also urged to publish detailed reports of their activities relating to COVID-19 Funds on their websites at the end of every week, while a Monthly Budget Performance Report shall be published on the Open Treasury Portal not later than 14 days following the end of the month. The last condition is that two weeks after the end of the pandemic, a comprehensive report of all receipts and payments shall be published on the OAGF Transparency Portal as well as other government websites, including those of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and Secretary to the Government of the Federation and OAGF.

21 May: Together with the IMF, the authorities have committed to: (i) strengthening the role of the Federal Audit Board in combating corruption and the asset-declaration framework; (ii) fully implementing the risk-based approach to AML/CFT supervision while ensuring the transparency of beneficial ownership of legal persons; (iii) creating specific budget lines to facilitate the tracking and reporting of emergency response expenditures and report funds released and expenditures incurred monthly on the transparency portal (http://opentreasury.gov.ng/); (iv) publishing procurement plans, procurement notices for all emergency response activities—including the name of awarded companies and of beneficial owners—on the Bureau of Public procurement website; and (v) publishing no later than three to six months after the end of the fiscal year the report of an independent audit into the emergency response expenditures and related procurement process, which will be conducted by the Auditor General of the Federation.

5 June: CSOs have been asked to help provide information to citizens about support policies and how to monitor them.

11 June: To ensure increased transparency and accountability with regards to COVID-19 financing and expenditure the following measures have been implemented; (i) all COVID-19 contracts are published; (ii) Internal audits are being conducted more frequently; and (iii) A supervisory committee for COVID-19 funding has been established.

6 August: Nigeria has built a portal to facilitate transparent procurement. NOCOPO (Nigeria Open Contracting Portal), which is still in its infancy, has a specific Covid-19 procurement page where all pandemic-related contracts are listed. This has allowed journalists and citizens to analyse the details of such contracts and improve public knowledge and awareness of the government’s response to the pandemic. NOCOPO was created through partnerships with Nigerian civil society.

5 January: As part of the 2021 Finance Bill, amendments to taxation and reporting policies have been made in relation to the donation of funds to COVID-related funds by businesses within the country. These amendments place a limit on the tax benefits associated with such donations to ensure that the system of tax exemptions is not abused.

In May 2021, a paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Nigeria ranked among the more transparent and accountable economies in this analysis, with a moderate degree of openness regarding COVID-related spending and financing.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 16 April: Import duty waivers for medicine and medical goods and pharmaceutical firms will be introduced.

11 June: As an efficiency and cost-effectiveness measure introduced into the healthcare financing and purchasing process, insurance for frontline healthcare workers has been provided.

30 September: Nigeria has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.
30 September: Nigeria covers all COVID-19-related health services, including food and accommodation, through the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

5 November: Nigeria has banned the import of certain food items due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is likely to spur production and consumption of domestic food items.

18 January: Nigeria has written to express interest in 10 million doses of the viral vector vaccine from the AU. The ministry of finance had released 10 billion naira (USD 26.27 million) to support domestic vaccine output as Nigeria was exploring options of “licensed production in collaboration with recognised institutions”. Last week the finance minister said the government was working on the type and quantity of COVID-19 vaccines to procure and would make financial provision for them.

8 February: Nigeria will receive 16.8 million doses from COVAX.

8 February: Faisal Shuaib, who heads the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, said Nigeria’s previous request for 10 million doses through the AU had been increased four-fold. Shuaib said the request was for 7.6 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, 15.3 million of the AstraZeneca vaccine and 18.4 million of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. He said the doses were expected to arrive by the end of April, adding that Nigeria was “exploring multiple payment options” for the doses including through the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) financing plan to make repayments in installments over five to seven years.

8 February: Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, has said that there is no provision in the 2021 Budget to fund the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines. Ahmed expressed the commitment of the National Assembly to provide a supplementary budget for additional spending on COVID-19 vaccines, if needed.

8 February: Ben Akabueze of the Budget Office said: "Vaccines for 20 per cent of the population will be donated while the balance of 50 per cent will be paid for by the government".

24 February: COVAX announced Nigeria's indicative distribution for the first half of 2021 through the AMC of 16,800,000 AstraZeneca Vaccines through Serum Institute India.

25 February: Nigeria will draw up a supplementary budget in March to cover the cost of Covid-19 vaccinations, for which no provision was made in the 2021 finance bill adopted in December, finance minister Zainab Ahmed said on Thursday. They are already releasing money to the health authority to start operation in the first batch of vaccines that is going to arrive the country in one week.

2 March: Nigeria received almost 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, supplied through the COVAX facility.

31 March: Due to the ease of administering the single jab, the government of Nigeria has chosen to shift away from the AstraZeneca vaccine in favour of the Johnson and Johnsons COVID-19 vaccine. In this light, the allocation of J&J vaccines to Nigeria has now increased to 29 850 000 which will cover roughly 15% of the country's population.

As of 1 April, the supplementary budget has yet to be tabled at the National Assembly in Nigeria. With that said, the Ministry of Health has stated that the proposed supplementary budget item focused on the procurement of vaccines will be to the tune of 296 billion Naira. This request for financing is equivalent to USD 710 million, or 0.16% of the country's GDP.

13 April 2021: The African Union has approved approximately 41,000,000 doses of AstraZeneca (22.9M doses) and Johnson & Johnson (18.4M doses) of COVID-19 vaccines in Q2. The Government of India has decided to donate 100,000 doses of Covishield (AstraZeneca) vaccines to the FGoN from the Serum Institute of India. Nigeria is also to receive 1,500,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from MTN starting with 500,000 doses.

10 June 2021: Nigeria is among the 92 low- and lower-middle income countries set to receive its share of 500 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinces. These vaccines are to be donated by the United States of America between August 2021 and June 2022.

On 15 June 2021, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency said in a press briefing that Nigeria is expecting a second batch of COVID-19 vaccines via the COVAX facility to arrive by the end of July. The second batch will comprise of 3.92 million Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines.

12 July: Nigerian lawmakers approved USD 111 million for the COVID-19 vaccine programme. This will be financed through an existing World Bank loan as well as other grants with another USD 92.5 million coming from special reserve accounts.

Business support and tax measures: 16 April: A temporary fiscal support package—not yet fully costed—is expected to provide relief for taxpayers and incentivize employers to retain and recruit staff during the downturn, through measures such as income tax relief equal to a 50% rebate on payroll tax for their employees.

16 April: Electricity tariff increases – planned for April 2020 – have been postponed to July. In line with lower international oil prices, regulated fuel prices have been reduced, fuel subsidies eliminated, and an automatic fuel pricing formula has been put in place to ensure fuel subsidies do not reemerge.

25 June: A fiscal stimulus package, in the form of a COVID-19 intervention fund of N500 billion (USD1.4 billion, or 0.35% of GDP), has been approved by the President to support healthcare facilities, provide relief for taxpayers and incentivize employers to retain and recruit staff during the downturn. Import duty waivers for pharmaceutical firms will be introduced.

30 June: The Government granted a three-month moratorium on government intervention loans. There are about 2m of these small scale government intervention loans which provide petty traders, farmers and small businesses with access to capital.

9 September: The authorities have also unveiled a N2.3 trillion (USD 6 billion or 2% of GDP) stimulus package which focuses on job-intensive projects including in agricultural, road, and housing sectors—a bulk of which is to be financed from CBN-supported credit facilities and from sovereign wealth and other savings funds.

On 8 October, the Nigerian Budget Office of the Federation proposed that N1 trillion (USD 2.63 billion or 0.6% of GDP) would be allocated to assisting large agriculture and manufacturing businesses in 2021 to assist them in their recovery. The budget office also allocated an undisclosed proportion of N100 billion (0.06% of GDP or USD 263 million) to assisting SMMEs in their business recovery during 2021.

9 November: The Federal Inland Revenue Service has issued a notice announcing an additional period of relief from penalties and interest in response to the pandemic. Affected taxpayers will have until 31 December to settle outstanding tax debts.

5 January: As part of COVID-19 measures, the following amendments are proposed in the finance bill for 2021:
- A decrease in the minimum company tax rate from 0.5% to 0.25% of turnover until 31 December 2021
- Amendments to the taxation of donations related to COVID-19 by companies
- Levying tax on individuals who may not reside in Nigeria but whose economic presence in Nigeria is significant.
- Exempt small businesses with turnover of N25 million (USD 6 000) from the payment of education related levies and taxes.

20 July 2021: Tax authorities in Nigeria announced taxpayer deadline extensions, interest and penalty waivers, and the suspension of the imposition of new taxes until the ramifications of the pandemic were moderated.

Financing social assistance and food relief: End-March: A 3-month moratorium on mobile money.

End-April: Commenced cash transfers to poorest households to cushion effect of the pandemic. Conditional cash transfers for two months have been made available and displaced people will receive two months of food rations. Beneficiaries are those whose bank account balance is less than N5,000 and who recharge their phones with not more than N100.

End-April: Relief material is being provided to communities around Abuja and school feeding schemes will be sustained. 70,000 Metric Tonnes of Grains from Nigeria’s National Strategic Grain Reserves, for distribution to poor and vulnerable persons in frontline COVID19 States, as well as persons whose livelihoods will be affected by the lockdown.

End-April: The CBN created a N50 billion fund to support households and SMEs affected by COVID-19; introduced credit support for the healthcare sector.

End-April: The Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) has aligned with the federal government to provide a two-month period of free electricity supply to all customers nationwide.

14 May: The Covid-Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund aims to crowd-fund USD 50 million (roughly 0.02% of GDP) in an effort to support Covid-19 relief efforts in Nigeria.

25 June: Regulated fuel prices have been reduced, and an automatic fuel price formula introduced to ensure fuel subsidies are eliminated. The President also ordered an increase of the social register by 1 million households to 3.6 million to help cushion the effect of the lockdown

30 June: With the growing incidence of the virus and the social distancing measures put in place, the government has added an additional one million households to the cash transfer scheme and beneficiaries will now receive a ₦20,000 ($52) payout. This represents an advance payment, rather than an increase in the monthly stipend.

On 8 October, the Nigerian Budget Office of the Federation allocated an undisclosed proportion of N100 billion (0.06% of GDP or USD 263 million) to households in the form of social assistance and wage subsidies.

14 January 2021: Throuh the country's Special Public Works Programme, an estimated 750 00 young Nigerians will be provided with temporary jobs in the public sector that pay USD 53 per month. This is used as a means to alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 on those individuals.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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IMF Lending Tracker
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Public Debt Net
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Finance Ministry- Nigeria
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Ventures Africa
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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Africa News
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ENS Africa
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Central Bank of Nigeria
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IMF Country Report

CNBC Africa Website

PWC Nigeria

The Africa Report News Website

Global Citizens Website

ITC Trademap

Daily Maverick

GAVI

Reuters

This Day

KPMG GMS Covid Tracker

BDP Tax News

The Guardian

Sunday Times

Ministry of Finance Twitter

World Health Organization Website

Health Policy Watch

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

Republic of the Congo

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 24,128 Source

Confirmed deaths: 385 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 11.53% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 12.27% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 15 April: The overall cost of the response plan to the COVID-19 epidemic has been estimated at 100 billion XAF (USD 135 million) (1.6% of GDP) to (i) strengthen early detection and surveillance and foster technical and operational coordination within the government; (ii) improve the quality of medical care to infected patients; and (iii) develop effective preventive communication strategies and enhance medical logistic platforms.

20 May: The overall cost of the response plan to the COVID 19 epidemic has been estimated at USD 170 million (100 billion XAF), equivalent to 1.6% of 2020 GDP, to date the government has made available to the Ministry of Health the amount of USD 1.4 million. The EU, WFP, France are getting together to provide support for the poorest segments of the population with combined support amounting to about 3 billion XAF as of now.

Official COVID-19 links: As of 7 April, government websites had not been updated to include COVID-19 responses

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 111

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 3,92%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 50%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 3,92%

Domestic and external financing: The EU, WFP, France are getting together to provide support for the poorest segments of the population with combined support amounting to about 3 billion XAF (USD 5 million, or 0.04% of GDP) as of now.

On 23 April, the World Bank approved USD 11.3 million (roughly 0.1% of GDP) in financing from the International Development Association (IDA) to help the Republic of the Congo fight COVID-19 (coronavirus) and respond to public health emergencies.

Congo is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust.

10 April: The European Union will support the Congolese government's response plan against the coronavirus, with approximately CFAF 2.3 billion (USD 1.7 million, or approximately 0.01% of GDP).

On 24 June, the World Bank approved USD 50 million (roughly 0.15% of GDP) of emergency COVID-19 response funding for the Congo.

30 August: UN agencies provided roughly USD 8 million (0.02% of GDP) in funding to support Congo's COVID-19 response efforts.

8 September: Congo is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that may be created by the DSSI is USD 146.2 million or 0.4% of GDP. On November 10, the amount of debt suspension was amended upwards to 1.4% of GDP or USD 182 million.

4 February: UN agencies provided about 7 billion XAF or (USD 12.54 million, or 0.12% of GDP) to support COVID-19 efforts.

5 February: China will forgive USD 13 million in public debt (0.03% of GDP).

11 February: Congo requested to participate in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative in 2021. This implies a potential saving of USD 277.6 million (1.5% of GDP).

02 April: The Chinese government provided Congo with a grant of XAF35 bil (USD 63 million or 0,18% of GDP) to support the country's COVID-19 response.

2 June 2021: The World Bank approved USD12 million (0.1% of GDP) in additional financing from the International Development Association (IDA) to support the government's efforts to expand free, equitable and informed access to vaccines.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 30 August 2020: A special COVID-19 fund has been set up to finance the COVID-19 health response. A special solidarity fund has also been set up to support enterprises affected by COVID-19.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: At 27 March 2020, the government has made USD 1.4 million available to the Ministry of Health.

23 April 2020: The government of Congo has adopted an amended finance bill of CFA 1083 billion (USD 1.8 Billion) against CFA 2175 billion (USD 3.6 billion) for the initial finance law. The decline in the national budget is correlative to that of fiscal revenues which fell by 58.9%, from CFA864 to CFA 355 billion (from USD 1.4 billion to USD 600 million). It is also motivated by the drop in other revenues by 52.69 %, which declined from CFA1228 to CFA 581 billion (from USD 2 billion, to USD 970 million), that of 55.30% of oil revenues which dropped from CFA1188 to CFA 531 billion (from roughly USD 2 billion to USD 880 million) and that of fees and administrative costs which decreased by 49.4%. The amended budget prioritises the country's response to the COVID-19 crisis through a health and economic intervention. A CFA 25 billion (USD 44 million or 0.4% of GDP) initial endowment has been provisioned for the COVID-19 fund and an additional CFA 110 billion ( USD 192 million or 1.74% of GDP) will be reallocated for the rehabilitation of basic hospitals and the improvement of the health supply, which will result in the completion of two general hospitals.

Transparency, accountability and participation: From April 1, 2020 suspension for two (2) months, all tax audits including on-site inspections or documentary checks, general accounting checks. As a result, all response or prescription periods are postponed accordingly. If necessary, this period may be extended depending on the evolution of the health emergency situation.

May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Congo was rated as having minimal accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Congo has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

03 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Congo is expected to receive 420 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO, i.e. listed on the Emergency Use Listing.

04 February: In early February, the Chinese government provided 100 000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, worth 35 billion XAF (USD 62.7 million, or 0.58% of GDP). This is enough to vaccinate around 50 000 of Congo's 5.1 million population.

17 February: The World Bank has committed USD12 billion to African countries to support vaccination programmes across the continent in 21 African countries. Congo is among these 21 countries, although the distribution of vaccines to Congo from this funding is unclear at this stage.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Congo has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

2 July 2021: The World Bank approved an additional USD 12 million (0.1% of GDP) to support the supply of COVID-19 vaccines into Congo.

Business support and tax measures: 30 April: Penalty free extension, till June 19, 2020 for the declaration and payment of the 2020 Business tax.

20 May: The government has adopted some measures to ease tax and duty payments for private enterprises. In particular, more time has been given to companies to pay their taxes and tax assessments on site have been abandoned. The import duty directorate is also strongly encouraging electronic payment of dues and allowing more electronic documents to be accepted at the port. Corporate income tax has been reduced to 28 percent from 30 percent and the turnover tax has been reduced to 5 percent from 7 percent for small businesses with turnover below 100 million XAF (USD 0.8 million or 0.002% of GDP).

30 August: A special solidarity fund has also been set up to support enterprises affected by COVID-19.

02 April 2021: The government has adopted some measures to ease tax and duty payments for private business (a full list of the many tax changes can be found here https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/republic-of-congo/corporate/significant-developments).

Financing social assistance and food relief: 15 April: Penalty free extension until March 27 2020 for the payment of the taxes due earlier in the month.

25 May: 100, 000 families affected by COVID-19 to receive around 50 000 CFA each (around 5 billion CFA).

25 May: 16, 000 people chiefly elderly, children and student will receive food and hygiene packages.

25 May: Communication packages on covid-19 and hygiene materials have been distributed (the cost is over 200 million CFA).

22 April 2021: The government in Congo provided for the following social security nets: free water and electricity for all households during the confinement period and financial aid of 4 billion FCFA (USD 2.2 million, less than 0.01% of GDP) granted to households and people in poverty.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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World Bank
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus

World Bank Social Protection and Job Responses to COVID-19

The BEAC Website

Pages Afrik

Dispatch Live

PWC Website

China-Africa Project

Rwanda

Tests p/million: 482

Confirmed cases: 130,568 Source

Confirmed deaths: 1,459 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 64.23% (2022-05-29)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 68.25% (2022-05-29)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: As of 7 May, the government’s emergency response plan, including scaled-up health spending, is estimated at about USD 350 million (3.3 % of GDP). USD 25 million of this is for health spending, of which only USD 5 million is available.

3 April: The authorities project the total cost of the Pandemic to amount to 3.4% of GDP over the next two years, including both revenue losses and increases in public spending—1.9 and 1.5% of GDP, respectively.

3 February: The government’s Economic Recovery Plan in response to the pandemic has beem updated to roughly cost 6.3% of the country's GDP (USD 668 million).

1 July 2021: The government's Economic Recovery Plan in response to the pandemic is estimated at about 10.1% of GDP over FY19/20 – FY23/24.

Official COVID-19 links: https://www.rbc.gov.rw/index.php?id=707

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 44

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 8,88%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 6,38%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 8,88%

Domestic and external financing: On 2 April, SDR 80.1 million (USD 104 million- 1.09% of GDP) was provided by the IMF through its Rapid Credit Facility.

On 7 April, the World Bank Group approved a USD 14.25 million (approximately 0.15% of GDP) International Development Association credit in immediate funding to support Rwanda’s COVID-19 Emergency Response project.

By 24 March, the UNDP had provided USD 1.68 million with intentions to mobilise an additional USD 1 million (both less than 0.01% of GDP).

Rwanda is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust. Debt relief of USD 10.96 million (0.01% of GDP) had been provided by 13 April.

In April, it was announced that all cabinet members, permanent secretaries, Heads of institutions and other senior Government officials shall forfeit one month's salary.

On 4 May a financing agreement was signed with the World Bank worth USD 100 million (1.05% of GDP) to support Rwanda’s COVID-19 response in energy. This is part of the World Bank’s existing three-year financing support towards the country’s energy sector, worth USD 375 million.

29 June: The IMF has approved an additional disbursement of SDR 80.1 million (USD 111.06 million or 1.1% GDP) under the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF). This brings the total IMF COVID-19 emergency support to Rwanda to USD 220.46 million (2.3% of GDP).

29 June: The government of Rwanda has set up a USD 100 million (roughly 1.05% if GDP) COVID-19 relief fund.

23 July:The African Development Bank Board approved a loan of USD 97.7 million (1.1% of GDP) to help Rwanda mitigate impacts of COVID-19.

10 November: The World Bank estimated a Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) potential of 13.2 million USD (0.1% of GDP) to Rwanda. This has yet to be taken up by the country, but is available.

5 April: The IMF has offered debt relief under its CCRT third tranche to Rwanda to the tune of USD 19.86 million (0.17% of GDP)

23 April: The World Bank has offered debt relief to Rwanda amounting to USD 11.7 million (0.1% of GDP) savings to the country between January and June of 2021. This has yet to be taken up by the country, but is available.

10 June 2021: The World Bank Group has approved USD 150 million (1.5% of GDP) from the International Development Association (IDA) to help the government increase access to finance and to support recovery and resilience of businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: On 30 April, cabinet approved the Social and Economic Recovery Plan to support economic activities affected by COVID-19.

30 June: In response to COVID-19, payment processes have been streamlined and digitalised. Prior to COVID-19, payments were prepared in the IFMIS and supporting documents were printed and physically signed by the chief budget manager and head of finance, following which they were manually carried to treasury. Following COVID-19 entities prepare payments, can and upload supporting documents into IFMIS, the head of finance and chief budget manager approve in IFMIS and the approval is sent electronically to treasury for approval and payment at the Bank of Rwanda.

30 September: Rwanda has increased its ability to adequately track COVID-19 spending in the execution of the FY2020 budget and identify the possible impact on the future budgets by adjusting the budget nomenclature to isolate COVID-19-related measures.

9 November: Rwanda passed its mid-term budget, which highlights changes in expenditure related to supporting the economy in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 3 April: Public health and social spending initiatives will be further prioritized in the current and FY 20/21 budget.

21 May: The Rwandan mid-term budget was discussed, suggesting that expenditure would be higher than originally anticipated- moving from an original estimate of Frw 3 017.1 (USD 3.15 billion) to Frw 3 245.7 billion (USD 3.4 billion, or approximately 36% of GDP). It is expected that a more detailed breakdown of adjustments will follow once the mid-term budget is completed.

29 June: While there has been a decrease in tax revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020/2021 budget has increased by 7.5%. The 2020-21 budget will be financed through domestic resources of Frw 1,969.8 billion (USD 2 billion or 24% of GDP) representing 60.7% of the entire budget. The remainder of the budget will be funded through external sources. 40% of the entire budget will be spent on development projects. The government allocated Rwf243.3 billion (USD 255 million or 2.7% of GDP) towards accelerating transport projects. This includes construction, rehabilitation and upgrade of national roads.Under the approved budget, the national carrier RwandAir whose operations have been adversely affected by COVID-19 will be financed at Rwf145.1 billion (USD 152 million or 1.5% of GDP). The government also allocated a significant share of the funds to the education and health sectors, with each sector getting Rwf 492 billion (USD 517 million or 5.4% of GDP) and Rwf 261.1 billion (USD 275 million or 2.9% of GDP) respectively.

9 November: In response to the Covid-19 induced economic downturn, Rwanda's midterm budget provides for higher levels of spending, thereby increasing the deficit to 12.6% of GDP. The stimulus package means additional spending of 22.6% (year-on-year), thereby raising the budget to RWF 3.2 trillion (USD 3.25 billion - 35.5% of GDP); this implies a year-on-year increase of 4.8 percentage points. 28.7% of government expenditure is aimed at social spending, which includes programmes targeted towards improving access to health and education services, and eradicating malnutrition.

On 10 June 2021, East Africa’s Finance Ministers presented their spending plans for the 2021/22 fiscal year with a key focus on rebuilding economies ravaged by COVID-19, protecting local industries, keeping jobs and up-scaling investment in infrastructure projects critical to the faltering intra-regional trade.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 8 June: To ensure that the Economic Recovery Fund is managed accountably, a Technical Steering Committee will govern the fund. It will review the performance of the Fund on a monthly basis and report to the Economic Recovery Fund High Level Steering Committee of Ministers, NBR Governor and CEOs.

11 June: As part of its commitment to the IMF, the Government will publish names of companies awarded contracts; publish costs of procured products and services; publish bids; and conduct COVID-19 specific audit and publish results.

May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds.Rwanda was rated as having limited accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Rwanda has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

14 January: Rwanda is set to receive 2.6 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from the AU.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Rwanda is expected to receive 996 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO, i.e. listed on the Emergency Use Listing.

8 February: Rwanda is one of four African countries that has qualified for the Pfizer vaccine through COVAX, requiring countries to be able to store and distribute doses at minus 70 degrees Celsius.

12 February: Hassan Sibomana, head of Rwanda Biomedical Center's vaccination unit, told the national broadcaster Rwanda Television that five new ultra-cold freezers were purchased.

12 February: The government has directed public health facilities to expand the health insurance to cover COVID-19-related treatment. The Health Ministry has integrated COVID-19 management in the existing health system, whereby community health workers follow up with patients who are not in critical conditions and are under home-based care.

17 February: Rwanda has started vaccinations with 1 000 doses of the Moderna vaccine which will be administered to high-risk groups. The Ministry of Health says the limited initial doses were “acquired through international partnership in limited quantities” though the country anticipates receiving additional doses in the coming weeks to allow it to expand the vaccination exercise.

17 February: Rwanda expects to receive at least 102 960 doses of the Pfizer vaccine between February and March. These doses will be given in the second phase of vaccination.

17 February: Rwanda aims to vaccinate 20% of the population in 2021 and 8 million people in two years, according to the Health Ministry.

24 February: COVAX announced Rwanda's indicative distribution for the first half of 2021 through the AMC of 996 000 AstraZeneca Vaccines through Serum Institute India and 102 960 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

End-March: Rwanda received the first batch of vaccines in early March from the Covax initiative: 342,960 Pfizer and 500, 000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines. Rwanda also received 50 000 donated doses from India on March 5, 2021.

End-March 2021: Government estimated that Rwanda's Covid-19 vaccination process could cost up to USD 120 million (about Rwf120 billion), with short term costs standing at USD 47 million (about Rwf47 billion). The cost of the entire process includes logistics, distribution and facilitation.

16 April: The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved USD 30 million in additional financing to the Republic of Rwanda for the acquisition and deployment of safe and effective COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccines.

On 27 May 2021, Rwanda received 247 000 AstraZeneca vaccines via the the COVAX facility, which included 117 600 vaccines donated by France.

On 30 June 2021, the World Bank announced it will be providing more than USD 4 billion for 51 developing countries to purchase and roll-out vaccines; Rwanda is among these countries. More than half of these funds are offered on grant or concessional basis, via the Bank's IDA fund.

On 1 June 2021, Rwanda received 100 600 Pfizer vaccines doses from the COVAX facility.

10 June 2021: Rwanda is among the 92 low- and lower-middle income countries set to receive its share of 500 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinces. These vaccines are to be donated by the United States of America between August 2021 and June 2022.

30 June 2021: The Covid-19 vaccination project has been allocated Rwf42.9 billion (USD 43 million) for 2021/22.

Business support and tax measures: On 8 April, the Rwanda Revenue Authority announced an extension of the deadlines for submitting tax returns and remitting payment of corporate income tax for financial year 2019 in response to COVID-19.

As of 30 April 2020, Support to firms is envisaged in the form of subsidized loans from commercial banks and is expected to target SMEs and hard-hit sectors such as the hospitality industry. The salaries of top civil servants for the month of April will be redirected to welfare programs. Tax relief measures include the suspension of down payments on outstanding tax for amicable settlement and the softening of enforcement for tax arrears collection. The deadline for filing and paying corporate income tax has been extended, and VAT refunds to SMEs are being fast-tracked. The 30-day maturity period for the public health insurance scheme premium was removed.

19 May: The National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) instructed commercial banks to ease loan repayment schemes specifically as they pertain to businesses in the country.

29 June: Tax relief measures have been extended to include VAT exemption for locally produced masks.

23 June: The government has decided to extend support to 550 SMEs to help them recover as announced in the 2020/2021 budget. They will receive business advisory services and 50 SMEs and cooperatives will be trained in e-commerce skills. The Government’s initiative to support domestic production of goods and services will receive Rwf 7 billion (USD 7.35 million or 0.07%).

4 November: Rwanda launched a fund through subsidised loans to help businesses that struggled during Covid-19.These funds were targeted towards SMEs and other sectors that were hit hard by the pandemic.

9 November: The midterm budget provides for tax deferral and relief measures to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on households and businesses. There are specific tax exemptions for teachers and tourism industry employees earning less than RWF150 000 (USD 152) per month. There is also a VAT exemption for locally produced personal protective equipment.

2 April: The government launched the Economic Recovery Fund (ERF) to support businesses affected by COVID-19 through subsidized loans from commercial banks, MFIs, and credit guarantees. The fund will target SMEs and sectors within the hospitality industry.

2 April: The 30-day maturity period for the public health insurance scheme premium was removed to expedite access to medical services and the salaries of top civil servants for the month of April was redirected to welfare programs. The “Manufacture and Build to Recover Program” adopted at the end of 2020 provides for VAT exemptions on construction materials and tax credits.The revised FY20/21 budget accommodates additional COVID-19-related spending, including to support the hard-hit transport sector in the form of fuel subsidies, ERF loans, and tax relief.

10 June 2021: The Access to Finance for Recovery and Resilience (AFIRR) Project benefits from USD25 mil (0.2% of GDP) in IDA grants, as well as an additional USD7.5 mil (0.07% of GDP) grant from the Global Risk Financing Facility (GRiF), to help enhance business’ access to finance.

Financing social assistance and food relief: As of 30 April 2020, support to vulnerable households takes the form of regular in-kind transfers of basic food stuffs (door-to-door provision of rice, beans, and flour every three days) and cash transfers to casual workers who lost their jobs. Food relief is drawn from the country’s National Strategic Grain Reserve under the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources.

25 May: The Government of Rwanda is making following adaptations in the existing cash transfers, which will also include expansion in the coverage to additional 56,000 families: temporary waiver of work requirements for public work beneficiaries to ensure continuity of cash transfers while social distancing protocols are in place in the country, expansion in the coverage of Direct Support unconditional cash transfers to additional families with old age, disability, and critical illness, vertical expansion of the Nutrition Sensitive Co-responsibility Cash Transfers to include more poorer households.

25 May: The Government of Rwanda is capitalizing on its well-established decentralized structures to implement the Social Protection response, starting with in-kind distribution of food and other essential items to 20,000 families. Beneficiaries are identified by the local level administrative committees at the lowest local administrative entity known as “isibo” which covers 15-20 HHs. HHs in need of food can as well self-report to any committee member by calling them directly or dialing a dedicated toll-free number. Verified list of beneficiaries moves up to the central level and accordingly food and other essential items are distributed down through different administrative levels (District-Sector-Cell-Village-Isibo).

29 June: Tax relief measures have been extended to include PIT exemption for private school teachers, tourism, and hotel employees earning less than RWF 150 000 (USD 155) per month.

23 June:The government dedicated Rwf129.2 billion (USD 135 million or 1.4% of GDP) under the next fiscal budget to scale up coverage of programmes designed to support vulnerable households.

3 February: Support to vulnerable households takes the form of a food distribution programme, cash transfers to casual workers, subsidised access to agricultural inputs, and measures to ensure poor households’ access to basic health and education.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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IOL News Site
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UNDP COVID-19 Response
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World Bank
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The New Times
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IMF Lending Tracker
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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IMF Country Report

Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in Rwanda

The East African

GAVI

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

Sao Tome and Principe

Tests p/million: 87

Confirmed cases: 6,010 Source

Confirmed deaths: 73 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 41.11% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 55.11% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 21 May: Fiscal gap associated with the impact of COVID-19 is estimated at USD 17 million (4.2% of GDP); however a contingency plan is costed at USD 3 million, to protect the population from the virus.

Official COVID-19 links: —

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 79

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 7,45%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 14%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 7,45%

Domestic and external financing: On 2 April, the World Bank approved a USD 2.5 million (or, 0.6% of GDP) International Development Association grant to assist the government of São Tomé and Príncipe in responding to the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In April, UNDP announced a contribution of USD 1.85 million (approximately 0.4% of GDP) to the National COVID-19 pandemic.

São Tomé and Príncipe is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust

As of the 21st of April, the IMF has loaned São Tomé and Príncipe USD 12.29 million (roughly 3% of GDP) as part of its rapid credit facility.

26 June: The African Development Bank has offered a grant to São Tomé & Príncipe of USD 683 000 (0.2% of GDP) to assist in the nation's response to Covid-19.

27 July; As an augmentation to the IMF Extended Credit Facility, São Tomé & Príncipe received USD 2.1 million (0.5% of GDP).

4 September: The World Health Organisation will provide a grant of USD 1.3 million to São Tomé and Príncipe in order to buttress its response to COVID-19.

8 September: São Tomé & Príncipe is participating in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space created by this DSSI amounts to USD 2.1 million, or approximately 0.5% of the country's GDP. On 5 November, this decreased slightly to debt relief of 0.4% of GDP (USD 1.7 million).

2 October: As part of the second tranche of the CCRT, São Tomé & Príncipe received USD 240 000 worth of debt relief (roughly 0.06% of GDP).

11 February: São Tomé and Príncipe requested to participate in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative in 2021. This implies a potential saving of USD 2.8 million (0.7% of GDP).

3 March 2021: The World Bank has provided USD 8 million (1.9% of GDP) of financing to São Tomé and Príncipe to assist in the rollout of social safety nets in the country.

2 April 2021: The World Bank has approved a USD 2.5 million (0.6% of GDP) grant for São Tomé and Príncipe to assist in the country's COVID-19 response.

5 April: The IMF, through its CCRT, has provided a third tranche of debt relief to São Tomé and Príncipe to the value of USD 240 000 (equivalent to 0.06% of the country's GDP)

28 May 2021: The World Bank approved a grant of USD 7 million to São Tomé and Príncipe to assist the country's modernisation efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: On 6 May, the government of São Tomé & Príncipe and Principe put into practice Law 6/20, which suspended all deadlines for the execution of public works, provisions of public services, and judicial proceedings.

30 September: As part of its COVID-19 response, São Tomé and Príncipe is accelerating FMIS implementation as part of the COVID-19 response project with donor support. This aims to improve tracking of expenditure and inflows.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 5 November: Although no specific breakdown has been provided, the government in São Tomé & Príncipe has provided a high level statement of a potential budget reprioritisation. This reprioritisation highlights an increase in healthcare, social assistance and business support expenditure (most notably in the agriculture sector). This will be funded by the introduction of a solidarity tax on workers and businesses not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the allocation of grant funding received from the World Bank and from the WHO.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 21 April: The government will issue a decision to publish large public procurement contracts once signed and the ex-post validation of delivery of these contracts, as well as publish monthly COVID-19 related expenditure. In addition, the COVID-19 related spending will be audited after the crisis. Crisis-mitigation measures have been authorised by Parliament, and a revised budget will be sent to Parliament when conditions allow. The authorities will also submit to Parliament a government decree on the revised budget. As part of its support, the IMF has requested budgetary execution and expenditure plans, with COVID-19 related spending, each month.

In May 2021, a paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. São Tomé & Príncipe ranked among the countries with a limited degree of transparency and accountability regarding COVID-related spending and financing.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: São Tomé & Príncipe has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

18 December: Prime Minister Jorge Bom Jesus of São Tomé e Principe has said his country will receive an initial supply of vaccine against the COVID-19 virus, sufficient to vaccinate about 20% of its people. The vaccination will come from the subscription to COVAX. The government intends to buy more vaccine with financial support from its other partners.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, São Tomé & Príncipe is expected to receive 96 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO, i.e. listed on the Emergency Use Listing.

22 February: China has given São Tomé and Príncipe another batch of medical supplies for curbing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese Embassy in São Tomé says. The supplies include facemasks and other personal protective equipment, ventilators and thermometers.

On 30 June 2021, the World Bank announced it will be providing more than USD 4 billion for 51 developing countries to purchase and roll-out vaccines; São Tomé & Príncipe is among these countries. More than half of these funds are offered on grant or concessional basis, via the Bank's IDA fund.

10 June 2021: São Tomé & Príncipe is among the 92 low- and lower-middle income countries set to receive its share of 500 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinces. These vaccines are to be donated by the United States of America between August 2021 and June 2022.

Business support and tax measures: Support for companies experiencing difficulties due to the COVID 19 pandemic, through tax incentives
30% drop in wages in the indirect administration and business sectors, directly impacted by the drop in income, in order to avoid dismissal, given the drop in activity.
Granting of a credit line, guaranteed by the State, to the tourism, hotel, catering, agriculture and processing sectors.
Exemption from default interest and other legal additions to tax and parafiscal debts accumulated during the state of emergency or which, having been accumulated over the previous period, are notified during the state of emergency, for companies.

May 15: The government of São Tomé & Príncipe and Principe has now made provisions to further extend the period for fulfilling all debts and tax accruals to the tax authorities in the country.

5 November: The Government of São Tomé & Príncipe has commited to bolstering supply chains (specifically in the agriculture sector, by providing farmers most impacted by COVID-19 with fertilisers, seeds, and other farming materials), as well as providing salary contributions to employers most impacted by the pandemic.

5 November 2020: The government of São Tomé & Príncipe has committed to introducing a Solidarity tax, levied on the salaries of individuals least impacted by the pandemic.

Financing social assistance and food relief: On 29 March, the government's emergency response plan, including support to approx. 20,000 vulnerable households, started in the form of regular in-kind transfers of basic foodstuffs (door-to-door provision of rice, beans, and flour every three days).

15 April: Introduction of mechanisms allowing the payment of water and electricity consumption bills, electronically.

15 April: Allocation of compensation to affected workers, the value of which can be supplemented by the employer, to keep the employee and not dismiss him, for the tourism sector.

5 November: Although no detail is available, the Government of São Tomé & Príncipe has committed to the expansion of grants, and has also offered financial assistance to workers who have lost their jobs as a co+K44nsequence of COVID-19.

3 March: The World Bank has agreed to provide USD 8 million (1.9% of GDP) of financing to São Tomé & Príncipe. This amount will be distributed by the government through social security programmes to 16 000 households, of which 8 000 have been thrust into poverty as a direct result of the pandemic.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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ILO Coronavirus Country responses
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UNDP COVID-19 Response
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World Bank
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Macau Hub
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IMF Lending Tracker
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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The European Commission

IMF Staff Country Reports

Garda World News Website

Viera de Almeida Website

Africa News Website

OSAC Website

Africa Inc Magazine

World Health Organisation

GAVI

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

Senegal

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 86,201 Source

Confirmed deaths: 1,968 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 8.54% (2022-05-29)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 13.38% (2022-05-29)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: A strategic health plan to fight against COVID-19 is expected to cost FCFA 70 billion (USD 115 million) to i) enhance testing and treatment capacity, ii) strengthen preventive measures, and iii) intensify communication.

October 2020: A FORCE COVID-19 fund has been established of up to FCFA 1000 billion (7% of GDP), to be financed by a mix of donor contributions, voluntary donations from the private sector, and the budget.

Official COVID-19 links: https://covid19.sec.gouv.sn/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 48

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 6,15%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 51%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 6,15%

Domestic and external financing: On 13 April, SDR 215.73 million was provided by the IMF through its Rapid Financing Instrument and SDR 107.87 million through the Rapid Credit Facility.

On 2 April, the World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved a USD 20 million (roughly 0.1% of DP) credit from the International Development Association to support Senegal in its response to the threat of the global COVID-19 pandemic. It complements the additional support provided under the existing Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement (REDISSE) project to strengthen health systems and disease surveillance as part of the national COVID-19 response plan.

On 7 May 2020, the government has allocated FCFA 71 billion (USD 123 million, or 0.5 % of GDP) to improve testing, treatment, and prevention. This was coupled with an IMF approved emergency funding of USD 442 Million (approximately 1.8% of GDP).

25 May: USD 97 million (approximately 0.4% of GDP) loan approved as emergency budget support for Senegal to tackle Covid-19 from the African Development Bank

29 May: An EU-IOM partnership seeks to mobilise just over 1 million Euros to alleviate the impact of Covid-19 on migrants/refugees in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, and Senegal.

31 May: The AfDB has approved 88 million Euros (0.4% of GDP) of emergency funding for Senegal in order to support its effort against Covid-19.

29 June: The World Bank approved a half in grant and half in credit financial boost of USD 100 million (or approximately 0.4% of GDP) to suppose Senegal in its response to contain the pandemic.

8 September: Senegal is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that may be created by the DSSI is USD 131.7 million or 0.6% of GDP. On 10 November, the amount of debt relief offered to Senegal increased to USD 139 million or 0.6% of GDP.

On 25 November, the European Union has approved USD 121.2 million (0.5% of GDP) for budget support in response to COVID-19.

On 25 November, Germany approved USD 135.7 million (0.6% of GDP) for budget support in response to COVID-19 in Senegal.

20 February: Senegal is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) for 2021. The potential fiscal space that could be USD 97.7 million or 0.4% of GDP over the first half of 2021. By end-June 2021, this amount was updated to USD 349.8 million (1.5% of GDP).

On 2 June 2021, the World Bank approved additional financing of USD 134 million (or 0.6% of GDP) for Senegal's COVID-19 Response Project.

2 July 2021: The AfDB has approved 65 million Euros (USD 77 million, or 0.4% of GDP) of budget support for Senegal in order to support its effort against COVID-19.

On July 7 2021, the IMF approved an 18-month Stand-by arrangement and an arrangement under the Stand-By Credit Facility for Senegal, with immediate disbursement of about USD 187 million (0.8% of GDP).

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: In April, a COVID-19 growth and economic watch committee was established.

16 April: Accommodate a widening of the fiscal deficit to 5.6% of GDP, prioritize health spending and containment efforts, and provide targeted support to vulnerable households and firms. Develop a plan to bring the deficit back to at least 3% of GDP once the crisis abates.

On 27 April, heads of states of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) declared a temporary suspension of the WAEMU growth and stability Pact setting six convergence criteria, including the 3 % of GDP fiscal deficit rule, to help member-countries cope with the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, allowing member countries to raise fiscal deficits temporarily.

30 July: The Senegalese government approved the revised finances law of 2020.

28 August: Senegal, like several other Francophone countries, has established special earmarked accounts, comptes d’affectation spéciale. On the revenue side, these accounts are meant to be funded primarily from resources outside the state budget, such as donations from individuals and firms and donor grants. On the spending side, they are usually subject to simplified, lighter-than-usual authorisation procedures, but still managed by the Treasury.

30 September: In Senegal, access to the new FMIS has been extended to the SAI to allow it to access all information on government transactions and better define the audit trail.

1 October: The government has revised their flagship national development strategy “Plan Senegal Emergent” to reflect lessons from the pandemic. This has resulted in a new action plan (PAP2A) with a renewed emphasis on reaching self-sufficiency and reduce the reliance on imports for food (notably rice), pharmaceutical products, and health services.

30 March: The UEMOA has set up a COVID-19 voucher system for all countries in its ambit. This voucher system (worth CFAF 972 billion or USD 1.75 billion) will be accessible for all UEMOA member states as a means to stave off the impact of the pandemic, access vaccines and bolster health systems.

13 April 2021: In 2020, the State establish a Fund against the effects of COVID- 19 called "FORCE-COVID-19” which supports the national economy.

13 April 2021: The President of the Republic, with a view to speed and responsibility, issued Decree No. 2020-781 of March 18, 2020 establishing an exemption from the Public Procurement Code. Subsequently, Decree No. 2020-1774 of September 16, 2020 repealed Decree No. 2020-781 of March 18, 2020. Based on Decree No. 2014-1212 of September 22, 2014 establishing the Public Procurement Code, the CRD (Dispute Resolution Committee) issued a favourable opinion on the List of Essential Medicines and Health Products to be used for emergency medicine.

13 April 2021: During the pandemic, the ARMP CRD (Dispute Resolution Committee) gave special permission to the contracting authorities to send submissions electronically, instead of using the "original” hard copy version of the documents. Force majeure is applicable if the contract holder has been unable to perform its obligations due to a COVID-19-related situation, that has arisen from unforeseeable circumstances and is outside the will of the parties. By notice n° 06/2020/ARMP/CRD of April 1, 2020, the CRD recommended that the contracting authorities comply with measures implemented by the authorities to fight against the pandemic during the tender opening sessions.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 4 April: As part of the Economic and Social Resilience Program 64.4 billion CFA (USD 111 million, or 0.46% of GDP) has been allocated to cover all the expenses related to the response against COVID-19.

4 April: Budget cuts on operating expenses and deferred investments; which corresponds to a saving of 159 billion CFA (approximately USD 275.5 million, or 1.1% of GDP). In addition, the government will secure CFA 178 billion (roughly USD 280 million, or 1.2% of GDP) to partially cover losses in budget revenue caused by the crisis.

16 April: The authorities are prioritizing expenditures to the health sector and the most vulnerable households and sectors, while savings of about CFAF 125 billion (USD 208 million or about 1% of GDP, excluding savings related to the oil price decline) are being considered on non-essential current and capital expenditures, with the latter likely to be hit by the COVID-19 induced reduction in imports and mobility.

30 July: The Senegalese government approved the revised finances law of 2020. The fiscal deficit has been set at 6.1%, reflecting the COVID-19 response with substantially higher health spending, targeted support to the vulnerable, and significant economic stabilization measures. This deficit, as the document alluded to, will be funded primarily by external sources of funding.

2 April: The amended budget law for 2021 indivatively has earmarked CFAF 97 billion (0.7% of the country's GDP or USD 165 million) for the improvement of testing, treating and preventing COVID-19. This is above and beyond additional allocations to social protection during the pandemic over the next fiscal year.

On 24 June 2021, the parliament approved a revised 2021 budget which incorporates (i) COVID-19 vaccine spending, (ii) additional measures for youth and women employment, (iii) a weaker economic outlook given the prolonged impact of the pandemic and (iv) higher energy subsidies.The revised 2021 budget set the additional financing for COVID-19 health sector response at USD 72.4 million (or 0.03% of GDP).

Transparency, accountability and participation: 30 October: The government has published a special report on the FORCE COVID-19 fund, outlining expenditure and revenue flows from and to the fund since its inception.

31 May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID fundSenegal was rated as having limited accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Senegal has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

5 November: The government of Senegal has provided a temporary suspension of import duties and VAT for certain medical products.

13 January: Health Minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr has said the country is in talks with the Chinese to acquire a minimum of 200 000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines. Sarr did not lay out how Senegal planned to pay for the vaccines that it wanted to buy independently, but said a purchasing plan would be put to the President.

8 February: Head of the Senegal’s national vaccination programme has indicated that the country will seek a vaccine that “fits easily into the system that exists, a vaccine that doesn’t require major investment."

18 February: Senegal has received 200 000 COVID-19 vaccines from China.
On 23 February, Senegal started their vaccination campaign with the first shot of the Sinopharm vaccine.

3 March: Senegal has received 324 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with a further 1.3 million expected to be delivered to the country over the coming months.

2 April 2021: Preliminary estimates suggest that the cost of financing enough COVID vaccines for the adult population in the country to reach herd immunity would be roughly 0.5% of the country's GDP (or USD 117.9 million).

On 2 June, the World Bank approved USD 134 million (0.6% of GDP) to support Senegal's vaccination programme. The funds are part of the IDA facility, where half of the approved amount is provided as grant funding.

10 June 2021: Senegal is among the 92 low- and lower-middle income countries set to receive its share of 500 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinces. These vaccines are to be donated by the United States of America between August 2021 and June 2022.

24 June 2021: Preliminary estimates suggest that the fiscal costs for the vaccination effort in 2021-2022 will be about USD 1.2 billion (0.5 percent of GDP).

Business support and tax measures: The government intends to adopt tax measures, providing some general tax relief and targeted support to the most affected sectors (hotels, restaurants, transport and culture).

CFA 302 billion (USD 480 million- 2% of GDP) will be spent on payment due to suppliers to the state.

CFA 100 billion (USD 160 million or 0.8% of GDP) will be specifically dedicated to the direct support of the sectors of the economy hardest hit by the crisis, in particular transport, hotels, but also agriculture. Similarly, in relation to the financial sector, the State will set up a financing mechanism up to 200 billion, accessible to the affected companies, according to a streamlined procedure.

The State will reimburse the VAT credits in shortened time frames to return cash to businesses. Tax rebates and suspensions will be granted to companies which undertake to keep their workers in activity for the duration of the crisis, or to pay more than 70% of the wages of employees laid off during this period.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, and companies operating in the sectors most affected by the pandemic, in particular tourism, catering, hotels, transport, education, culture and the press will benefit from a deferral of taxes until July 15, 2020.

There will be an extension of the deadline for payment of the suspended VAT collected by customs and tax services from 12 to 24 months; which represents a deferral of payment of 15 billion on the year 2020.

The State will suspend the collection of tax and customs debts from the companies most affected by COVID-19. In return, they will have to undertake to maintain the salaries of their employees or to pay more than 70% of the wages of employees laid off.

27 April: Instead of a VAT rate decrease which was discussed as a means to bolster the economy during the Covid-19 pandemic, Senegalese legislation has now been passed which speeds up the claiming of VAT credits.

2 June: The Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) has provided an 8 million Euro disbursement to Senegalese businesses as a means to bolster the private sector during the Covid-19-led economic situation.

29 June: Other tax measures include the possibility for both people and companies to make gift tax deductibles when they contribute to the COVID-19 Fund. The government has also contributed FCFA 70 billion (USD 125 million, or 0.5% of GDP) to a credit guarantee fund, which is to provide direct support to hard-hit industries such as tourism and transport.

Financing social assistance and food relief: By 30 April, it was announced that the State will cover the following expenses:
CFA 15.5 billion (USD 25 million), for the payment of electricity bills of households subscribing to the social bracket, for a two-month period; or approximately 975,522 households;
CFA 3 billion (USD 4.8 million), to cover the water bills of 670,000 households subscribed to the social band, for a two-month period;
CFA 69 billion (USD 111 million) , instead of the 50 billion initially planned, for the purchase of food for the benefit of one million eligible households. This includes one-off distribution of food kit of basic necessities (pasta, rice, soap, sugar);
CFA 12.5 billion (USD 20 million) , to help the diaspora.

30 April: The government is supplementing nurses' salaries.

16 May: The government of Luxembourg has offered a subsidy of FCFA 150 million (USD 255 000) to TVET institutions and potential TVET graduates as a means to supplement mask-making efforts in the country whilst simultaneously providing practical knowledge improvements amidst Covid-19.

2 April: In its amended budget law, the government in Senegal has set aside CFAF 15.9 billion (0.1% of GDP or USD 28.6 million) for the provision of water and electricity to vulnerable households over the coming 2 months. A further CFAF 64 billion (0.5% of GDP or USD 115 million) is set to be spent on on food aid for 1 million vulnerable households.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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APS (Agence de Press Senegalaise)
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World Bank
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IMF Lending Tracker
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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Avalara Vat Website
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IMF Country Report

CNBC Africa

Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Co-Operation in Senegal

Relief Web

BCEAO Website

ITC Trademap

Daily Maverick

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

Seychelles

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 44,521 Source

Confirmed deaths: 167 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 81.59% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 85.82% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 1 September: The stimulus Budget in response to COVID amounts to a a sum of SCR 1.1 billion (USD 52 million, or 4% of GDP) .

4 February: The cost of a recovery package has been re-estimated at 5% of the country's GDP (roughly USD 86.5 million) .

Official COVID-19 links: http://www.health.gov.sc/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 1077

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 10%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 2,08%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 10%

Domestic and external financing: End-March: The budget amendment will be financed by a considerable amount of debt. The Central Bank will offer the Government an advance at 0% interest, in view of the force majeure situation. Together with the Central Bank, a Bond will be put on the market. Government will also keep on publishing its weekly Treasury bills to finance its short-term expenses, and presence in the financial market.

21 May: The government intends to substantially increase external borrowing in 2020 to finance the wide financing gap opened by the COVID-19 pandemic without straining the domestic financial sector.

End-April: USD 7 million (approximately 0.44% of GDP) will be taken from the World Bank under the ‘Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown’, or ‘Cat DDO’, signed in 2013. This is a ‘contingent credit line’ that allows Seychelles to have immediate liquidity, following a disaster. Seychelles qualifies for a loan equivalent to 0.1% the country's GDP, which amounts to approximately USD 2.5 million (roughly 0.16% of GDP). They will also take a facility of approximately USD 47 million (3% of GDP)with the World Bank under other products offered by the bank.

end-April: Seychelles will receive 50% of its IMF SDR quota, which is equivalent to USD 15.4 million (1% of GDP)

end-April: Seychelles will tap into its USD 9 million (or, 0.5% of GDP) budgetary support facility with the AfDB.

8 May: The Seychelles will now have access to the full IMF SDR quota of SDR 22.9 million (or, USD 31.2 million, which translates to 2.1% of GDP).

21 May: The government will seek another USD 40 million of external budget support. The government also plans to resort to the Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS) advances (SCR250 million, half of the maximum amount stipulated in the CBS Act) and issuances of government securities to commercial banks and other private sector (about 2.25% of GDP, or USD 39.8 million). The remaining fiscal gap for the COVID-19 related spending in the supplementary budget will be financed through the issuing of domestic debt.

On 25 June, the World Bank approved a loan worth USD 15 million (1% of GDP) to support an economic recovery plan in response to Covid-19. The loan will assist the country to fund a recovery by focusing on health, social protection, and private sector assistance.

29 June: The African Development Bank extends SCR (USD10 million or 0.55% of GDP) loan to support the short-term Seychelles Crisis Response Budget Support policy, in light of the reopening of the economy.

6 July 2021: The government and the IMF have reached a staff-level agreement on economic and structural policies that could be supported by IMF resources of SDR74 million (about USD107 million or 6.3% of GDP) under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for the duration of 28 months, over 2021-2023. This is subject to IMF management approval.

22 July 2021: The African Development Bank Group has approved a USD 20 million (1.7% of GDP) flexible loan to finance Seychelles’ Governance and Economic Reforms Support Program, expected to help drive the macroeconomic stability and recovery from Covid-19 in the medium-term. The government program aims to deepen reforms introduced through the Bank’s Covid-19 Crisis Response Budget Support Program, approved in June 2020 for USD10 million (0.24% of GDP).

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 7 May: A committee with special powers to make resource allocation decisions has been created.

22 June: The government has adjusted their PFM rules and processes by allowing existing budget lines to be used for COVID-19 expenditure with the goal of ensuring rapid delivery of pandemic related goods and services, this includes the emergency recruitment of healthcare workers, as well as the emergency meetings held for all cash management committees in order to ensure efficient cash management and greater liquidity during the pandemic.

22 June: The following expenditure measures used to finance COVID-19 related expenses; (i) Virements within a line ministry’s approved budget; (ii) Reallocations of budgetary appropriations requiring parliamentary approval; (iii) Prioritisation of expenditure between annual budgets; (iv) Across-the-board cuts to capital and recurrent expenditure; (v) Authorising ministries to use existing savings on COVID-19 needs; (vi) Channelling funds from contingency appropriations in the approved budget; as well as (vii) Other expenditure measures that extend towards freezing certain types of expenditure.

1 September 2020: The adjusted budget was published for the Seychelles and outlined processes to provide financial assistance to SMEs and informal sector employees.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: An amended budget was tabled on 7 April 2020 in response to COVID-19. Some of the highlights include:
A 24% reduction in tax collection, compared to what had been projected in the 2020 budget and a fiscal primary deficit of negative 14%.
The decision to remove VAT on food which was supposed to take effect as from April 2020, will be postponed.
All new recruitment in government will be frozen with immediate effect. This freeze will also apply to public enterprises. Payment of allowances for all ‘Information Officers’ will be suspended. This will result in a savings on salaries.
Remunerations for board members, which had increased in the budget in January 2020, for agencies covered in the budget, and for public enterprise boards, which had increased last year, will also be reduced.
Reduce all votes and allowances for overseas travel by 100%.
A 75% reduction in the Entertainment Budget
Reduce all budgets associated with the organisation of workshops and conferences
25% reduction in all printing and stationery budgets
50% reduction in all minor capitals budgets
Increase to Capital Projects because of the expected impact of devaluation on foreign exchange rates, which will affect the cost of projects, particularly those financed by loans.
An increase of R 50.6 million (USD 316 000- less than 0.01% of GDP) is being proposed for the Health Sector in this amendment. This will cover an isolation centre and increase quarantine capacity.
Provisions for the nurses and health care assistants’ schemes are revised, and will take effect as from July 2020. A sum of R 13.68 million (USD 850 000) is being proposed for this.
A sum of R 60 million (USD 374 000- less than 0.01% of GDP) is being proposed under the Contingency vote to cover the costs related to the procurement of medicine and equipment, and for operations and logistics for prevention measures against Covid-19.
A temporary restriction on vehicle importations to save foreign reserves for critical purchases

2 June: Allocations have been increased for welfare assistance by SR 30 million (USD 1.7 million, or 0.1% of GDP), and Unemployment Relief by SR 10 million (USD 570 000) in a draft national budgetary review document.

01 September 2020: The government has also been undertaking health System strengthening; emergency facility measures including the provision of a special allowance for frontline health workers, immigration staff and customs officials at the airport and seaport. The government established a National Disaster Relief Fund to raise funds from governments, private individuals, corporations and institutions aimed at providing emergency relief supplies.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 25 May: To ensure transparency of emergency fiscal spending, the government will submit monthly reports of the emergency spending on wage subsidies, health, and social spending to the Finance and Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly and make such reports public within three months. Furthermore, an independent audit on emergency spending and related procurement processes will be conducted and the audit report will also be published.

22 June: Measures of transparency and accountability for COVID-19 related spending are in line the normal auditing processes, with the exception of ‘financial assistance’ where Government has redirected this process to the private sector. A commitment has been made that the list of businesses used in providing COVID-19 related goods and services will be published, along with transaction amounts.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 15 April: SADC Member States have established National Emergency Operations Centres to facilitate coordination of logistics and stockpiling for disasters at the national level. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies is being implemented to provide sustainable availability and access to affordable and effective essential medicine and health commodities, and Member States have been encouraged to utilise this facility for the procurement of the needed supplies for prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 and any other epidemics.

30 November: Seychelles announced it would make an initial contribution of US $64,000 towards COVAX.

8 February: The UAE donated 50,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine and India donated 100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. The Seychelles was the first African country to roll out the vaccine.

02 February: Seychelles is currently ranked third in the world in terms of the percentage of the population vaccinated against COVID-19.

04 February: Seychelles is the first African country to launch a vaccination campaign. The authorities have secured enough vaccines and embarked on a campaign to achieve herd immunity through vaccination by mid-March 2021, after which the border will be open to all tourists.

25 February: Seychelles is not included on the COVAX distribution forecast, suggesting it did not sign an agreement with the COVAX Facility.

25 March: According to the Minister of foreign affairs and tourism: So far, over 90% of the population has received the first dose of the vaccine and over 45% have already had the second dose. The country hopes to have reached its target in the next few weeks, or within the course of April. Given that the Seychelles is the first African country to launch a vaccination campaign, the nation is now ranked among the highest in the world in terms of share of population vaccinated.

13 April 2021: Seychelles did not join the Covax facility programme initiated by WHO because of the high cost of embarking on the COVAX facility was weighed against other alternatives and other needs both in the health sector and other sectors.

13 April 2021: Seychelles budgeted USD 3.5 million for the vaccination programme. Less than half of this is for purchase of the vaccines. Other larger budget items include cost of potential booster doses of Covishield and Sinopharm vaccine should it be needed in future, human resources for vaccination campaign (includes remuneration, per diems, displacement costs, salaries of health professionals), communication and public information, and campaign logistics.

10 June 2021: Seychelles is among the 92 low- and lower-middle income countries set to receive its share of 500 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinces. These vaccines are to be donated by the United States of America between August 2021 and June 2022.

Business support and tax measures: The postponement of all payments that were due by March 2020 to September 2020 and the postponement of Corporate Social Responsibility, Tourism Marketing Tax, Business Tax and taxes on Non-Monetary Benefits Income until September 2020.

2 June: Various credit facilities have been opened up to businesses within industries which relate specifically to the production of food within the Seychelles, and have been offered a favourable repayment rate of 1 percent as opposed to the 3 percent repayment rate offered prior to Covid-19.

29 June: The government has announced the provision of wage subsidies for companies facing COVID-19 related distress. These subsidies are estimated to come at a fiscal cost of 5% of the 2020 GDP.

1 July : The government of the Seychelles has assisted in providing a credit facility of approximately USD 36 million (2.3% of GDP) to assist commercial banks with emergency relief measures to assist businesses and individuals struggling with the financial impact of the pandemic.

1 September: The adjustment budget provided 14 additional plots to the Farmers Association to assist with promoting food security. The interest rate on loans for agriculture and fisheries was reduced to 1% to support investment.

1 September: The salary bailout, which was instated in response to the international travel ban, is extended to 31 December 2020. The government also extended financial assistance to informal sector workers under its Unemployment Relief Scheme.

1 September: The Seychelles Employment Transition Scheme (SETS) provides a monthly salary of up to SCR 30 000 (USD 1 447) to all employees between 1 July and 31 December. The scheme also assists redundant employees with re-skilling and finding employment.

10 September: The Small Business Support Fund (SBSF) was launched in early September. It provides interest-free loans to small businesses impacted by COVID-19.

01 September: Government also offered financial assistance to informal sector under the Unemployment Relief Scheme of the Agency for Social Protection. The number of persons receiving such benefits rose from a Pre-COVID 19 level of about 1,000 to more than 4,000 as of July 2020. Whereas Government had initially made it mandatory for 100% job retention (i.e. no furloughing or no redundancies) during the period April – June 2020, such policy was revised with effect from 1st July 2020, whereby private sector could negotiate redundancies with the Ministry of Employment.

01 September: The Minister of Finance reiterated the postponement of taxes until September 2020 and guaranteed jobs of 37,000 employees in the private sector up to a ceiling of SCR 30,000 per month.

01 September: The budget address also outlined the processes for the accessibility and screening of the financial assistance to SMEs and those employed in the informal sector.

04 February: In early September, additional measures were introduced to support households and firms: Clients of the Home Finance Company (HFC) and the Property Management Corporation (PMC) will benefit from a 25% support on their loan repayments between Sep 1, 2020 and Dec 31, 2021; from Sep 10, Small Business Support Fund (SBSF) facility was launched, which will provide interest-free loans to small businesses.

04 February: The Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS) also announced that commercial banks, the Development Bank of Seychelles (DBS) and the Seychelles Credit Union have agreed to consider a moratorium of up to six months on the repayment of principal and interest on loans to assist businesses in impacted sectors. The moratorium for individuals is up to three months. In early September, the banking community has agreed to continue offering and prolonging the measures announced in March to assist their individual as well as business customers who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

13 July 2021: The Seychelles Revenue Commission introduced a tax amnesty program to provide relief from the economic implications of the pandemic. The tax amnesty program runs from 1 July-31 December 2021, and is available to resolve outstanding tax debts, under-declared assessable income, and incomplete tax returns.

Financing social assistance and food relief: R 1,090,531,200.00 (USD 68 million, or 4.2% of GDP) has proposed in the 2020 budget amendment to guarantee salaries. Salaries will be guaranteed for three months. However provision has been made to cover salaries for at least six months. Assistance will be limited to an individual ceiling of R 30,000.00 (USD 1,868). This assistance will also cover foreign workers. This assistance will also cover self-employed people who have no employees, for example, taxi operators.

R 30 million (USD 1.87 million, or roughly 0.12% of GDP) for the Agency for Social Protection (ASP) to ensure that other individuals in need are also assisted. ASP will also assist individuals in the informal sector. This applies mainly to businesses operating without a licence or permit, or even those who are not paying their taxes. An additional sum of R 10 million was also proposed for the Unemployment Relief Scheme.

11 May: Seychelles' government will not cover the salaries of foreign workers after 1 July.

28 May: The Financial Assistance for Job Retention Scheme in the Seychelles, aimed at providing wage support to those negatively impacted by Covid-19, has paid out a total of SR 122 million (USD 70 million, the equivalent of 4.4% of GDP) during the month of May.

04 February 2021: Seychelles Employee Transition Scheme (SETS) was set up to facilitate the reskilling and placement in an economic activity of persons made redundant as a result of COVID-19. This program works alongside the wage subsidy to aid the transition to a post-COVID economy. Initially planned to last 3 months, wage subsidy has been fully extended to February 2021. In March 2021, it will be phased out by reducing the scope of beneficiaries and fully abolished as of April 2021.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Finance Ministry- Seychelles
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus

IMF Staff Report
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All Africa News

Ministry of Finance, Trade, Investment and Economic Planning Website

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

Sierra Leone

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 7,688 Source

Confirmed deaths: 125 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 20.38% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 29.28% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: The Government of Sierra Leone has developed different scenarios with varied financing gaps. Under scenario 1 the financing gap is estimated at USD 161.3 million, under scenario 2 it is USD 199.7 million. Under worst-case scenario 3, USD 246.9 million. This translates to between 4 and 5% of GDP.

Official COVID-19 links: https://mohs.gov.sl/covid-19/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 27

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 7,91%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 42%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 7,91%

Domestic and external financing: On 2 April, the World Bank approved a USD 7.5 million (0.2% of GDP) International Development Association (IDA) grant to help Sierra Leone respond to the threat posed by the coronavirus outbreak and strengthen national systems for public health preparedness. The funds will fill critical financing gaps that have been identified due to the new emergency preparedness and response needs created by the global pandemic.

Sierra Leone is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust.

The Bank of Sierra Leone will also provide USD 50 million (1.2% of GDP) to the Government's response plan.

As of 13 April, USD 18.28 million's (roughly 0.5% of GDP) worth of debt relief was offered to Sierra Leone through the IMF's Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust

10 May: The UN has pinpointed Sierra Leone as being extremely vulnerable to the Covid-19 epidemic, and is in the process of putting together a funding plan to help mitigate the economic and social impacts of the epidemic on the country (although the amount of support offered is, as yet, not disclosed).

On 17 June: The World Bank approved a budget support grant of (USD 100 million or 2.5% of GDP) to help address the fiscal challenges faced and improve governance.

29 June: The IMF has approved the disbursement of USD 143 million- approximately 3.5% of GDP- under the Rapid Credit Facility for the financing of increased health spending.

30 June: An extrabudgetary COVID-19 fund has been set up without a clear mandate.

On 23 July, the African Development Bank approved USD 25.1 million (approximately 0.8% of GDP) of grant funding to help Sierra Leone mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

8 September: Sierra Leone is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that may be created by the DSSI is USD 7 million or 0.2% of GDP. On 10 November, this debt relief was increased slightly to USD 8.1 million (still 0.2% of GDP)

2 October: Through the second tranche of the CCRT, the IMF has provided Sierra Leone with USD 17.23 million (0.6% of GDP) of debt relief.

28 January: The World Bank (USD 50 million) and Japan Policy and Human Resources Development Fund (USD 2.7 million) will provide grant funding of USD 52.7 million (1.3% of GDP) to support the Enhancing Sierra Leone Energy Access project. The project will support Sierra Leone's post-pandemic recovery by providing electricity to households, businesses, health clinics and schools.

11 February: Sierra Leone requested to participate in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative in 2021. This implies a potential saving of USD 6.9 million (0.2% of GDP).

On 15 March, the IMF approved a loan of USD 50.37 million (1.2% of GDP) to Sierra Leone under the Rapid Credit Facility. These funds are to be used for in the nation's continued response to the pandemic.

8 June 2021: The World Bank provided a USD 8.5 million (0.2% of GDP) grant for equitable access to vaccines in Sierra Leone.

11 June 2021: The World Bank provided a USD 40 million (1% of GDP) grant for the Accountable Governance for Basic Service Delivery project, which is aligned with the Bank's COVID-19 Crisis Response Framework.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 28 August: A COVID-19 fund was established in an Emergency Operations Centre under the President to overcome complex routine budget execution processes and streamlining the budgetary response to the crisis.

On 13 November 2020, the Finance Minister of Sierra Leone delivered the 2021 "recovery budget" and 2021 Appropriation Bill.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 30 April: The Government of Sierra Leone developed a Quick Action Economic Response Programme (QAERP) to address the fiscal, economic and health challenges. The GAP estimates domestic revenue shortfalls of 9-15%.

30 April: Through the Government's 2020 budget, USD 16.1 million (approximately 0.4% of GDP), representing 10% of resources is committed. However, this commitment is at risk as funding the budget is largely dependent on the domestic revenue situation.

30 April: The Government has earmarked Le. 100 billion (USD 10 million, or 0.025% of GDP) for the implementation of the COVID-19 Contingency Plan. This would need to be augmented if a high number of cases emerge in-country, leading to extrabudgetary expenditures across key sectors, such as health, education and social protection.

On 13 November 2020, the Minister of Finance in Sierra Leone released the budget for 2021. In it, the minister outlined the following:
- The budget deficit is expected to widen from 3.1% of GDP to 5.3% of GDP in financial year 2020/21
- The allocation of Le274 billion (USD 27.4 million or 0.7% of GDP) to COVID-specific interventions and improvements to the healthcare system in 2021.
- A total allocation of Le12.6 billion (USD 1.3 million or 0.03% of GDP) to social protection, and a further Le35.4 billion (USD 35.5 million or 0.9% of GDP) to social assistance in light of the pandemic.

10 August 2021: The budget approved by the Presidential Task Force for the operations of the national COVID task force (NACOVERC) for the first half of 2021 was Le 420 billion (USD 41 million). However, only Le 100 billion (USD 9.7 million) was allocated
to NaCOVERC in the FY 2021 annual budget. During the first quarter of the FY 2021, the total resource transferred to NaCOVERC amounted to Le 135 billion (USD 13.1 million) (32 percent of the budget approved by PTF). Funds generated from NaCOVERC operations amounted to Le 18.4 billion (USD 1.8 million). These amounts have been kept in escrow.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 3 June: As part of its commitment to the IMF, the Government will publish COVID-19 public procurement contracts; publish names of companies awarded contracts; validate delivery of products and services; publish beneficial ownership information of companies receiving COVID-19 procurement contracts; publish COVID-19 expenditure reports; and conduct COVID-19 specific audit and publish results.

28 August: The Auditor General has seconded staff to the COVID-19 fund to facilitate an interim audit.

On 13 November, the government of Sierra Leone provided a summary of all revenues and expenditure associated with their COVID-19 response plan to date, and gave public access to various details regarding COVID-related programmes.

In May 2021, a paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Sierra Leone is ranked among the countries with a moderate degree of transparency and accountability regarding COVID-related spending and financing. The report also outlines that Sierra Leone is good practice example in Africa, using real time auditing services, publishing reports on COVID-19 expenditure, and investigating government-based fraud and corruption in relation to the pandemic.

10 August 2021: The Ministry of Finance website contains reports on the COVID-related procurement activities, contracts and an unaudited financial report on COVID expenditure.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Sierra Leone has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

On 13 November, the Minister of Finance in Sierra Leone stated that the government will continue with duty and tax waivers on various essential goods until April 2021.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Sierra Leone is expected to receive 612 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO.

25 February: Sierra Leone will receive 200,000 doses of the Chinese-made coronavirus vaccine Sinopharm this week.

1 April: The first shipments of vaccines reached Sierra Leone in late February, containing 200 000 Sinopharm doses donated by China.

On 15 March, Sierra Leone began its vaccination campaign with President Julius Maada Bio receiving a shot of the Sinopharm vaccine.

On 9 April, 96 000 AstraZeneca vaccines arrived in Sierra Leone as part of the COVAX facility. The country has thus far been allocated 528 000 doses.

On 8 June 2021, the World Bank approved USD 8.5 million (0.2% of GDP) in grant funding for Sierra Leone's vaccination campaign.

10 June 2021: Sierra Leone is among the 92 low- and lower-middle income countries set to receive its share of 500 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinces. These vaccines are to be donated by the United States of America between August 2021 and June 2022.

Business support and tax measures: 29 June: While some efforts are planned to cushion the effect of the pandemic on major businesses through the provision of credit facilities at reduced interest rates, it remains unclear how SMEs will be supported.

On 13 November, the minister of finance in Sierra Leone proposed the following tax measures in his 2021 budget to recover from the impact of COVID-19:
- The government will continue with duty and tax waivers until April 2021.
- The government will provide infrastructure and employment support in the tourism sector to provide relief to economic agents operating in the industry post-COVID.

16 March: As part of the Sierra Leone Agro-Processing Competitiveness Project, USD 1.3 million (0.03% of GDP) was provided as grants to 25 agro-processing SMEs affected by the pandemic. These funds will protect livelihoods, promote resilience and ensure business continuity.

Financing social assistance and food relief: On 4 April, distributed 25 kg bags of rice, 250,000 leones (USD 25.77), Veronica buckets, and others items to people with disabilities. This support reached 1,891 individual and group beneficiaries. Outreach to people with disabilities is now continuing.

On April 22, the government announced its plans to include incentives for healthcare workers (including a risk allowance, life insurance and compensation for living expenses when in-field) as part of the health response under development.

22 April: In collaboration with Caritas Freetown, Healey International Relief Foundation, and Lanyi Foundation, the BTCF donated 8000 bags of rice/800 tons of rice to the Ministry of Basic Education of Sierra Leone in order to continue with school feeding programmes throughout the Covid-19 related lockdown.

29 April: The BTCF donated 1 600 bags of rice/160 tons of rice to the Ministry of Social Welfare to distribute to vulnerable Muslim and Christian communities in the country.

May 2: Caritas Freetown, Healey International Relief Foundation, and Lanyi Foundation, the BTCF donated 15 hospital beds for the Emergency Operation Centre located in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

On 13 November, the minister of finance in Sierra Leone announced:
- An expansion of social safety nets (i.e., grants) to an additional 35 000 beneficiaries with disabilities above and beyond the 38 083 households it has already reached with the programme in light of the impact of COVID-19 on these vulnerable individuals.
- An expansion of cash transfers to 73 000 individuals living in extreme poverty

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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Africa Health Stats
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World Bank
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus

The Mail and Guardian News Website

United Nations Sierra Leone

Relief Web

GAVI

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

International Budget Partnership

Somalia

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 26,675 Source

Confirmed deaths: 1,361 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 9.33% (2022-06-13)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 15.27% (2022-06-13)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 2020: Ministry of Health estimates USD 200 million (4.2% of GDP) is needed to prevent, rapidly detect and effectively respond to any COVID-19 outbreak to reduce morbidity and mortality in the country.

Official COVID-19 links: http://moh.gov.so/en/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): —

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): —

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): —

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): —

Domestic and external financing: 14 May: The EU is providing 48 million Euros (1.1% of GDP) to Somalia in order to support health facilities and epidemic control efforts in the country.

15 May: The World Bank has approved a USD 137.5 million (roughly 2.9% of GDP) International Development Association grant in order to assist with Somalia's response to Covid-19.

On 24 June, The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) has approved the COVID-19 accelerated funding request of USD 1.3 million (0.03% of GDP).

29 June: The World Bank has approved a Development Policy Grant of USD 55 million (roughly 1.2% of GDP) to help the Federal State of Somalia (FGS) bridge the financing gap brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the USAID Somalia Growth, Enterprise, Employment, and Livelihoods (GEEL) project will work together with the World Bank and the FGS Gargaara investment fund to provide fiscal and monetary stimuli through the private sector institutions.

24 July: The African Development Bank today approved grants worth USD 25.1 million (or 0.01% of GDP) to Somalia to bolster the national budget for government efforts to mitigate national and regional impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding, comprised a USD 10.04 million (or 0.00% of GDP) grant from Pillar 1 of the Bank’s Transition Support Facility and a USD 15.06 million (or 0.00% of GDP) grant from the Regional Operations Envelope, comes under the umbrella of the Bank’s COVID-19 Response Facility.

10 November: The World Bank announced that Somalia was eligible for USD 1.7 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) worth of debt relief which has yet to be tapped.

4 February: The World Bank has updated the amount of debt relief that Somalia was eligible for between January and June of 2021 to USD 1.4 million (less than 0.01% of GDP). Again, this amount remains unaccessed by Somalia.

28 July 2021: Once more, the World Bank has amended the amount of debt relief that it is offering Somalia for 2021 under the DSSI. The amount of USD 4.6 million would free up 0.1% of the country's GDP, but has yet to be accessed.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 9 September: In late June, Cabinet approved a revised 2020 supplemental budget

On 28 September, the Minister of Finance in Somalia delivered the 2020/21 budget strategy paper in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 9 February 2021, the Ministry of Finance in Somalia amended the country's Crisis Recovery Project, highlighting key actions to be followed by individuals, firms and arms of government to ensure that the economy recovers post-COVID. This includes putting in place plans for the removal of hazardous COVID-19 materials, rehabilitating and improving primary healthcare by setting up additional isolation and quarantine centres in the country, and ensuring that government and private-sector infrastructure development continues.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 30 April: The Government with the support of international partnership have launch a massive fiscal stimulus plan to boost the economy and contain the economic effects of the COVID-19.

9 September: In late June, Cabinet approved a revised 2020 supplemental budget that reflects substantial donor support and allows for additional transfers to federal member states and the Banadir region to help them respond to the impact of the pandemic, as well as the flooding and locust invasion that are also hitting the country

28 October: Although no specific allocation has been provided, the World Bank in Somalia has discussed an increase in the allocation of the budget to the healthcare sector as a means to bolster the country's response to COVID-19.

1 January 2021: The Somali president signed and approved the 2021 government budget bill. Broadly, this saw an increase in expenditure by 46% (USD 671.8 million, or 14% of GDP). While no breakdown of the budget is available, given the country's move towards Universal Health Care this budget is likely to provide significantly increased contributions to the healthcare sector to ensure that the COVID-19 healthcare response is adequate over the coming year.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 29 June: To better monitor financial and liquidity conditions, the Central Bank has increased the frequency and granularity of data collection, including employing one-off surveys. It is also identifying an emergency response group.

In May 2021, a paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Somalia ranked among the countries with a limited degree of transparency and accountability regarding COVID-related spending and financing.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Somalia has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

On 28 September, in the 2020/21 budget strategy paper, the Minister of Finance outlined that there would be a three-month tax exemption on trader taxes/sales taxes on imported goods.

5 November: The government of Somalia has banned the import of herbal medicines.

14 January: Somalia is set to receive 3.2 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from the AU.

2 February: Somalia is set to obtain 1.2 million free vaccine doses of the Oxford AstraZaneca vaccine through COVAX by the end of February, which will cover 600 000 frontline healthcare workers in the country. This donation comes from the World Health Organization.

On 15 March, Somalia received 300 000 AstraZeneca vaccines through the COVAX facility which will cover 20% of the country's adult population. The government has reached out to donors seeking assistance in securing the remaining 80% of vaccines for the country's adult population given the country's limited fiscal space.

On 11 April 2021, Somalia received delivery of 200 000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine, donated by the Chinese government.

10 June 2021: Somalia is among the 92 low- and lower-middle income countries set to receive its share of 500 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinces. These vaccines are to be donated by the United States of America between August 2021 and June 2022.

10 August 2021: Given that the COVAX vaccine only covers 20% of the population, the government has reached out to donor partners seeking financing to cover the remaining 80% of the population and the anticipated vaccine rollout operational and administrative costs. The Somalia government has started mobilizing resources to cover an initial urgent need of USD 560,000 for the first dose administration operational costs. Plans on how to finance the vaccination of the remaining 80% of the population have also commenced with GAVI establishing a mechanism that allows for cost-sharing among donor partners. In addition, the World Bank is working towards the approval of a USD 20.5 million facility.

Business support and tax measures: Quick financial and material injection is being planned to small and medium enterprises in urban and rural areas hosting large numbers of IDPs and migrants to avert closure of private sector businesses and laying off workers through grants, loans, micro-credit or in-kind. UNIDO is exploring how to adapt its credit line for SMEs to target value chains most disrupted by COVID-19.

Effective April 15, the Somalia government has introduced a three-month tax holiday on basic commodities, and reduced consumption tax on some additional goods by up to 50%.

29 June: In conjunction with the Somalian government, the USAID Somalia Growth, Enterprise, Employment, and Livelihoods (GEEL) project will work together with the World Bank and the FGS Gargaara investment fund to provide fiscal and monetary stimuli through private sector institutions in the country (although descriptions of these stimuli have yet to be discussed).

28 September 2020: in the 2020/21 budget strategy paper it is outlined that there would be a tax exemption on rice, palm and basic foodstuffs, as well as a 50% reduction in tax on wheat flour and oil. In order to meet revenue shortfalls from these decreases in tax revenue, an electricity sales tax, a turnover tax on SMMEs, and a tax on Khat imports will all be implemented in 2021.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 March: UN agencies are supporting government to reach the most vulnerable through a variety of rural and urban safety-nets to address food insecurity and loss of income, through the Safety Net for Human Capital Project (SNHCP) financed by the World Bank. Whenever possible, transfers are provided through cash allowing linkages to local suppliers and financial service providers building ecosystem of locally sourced solutions. WFP is already accelerating registration of people in the field and planning to expand transfers in the coming weeks for the urban safety net.

30 March: The Government of Somalia with support of UN agencies is working to ensure ongoing and planned infrastructure work continues, with extra protective measures implemented for construction teams. The aim is to ensure continued employment for those hired under these operations so as to avoid further contributing to the anticipated economic downturn.

5 April: The IOM is expected to finance humanitarian aid in Somalia to the effect of USD 18 million.

25 May: Somalia launched the first ever cash transfers program in the country. The Baxnano program (which costs USD 65 million) is intended to provide cash transfers to targeted poor and vulnerable households and establish the key building blocks of a national shock-responsive safety net system. The program is anticipated to target 270,000 poor and vulnerable households (9.6% of the population) and provide them with nutrition-linked cash transfer. The families will be able to use the money for their immediate needs, such as food and basic services.

28 October: Although not specified, it is likely that the finalised budget for Somalia will outline an increase in grant expenditure for impoverished households and those with disabilities in the country.

1 April 2021: The government in Somalia extended tax exemptions and reductions on basic foodstuffs like rice, cooking oil, flour and dates to alleviate some of the financial strain felt by vulnerable households during the throes of the pandemic.

Primary sources: Ministry of Finance- Somalia
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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The World Bank
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Relief Web Website

ITC Trademap

The East African

Somali Affairs

AllAfrica News

AA News

GAVI

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

International Budget Partnership

South Africa

Tests p/million: 1,467

Confirmed cases: 3,986,601 Source

Confirmed deaths: 101,604 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 31.6% (2022-06-19)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 36.56% (2022-06-19)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: On 21 April, the response to COVID-19 was announced to cost ZAR 500 billion (USD 26 billion) (10% of GDP).

Official COVID-19 links: https://sacoronavirus.co.za/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 576

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 13%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 7,75%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 13%

Domestic and external financing: A solidarity fund has been established to help combat the spread of the virus, the government provided approximately USD 8 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) as seed capital. https://www.solidarityfund.co.za/

South Africa's president and his cabinet will take a 33% pay cut for the next three months to contribute to the Solidarity Fund.

South Africa's private sector had provided over USD 200 million (approximately 0.05% of GDP) to the Solidarity Fund.

South Africa will take up a USD 1 billion (0.3% of GDP) loan from the New Development Bank (NDB) - formerly known as the Brics Development Bank - to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. It is expected to borrow another USD 1 billion later this year to help stimulate the economy after the downturn caused by the pandemic and lockdown.

A facility of USD 60 million (roughly 0.02% of GDP) is being considered from the World Bank and the government has approached the IMF and AfDB.

21 May: The South African government has requested a rapid financing instrument (RFI) amounting to USD 4.2 billion (approximately 1.1% of GDP), subject to the IMF Executive Board discussion and decision.

29 June: South Africa's president announces a R500 billion (USD 29 billion, or 8% of GDP) COVID-19 related injection into the economy. The funding will come from internal sources, like the Unemployment Insurance Fund, and from prioritising the current budget. Discussions around obtaining external financing with various institutions, such as the World Bank and the IMF, to further supplement the R500 billion project have begun. The economic package is the third phase of government's strategy to combat the pandemic related disruptions.

On 27 July, The IMF approved emergency assistance under the Rapid Financing Instrument equivalent to R70 billion (USD 4.3 billion or 0.01% of GDP).

On 15 October, R5 billion (USD 290 million or 0.1% of GDP) was disbursed to South Africa from the African Development Bank. This loan had already been agreed in in July.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 30 March: The Minister of Finance in terms of the Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003 (MFMA) issued a conditional Exemption Notice in order to ensure effective and efficient service delivery and to minimize any potential delay in decision making. The conditional Exemption Notice will also facilitate and enable legislative processes during the period of the national state of disaster. The Minister also, in terms of section 92 of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), 1999 (Act No.1 of 1999), issued an Exemption Notice to institutions to which this Act applies to ensure effective financial management and to minimize any possible noncompliance with the PFMA.

30 March: National Treasury has issued an Instruction Note 8 of 2019/20 applicable to Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) institutions and a Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) Circular 100 for municipalities and municipal entities, to speed up the procurement of goods/commodities required to reduce and control the spread of the virus. This is in support of effective and efficient service delivery and to curb the possible abuse of Supply Chain Management (SCM) systems. The Instruction Note and the Circular also list prices of goods/commodities in efforts to curb opportunistic use of this disaster to drive profit margins.

5 May: South Africa has ensured flexible implementation of COVID-19 spending under a pre-existing Disaster Management Act to manage actions for fighting COVID-19 and has emergency procurement tools available under its PFM Act in case of need.

29 June: In the most recent supplementary budget an Adjustments Appropriation Bill, a Division of Revenue Amendment Bill, and two more tax bills were presented to Parliament in order to approve the latest COVID-19 response package.

30 June: The government has set up the following strategies for COVID-19 linked PPE product procurements; (i) all PPE products will be centrally procured, warehoused and distributed for the public sector; (ii) through the Solidarity Fund up-front credit will be provided in order to pay supplier for bulk orders and ensure sustained liquidity; (iii) all government institutions are ordered to pay central implementary agents within 10 days in order for these agents to recover the working capital advancements and refund the Solidarity Fund.

28 August: The South Africa Solidarity Fund, is managed by a private entity and is subject to the same accountability requirements as public benefit organisations.

On 28 October, the South African Treasury adopted its medium-term budget which highlighted, inter alia, reprioritisations to expenditure in light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

31 October: Provinces are allowed to reprioritise up to 1 billion ZAR in existing programme envelopes for COVID-19 expenditure.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: In a cabinet briefing on 16 March, Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni said the government was ready to do two things to finance the proposed fiscal measures. First, it could release money from the National Disaster Fund. Although he did not provide a figure, sources said R5 billion (USD 282 million) could be made available. Second, the government could set aside further funding, but only if it reduced spending in other areas. In other words, there would be no fiscal stimulus. Government would shift spending within the current austerity envelope that already involves cuts of R261 billion (USD 14.7 billion) over the next three years.
On 14 April, Minister Mboweni noted the fiscal framework will be revised to include the following:
Putting forward clear estimates of the additional health care costs that will be needed
Re-prioritising unnecessary expenditure towards these health care costs
The impact of slowdown on South Africa's projections for revenue
A clear plan to restore fiscal sustainability and limit the pace of debt accumulation and the growth of contingent liabilities
Supported by an economic recovery plan (structural reforms) and a set of reforms within the fiscal system e.g. clarity on road tolling, reforming the road accident fund in order to unlock that revenue for the fiscus and core government priorities, and consolidation of public entities and reviewing portfolio of state-owned enterprises.

30 April: An adjustments budget based on the stimulus package announced on 21 April will be tabled.

29 June: South Africa's president announces a R500 billion (USD 29 billion or 8% of GDP) COVID-19 related injection into the economy. The funding will not only come from international or internal source, but will also stem from prioritising the current budget.

30 June: The Supplementary Budget proposes R21.5 billion (USD 1.25 billion or 0.34% of GDP) for COVID‐19‐related health care spending, a further allocation of R12.6 billion (USD 730 million or 0.2% of GDP) to services at the frontline of our response to the pandemic, an additional R5 billion (USD 290 million or 0.08% of GDP) for the education catch‐up plan, social welfare support for communities and provision of quarantine sites by Public Works departments and responses in other sectors. A further R19.6 billion (approximately USD 1.14 billion or 0.3% of GDP) set aside mainly for the public employment programme and a Presidential Youth Employment Intervention.

The sectors that were subjected to budget cuts include: (i) school infrastructure, maintenance, and capital spending- where a total of R6.6 billion (USD 382 million or 0.1% of GDP) will be redirected to ensuring that schools are adequately equipped to impose COVID-19 precautionary measures (such as disinfecting classrooms); (ii) human and urban settlement development grants- where a combined R2.8 billion (USD 162 million or 0.04% of GDP) will be redirected to the rapid provision of housing solutions in areas where self-isolation cannot be implemented; (iii) roads and public transport infrastructure spending- where approximately R4.8 billion (USD 278 million or 0.08% of GDP) will be cut and reallocated; (iv) trade and industry incentives- R1.6 billion (USD 93 million or 0.03% of GDP) in spending will be postponed for a year; (v) community library spending- which will lose R312 million (USD 18 million, less than 0.01% of GDP) in allocated funds; (vi) square kilometer array (SKA) radio telescope- where spending of R360 million (USD 21 million or 0.01% of GDP) will be reallocated; (vii) brand and tourism marketing- where a collective R896 million (USD 52 million or 0.01% of GDP) will be reallocated; (viii) digital television spending- where R78 million (USD 4.5 million, less than 0.01% of GDP) will be reallocated; (ix) military veteran spending- where R90 million (USD 5.2 million, less than 0.01% of GDP) will be reallocated; (x) court infrastructure- where R284 million (USD 16.5 million, less than 0.01% of GDP) will be reallocated; (xi) prison infrastructure- where R161 million (USD 9.4 million, less than 0.01% of GDP) will be cut from projects that address prison overcrowding; (xii) TVET and university spending- where a collective R870 million (USD 50.5 million or 0.01% of GDP) will be reallocated; (xiii) land redistribution and restitution spending- where a total R780 million (USD 45 million or 0.01% of GDP) will be cut; (xiv)integrated national electrification programme spending- where R500 million (USD 29 million or 0.01% of GDP) will be reallocated; (xv) secret service spending- where R200 million (USD 11.6 million, or less than 0.01% of GDP) will be reallocated; (xvi) food security spending- where R1.1 billion (USD 64 million or 0.02% of GDP) will be reallocated.

28 October: The medium term budget highlighted a substantial worsening of the budget deficit; the initial 2020 budget assumed a budget deficit of 6.8% of GDP, but the impact of Covid-19 deteriorated the budget balance to -15.7% of GDP. Debt as a percentage of GDP has also increased substantially, from 65.6% in the initial budget to 81.8% in the medium term budget.

In an attempt to contain the massive debt burden and associated debt service costs, the Minister of Finance announced many funding cuts:
- Excluding Covid-19 related expenditures, the health budget decreased year-on-year by R7 billion.
- Over the next three years, the health budget will grow at an average annual rate of 2.9%; in real terms the healthcare budget will decrease over the MTEF.
- The cut in healthcare expenditure is mainly due to a proposed wage freeze. The overall (across all government departments) compensation spending is forecast to grow at 0.8% on an average annual basis over the MTEF.
- The National Treasury has however indicated that capital spending will increase; part of the increase infrastructure expenditure will go towards building new hospitals.
- It must be noted that the large spending cut -specifically regarding the wage freeze - is subject to a court case between the National Treasury and Unions. As such, there is some doubt regarding the credibility of the medium term budget.

On 24 February, the Minister of Finance tabled the 2021 Budget:
- The budget allocated 19.3 billion (USD 1.3 billion, or 0.4% of GDP) to South Africa's vaccination programme, which includes a R9 billion contingency reserve.
- A tax windfall of R99.6 billion (USD 6.6 billion, or 1.9% of GDP) meant that no new tax measures need to be implemented over the medium term. Despite the windfall, tax revenue is R213.2 billion lower due to the impact of COVID-19.
- The budget continues to cut back expenditure to deal with the large debt durden. As such, social grants are set to increase at a below inflation rate of 2.2% over the medium term.
- Since the government won the court case at the Labour Appeal Court, and was not mandated to implement the third year of the public sector wage deal, compensation spending is expected to be cut in line with medium term budget in October. That being said, labour unions are appealing the ruling at the Constitutional Court.
- The allocation to Health was R248 billion (USD 16.4 billion, or 4.7% of GDP) and will contract by 0.3% over the medium term. The contraction is a result of cuts to the wage bill.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 30 March: National Treasury has set up an email address where members of the public can send suggestions on how best National Treasury can deal with the COVID-19 virus. This is in support of efforts by the rest of government to ensure interaction with members of the public on the virus.

By 15 April, the National Treasury has provided opportunities for public input into the tax relief proposals, an extension of the period for public comment on two draft Bills relating to municipal fiscal powers, and input on public procurement.

15 May: To give effect to the strict monitoring and reporting measures required during times of emergency procurement, a new Instruction Note and Circular provides measures to put in place for COVID-19 emergency procurement, open the supply of these products to all suppliers conforming to specifications and are registered on the Central Supplier database (CSD) of government, outlines the required PPE item specifications, outlines the maximum prices at which government will procure these PPE items, and outlines the emergency procurement, monitoring and reporting requirements.

6 June: South Africa requires that all donor funding be paid into a specific Reconstruction and Development Fund and used strictly in accordance with the purpose set by the regulations and the intent of the donors.

27 July: As part of its commitment to the IMF, the Government will publish COVID-19 public procurement contracts; validate delivery of products and services; publish beneficial ownership information of companies receiving COVID-19 procurement contracts; conduct COVID-19 specific audit and publish results; and publish COVID-19 expenditure reports.

2 August: The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) announced a probe into allegations of corruption involving the R500-billion relief fund. At least 90 businesses are suspected of setting up corrupt contracts with the health department. One deal, reportedly worth around R125-million, relates to a company called Royal Bhaca supplying the government PPE in Gauteng. It charged more than four times the regular price. In another corrupt deal, after inflating face mask prices by up to 900%, companies Sicuro Safety and Hennox Supplies admitted guilt and were fined.

On 5 August, National Treasury announced that the details of companies who have been awarded tenders must be published. Information on who the competing bidders were and on what basis they lost must also be made clear. President Cyril Ramaphosa has also appointed a Committee of Ministers to deal with allegations of corruption associated with the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, chaired by the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services. To assist the committee in its assessment of COVID-19-related procurement, President Ramaphosa has requested all Ministers and Premiers to provide information on the names of companies and details of tenders and contracts that have been awarded in national departments, provincial governments and public entities during the period of the National State of Disaster.

1 September: South Africa’s COVID-19 Online Resource and News Portal provides comprehensive information on COVID-19 developments in the country, including the range of fiscal relief measures being implemented by the government and their legal basis.

31 October: For accountability purposes, special templates were created to report expenditures related to COVID-19 and a new category was added to the standard chart of accounts.

24 December: The Health Department has not yet released details of its plans to roll out the vaccine across the country. Head of the Health Justice Initiative, Fatima Hassan, is calling on the government to negotiate with drug companies for voluntary licences, the transfer of technology and fair prices so that everyone will be able to access the vaccine.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 15 April: SADC Member States have established National Emergency Operations Centres to facilitate coordination of logistics and stockpiling for disasters at the national level. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies is being implemented to provide sustainable availability and access to affordable and effective essential medicine and health commodities, and Member States have been encouraged to utilise this facility for the procurement of the needed supplies for prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 and any other epidemics

15 April: Due to the shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to curb the spread of COVID-19, the National Treasury in support of the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (DTIC) called on all compliant, particularly local, suppliers providing these commodities to send details of availability to a centralised email address.

30 September: South Africa has submitted non-binding confirmations of intent to participate in the COVAX Facility, a Gavi-coordinated pooled procurement mechanism for new COVID-19 vaccines. South Africa would be able to use the mechanism to buy and procure COVID-19 vaccines at the cheaper prices Gavi has negotiated — but the country would have to allow COVAX to procure and buy the vaccines on its behalf.

22 December: The Solidarity Fund paid ZAR 283 million (USD 19.2 million) as a 15% down payment to secure South Africa’s entry into the Covax facility's committed purchase agreement. Kn the first phase, South Africa will receive 3.93 million doses from COVAX. This will cover 10% of the South African population.

1 January: South Africa made a deal with Serum Institute India and will be getting 1.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine for its health workers starting this month. The country, is also in talks with Russia and China to procure vaccines. South Africa will pay USD 5.25 per dose, more than some wealthier countries are paying.

14 January: South Africa has estimated that the cost of its vaccine roll-out plan will be 20.6 billion ZAR (around USD 1.4 billion). The National Treasury will incur most of the cost, but South Africa is looking towards public-private co-financing arrangements that could see medical-insurance providers contributing. The country’s biggest medical aid scheme, Discovery Health, has also allocated at least 7 billion ZAR to ensure that its members receive COVID-19 vaccines once they are made available in South Africa.

20 January: As the government’s efforts to secure supplies of Covid-19 vaccines find growing success, the Treasury is considering raising taxes as one of several possible mechanisms to fund the vaccination drive.

25 January: South Africa is considering raising financing through increasing taxes, reprioritising existing budgets, borrowing from multilateral lenders, private sector contributions through the National Solidarity Fund, and subsidies from private medical schemes.

25 January: The South African government has also amended the Medical Schemes Act to ensure that COVID-19 vaccination became a prescribed minimum benefit, implying that medical aids are required to cover the cost of the vaccine for all members.

8 February: South Africa is one of four African countries that has qualified for the Pfizer vaccine through COVAX, requiring countries to be able to store and distribute doses at minus 70 degrees Celsius.

11 February: During the State of the Nation Address, the president of South Africa annouced that nine million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been procured. While 12 million vaccine doses from the global COVAX facility have been secured. This will be complemented by 12 million vaccines that are available to South Africa through the African Union’s (AU) African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team Facility.

24 February: COVAX announced South Africa's indicative distribution for the first half of 2021 of 2,976,000 AstraZeneca Vaccines through SKBioScience and 102 960 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

25 February: The 2021 Budget showed that the National Treasury had to reprioritise programmes to raise money to procure enough vaccines. Mboweni on Wednesday detailed how the vaccine programme would now be directly financed by the National Treasury, with R6.5bn directly allocated to the national department of health “to procure and distribute vaccines”. A further R100m would be channelled to the coffers of the SA Medical Research Council to fund vaccine research programmes. R2.4bn would be allocated to the nine provincial health departments to allow them to administer the vaccines once procured and delivered by the national departments. The government communications agency (GCIS) has also been given R50m “for an associated communications campaign,” aimed at educating the public about the benefits of a Covid-19 vaccine after the spread of misinformation on social media and other platforms. Mboweni also indicated that the National Treasury stood ready to tap into the national contingency reserve and emergency reserve fund, which could see the vaccination programme costs shooting up to R19.3bn.

On 27 February, South Africa received its second delivery of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine; reports say that at least 80 000 vaccines were received.

4 March: South Africa continues rolling out its vaccination programme. To date, an estimated 76 037 healthcare workers have been vaccinated. The number of vaccination sites increased from 18 to 49, comprising of 34 public and 15 private healthcare facilities.

Business support and tax measures: The Minister of Finance announced the following exceptional tax measures on 23 March 2020:
The South African Revenue Service will accelerate the payment of employment tax incentive reimbursements from twice a year to monthly to get cash into the hands of compliant employers as soon as possible;
Tax compliant businesses with a turnover of R50 million (USD 3 million, which translates to less than 0.01% of GDP) or less will be allowed to delay 20% of their employees’ tax liabilities over the next four months and a portion of their provisional corporate income tax payments without penalties or interest over the next six months. This intervention is expected to assist 75 000 small and medium term enterprises.

The government will assist companies facing distress through the R180 billion (USD 10.5 billion, or 2.8% of GDP) surplus Unemployment Insurance Fund and special programs from the Industrial Development Corporation. Funds will be available to assist SMEs under stress, mainly in the tourism and hospitality sectors.

On 21 April, R100 billion (USD 5.6 billion- 1.5% of GDP) was announced to support companies and protect jobs, seemingly in addition to the R40 billion (USD 2.3 billion, or 0.6% of GDP) already set aside by the Unemployment Insurance Fund for income support payments. Tax relief to assist corporates could also total R70 billion (USD 4 billion, or approximately 1.05% of GDP). Authorities will roll out a R200 billion (USD 11.2 billion or 3% of GDP) loan guarantee scheme for companies with turnover of less than R300 million (USD 17.4 million, or less than 0.01% of GDP) a year in partnership with the major banks (and SARB).

On 1 May 2020, The National Treasury issued a revised Draft Disaster Management Tax Bill which aims to aid both individuals and businesses.

1 May: Until 31 July 2020, SMMEs can defer 35% of their employees’ tax liabilities and their first and second provisional tax payments. Businesses with a gross income of less than R100 million can apply for additional payment deferrals. Businesses with a gross income exceeding R100 million incapable of making payments due to COVID-19, may apply to defer tax payments. A four-month holiday for Skills Development Levy contributions. The Employment Tax Incentive (ETI) is expanded for tax-compliant employers until 31 July 2020. Delay in Carbon Tax.

1 May: Tax-deductible limit for donations made to the Solidarity Fund will be increased from 10% to 20% of taxable income.

15 October: In its Economic Recovery Plan, the government of South Africa has made mention of the creation of a tourism relief fund, whcih will assist businesses in the tourism sector.

15 October: The Loan Guarantee Scheme has been topped up with R24.42 billion (USD 1.6 billion, or 0.42% of GDP) to ensure that businesses impacted by COVID-19 are able to have access to liquidity during the pandemic.

28 October: The presidential employment initiative allocated R390.5 million (USD 25.5 million - 0.1% of GDP) to the recruitment of outreach team leaders, community health workers, enrolled nurses and auxiliary nurses in the healthcare sector.

28 October: The medium term budget mentions additional taxes of R5 billion in 2021/22 and R10 billion in 2022/23 in order to curb the revenue shortfall associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 November: The Employment Tax Incentive Act was amended to provide tax relief for businesses with respect to COVID-19. The amendment loosened criteria for taxes owed, such as the exemption from paying the Skills Development Levy.

11 February: To date, more than R1,3 billion (USD 87 million or less than 0,01% of GDP) has been provided in support mainly for small- and medium-sized businesses. In addition, over R70 billion (USD 4,7 billion or 24,7% in GDP) in tax relief was extended to businesses in distress. Around R18,9 billion (USD 1,2 billion or 6,7 % in GDP) in loans have been approved for 13 000 businesses through the Loan Guarantee Scheme. Government has decided to extend the COVID-19 TERS benefit until 15 March 2021, only for those sectors that have not been able to open and operate.

On 24 February, the Ministrer of Finance announced, in the 2021 Budget, various employment support measures:
- The Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme received an additional R73.6 billion (USD 4.9 billion, or 1.4% of GDP) and is extended until the end of April.
- Part of the COVID-19 response plan is a drive to support public sector employment; R81.6 billion (USD 5.4 billion, or 1.6% of GDP) was allocated, over the medium term, to support the expansion of public employment programmes.
- The National Youth Development Agency was allocated R1.4 billion (USD 0.09 billion, or 0.03% of GDP) for operations and programmes to support youth employment/

Financing social assistance and food relief: On 21 April, it was announced that R50bn has been allocated to relieve social distress with higher social grants for six months (R500 increase in child care grants and R250 increase of all other grants) as well as a new R350 per month COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant to the unemployed (who receive no other government support). It was also announced that municipalities will receive substantial added financing to improve water infrastructure, sanitation of transportation as well as food and housing provision to the homeless.

On 21 April, it was announced that R40 billion has been set aside for income support payments for workers whose employers are not able to pay their wages. The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) will compensate affected workers through a new “National Disaster Benefit” and existing Illness, Reduced Work Time and Unemployment Benefits. The benefit will be at a flat rate equal to the minimum wage USD 200 per employee for the duration of the shutdown or a maximum period of 3 months, whichever period is the shortest.

On 1 May 2020, The National Treasury issued a revised Draft Disaster Management Tax Bill which aims to aid both individuals and businesses.

25 May: The distribution of food parcels will be reorganized and a new system of vouchers or cash payments introduced. Details to follow.

25 May: South Africa's Western Cape provincial government has allocated 18 million Rand (c. USD 958,000) to support the 483,000 learners that are beneficiaries of the province's School Nutrition Programme. Government will provide take-away meals or take-home food rations, with schools being responsible for the modality used to deliver meals to learners.

28 May: For individual taxpayers, the tax-deductible limit for donations will be
increased from 10% to 20% of taxable income for Solidarity Fund
donations during the 2020/21 tax year. This applies to donations
actually paid or transferred to the Solidarity Fund by the end of the year
of assessment of the donor. The proposed amendment is deemed to have
come into operation on 1 April 2020 and applies until 28 February 2021.
- For the period 1 April 2020 to 30 September 2020, employers can factor in Solidarity Fund donations made on behalf of an employee of 33.3% (for three months) or 16.66% (for six months) of an employee’s monthly salary when calculating employees’ tax.
- A COVID-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (COVID-19 TERS) has been introduced to pay employees a portion of their salary during the temporary closure of their employer’s businesses. This will be facilitated by the Unemployment Insurance Fund. Employees may receive a salary benefit up to a maximum of R17 712 per month, based on an income replacement scale ranging from 38% to 60%.
- The TERS relief also allows access to an illness benefit for employees who either self-quarantine without a medical certificate or who quarantine upon consultation with a medical practitioner.
- To access the TERS relief, the employer must be registered for Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and the employer’s closure must be directly linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.

15 October: The government of South Africa has extended the R350 (USD 22) COVID-relief grant to caregivers for a further 3 months, until January 2021.

15 October::The temporary disability grant has also been extended until 31 December

11 February: To date, more than R57 billion (USD or % of GDP 3.8 billion or 20% ) in wage support has been paid to over 4,5 million workers through the special Unemployment Insurance Fund Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (TERS). The state decided to extend the period for the Special COVID-19 Grant of R350 (USD 23,56 or less than 0,001% of GDP) by a further three months.

On 24 February, the Ministrer of Finance announced, in the 2021 Budget, that the special COVID-19 social relief of distress grant was allocated R2.1 billion (USD 0.14 billion, or 0.04% of GDP) to extend it until the end of April 2021.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Reserve Bank- South Africa
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The Daily Maverick
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National Treasury- South Africa
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Ugo Gentilini
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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South African Reserve Bank Website

The Daily Maverick Website

Quartz Africa

Businesstech Website

SARS Website

Business Live

GAVI

Times Live

South Sudan

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 17,697 Source

Confirmed deaths: 138 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 8.5% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 8.87% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 1 October: The government of South Sudan has estimated its required budget envelope amount for a COVID-19 preparedness and recovery plan. Currently, this plan is estimated to cost 19.32 billion SSP (USD 148 million, or 3% of GDP)

Official COVID-19 links: —

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): —

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): —

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): —

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): —

Domestic and external financing: USD 5.6 million (0.05% of GDP) will be mobilised by the EU in South Sudan to increase health system capacity to respond to the pandemic, including USD 1 million to set-up a laboratory for testing COVID-19 as well as other infectious diseases.

The World Bank has allocated USD 7.6 million (roughly 0.06% of GDP) to help manage the spread of coronavirus in South Sudan. The funds under the Provision of Essential Health Services Project will facilitate and strengthen the country’s national systems for public health preparedness.

27 April May: The EU has confirmed that it will increase funding to South Sudan by a further 4 million Euros (0.04% of GDP) in order to bolster the healthcare system in the country.

15 May: The World Bank has approved a grant of USD 105 million (which will be used by UNICEF and the ICRC on behalf of the Republic) to South Sudan. This translates to approximately 0.9% of the country's GDP.

On 16 June, The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, Alain Nodulous, today launched an urgent funding appeal for the response to COVID-19 and new humanitarian needs. The COVID-19 Addendum to the 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan requests USD 390 million (of 0.04% of GDP), bringing the overall South Sudan humanitarian appeal for the year to USD 1.9 billion (15.8% of GDP).

24 June: The African Development Bank , Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and Planning and the World Health Organization have signed a USD 4.1 million (or 0.0% of GDP) grant-based partnership agreement for an African Development Bank-financed project to support the emergency response for COVID-19 and strengthen the health system capacity for emergency preparedness in South Sudan.

11 November: The IMF has provided USD 52.3 million (roughly 1.1% of GDP) to South Sudan through its Rapid Credit Facility.

21 April: The World bank is reviewing an application by South Sudan for funding from its USD 12 billion fund to help developing countries purchase and roll out vaccines.

2 April 2021: The IMF provided a USD 174.2 million (4.7% of GDP) economic stabilisation loan, that, in part, is a response to the pandemic's impact on the economy.

11 June 2021: The World Bank will provide a USD 116 million (3.2% of GDP) grant for two agricultural projects that fall part of the Bank's response response programmes to the pandemic.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 9 December 2020: The Ministry of Finance published both the national budget brief for 2019/20, and the budget plan for 2020/21 (both accessible from http://www.mofep-grss.org/documents/). While the former acts as a retrospective to the budget allocations during 2020, the latter speaks more to rolling out the budget over the coming months. It is also in the latter case that no indication of finances or budget adjustments is presented.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 30 June: The government has allocated donations from the United States government to a COVID-19 fund of USD 8 million (0.07% of GDP). Of which, USD 5 million was allocated to the Ministry of Health to combat the pandemic.

1 October: The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in South Sudan published the resource envelope associated with the 2020/21 financial year budget. In it, although no breakdown is given, 3% of GDP (USD 148 million) is allocated to a COVID-19 response.

10 December: The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the context in which the South Sudan budget plans were prepared. The 2020/21 Budget Plan includes various strategic objectives surrounding Epidemic management (for both Covid-19 and Ebola), where activities include; (I) Outbreak/epidemic preparedness; (ii) Detecting outbreaks; (iii) Responding to and controlling outbreaks. The budget workplan includes efforts to increase the number of trained medical staff in order to reduce child and maternal mortality rate and fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

23 June 2021: The Ministry of Finance published the FY 2020/21 Draft Budget in June 2021. 19.3 billion SSP (USD 0.15 billion, or 4% of GDP) is allocated to the COVID-19 response, in addition to the Health budget of 4.05 billion SSP (USD 0.03 billion, or 1.3% of GDP). These funds are equivalent to 10.7% of the total budget, which will go towards various interventions aiming to mitigate the impact of COVId-19, such as Food Security and Livelihoods, Nutrition, Protection, Child Protection, WaSH and Shelter and Non-Food Items, among others.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 29 October: Advance South Sudan has implemented anti-corruption projects used as a means to strengthen public procurement processes, while also bolstering whistle-blower protection systems.

In May 2021, a paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. South Sudan is ranked among the countries with the lowest degree of transparency and accountability regarding COVID-related spending and financing.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: South Sudan has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

4 January: South Sudan's government has officially requested the Gavi Vaccine Alliance to provide over 5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine amid recent spikes in infections.

14 January: South Sudan is set to receive 2.3 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from the AU.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, South Sudan is expected to receive 864 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO.

On 25 March, South Sudan received 132 000 AstraZeneca vaccines as part of the COVAX facility. The country has thus far been allocated a total of 732 000 vaccines.

On 6 April, South Sudan began its vaccination campaign starting with the AstraZeneca vaccine being administered to the Minister of Health Elizabeth Achuei. The Minister said that the vaccine will be rolled out first to health workers and the elderly.

17 April: South Sudan is looking to dispose of 60 000 vaccines donated by the African Union in collaboration MTN due to an ealry expiry date. Upon receipt, the Ministry of Health noted that the vaccines would expire in 14 days.

As of 19 April, South Sudan has only managed to vaccinate 2 000 people, mostly health workers.

24 May 2021: 72 000 AstraZeneca vaccines are returned to the COVAX facility for use in other countries before they expire.

28 May 2021: The National Minsitry of Health began the vaccine rollout in partnership with the Health Pooled Fund (HPF).

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. South Sudan is a part of this initiative.

On 30 June 2021, the World Bank announced that it is providing over USD4 billion for the purchase and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines for 51 developing countries, half of which are in Africa. South Sudan forms part of the 51 countries.

Business support and tax measures: 8 June 2021: The South Sudan Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project will support investments in training for farmers to increase agricultural productivity. This initiative is grant funded by the World Bank, as part of its response programmes to the pandemic.

Financing social assistance and food relief: In March, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs announced that it will, in collaboration with the World Food Program, start a door-to-door food distribution in South Sudan.

25 May: The South Sudan Safety Net Project (SSSNP) will expand access to safety net and provide income security for low income families, while strengthening delivery tools and local level capacities. Nearly 430,000 people will receive cash transfers. It will also provide direct grants to those who are unable to work. The budget allocated to this intervention is USD 40 million.

14 May 2020: The World Health Organization, in conjunction with the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Medical Corps (IMC) have increased the roll-out of Covid-19 testing by increasing the capacity of the health system in the Republic of South Sudan.

1 June 2020: Although the amount was undisclosed, the African Energy Chamber has donated both a grant and various health supplies to the Ministry of Health in South Sudan as a means to assist in their effort to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the country.

Primary sources: European Union External Action
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Eye Radio Network
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African Health Stats
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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All Africa News

CNBC Africa

The World Health Organization

IMF Lending Tracker

Ministry of Finance Website

United Nations Website

The East African

Anadolou Agency

Voice of America

International Budget Partnership

Sudan

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 62,489 Source

Confirmed deaths: 4,950 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 8.33% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 13.2% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: According to a Multi-hazard Emergency Health Preparedness plan prepared with the WHO, the financial needs to cope with COVID-19 related health care is about USD 100 million (approximately 0.24% of GDP). To mitigate the negative impact on households and enterprises, the government may need USD1.5 billion in three months.

7 May 2020: An update to the estimate of financing needs of Sudan place the package needed at close to USD 150 Million (0.36% of GDP), as opposed to the original package estimated at USD 100 Million.

Official COVID-19 links: http://www.fmoh.gov.sd/En/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 58

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 11%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 74%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 11%

Domestic and external financing: A national campaign ‘Stand Up for Sudan Initiative' has been launched.

On 9 April, the domestic private sector pledged to contribute USD 2 million to help the government and the UN and international partners will donate USD 9 million . The US government also announced a USD 8 million donation to Sudan. The Islamic Development Bank provided USD 10 million to Sudan. All funding, individually comprised less than 0.01% of national GDP.
On April 9, the Islamic Development Bank was also reported to provide USD 35 million (0.09% of GDP) to Sudan, while the World Bank has also announced a package of USD 35 Million (a further 0.35% of GDP) from its Headquarters based trust funds.

27 April: The European Union, through the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) , provided USD 11 million (0.12% of GDP) to support COVID-19 preparedness. The funds will be used to address critical shortcomings in epidemic preparedness and will be implemented by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

21 May: The European Union announced a support package of 70 Million Euros. This translates to approximately 0.18% of GDP.

7 May: UNAMID has agreed to allocate USD 2 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) to Sudan through financing in order to assist the country mitigate the impact of Covid-19.

29 May: The UN has provided the Sudanese government with access to financing to the effect of USD 47 million (roughly 0.12% of GDP), which is expected to be used to bolster a relatively weak and under-funded health system.

24 June: The European Union has announced further support to Sudan of 11.5 million Euros (equivalent to 0.03% of GDP).

On 25 June, The international community also pledged support of USD 1.8 billion (or 4% of GDP) for the authorities’ broader macroeconomic reform agenda during a Partnership Conference held in Berlin, Germany . While most of the funds will go to the humanitarian assistance and related projects, a sizable portion will support a 12-month Sudan Family Support program to provide direct cash transfer to 80% of the population.

4 August: Sudan has received a Global Partnership for Education Grant from the World Bank of USD10.65 million (or 0.01% of GDP). The project objective is to support learning continuity at the basic education level during the COVID-19 pandemic and school system shutdown and safe transition back to school during recovery.

30 September: The World Bank approved a grant of USD 21.99 million (0.24% of GDP) for disbursement to Sudan as a means to stave off the impact of COVID-19.

19 November: The African Development Bank has provided a grant of USD 28.233 million (roughly 0.07% of GDP) for Sudan to combat the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on the country

26 March: Sudan has cleared its arrears to the World Bank (through a mixture of financing from the USA and the World Bank's pre-arrears clearance grant), and is now able to access financing for economic recovery equivalent to USD 2 billion (6.6% of the country's GDP) in IDA grants as a means to support the country's COVID-19 recovery efforts. As yet, these funds have yet to be tapped into by Sudan.

31 March: Japan and the ILO have provided USD 1.9 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) to Sudan to assist in their pandemic-recovery efforts.

On 23 April, the African Development Bank approved a clearance of Sudanese debt to the tune of USD 413 million (1.4% of GDP) in light of the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the country's economy.

1 April: The Sudanese government, in conjunction with the Central Bank in Sudan, have made USD 55 million (0.18% of GDP) available for the production and import of medicines aimed at alleviating COVID-19 symptoms.

29 June 2021: The IMF has approved an Extended Credit Facility loan to Sudan of USD 2.4 billion (8% of the country's GDP)

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 7 May: A committee with special powers to make resource allocation decisions has been created.

18 June: Given that roughly 60% of familiaes that were designated to recieved cash payments and food during that crisis have not yet been able to recieved support due to the lockdown, Sudan has joined the U.N.'s Better Than Cash Alliance in a move to facilitate emergency aid during the coronavirus crisis, as well as boost financial inclusion for people with no access to banks.This digital transition will ensure equitable access to resources and government services.

0n 10 August 2020, The revised 2020 budget was approved by the Sovereign council.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 15 April: The government has reallocated USD 3 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) towards COVID-19 healthcare.

0n 10 August, The revised 2020 budget was approved by the Sovereign council. The approved budget includes new policy measures to address the current dire economic situation and reduce the impact of COVID-19. Key policy measures include removal of subsidies on gasoline and diesel, and exchange rate reforms. The public revenue also declined by 40 percent due to COVID-19 pandemic.

20 January 2021: The government of Sudan has finalised their budget for 2021. In order to curb the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a total of USD 1.7 billion (5.57% of GDP) has been allocared to the health sector to purchase vaccines, PPE, and improve healthcare infrastructure, especially in areas most devestated by poverty and unrest.

Transparency, accountability and participation: In May 2021, a paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Sudan was ranked among the countries with the lowest degree of transparency and accountability regarding COVID-related spending and financing.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Sudan has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

5 November: In order to ensure the country's food security during the pandemic, the Sudanese government banned the export of some food items including maize and sorghum.

16 December: Dr Amal Abdallah, Director General of the Global Health Department at the Ministry of Health announced that 8.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be provided to specified target groups. The distribution of the vaccine is planned to take place in the first quarter of 2021, depending on global production and waiting lists.

25 January: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has granted Sudan “considerable quantities” of the COVID-19 vaccine.

24 February: COVAX announced Sudan's indicative distribution for the first half of 2021 through the AMC of 3,396,000 AstraZeneca Vaccines through Serum Institute India.

On 27 March 2021, Sudan recieved 250 000 Sinopharm vaccines donated by China

30 May 2021: The government received a total of 828 000 AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX facility. The government also siged an agreement for a grant of USD 10 million (0.03% of GDP) from the Arab Bank for Economic Development to support health services.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Sudan has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

29 June 2021: The government signed an agreement with the World Bank to recieve a grant of USD 100 million (0.33% of GDP) from the International Development Association to assist with the county's response to the pandemic and increase vaccination coverage.

Business support and tax measures: 30 April: The government is preparing to freeze loan repayment and services for three months to ease the pressure on private sector.

30 April: A decree has been issued allocating 10% of imports’ revenues to fund the costs of medicine imports and the production inputs of the local factories.

30 April 2020: Exemption from taxes, duties and customs fees on all equipment and medication related to COVID-19.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 April: A Training Layoff scheme, which suspends the employment relationship and pays the worker 75% of the wage, has been proposed.

30 April: Ministry of Labour and Social Development has proposed a USD 110 million program to support 30% of the population for one month, through increasing direct cash transfer, providing unemployment benefits and delivering basic food baskets to poor families at discounted prices.

30 April: Public and private sectors, employees are working half time with full payments and in-kind support to the public sector was provided through the Finance Ministry's Poverty Reduction Unit.

25 May: In-kind support to poor households, informal workers, teachers, and casual workers (total 2 050 000 households). Each targeted household will receive a support package comprising 3,000 SDG (USD 55) in a form of food basket with five commodities. It is estimated to cost roughly 6.15 billion SDG (USD 110 million, or 0.27% of GDP).

27 April: The International Medical Corps has provided Sudan with assistance from 900 health staff (given a constrained health service due to Covid-19), who have conducted 157 800 health services across the region.

2 July: To ease the pressure and soften the impact of Covid-19 restrictions, the government has launched a “family assistance programme” which aims to provide 80% of the population with USD 5 per month at an estimated cost of USD 1.9 billion (or 4,5% of GDP).

21 February: The Sudan Family Support Programme run by the Sudanese government began again at the end of February 2021. This programme provides USD 5 per vulnerable individual per month to assist in relief efforts at a household level, and will continue for 12 months until February 2022.

7 July 2021: Updates to the Sudan Family Support Programme suggest that 32 million individuals are set to receive the USD 5 family support grant by the end of the year.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19

Dabanga Sudan
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African Health Stats
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ILO Coronavirus Country responses
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Sudan News Agency
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New Straits Times
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus

The United States Embassy in Sudan

The United Nations

The EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa Website

Arab Reform News Website

The European Commission Website

African Development Bank

ITC Trademap

EWN

GAVI

World Bank

IMF

ILO

IMF

AS

World Bank

International Budget Partnership

Tanzania

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: 35,354 Source

Confirmed deaths: 840 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 6.37% (2022-05-22)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 10.54% (2022-05-22)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: —

Official COVID-19 links: https://www.moh.go.tz/en/covid-19-info

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 45

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 9,52%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 22%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 9,52%

Domestic and external financing: On 10 April, Barrick Gold, the world’s second-largest gold miner, announced that Twiga Minerals Corporation, its joint venture with the Tanzanian government, launched a support program to assist the east African country in combating and containing the covid-19 pandemic. It is contributing USD 1.7 million in the form of critical equipment and expertise to help prevent the spread of the virus.

On 11 June: The government has received a loan relief through the Catastrophe Containment Relief Trust (CCRT) for USD 14.3 million (or 0.025% of GDP) which was approved by the International Monetary Fund Board. The amount could increase to USD 25.7 million (or 0.04% of GDP). Other institutions that the government is in talks with include the World Bank through the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) amounting to USD 3.98 million (or 0.007% of GDP); Economic Development Cooperation Fund (ECDF) through the Korea Exim Bank of USD 501,169 (or less than 1% of GDP); budget support from the European Union through EU window Covid-19 Response Package EUR 27 million. Others include the IMF to secure a loan under the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) scheme whereby the government can borrow from the Special Drawing Rights (SDR) to an equivalent of approximately USD 272 million (or 0.47% of GDP) for improving balance of payments.

On 24 June: The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) has approved COVID-19 Accelerated Funding grant of USD 1.5 million. This translates to less than 0.01% of GDP.

8 September: Tanzania is participating in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space created by this DSSI amounts to USD 148.9 million, or approximately 0.24% of the country's GDP. On 10 November, this was revised downwards slightly to USD 138.9 million, or 0.2% of GDP

2 October: The IMF provided a second tranche of debt relief through its CCRT to Tanzania to the effect of USD 11.69 million (roughly 0.02% of GDP)

19 October: The African Development Bank has approved a loan of USD 50.7 million (0.3% of GDP) to Tanzania to finance the country's COVID-19 response.

11 February: Tanzania requested to participate in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative in 2021. This implies a potential saving of USD 106.6 million (0.2% of GDP). On 23 April, the amount of debt suspension offered by the World Bank to Tanzania increased slightly to USD 109.6 million (still 0.2% of the country's GDP)

6 August 2021: The potential DSSI debt relief for January to May 2020 to December 2021 was revised upwards to US 352,3 million (or 0.6% of GDP).

6 August 2021: Tanzania needs to publish data on the spread of Covid-19 before getting approval for a USD 574 million (or 0.91% of GDP) emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 29 June: New Expenditure Policies for 2020/21 were developed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

12 August 2020: In Tanzania, health service providers were introduced into the chart of accounts so they can be recognized in the budget. This was the first step necessary in the country’s PFM reform process to provide them a budget. Equally, it can also be considered the first step to introduce strategic purchasing.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: The Minister of Finance and Planning has directed senior officials in the Ministry of Finance and Planning to partner with the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) to look at the potential effects of Corona on the economy and how to deal with them.

As of 7 May 2020, The government released USD 302 million for health spending. The funds come from the re-prioritisation of budget expenditure and cancelling and postponing some budgeted spending such as foreign travel and training; national ceremonies; and procurement of vehicles.

29 June: Thus far, the government has spent USD 8.4 million (or 0.14% of GDP) to combat the effects of COVID-19. The government will also use contingency reserve of USD 3.2 million (or 0.006% of GDP) to fund additional health spending to mitigate the risks of the pandemic.

New Expenditure Policies for 2020/21 were developed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic; these will include the following; (I). Maintaining discipline and increasing efficiency in the use of public funds; (ii). Ensuring fiscal deficit does not exceed 3 percent of the GDP in line with East African Community macroeconomic convergence criteria; (iii) Allocating funds to priority areas which stimulate economic growth; (iv) Ensuring ongoing projects are given priority prior to committing to new ones; (v) Controlling accumulation of arrears; and (vi) Enhancing the use of ICT in transactions and in the Government operations on health services improvement, activities to be implemented include: procurement and distribution of medicine, equipment, medical equipment and reagents; construction of regional and zonal referral hospitals, district hospitals, health centres and dispensaries; improving access to health services through universal health coverage; and employing various health professionals.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 10 June: As part of its commitment to the IMF, the Government will conduct COVID-19-specific audit and publish results.

End-May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Tanzania was rated as having minimal accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 15 April: SADC Member States have established National Emergency Operations Centres to facilitate coordination of logistics and stockpiling for disasters at the national level. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies is being implemented to provide sustainable availability and access to affordable and effective essential medicine and health commodities, and Member States have been encouraged to utilise this facility for the procurement of the needed supplies for prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 and any other epidemics.

30 September: Tanzania has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

5 November: The government of Tanzania has granted customs exemptions on all medical supply products related to the treatment and prevention of COVID-19

14 January: News reports note that Tanzania is set to receive 12 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from the AU. However, AP News reported that Tanzanian Health Minister Dorothy Gwajima announced in a press conference on Monday that “the ministry has no plans to receive vaccines for COVID-19,” a proclamation on the heels of President John Magufuli expressing doubts last week that the vaccines were effective.

On 1 February, Tanzanian Health Minister reiterated that Tanzania will not be vaccinating its population against COVID-19. The vaccine can only be used legally if health authorities provide approval, which they have not yet done. If approved, the private sector may import and administer vaccines, but the government remains firm not to proceed with a vaccination programme.

On 6 April, medical researchers in Tanzania re-affirmed that the country would not be implementing the vaccine in its current form due to concerns over how the development of the vaccine was rushed.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Tanzania is a part of this initiative.

17 June 2021: Tanzania begins preparing a COVID-19 vaccine deployment plan after joining the COVAX facility to acquire vaccines. The Tanzanian government has also approached the IMF to secure an emergency loan of USD 574 million (0.91% of GDP) to finance vaccine purchases.

24 July 2021: Tanzania received its first COVID-19 vaccine doses on Saturday with the delivery of 1 million Johnson & Johnson shots as part of a U.S. government donation.

10 August 2021: While there has not yet been broad federal distribution, vaccines have found their way into the country through other means. For example, Zanzibar secured 10,000 doses of Sputnik V, as well as Sinovac vaccines.

Business support and tax measures: 30 April: To support the private sector the government has expedite the payment of verified expenditure arrears giving priority to affected SMEs, paying USD 376 million over the past two months. The government has granted VAT and customs exemptions to additional medical items requested by the Ministry of Health.

30 June: The following tax relief systems are being implemented; VAT exemption is additively extended towards insurance premiums relating to agriculture business; and allowable deduction for contributions made by companies towards COVID 19 and HIV AIDS relief funds.

18 November: The government of Tanzania has announced a 100% deduction of the contributions flowing to the state on corporate income tax until the COVID-19 pandemic has ended.

1 May: Although not finalised, the new president of Tanzania has tabled a proposal to decrease the income tax rate by 1 percentage point to 8% in the 2021/22 financial year as a means to prop up disposable income during the pandemic.

6 August 2021: In the 2021/2022 Budget the Minister proposes the following; (i) A reduction of the contribution rate from 1% to 0.6% for Private Sector is a welcomed relief for the private secto; (ii) The abolishment of VAT on imported precious metals and raw minerals; (iii) The expansion of the VAT exemption list, including; insurance of livestock farming, imported and local purchases of goods and services for East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 June: The government has expanded social security schemes by USD 32.1 million (translating to 0.06% of GDP) to meet the increase in withdrawals benefits for COVID-19 related unemployment.

6 August 2021: The Minister proposes to reduce PAYE rates for the lowest band from 9% to 8% in the 2021/2022 Budget.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Business and Human Rights Resource Centre
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Ministry of Finance- Tanzania
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus

AFDB Website

ITC Trademap

PWC Website

GAVI

Reuters

Science and Development

AS

Health Policy Watch

The Gambia

Tests p/million: 116

Confirmed cases: 12,002 Source

Confirmed deaths: 365 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 14.25% (2022-05-22)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 18.07% (2022-05-22)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: The authorities have prepared a USD 9 million (or, 0.55% of GDP) COVID-19 action plan.

Official COVID-19 links: —

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 14

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 2,76%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 24%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 2,76%

Domestic and external financing: On 2 April, The World Bank Board approved a USD 10 million (0.6% of GDP) grant from the International Development Association (IDA). The COVID-19 Response and Preparedness Project will enhance case detection, tracing, and reporting, as well as provide equipment to isolation and treatment centres, and improve disease surveillance and diagnostic capacity. It will also focus on risk communications and community engagement for increased awareness and compliance with prevention and social distancing measures.

The Gambia is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust. As of 7 May, The Gambia has received debt relief of USD 2.87 million (roughly 0.2% of GDP).
On 15 April, the Gambia has received an allotment from the IMF rapid financing instrument of USD 21.3 million (approximately 1.3% of GDP).

End-April: The European Commission provided The Gambian government with USD 10.09 million (0.6% of GDP) in COVID-19 support funding.

25 June: Donor agencies, including the UNDP, EFP, FAO, WHO, UNICEF, and UNFP, have provided cumulative financial assistance of roughly USD 1.5 million (roughly 0.1% of GDP) in order to strengthen social support programmes aimed at vulnerable groups impacted by COVID-19.

24 July: African Development Bank approves a grant for COVID-19 response; the grant comprises an ADF grant of UA 5 million (USD 96 thousand- less than 0.01% of GDP) and a TSF grant of UA 5 million (USD 96 thousand- less than 0.01% of GDP) to the Republic of The Gambia.

8 September: The Gambia is participating in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space created by this DSSI amounts to USD 11.5 million, or approximately 0.7% of the country's GDP.

2 October: A second tranche of the CCRT debt relief has been extended to The Gambia of USD 2.96 million (or 0.18% of GDP).

12 October: The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved a USD30 million (or 1.84% of GDP) grant from the International Development Association (IDA) to improve the quality and utilization of essential health services in The Gambia.

4 November: Donor agencies, including the UNDP, WFP, WHO, FAO, UNICEF, UNFP and UNICEF, have focused financial assistance (about USD 1.5 million or 0.09% of GDP cumulatively, so far) to strengthen social assistance support for programmes aimed at vulnerable groups impacted by COVID-19 by improving communication, safeguarding nutrition, and ensuring food security. The European Commission intends to provide an additional 5.5 million Euro (USD 6.5 million or 0.40% of GDP) financing in Q4 2020. Many of the other donors will also be expanding their social assistance support through cash transfers using mobile money and direct payments targeted to poor households, new mothers and farmers using existing databases of past recipients, village lists and voter rolls.

10 November: The DSSI support extended towards The Gambia has been adjusted downwards to providing fiscal space of USD 10.2 million (or 0,6% of GDP).

4 December: Gambia received various grants to supplement their 2021 budget, ammounting to D3.2 billion (USD 0.06 billion, or 3.4% of GDP). Grants were received form the European Union, World Bank and African Development Bank.

On 15 January: The IMF increased the Extended Credit Facility from SDR 5 million to SDR 20 million (USD 28.8 million or 2.1% 0f GDP). These funds are to address various economic issues, including the economic impact of COVID-19.

4 February: The European Commission provided USD 10.9 million (or 0.6% of GDP) to support Gambia's COVID-19 response at the end of April 2020 and an additional USD 6.7 million (0.4% of GDP) is anticipated in 2021.

11 February: Gambia requested to participate in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative in 2021. This implies a potential saving of USD 6.4 million (0.4% of GDP).

2 March: The EU's USD 10.9 million (or 0.6% of GDP) COVID-19 support to The Gambia was postponed and now only to be received sometime towards the middle of 2021. Many of the other donors will also be expanding their social assistance support through cash transfers using mobile money and direct payments targeted to poor households, new mothers and farmers using existing databases of past recipients, village lists and voter rolls.

5 April: The IMF, through the extension of the third tranche of its CCRT, has provided Gambia with debt relief of USD 2.65 million (0.15% of GDP).

On 19 April 2021 the World Bank approved an USD 8 million ( 0.4% of GDP) grant to help finance the COVID-19 vaccines supply and rollout in the country.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 11 June: The following expenditure measures have been used to finance COVID-19 related expenses: (I) Virements between line ministries’ approved budgets; (ii) Reprioritisation of expenditure between annual budgets; and (iii) Across-the-board cuts to recurrent expenditure.

11 June: As a way of ensuring rapid delivery of COVID-19 goods and services, the formal PFM rules and processes have been somewhat relaxed; a committee is set to review all procurement needs, obtained advice, and approval from the Procurement Regulation in a much more flexible way (i.e. through WhatsApp group chats formed by the committee).

11 June: Cash within the PFM framework has been consolidated in innovative ways to ensure greater liquidity and efficient cash management during the crisis, emergency meetings between cash management committees have been organized, and additional measures have been put in place to clear or prevent arrears.

11 June: The following measures have been adopted in order to speed up disbursement of funds and spending; (I) fast tracking expenditure authorization; 9ii) changes to spending controls from ex-ante to ex-post; and (iii) streamlining of payment management processes.

11 June: Two committees have been formed in order to increase coordination between finance ministries/ budget offices and other relevant line ministries at subnational and central government levels; one comprises of PSs and heads of relevant departments and the other is at a Cabinet level, chaired by the Vice President.

11 June: The Ministry of Finance, following containment policies, has ensured business continuity through the use of virtual networks and streamlined security checks.

11 June: As an efficiency and cost-effectiveness measure introduced into the healthcare financing and purchasing process pooled procurement has been utilised.

11 June: Tracking of COVID-19 emergency expenditure has differed from routine in that spending is done below the line account.

5 November: A supplementary appropriation (SAP) bill was approved by the National Assembly to accommodate spending on the health emergency and social support, and to facilitate the recovery through infrastructure spending and support to the tourism sector.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: 23 April: On the revenue side, the authorities are letting domestic petroleum price margins increase, which will reduce the drop in revenue by at least 0.1% of GDP. Expenditure reallocations within the budget envelope for goods and services, slowing the implementation of domestic public investment projects, reduced subsidies to the electricity provider and savings on travel expenses are expected to free about 1.0% of GDP for COVID-19 emergency, while anticipated delays in the implementation of foreign-financed public investment will be matched by lower disbursement of project loans and grants.

30 April: The Government has also reallocated 500 million Dalasi (USD 9.8 million or 0.6 % of GDP) from the current budget to the Ministry of Health and other relevant public entities to complement the support already received from partners to prevent and control the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.

11 June: Initial funding of COVID 19 was established by reallocating budget lines from the travel and training of all MDAs to the Ministry of health for Gambia. An SAP is currently being pursued; this is subjected to IMF scrutiny before the engaging National Assembly.

30 June: Initial funding of COVID 19 was established by reallocating budget lines of travel and training of all MDAs to the Ministry of health.

8 September: The supplementary appropriation approved by the National Assembly in July includes a GMD 546 million (USD 10,5 million or 0.6% of GDP) relief package to various sectors, including the municipal councils, public entities, the tourism sector, the media, and additional food assistance to be delivered through WFP. Financing from the IMF helped to cover some of these additional costs.

28 September: The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs has outlined the disbursement of over GMD 600 million (USD 11.6 million or 0.71% of GDP) made to various institutions that were seriously affected by COVID-19.

4 December: In the 2021 budget, the government committed over D200 million (USD 3.9 million, or 0.21% of GDP) for various COVID-19 related supplied such as face masks, PPE and ventilators.

2 March: The supplementary appropriation (SAP) approved by the National Assembly in July included GMD 2.3 billion (USD 46 million or 2.5% of GDP) in additional measures in response to COVID-19. The SAP included a GMD 737 million (USD 14.7 million or 0.8% of GDP) relief package to various sectors, including the municipal councils, public entities, the tourism sector, the media, and GMD 224.3 million (USD 45 million or 0.2% of GDP) in additional food assistance delivered through WFP. The SAP also provisioned for GMD 250 million (USD 5 million or 0.3% of GDP) in additional health spending.

1 July 2021: The 2021 budget includes GMD 500 million (USD10 mil or 0.55% of GDP) for spending contingencies to address emergencies that could arise from the surge in COVID-19 cases.

12 July 2021: The government is planning for nationwide deployment of additional 70-life saving ambulances costing approximately D134 mil (USD2.7 mil or 0.15% of GDP). This will be funded from government own resources as part of its response to the COVID pandemic. The government will soon disburse in July or early August the sum of D32 mil (USD640k or 0.04% of GDP) to support the nationwide expanded immunization programme.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 15 April: When requesting financing from the IMF, the Government stated that they will ensure full transparency and proper budget procedure for use of emergency assistance. In the current circumstances, they will use the provisions under the Public Finance Act that allow for spending reallocations within the existing budget and create a temporary fund (within the treasury single account) through which the additional emergency spending could be channelled, subject to clearly established allocation criteria and reporting requirements. Once the situation normalises and the total fiscal cost of addressing COVID-19 can be assessed, they will proceed with the preparation of a comprehensive supplementary budget and a full audit of the emergency spending.

11 June: To ensure increased transparency and accountability with regards to COVID-19 financing and expenditure, internal audits have been more undertaken more frequently.

25 June: Last month, the Gambian Constitutional Review Commission presented a new draft constitution that includes a chapter on public finance. Concurrently, the central government, with assistance from IRI, and the Gambian civil society, has worked to make its recently released 2020 Citizens Budget more accessible. The constitution also includes several notable changes in some of the provisions of the budgetary process. This attempt to improve fiscal transparency comes at a time of increased scrutiny after receiving support from the international community.

4 December: The Ministry of Finance set up a framework to ensure transparency of COVID-19 spending. Measures included establishing a multisectoral committee to oversee allocations and use of funds. Moreover, a special account was opened at the Central Bank for easy oversight of pandemic related spending.

31 May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Gambia was rated as having minimal accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: The Gambia has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Gambia is expected to receive 108 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO.

3 March: The Gambia received its first shipment of 36,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility to cover about 20% of the population. The AstraZeneca vaccines were shipped by UNICEF on behalf of COVAX, from the Serum Institute of India (SII). More shipments of COVID-19 vaccines and syringes are expected in the coming weeks. The Minister of Health of The Gambia. “Now that both the syringes and vaccines are here, we are expediting our plans to ensure that vaccination of health care workers, those with underlying medical conditions, and elderly people of 65 years and above kicks off soon.

2 April: The African Centre for Decease Control (CDC) is providing 12 000 doses (specific vaccine type not stated).

16 April: The World Bank Board approved USD 8 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) additional financing from the International Development Association (IDA) to provide safe and effective vaccine purchase and deployment.

20 April 2021: On 20 April, the World Bank announced that it would mobilise USD 12 billion over a 2-year period to finance the purchase of vaccines in 17 developing countries, including Cabo Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Eswatini, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Rwanda and Tunisia. Details on the breakdown of this financing have yet to emerge.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. The Gambia has been approved to be a part of this initiative.

5 July 2021: Gambian health authorities approved the Sinopharm vaccine and plan to roll it out from July 5.

Business support and tax measures: A broader set of measures including further support to enterprises and job protection in urban areas and industrial parks is under discussion with the donor community but has not been formalized. The expansion of the Urban Productive Safety Net Programme to 16 additional cities over the next two months is under active consideration, in collaboration with the World Bank, at an estimated cost of $134 million).

25 June: The government has issued support to farmers by distributing 2000 tons of fertilizer. The state is in the process of developing a relief package for the municipal councils and tourism sector. The Gambia Revenue Authority has extended, by two months (that expired at end-May), the filing of the 2019 annual tax return and the payment of final 2019 tax, as well as for the filing of the first quarter 2020 declaration and the payment of the first quarter instalment. It has also revised down its annual revenue target by about 2.2% of GDP.

22 July: In response to the outbreak of the COVID-19, The Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, GCCI, has launched its Businesses Against Covid-19 Campaign to create awareness and raise funds from the business community in support of the Gambia’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in its fight to combat the pandemic.

24 December: The 2021 budget noted assistance to the tourism sector worth D100 million (USD 2 million, or 0.1% of GDP). The Tourism Ministry disbursed these funds across the sector, including D5 million to artists (USD 0.1 million, or 0.05% of GDP).

2 March 2021: Tourism in the Gambia is regarded as a key driver of trade and foreign exchange inflows has halted altogether in the Gambia. To facilitate trade and FX, interest rates on T-bills increased at the onset of the pandemic but have eased on the back of subdued inflation and measures taken by the Central Bank to support market liquidity.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 April: Emergency powers have been invoked by the President to freeze prices and ration essential food (rice, meat, fish and cooking oil) and non-food (soap, sanitizers and cement) commodities to prevent price gouging and hoarding.

7 May: 2000 tons of fertilizer were distributed to in need to subsistence farmers.

25 May: Over GMD 734 million (USD 14.7 million or 0.9% of GDP) are allocated to support 84% of households countrywide. Such support includes rice, oil and sugar.

21 May: A cumulative amount of USD 1.5 million from donor organisations including the UNDP, WFP, WHO, FAO, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNICEF, has been focused on financial assistance to strengthen social assistance for vulnerable groups affected by COVID-19.

25 June: The government has launched a student relief fund to Gambian students abroad. A GMD 800 million (USD 15.8 million or 1% of GDP) national food distribution programme has been launched and is expected to reach 84% of Gambian households.

14 December: Gambia's attempts to shield women and children from the pandemic included a cash transfer from the Department of Social Welfare to more than one thousand women with children younger than five years old; D1000 (USD 20) was provided for a period of three months. 40 schools were also supported with cash transfers and essential food items such as rice and oil.

12 July 2021: The government will continue the cash transfer program by providing financial assistance to the most vulnerable communities of our population. Already, additional financing of USD10 mil (0.55% of GDP) has been secured from the World Bank to extend the social assistance program to 36 months.

12 July 2021: In an effort to target one of the most vulnerable communities, the government decided to maintain the price of fertilizers at D700 per 50kg for a second year in a row despite rising fertilizer prices in the international market.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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World Bank
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IMF Lending Tracker
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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World Bank

IMF Country Report

GAVI

World Bank announcement

Togo

Tests p/million: 339

Confirmed cases: 37,247 Source

Confirmed deaths: 273 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 18.37% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 24.68% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: The overall financing need is estimated at about CFAF 70 billion (about USD 130 million or 2 % of GDP). The immediate and direct costs of this plan is estimated at CFAF 20 billion (about USD 35 million or 0.6 % of GDP) with a CFAF 2 billion self-funding.

7 May 2020: A Solidarity and Economic Recovery Fund of CFAF 400 Billion (USD 666 million or 11.8% of GDP) is expected to be set up.

Official COVID-19 links: https://covid19.gouv.tg/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 20

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 4,25%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 50%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 4,25%

Domestic and external financing: A national solidarity fund has been established amounting to 400 billion CFA francs (USD 669 million, or 12.5% of GDP) which will, among other things, care for the sick, support vulnerable households, workers in the informal economy and SMEs.

On 3 April, SDR 71.49 million was provided by the IMF through augmentation of the existing Extended Credit Facility.

3 April: The authorities currently have secured financing of about CFAF 7 billion (USD 11.7 million, or 0.2% of GDP) from development partners to cover direct costs to combat COVID-19.

Togo is included in the list of 25 nations to which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon on debt servicing through the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust.

As of April 13, the IMF has also provided Togo with debt relief of USD 5.12 million (roughly 0.1% of GDP).

29 April: The World Bank has approved USD 273 million in financing from the International Development Association for Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger in order to improve access to vital services for vulnerable groups in the countries. A further USD 8.1 million (0.15% of GDP) was issued to Togo specifically in order to help Togo combat Covid-19.

24 July:The African Development Bank approved a concessional loan of USD 29.2 million (or 0.7% of GDP) to help Togo mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

29 July: The IMF has provided significant financing to Togo, approving an ECF disbursement (with an augmented quota) of USD 131 million (equivalent to 2.44% of GDP). The African Development Bank further approved a USD 3 million (0.06% of GDP) loan reallocation to the agriculture sector for the Togo COVID-19 response.

8 September: Togo is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space that may be created by the DSSI is USD 25.8 million or 0.5% of GDP. On 10 November, this debt relief amount decreased slightly to USD 24.4 million or 0.4% of GDP.

2 October: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a pardon to Togo on debt servicing through the second tranche of Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust for USD 3.26 million (or 0.07% of GDP).

20 February, 2021: Togo is participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) for 2021. The potential fiscal space that could be USD 23.9 million or 0.4% of GDP over the first half of 2021. By end-June 2021, this was increased to USD 77.7 million or 1.1% of GDP.

11 March: The World Bank approved a concessional loan of USD 70 million (or 1.2% of GDP) to help Togo strenghten quality of health services for Universal Health Coverage.

5 April: The IMF, through its CCRT, has offered a third tranche of debt relief to Togo to the value of US 24.15 million (0.44% of the country's GDP).

30 April: Togo took to domestic markets to raise CFAF 22 billion (USD 39.6 million, or 0.72% of the country's GDP) as a means to bolster economic performance during the pandemic.

On 10 June 2021, the World Bank approved Additional Financing to the COVID-19 Emergency Response and System Preparedness Strengthening Project for USD 29.5 million (or 0.5% of GDP).

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 16 April: To accommodate the COVID-19 spending needs (1.3% of GDP) and the revenue loss linked to slower economic growth (0.4 % of GDP), the projected overall fiscal deficit for 2020 has been revised by 1.7 % of GDP, from 1.9 to 3.6% of GDP.

On April 27, Heads of states of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) declared a temporary suspension of the WAEMU growth and stability Pact setting six convergence criteria, including the 3 % of GDP fiscal deficit rule, to help member-countries cope with the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, allowing member countries to raise fiscal deficits temporarily.

7 May: A committee with special powers to make resource allocation decisions has been created.

21 May: The national Assembly in Togo authorized the central government to rule by decrees for a period of 6 months in order to accelerate the decision legislative decision making process during the Covid-19 epidemic.

30 August: The Government has established a national solidarity fund, to include contributions from the state budget, development partners, and voluntary donations from the private sector and the Togolese diaspora

30 March 2021: The UEMOA has set up a COVID-19 voucher system for all countries in its ambit. This voucher system (worth CFAF 972 billion or USD 1.75 billion) will be accessible for all UEMOA member states as a means to stave off the impact of the pandemic, access vaccines and bolster health systems.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: The authorities intend to spend CFAF 50 billion (about USD 95 million or 1.4 % of GDP) to improve key health infrastructure to strengthen resilience against pandemics and chronic diseases.

3 April: The fiscal deficit is expected to widen from an initial projection of 1.9 % of GDP to 3.6% of GDP, due to higher healthcare spending and revenue loss.

21 May: Healthcare expenditure, which was originally estimated to be approximately USD 95 million, is now estimated to cost closer to USD 187 million (roughly 3.3% of GDP). The government of Togo is also expected to create an agriculture response plan to Covid-19 which will aim to improve food security in the country, but details of this plan have yet to be revealed.

23 November 2020: Although the final budget for 2021 is yet to be passed, the draft finance law for 2021 states that an additional CFAF 48.1 billion (USD 87 million, or 1.59% of GDP) will be prioritised for social and health-related responses in relation to the economic impact of COVID-19 in the country

Transparency, accountability and participation: 28 August: A dedicated portal provides daily updates on payments made on a flagship social transfer programme.

May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Togo was rated as having limited accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 29 June: Imports of medical equipment and other products used exclusively in the fight against COVID-19 have been exonerated from taxes and duties.

30 September: Togo has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

5 November: All medication and medical supply products used to combat the COVID-19 pandemic are now exempt from import duties

On 7 March, Togo received 150 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX facility

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Togo is a part of this initiative.

10 June 2021: The World Bank approved financing of USD 29.5 million (0.54% of GDP) from the International Develpoment Association to assist with Togo's deployment of COVID-19 vaccines.

On 30 June 2021, the World Bank announced that it is providing over USD4 billion for the purchase and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines for 51 developing countries, half of which are in Africa. Togo is one of the 51 countries with an allocation of USD 25 million (0.46% of GDP) which was approved on 10 June 2021. The Bank’s vaccine finance package is designed to be flexible.

Business support and tax measures: 3 April: The privatization of the two state-owned banks has been delayed due to COVID-19.

9 May: SMMEs paying tax can now pay taxes in tranches in order to smooth over their financial flows during the Covid-19-related economic downturn.

21 May: The standard VAT rate of 18% has been reduced to 10% for all businesses operating in the hospitality and catering sectors. Furthermore, late tax payment penalties for companies lagging behind in quarter 2 payments of 2020 have been suspended, while already-audited companies who have had tax penalties imposed on them have the option to review those penalties, and potentially have those penalties overturned.

30 October 2020: Tax audits and penalties for the late payment of taxes due in the second quarter of 2020 were suspended for firms

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 April: Free consumption of water and electricity for three months for vulnerable households and reducing the cost of water connection from 75,000 CFA francs to 25,000 CFA francs.

3 April: Monthly coordination is underway between the sectoral ministries and the ministry of finance on commitment plan, procurement plan, and cash plan, including on social spending. The execution of social spending is being prioritized among investment spending. Those measures will also cushion the fall in income and consumption for the vulnerable population due to the COVID-19.

25 May: Togo launched a social safety net scheme called “Novissi”. This means solidarity in local dialect and is an unconditional cash transfer scheme designed to support all Togolese informal workers whose incomes are disrupted by the Covid-19 response. All informal workers, above 18 years old, who have a valid voter’s ID and can prove they have lost
their income due to the Covid-19 response are eligible to benefit from the scheme. The money is sent via the T Money and Flooz mobile money platforms. Applicants can check if they are eligible by dialing *855#.

7 May: HeidelbergCement has contributed XOF 20 million (USD 34 000) to assist the Togolese government in their bid against Covid-19.

29 May: UNICEF, in conjunction with the Health Ministry in Togo, has created a nutritional response plan which will rollout to various regions across the country. UNICEF has also assisted in distributing 2 020 locally-made masks to community healthcare workers so far, with a further 19 000 still to be delivered.

23 November 2020: The government, after drafting its 2021 finance law, is set to prioritise a portion of USD 87 million (1.6% of GDP) towards social assistance for those most devestatingly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. It is unclear, at this stage, the type of social assistance envisioned in the envelope.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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ILO Coronavirus Country responses
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IMF Lending Tracker
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Finance Ministry- Togo
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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IMF Country Report

Togo First News Website

Relief Web

BCEAO Website

ITC Trademap

IMF

AS

World Bank
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Tunisia

Tests p/million: 1,050

Confirmed cases: 1,044,426 Source

Confirmed deaths: 28,655 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 53.4% (2022-06-13)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 60.6% (2022-06-13)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: A 2.5 billion TND emergency plan (USD 0.8 billion or 2 % of GDP) was announced on March 21 2020

Official COVID-19 links: https://covid-19.tn/fr/principale/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 457

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 14%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): —

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 14%

Domestic and external financing: The head of government (Chef du gouvernement, Mr Fakfakh) announced the creation of a national commission (Covid-19 Solidarity Fund 1818).
21 March: The authorities announced a USD 710 million (or 1.8% of GDP) emergency plan to respond to COVID-19
On 10 April, SDR 545.2 million/ USD 745 million (or 1.9% of GDP) was approved by the IMF as a Rapid Financing Instrument.
Tunisia has also received 250 million euros (USD 272 million or 0.7% of GDP) of financial aid from the European Union.
On 15 April, the Ministry of Professional Training and Employment announced that the French l'Agence francaise de développement (AFD) will provide USD 9 million (or 0.02% of GDP) to support employment.
On 17 April, US AID announced funding of EUR 315 million (roughly USD 373 million, or 0.93% of GDP) for the coming five years to support Tunisia's economy and its democracy.
10 April: In order to strengthen revenue, the government increased the price of tobacco in March and decided to generate additional savings with respect to the initial budget, by freezing non-statutory hiring and promotions as well as any salary increases beyond those previously agreed with the union. In addition, USD 1.17 billion (or 2.9% of GDP) of public investment had to be postponed. The authorities have also introduced a mechanism for the automatic adjustment of fuel prices in order to free the budget from the burden of fuel subsidies.
23 April: The European Commission will grant Tunisia a EUR 600 million (USD 654 million or 1.6% of GDP) loan to help the country limit the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, in addition to the USD 272 million (or 0.68% of GDP) pledged by the European Union.
30 April: The World Bank announced additional financing to Tunisia to the effect of TND 62 million (USD 21.6 million or 0.014% of GDP).

6 May: The Ministry of Finance announced that total contributions to the National Solidarity Fund in Tunisia have reached TND 198 million (USD 69 million or 0.17 % of GDP).

On 12 June, the World Bank approved a budget support of USD 175 million (or 0.45% of GDP) for Tunisia under the Resilience and Recovery Emergency Development Policy Operation.

29 June: The government announced a set of financial measures including the creation of investment funds TND 600 million (USD 210 million or 0.53% of GDP) and a state guarantee for new credits TND 500 million (USD 175 million or 0.44% of GDP) to combat the economic impacts of Covid-19.

13 July: Switzerland approved exceptional aid of TND 35 million (USD 12.8 million or 0.03% of GDP) for the benefit of Tunisia to cope with the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the national economy. This includes TND 25.5 million (USD 9.3 million or 0.02% of GDP) of emergency budget aid. The amount will be allocated to the Urban Development and Local Governance Program implemented by the World Bank to help local Tunisian authorities to mitigate the economic and social consequences of the health crisis.

14 July: The German Development Bank- KfW- approves a loan agreement of EUR 150 million (USD 177.4 million or 0.5% of GDP). This funding is part of a coordinated multi-year international support programme to which the World Bank, German Development Bank, the French Development Agency (AFD), the Japanese Agency for International Cooperation (JICA) and the African Development Bank contribute. After its budget support in the beginning of June, the French Development Agency (AFD), announced an additional support package of USD 16 million (roughly 0.04% of GDP) to the government of Tunisia for job preservation and the prevention of the epidemic in rural areas.

15 December: UNICEF has provided grant funding to Tunisia of USD 14.5 million (0.04% of GDP).

26 March: The World Bank has provided a USD 100 million (0.26% of GDP) loan to Tunisia.

6 August 2021: Tunisian Central Bank pleads with parliament to approve a USD 4 billion (or 10.31% of GDP) IMF loan to assist the country's COVID-19 recovery efforts.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: On 6 April, the Ministry of Industry and SMEs called for industries specialising in the textile sector to support the national effort to manufacture reusable masks also to prepare for the period after the confinement ends and the wearing of masks is assumed to become mandatory.

2 October: The Tunisian Ministry of Finance published drafts of the complementary finance and general laws, and also reported on the state budget of 2021. These reports are only available in Arabic currently, but are in the process of being translated.

15 November 2020: The government of Tunisia withdrew the supplementary budget bill from parliament, after the budget was criticised as being too costly to implement. Instead, an updated set of supplementary and department-specific budgets will be tabled which will seek to maintain the budget deficit at a more manageable level. Importantly, a hiring embargo for the state is the context behind the need for an updated budget, with parliament wanting public sector employment to be controlled in all sectors save for healthcare and public administration, to assist in COVID-19 response efforts.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: The response plan includes an expansion of the budget allocation for health expenses as well as the creation of a TND 100 Million (USD 37 million) fund for the acquisition of equipment for public hospitals.

3 April: The fiscal deficit for 2020 is expected to increase to 4.3% of GDP, rather than fall to 2.8% of GDP as originally envisaged in the budget law. Currently identified external loans and grants amount to USD 2.5 billion out of a total external financing program of USD 3.5 billion needed to cover the deficit. The authorities will re-program low priority non-health/non-education infrastructure development projects worth about TD 3.4 billion (USD 1.2 billion or 3% of GDP) to open space for more urgent spending. If crisis-response measures exceed the currently programmed levels, further cuts in non-priority investment would be required unless additional donor support could be mobilized.

27 May: The government has reallocated TND 200 million (approximately USD 70 million or 0.18% of GDP) to the tourism sector as a means to secure a credit line to the tourism sector in Tunisia.

4 November: Estimates for Tunisia's budget deficit have increased dramatically to around 14% of GDP (roughly USD 5.6 billion) prior to the supplementary budget

14 November: While the bill itself is not available, the supplementary budget bill which was tabled by the Tunisian government has updated the estimate of its budget deficit from 14% to 11.4% contingent on a decrease in total expenditure by 4 billion dinars (USD 1.5 billion, or roughly 2.6% of GDP)

11 December: The Tunisian updated budget law has been approved by parliament for 2021. While the document is not available in English or French currently, news sources suggest that the budget deficit has been forecasted to be roughly 8 billion Dinars (USD 2.96 billion, or 7.7% of the country's GDP).

6 August 2021: The 2021 budget law includes additional measures to support the most affected enterprises and sectors, especially the Tourism, including an extension of the state guarantee scheme to the end of 2021, the exemption from CIT payment during 2021 and a support for temporary unemployed because of the COVID-19 shock. Moreover, additional social support has been decided to help vulnerable classes during the crisis.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 18 October: In contrast to its commitments to publish expenditure related to COVID-19 in a detailed manner on its various government websites, some sources suggest that the government of Tunisia has not provided up to date or accurate information on COVID-19 related public financial matters.

28 July 2021: Tunisia's president said he was addressing the dire economic and COVID-19 situation and probing widespread corruption after invoking emergency powers on Sunday to seize control of government in a move his foes called a coup.

End-May 2021: A paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds.Tunisa was rated as having minimal accountability.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Tunisia has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

On 21 January, the Ministry of Health announced a vaccination drive aimed at vaccinating 50% of the Tunisian population above the age of 18 (roughly 6 million people). This is expected to cost USD 111 million (0.3% of GDP), and will be rolled out between 2021 and 2022.

8 February: Tunisia expects to receive four million free doses of COVID-19 vaccine through GAVI from mid-February.

8 February: Tunisia is one of four African countries that has qualified for the Pfizer vaccine through COVAX, requiring countries to be able to store and distribute doses at minus 70 degrees Celsius.

24 February: COVAX announced Tunisia's indicative distribution for the first half of 2021 through the AMC of 592,800 AstraZeneca Vaccines through SKBioScience and 93 600 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

On 26 March, the World Bank provided a loan to Tunisia to the tune of USD 100 million (0.26% of GDP) to ensure the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines, which will fill the vast majority of the financing needs of the country (USD 111 million or 0.26% of GDP) estimated to vaccinate 50% of its adult population.

2 April: Tunisia has received 84 000 Pfizer vaccines out of a direct purchase amount of 2 million vaccines, the remainder of which will be brought into Tunisia during the coming months.

On 20 April, the World Bank announced that it would mobilise USD 12 billion over a 2-year period to finance the purchase of vaccines in 17 developing countries, including Cabo Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Eswatini, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Rwanda and Tunisia. Details on the breakdown of this financing have yet to emerge

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Tunisia is a part of this initiative.

On 30 June 2021, the World Bank announced that it is providing over USD4 billion for the purchase and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines for 51 developing countries, half of which are in Africa. Tunisia is one of the 51 countries with a commitment of USD 100 million (0.26% of GDP) approved on 26 March.

6 July 2021: Tunisia plans to purchase 3.5 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

10 August 2021: The Tunisian authorities estimated that the vaccination programme will will cost about USD 111 million in 2021 and 2022. It is unclear how much of this will be covered by the government itself.

Business support and tax measures: 15 April: The government has granted VAT and customs exemptions to additional medical items requested by the Ministry of Health.

10 April: The government has implemented temporary measures to alleviate the financial burden experienced by small and medium enterprises. These include deferral of tax payments and social security contributions and, in agreement with the banking sector, the deferral of debt repayment to banks and financial institutions for a period of six months

5 May: The Ministry of Finance in Tunisia has allowed taxi owners of all types to benefit from loans at reduced repayment rates in order to assist with insurance payments on their taxis.

6 May: The Tunisian state will fund 50% of all media personnel salaries until the end of 2020 in order to mitigate the adverse economic effects of Covid-19 on their relative lines of work.

8 May: Household helpers, through the Ministry of Women, Family, Children and the Elderly, will be granted a line of financing during the Covid-19 pandemic in order to assist in their repayments of debt. The maximum extension is TND 1000 (USD 350) per person, repayable over 24 months.

18 May: Professionals in the transportation sector will be able to apply for various credit facilities, at a maximum level of TND 3000 (USD 1 050).

20 May: The Tunisian Guarantee Company (SOTUGAR) has offered credit to struggling businesses of a maximum of TND 1 million (USD 350 000 or 0.001% of GDP) given provisos that this credit must not exceed 25 percent of the company's regular turnover.

21 May: The Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts has announced the creation of a credit line of between TND 500 million (USD 175 million or 0.44% of GDP) and TND 1.5 billion (USD 1.75 billion or 4.4% of GDP) to companies in the tourism sector in Tunisia.

29 June: The state announced the development of a mechanism to cover the difference between the policy rate and the effective interest rate on investment loans within a cap of 3 %.

18 July: The Tunisian government announced that crisis-affected companies in the tourism sector that have submitted credit applications to the state's TND 500 million (USD 183.3 million) fund will have access to this fund as of July 21. This follows the official signing of the agreement with SOTUGAR (the Tunisian Guarantee Company).

11 December: In order to curb the revenue-side impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and prop up the rapidly growing budget deficit in Tunisia, the government has put in place the following tax changes: corporate taxes will increase from 15 to 25% and deductions on capital gains on stocks and bonds will decrease from 25% to 15%

1 April: The Tunisian government has extended the state guarantee system to businesses in the tourism sector, including the exemption of tourism-sector companies from paying Corporate Income Tax for the remainder of 2021.

Financing social assistance and food relief: Once-off cash transfer of TND 200 (USD 68) to 623,000 households working in the informal sector, who are not covered by any social assistance program and who are vulnerable to shocks (households registered in the social security
system with low-cost health care card).
Once-off cash transfer of TND50 (USD 17) to 260,000 households in the informal sector (a top-up of the already received transfer of TND 180 in March).
Once-off cash transfer TND 200 (USD 68) to households hosting an elderly person.
One-off cash transfer TND 200 (USD 68) to households fostering children without parental support.
Once-off cash transfer TND 200 (USD 68) to households hosting a person with a handicap.
TND 300 million (USD103 million or 0.26 % of GDP) in order to pay workers in technical unemployment. Factories can apply for ‘technical unemployment’ for their workers, which is 50% of a monthly salary.
Healthcare insurance maintained for all workers, family allowance maintained and a wage premium for those who can't continue their business (formal sector).
For businesses and companies operating in the formal sector, a waiver of 3 months is granted to the employer’s contribution to the social security scheme.
An exceptional amount of TND 150 million (USD 51 million or 0.13% of GDP) that is to go towards vulnerable social classes in the form of bonuses.

On 14 April, a wage agreement was signed to maintain the payment of private sector wages for the month of April. The State will transfer TND 200 (USD 68) whereas the remainder of the wage will be taken into charge by the companies.

10 April: The equivalent of USD 155 million (or 0.4% of GDP) has been allocated to help technically unemployed workers as well as vulnerable and low-income households. Furthermore, the banking sector has agreed, in consultation with the central bank, to defer repayment of personal debt for up to six months.
12 May: The government announced an exceptional income support of TND 70 (around USD 24) to workers losing their jobs as a result of the health crisis at the end of Ramadan.

17 May: The government of Turkey donated medical equipment to assist the Tunisian ministry of health in their bid to slow down the spread of Covid-19.

19 May: The German Corporation for International Cooperation donated medical equipment to 41 Tunisian municipalities.

June 29: The Minister of Finance announces a series of measures in favour of Tunisian residents currently working or stranded abroad, namely:
- To make money transfers, without paying transfer fees, provided they go through the Tunisian Foreign Bank (TFB).
- The possibility of granting interest-free loans for a maximum amount of TND 6 000 repayable over 12 months to enable the purchase of tickets from Tunisair or Tunisian Shipping Company (CTN).
- The possibility to pay the monthly circulation tax for one month instead of one full year for Tunisians residing abroad but spending more than 3 months in Tunisia.

July 18: The Ministry of Social Affairs announced that for the occasion of Eid al-Adha an exceptional income support grant of TND 60 (USD 22.4) will be transferred to low income families.

1 April 2021: The Ministry of Finance in Tunisia has extended its grant payments to those temporarily unemployed as a result of COVID-19 to the end of 2021.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Fair Wear
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Ugo Gentilini
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IMF Lending Tracker
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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IMF Country Report

Tunisia Ministry of Finance Website

Africa News

Reuters Website

Albawaba News Website

Alarabiya Business News

Asamed News

Relief Web

GAVI

World Bank

US Embassy Website

AS

World Bank

Reuters

Uganda

Tests p/million: 146

Confirmed cases: 166,920 Source

Confirmed deaths: 3,615 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 22.9% (2022-06-05)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 33.73% (2022-06-05)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 20 March: Preliminary estimates from the Ministry of Health indicate a financing requirement of Shs 25 billion (USD 6.5 million or 0.02% of GDP) to deal with health challenges caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In total, the Government of Uganda is faced with a preliminary additional financing gap of approximately Shs 370 billion (equivalent to approximately USD 100 million or 0.36% of GDP) and Shs 350 billion (approximately USD 90 million or 0.33% of GDP).

8 February: The health response plan initially covered activities between January and June 2020, but was extended until September 2020. While the cost of the implementation of the initial plan was estimated to be USD 6.84 million, the estimate was subsequently revised to USD 143.75 million.

Official COVID-19 links: https://www.health.go.ug/covid/

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 19

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 5,14%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 40%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 5,14%

Domestic and external financing: The Government had opened up a National Response COVID-19 Fund.

20 March: To deal with the possible negative impacts on balance of payments, the Government will seek support from the International Monetary Fund to support the Central Bank in ensuring that international reserve buffers remain strong and that the exchange rate remains stable. To deal with the financing gap in the Government budgets for FY 2019/20 and FY 2020/21, will seek for a budget support loan on concessional terms worth USD 100 million (0.4% of GDP) for FY 2019/20 and USD 90 million (0.3% of GDP) for FY 2020/21 from the World Bank.

As of 6 May, the IMF has provided Uganda access to rapid credit of USD 491.5 million (1.8% of GDP) to address health, social protection and balance of payments and fiscal needs.

16 April: The EU has provided Uganda with Shs 120 billion (USD 32 million- 0.1% of GDP) in order to assist Uganda's response to Covid-19.

23 April: The UN has appealed to begin funding the Ugandan Covid-19 response effort to the effect of USD 316 million (approximately 1.2% of GDP).

1 June: The EU has increased the original financing amount of USD 32 million offered to Uganda, to 178 million Euros (roughly, USD 200 million or 0.7% of GDP). This will be provided as a mixture of credit and grants, and would partly fund the country's immediate sanitation and humanitarian needs, as well as bolster its health services sector.

On 26 June, the Global Partnership for Education delegates USD 15 million (l0.04% of GDP) to the COVID-19 accelerated fund in Uganda.

29 June: The World Bank provides USD 300 million (1.1% of GDP) to close the COVID-19 financing gat and support economic recovery in Uganda.

24 June: The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund today approved a USD 31.6 million (or less than 0.01% of GDP) COVID-19 Crisis Response Support Program (CRSP) to Uganda to support the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

8 September: Uganda is participating in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space created by this DSSI amounts to USD 95.4 million, or approximately 0.3% of the country's GDP. On 10 November, this debt relief was revised slightly downward to USD 91 million (roughly 0.2% of GDP)

6 October: The Swedish government has provided a grant of USD 25 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) to assist in a cash transfer programme to women and children most severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 19 November, the Ministry of Finance passed two loan proposals: A loan proposal from the IMF to the effect of USD 600 million to finance the expected budget deficit (approximately 1.7% of GDP) and a domestic loan proposal of UGX 4.3 trillion (USD 1.16 billion or 3.3% of GDP)

11 February: Uganda requested to participate in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative in 2021. This implies a potential saving of USD 107 million (0.3% of GDP).

On 28 June 2021, the IMF approved a three-year package worth USD 1 billion (2.8 % of GDP) to assist with Uganda's continuing COVID-19 response. This is part of the Uganda's economic recovery plan to generate more inclusive and sustainable growth.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 15 April: MoFPED has developed a comprehensive Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and a BCP/Emergency Response Plan Team headed by the Deputy Secretary to the Treasury (DST) has been put in place. This includes reviewing and assurance that IT infrastructure can support an increase in remote
work and manage any added load to client facing or service delivery technology that may occur. This may include an increase in the use of video, teleconferencing and other digital modalities. And putting in place communications arrangements to ensure that the business continuity plan (BCP), updates and changes can be communicated in real time to those who need to know specific information and those who need to take a new action.

18 May: The government of Uganda has passed a supplementary budget

30 May: COVID-19 payment processing guidelines state that all payments outside the following three categories (salaries for public servants, health-sector related payments and security sector payments) are not a priority and will not be handled until the lockdown ends.

4 June: President Yoweri Museveni launched a certified surgical mask factory in Mukono.

24 August: Based on the Charter for Fiscal Responsibility (CFR), the government has adopted two fiscal rules including (I) reducing the fiscal balance (including grants) to a deficit of 3 percent of GDP by 2020/21, and (ii) maintaining the public debt in net present value (NPV) terms below 50 percent of GDP by 2020/21.

28 August: The establishment of the COVID-19 fund has been supported by donors in order to ring-fence external financing of the emergency response and to reduce fiduciary risk.

22 October: The Government of Uganda passed a second supplementary budget.

8 February 2021: A multisectoral approach financed, managed, and combatted the response. Funds for surveillance, sample collection, and contact tracing for districts were channelled through local governments, while those for enforcing lock-down measures and quarantine were channelled through Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Department of Défense.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: In his statement on the economic impact of COVID-19 to Parliament on 20 March, the Finance Minister noted a revenue shortfall of about Shs 82.4 billion (USD 22 million or 0.08% of GDP) for the remaining period of the FY 2019/20 (March-June) and about Shs 187.6 billion (USD 51 million or 0.18% of GDP) in FY 2020/21. The authorities have used part of their Contingency Fund in the FY 2019/20 budget to finance approximately 1/5th of the Ministry of Health Preparedness and Response Plan from January to June 2020 (about USD 1.3 million or 0.005% of GDP from a total of USD 7 million or 0.025% of GDP).

15 April: Pay cut for president, his Deputy and all Cabinet Secretaries.

6 May: The overall fiscal deficit, excluding externally financed projects and project grants, is expected to widen by 1.1% of GDP and 2.6% of GDP in FY 2019/20 and FY 2020/21 in response to COVID-19. The authorities have agreed to revisit and postpone some of the planned lower-priority expenditure if they do not mobilize sufficient financing; and to ensure that the revenue measures adopted to respond to the crisis will be temporary.

6 May: The Ministry of Health, working jointly with key development partners, has prepared a plan to respond to COVID-19, with an initial cost of about USD 125 million (or 0.45% of GDP) over the next six months. The plan includes measures such as the urgent recruitment of additional health personnel, the upgrading of equipment, and the mobilization of medical supplies and key health commodities such as test kits, personal protective equipment, oxygen, ventilators and ICU beds. To finance the plan, the authorities have already used USD1.3 million (or 0.05% of GDP) from their Contingency Fund in the FY 2019/20 budget and passed a supplementary budget. Furthermore, since funds are being reallocated from other health programs to the COVID-19 response, essential health services are also under strain and require financing.

30 April: The UNDP in Uganda has created a scenario analysis which discusses the potential budget reallocations that could take place during the Covid-19 epidemic. In all cases, it is likely that the budget for health services will increase by 3 percent of GDP, with some scenarios suggesting that this be drawn from infrastructure-related interventions, and further reallocations from either the industrial sector of the economy, or the energy sector of the economy.

18 May: The government of Uganda has passed a supplementary budget of USD 80 million (or 0.29% of GDP) in order to support critical sectors in the midst of Covid-19. The formal budget speech is expected to take place on 11 June.

20 June: Although the Ministry of Health had requested UGX464 billion (0.36% of GDP, or USD 125 million) from government in order to respond to the pandemic, the Minister of Finance allocated it just UGX 82.5 billion (USD 22.3 million, or 0.06% of GDP) in the request to Parliament. In an indictment on the Minister for Finance, Parliament decided that the requested budget was actually insufficient to deal with the pandemic. It enhanced the approved amount by more than UGX20 billion (USD 5.4 million, or 0.02% of GDP).

30 June: The finance minister also requested for Parliamentary approval of supplementary development expenditure request of an additional Shs 400 billion (USD 108 million or 0.39% of GDP) to cater for procurement of classified defence equipment. The government has proposed to avail stimulus packages including deferment of corporate tax and Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Capitalisation of UDB and UDC. Government has already announced Shs1 trillion (USD 270 million or 0.98% of GDP) capitalisation of UDB and Shs100 billion (USD 27 million or 0,098.% of GDP) to UDC. It was recommended that the budget scaling up of awareness campaigns on COVID-19 prevention, by the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, be reduced from Shs 14.7 billion (USD 4 million or 0.01% of GDP) to Shs 6 billion (USD 1.6 million or 0.005.% of GDP); with the balance transferred to the Health Sector. A request had been issued for the additional funds of Shs 3.07 billion (USD 830,000 or 0.000% of GDP) and Shs 30.5 billion (USD 8.2 million or 0.0.1% of GDP) for the "Uganda Clean Cooking Supply Chain Energy Expansion Project" and "East African Public Health Laboratory Networking Project" respectively.

22 October: The Ugandan government has passed a second supplementary budget, the funding from which is broken down into two schedules. These two schedules amount to USD 1.03 billion (roughly 3% of GDP). Of this, an additional USD 24 million (0.07% of GDP) was reprioritised to the Ministry of Health as a means to assist in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19. The remaining supplementary budget was allocated to other ministries, as well as supplementation funding to the Emyooga Social Security fund, although the split across ministries has yet to be confirmed.

4 February 2021: A supplementary budget for the 2020/21 increased COVID-19 spending by USD 310 million (0.8% of GDP).

8 February 2021: Of the money that was allocated to health, most was used to strengthen the treatment capacity of referral hospitals rather than primary health care providers for testing. Funding for contact tracing (UGX 165 million or USD45 000- less than 0.01% of GDP) was instead channelled through the local governments.

19 May 2021: The Ministry of Finance published the FY 2021/22 budget in May 2021, which has a special focus on recovering from the impact of COVID-19. The budget prioritizes investment in public Infrastructure, supporting the private sector and interventions to address the health impact of COVID-19. The largest share of the budget goes to to Human Capital Development (USD 2.2 billion, or 6.2% of GDP), followed by Governance and Security (USD 1.95 billion, or 0.5.5% of GDP), Integrated Transport Infrastructure and Services (USD 1.42 billion, or 4% of GDP) and Agro-Industrialisation (USD 0.47 billion, or 1.3% of GDP).

1 July 2021: In response to the June 2021 lockdown, the government increased the allocation of emergency funds to 0.2% of GDP. Emergency funds are to support the Ministry of Health to purchase hospital beds, oxygen and hire additional staff.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 9 April: Four top Ugandan government officials were arrested Thursday following reports they inflated COVID-19 relief food prices.

8 May: Civil Society Organisations in Uganda call for transparency and accountability in use of IMF's COVID-19 emergency loan. To facilitate independent tracking, monitoring, and reporting of the IMF facility and other related COVID-19 spending, they call upon the Government of Uganda to:(1) Publish Uganda’s all COVID-19 response plan, revenue generation plans, and funds raised, and budgetary allocations; (2) As obligated under the open contracting measures, publish in a timely manner all emergency procurement plans and notices including names of awarded companies and of beneficial owners.

14 May: authorities commit to introduce targeted measures to ensure transparency and accountability including the publication of the large procurement contracts and of an independent audit of the Covid-19 emergency expenditure. The government commits to (I) publishing, once they are signed, documentation on the government’s website of large procurement contracts—defined as contracts above Ush 500 million (USD 135,000 or 0.000% of GDP) for works contracts, and above Ush 200 million (USD 54,000 or 0.000% of GDP) for goods and services- of COVID-19 expenditures, together with the names of awarded companies and their beneficial owners and (ii) undertaking an independent audit of COVID-19 expenditures in about a year’s time, which will include an ex-post validation of delivery of the large procurement contracts, and publishing the results.

In May 2021, a paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Uganda is ranked among the countries with a limited degree of transparency and accountability regarding COVID-related spending and financing.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 30 September: Uganda has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

24 October: The Ministry of Health reduced COVID-19 testing charges for people seeking government testing services (from USD 65 to USD 50).

14 January: Uganda is set to receive 9.1 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from the AU.

25 January: In a 7 January press release, the Ministry of Health noted that it has not received final cost from COVAX but has a working estimate of USD 405 million from the National Deployment Vaccination Plan (NDVP) to roll out the COVID-19 Vaccine.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Uganda is expected to receive 3 552 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO.

8 February 2021: Uganda made a direct deal with the Serum Institute of India to purchase 18 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines. News reports suggest Uganda will be paying USD 7 per dose for its 18 million dose order of the Astra Zeneca vaccine – a price that is 20% more than South Africa and roughly triple that being paid by the European Union. Including handling costs, the government will spend USD 17 per Ugandan and in total, will spend Sh56 billion (approximately USD 150 million or 0.43% of GDP) to procure an initial 18 million COVID-19 vaccine doses that are expected in the country this month.

8 February 2021: The health ministry had initially budgeted to spend 1.4 trillion shillings (1.07% of GDP) to vaccinate the whole population; however Dr Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary from the Health Ministry says that the budget that was first released is a working budget and it is now estimated that the country will have to spend at least sh2 trillion.

1 April 2021: According to previous plans, the Ugandan government allocated USD 132 million (0.3% of GDP) for the procurement of vaccines in FY2021/22.

On 5 March, Uganda received its first shipment of 864 000 AstraZeneca vaccines as part of the COVAX facility. The country has thus far been allocated a total of 3 024 000.

On 10 March, Ugandan Minister of Health Dr Jane Ruth Aceng received the first vaccine shot, kicking off Uganda's vaccination campaign.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Uganda is a part of this initiative.

10 June 2021: In 2020/21 around USD 139 million (0.4% of GDP) was allocated to vaccine procurement and in FY21/22 around USD 132 million (0.3% of GDP). It is unclear how much of the 2020/21 budget was expensed.

5 July 2021: Uganda has agreed to purchase 2 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines through the African Union.

Business support and tax measures: On 20 March, MoFPED noted that will be meeting the private sector and financial institutions to enhance implementation of the import substitution and export promotion strategy and to discuss Government’s short, medium- and long-term policy responses aimed at dealing with the negative impacts of the COVID-19.

15 April: The Uganda Revenue Authority has granted an extension on tax paying deadlines.

15 April: The government will allow businesses/employers facing economic distress to reschedule contributions to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) for the next 3 months without penalties.

On 17 April, the Bank of Uganda put forward policy which saw loan repayment holidays for businesses, credit relief, and credit restructuring to those businesses affected by Covid-19

6 May: The Bank of Uganda has instructed financial institutions to defer payments of all discretionary distributions such as dividends and bonus payments for at least 90 days effective March 24, 2020, to ensure that they have adequate capital buffers.

On 13 June, the 2020/21 budget reflected measures to support recovery from COVID-19 by supporting critical sectors such as manufacturing and agriculture. The implementation of the Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) Scheme allowed for the tax exemption on items used for medical use and expanding labour-intensive public works programmes in the Roads and Water and Environment sector.

20 July: About 450,000 smallholders comprising 25 percent of Uganda’s farm households, or 2.2 million persons, have been identified to receive hybrid seeds, pesticides, fertilizers, supplies for improved harvest storage and machinery at subsidized prices under the government’s new Agriculture Cluster Development project. The project, which is also supported by the World Bank, aims to raise on-farm productivity and marketable volumes of cash crops, such as maize, beans, rice, coffee and cassava. It also supports developing plans to rehabilitative and expand existing small irrigation schemes for rice, activities and investments to improve post-harvesting handling of selected commodities, and the improved efficiency of output markets, among other goals.

4 February: The 2020/21 supplementary budget allows for various tax support measures for small businesses and corporations: (I) Waiving interest of tax arrears; (ii) delaying Corporate Income Tax and Pay As You Earn Taxes; and (iii) speeding up Value Added Tax returns.

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 April: The Uganda Revenue Authority has granted an extension on tax paying deadlines and tax relief for workers earning KShs 24,000 (about Shs890,000); reduced Pay As You Earn (PAYE) from 30 per cent to 25 per cent.

30 April: The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) of Uganda has announced measures that allow businesses/employers facing economic distress due to COVID-19 to reschedule NSSF contributions for the next 3 months without accumulating a penalty.

30 April: Food support will be provided for the urban groups that were depending on daily earnings from the different activities that were suspended in this fight against the virus, including working in hair salons; in bars, night clubs; garages, selling non-food items in markets, etc.

On 13 June, the Minister of Health, in response to an increase in community cases, announces government's plan to prepare 40,000 hospital beds to treat coronavirus patients.

1 July 2021: 1 July 2021: Emergency funds will be used for cash transfers to vulnerable groups working in certain occupations.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Daily Monitor- Uganda
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Yoweri K Museveni Presidential Website
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ENSAfrica
_
Bank of Uganda
_
Finance Ministry - Uganda
_
John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
_
Oxfam Uganda
_
Human Rights Watch
_
CNBC Africa

IMF Country Report

All Africa News Website

Reuters

UNICEF Website

UNDP Uganda Website

Think Well

World Food Programme Website

Parliament of the Republic of Uganda Website

The East African

Chr Michelsen Institute

GAVI

AS

Xinhuanet

All Africa

International Budget Partnership

Western Sahara

Tests p/million: —

Confirmed cases: — Source

Confirmed deaths: — Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): —

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): —

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: —

Official COVID-19 links: —

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): —

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): —

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): —

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): —

Domestic and external financing: —

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: —

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: —

Transparency, accountability and participation: —

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: —

Business support and tax measures: —

Financing social assistance and food relief: —

Primary sources: —

Zambia

Tests p/million: 92

Confirmed cases: 324,288 Source

Confirmed deaths: 3,994 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 9.84% (2022-05-08)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 17.13% (2022-05-08)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: Cabinet approved a COVID-19 Contingency and Response Plan with a budget of K659 million (USD 36 million or 0.13% of GDP) under the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit.

Official COVID-19 links: https://www.moh.gov.zm/?page_id=6366

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 67

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 7.14%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 12%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 7.14%

Domestic and external financing: The Zambian Government has announced a 57-million-kwacha Epidemic Preparedness Fund (around 0.02% of GDP) to strengthen preparedness and enhance public security. The Government has started mobilising funds through engagement with various local and international stakeholders.

28 April: Zambia is in bilateral discussions regarding possible suspension of debt-service payments.

29 April: The World Bank has made available USD 57.60 million (Approx. K 1.05 billion) under its Rapid Response Facility. In addition, the Zambian Government has applied for a further USD 20 million (Approx. K 372 million) under the Banks Covid-19 Fast Track Facility.

29 April: The African Development Bank (AfDB) has committed US$37.5 million (Approx. K 697.5 million) to Covid-19 as part of the Bank Groups’ Covid-19 Rapid Response Facility. The funds will cater for the purchase of medical equipment, screening of patients, rehabilitation of quarantine facilities and community sensitisation.

The United Kingdom has pledged support towards up-scaling social cash transfer under its 30 million Pound (Approx. K 705 million) social cash transfer grant assistance.

The United States Government has approved a grant of USD 14.5 million (Approx. K270 million) towards the fight against covid-19 in Zambia.

11 May: Germany has provided K 370 million (USD 20 million) in rapid financing to the Zambian government.

13 May: The EU has extended K 241.2 million (USD 13.3 million) as its immediate-term contribution to the Covid-response effort.

26 June: The African Development Bank has approved USD 8.9 million in grant funding for 6 SADC countries (Lesotho, Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe).

30 June: The government approved a COVID-10 Contingency and Response Plan with a budget of 659 million Kwacha (0.2% of GDP or USD 3.3 million).

21 July: Zambia's President Edgar Lungu has requested debt relief and cancellation from China due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

26 August: The government has also issued an 8 billion Kwacha bond (2.4% of GDP or USD 401 million) to finance CoVID-19 related expenses, including health spending, arrears clearance, and grain purchases, as well as a recapitalization of the development bank (NATSAVE).

8 September: Zambia is participating in the World Bank's Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The fiscal space created by this DSSI amounts to USD 139.2 million, or approximately 0.6% of the country's GDP. On 10 November, the amount of debt relief provided to Zambia was increased to USD 165.4 million, or 0.7% of GDP.

On 27 October, the Ministry of Finance announced that debt service costs to the Chinese Development Bank would be deferred to the end of April 2020.

30 November: Private creditors rejected Zambia's request for a six-month pause on debt-service payments.

11 February: Zambia has requested participation in the 2021 phase of the World Bank's DSSI. In the first 6 months, the World Bank has approved debt forgiveness of USD 184 million, equivalent to 0.8% of the country's GDP.

29 March: The United States has provided Zambia with a grant of USD 1.75 million (less than 0.01% of the country's GDP).

29 June 2021: The World Bank approved additional financing to Zambia for the acquisition of vaccines of USD 24 million (1% of GDP).

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: 30 March: With regard to the Single Treasury Account, the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) and Payroll Management and Establishment Control (PMEC), the Government has put in place measures to enable continuity of its operations by making it possible for officers to work remotely.

13 December: The Zambian government has prepared and published the Economic Recovery Plan in light of the pandemic. In it, the government sets out plans to decrease the country's budget deficit over the coming three years and improve the fiscal position of the country going forward.

13 December: As part of its Economic Recovery Plan from the pandemic, the Zambian government has set out steps to restore credibility in its budgeting processes, including measures to improve budget execution, containing the public sector wage bill, promoting acountability and transparency by revising the Public Finance Act, and rolling out electronic channels to ensure responsible public finance practices which can be accessed by all.

28 April: The Ministry of Finance in Zambia published its 2020/21 annual economic report, outlining the fiscal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country. The document highlighted revenue collection 10.1% below the original financial year target and expenditure above the financial year target by 14.3% as a result of the pandemic. This lead to a fiscal deficit of 14.4% with respect to GDP, as opposed to its original estimate of only 5.5%. This increased expenditure was financed by ballooning domestic debt (the actual value of which outstripped its 2020 target tenfold).

5 July 2021: Zambia has extended a duty waiver on medical support products until September 2021.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: A contingent budget for COVID-19 was approved by Cabinet.

In March, K104.7 million (USD 5.6 million or 0.02% of GDP) was released for the purchase of drugs in Public Health Institutions and the fight against the Covid-19.

30 June: Given the COVID-19 revenue hit, government has reviewed their budget. Planned expenditure has been adjusted; keeping social spending a priority. Zambia’s cabinet approved a 8 billion kwacha (USD 440 million or 1.6% of GDP) economic stimulus package financed through a COVID-19 bond in an effort to alleviate the pandemic’s impact. Economic stimulus will also be provided through the issuance of a COVID-19 bond in attempt to improve liquidity levels. A notable budget reduction that has been proposed is the 17% reduction in environmental protection expenditure of kwacha 264 million (USD 11 million or 0.05% of GDP).

On 25 September, the Minister of Finance in Zambia presented the 2021 budget speech. In it, the following key points were highlighted:
- Revenues were 7.7% lower than anticipated, while expenditure was 5.6% above target estimates for the 2020 financial year. In light of this, the fiscal deficit in Zambia is expected to increase 11.7% of GDP as opposed to its 5.5% target
- Although not disaggregated, an amount of K1.4 billion (USD 77 million, or 0.35% of GDP) has been allocated to the procurement of essential drugs, including the COVID-19 vaccine should it become available in 2021.

Transparency, accountability and participation: There has been a more public discussion of Zambia’s financial crisis, an issue that has been downplayed by politicians and around which technocrats are usually sidelined. On 20 April, the Minister of Finance, Governor of the Bank of Zambia, Secretary to the Treasurer and the Commissioner General of the Zambia Revenue Authority gave a press conference referencing economic challenges and Zambia’s request for IMF support at the end of 2019, which would usually be taboo subjects in public statements.

15 May: In order to remain transparent, the Zambian government has made available, all relevant documents that pertain to donations received during the epidemic. The ministry of finance has also gazetted the need for mandatory pre-audits of all expenditure prior to disbursement of public funds, conducting of weekly reviews on all donations received, and conducting snap checks on the disposal of donated and procurement items.

13 December: As part of its Economic Recovery Plan from the pandemic, the Zambian government has set out steps to restore credibility in its budgeting processes by promoting accountability and transparency by revising the Public Finance Act.

In May 2021, a paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Zambia ranked among the countries with a limited degree of transparency and accountability regarding COVID-related spending and financing.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 15 April: SADC Member States have established National Emergency Operations Centres to facilitate coordination of logistics and stockpiling for disasters at the national level. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies is being implemented to provide sustainable availability and access to affordable and effective essential medicine and health commodities, and Member States have been encouraged to utilise this facility for the procurement of the needed supplies for prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 and any other epidemics.

9 June: The Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry was directed by the President to ensure that chain stores prioritise local agriculture products following the serious realisation that importation of farm products had drastically reduced.

30 September: Zambia has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Committment, which will also cover at least part of the cost.

5 November: In order to bolster the health systems response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Zambian government has reduced tariffs on sanitizers, medical supply products.

25 January: The African Union has allocated 8.7 million COVID-19 vaccines (a mixture fro Pfizer and AstraZeneca) to Zambia for 2021 so far. The AU has also stressed that a further 17 million could be allocated to Zambia by as soon as December 2021.

24 February: COVAX announced Zambia's indicative distribution for the first half of 2021 through the AMC of 1,428,000 AstraZeneca Vaccines through Serum Institute India.

29 March: The United States has provided Zambia with a grant of USD 1.75 million (less than 0.01% of the country's GDP) which will be used expressly for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines

3 June 2021: The Zambian government has allocated USD 440 million (about 2% of GDP) to finance their COVID-19 vaccination roll-out.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Zambia is a part of this initiative.

29 June 2021: The World Bank approved financing of USD 24 million (0.1% of GDP) for the acquisition of distribution of COID-19 vaccines. USD 14 million (0.05% of GDP) is provided by the International Development Association and USD 10 million (0.04% of GDP) is provided through grants financing from the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents.

Business support and tax measures: 15 April: Government has released funds to reduce domestic arrears owed to domestic suppliers of goods and services.

15 April: Government has released K140 million (USD 7.7 million or 0.02% of GDP) to pay local contractors in the road sector. These resources will ensure that Zambian contractors and suppliers are not put out of business.

17 May: The Zambian government has limited the amount of leave forced onto employees in the tourism and hospitality sectors in order for those employees in the sectors to maintain regular incomes.

17 May: The government of Zambia has updated their Workers Compensation Act, by revising the amount of assessable earnings from K800 (USD 44) to K1 200 (USD 66), providing more benefits to workers who claim workers compensation insurance due to unemployment driven by Covid-19.

9 June: The Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry was directed by the President to ensure that chain stores prioritise local agriculture products following the serious realisation that importation of farm products had drastically reduced.

30 June: Import duties on mineral concentrate and export duties on precious metals were suspended to support the mining sector. The government has waived tax penalties and fees on the outstanding tax liabilities resulting from CoVID-19, suspended customs duties and VAT on some medical supplies and medical related commodities, removed provisions relating to claim of VAT on imported spare parts, lubricants and stationery to ease pressure on companies. The government announces USD29 million (or 0.11% of GDP) for the implementation of the aquaculture seed fund under the Zambia Aquaculture Enterprise Development Project aimed at enhancing fish production for more than 3,000 entrepreneurs.

On 25 September, the Minister of Finance in Zambia delivered the 2021 budget speech. In it, he proposed a zero VAT rate on PPE which will take effect until 25 September 2021.

13 December: The Economic Recovery Plan for Zambia highlights multiple tax-related measures set to come into place from 2021 until 2023 to aid in the recovery of the country's revenues. While the full discussion on short- and medium-term tax policy changes can be viewed at the following link (https://www.mof.gov.zm/?wpfb_dl=322), the state has placed an increasing focus on formalising the informal sector and collecting taxes therefrom.

1 April 2021: As part of further tax relief, the Ministry of Finance in Zambia permanently decreased the Company Income Tax rate, as well as suspended import duties and fees, inter alia. A full list of all tax changes can be found at the following source: https://www.ey.com/en_gl/tax-alerts/zambian-government-issues-2021-tax-amendment-acts-and-regulation

Financing social assistance and food relief: 30 April: Government has released funds to reduce outstanding arrears to pensioners under public service pension fund and retirees who are claimants under the ministry of justice.

15 May: The Zambian government has brought into being a social security net of USD 133 million, aimed at assisting 6 million vulnerable individuals between May to October 2020.

15 May: From 1 March to 30 April, the Zambian government has received cash donations of K9.78 million (USD 550 000 or 0.13% of GDP), and in-kind donations of PPEs, foodstuffs, medical supplies and so forth to the value of K68.4 million (USD 3.6 million or 0.13% of GDP).

21 May: The Zambian government has recruited 3 000 paramedics, and a further 400 doctors into the healthcare sector to alleviate pressure on the system given the rise of cases of Covid-19 in the country.

30 June: As a way to mitigate liquidity constraints the government announced a K30 million (USD 1.65 million or 0.006% of GDP) facility for the youth empowerment scheme announced, coupled with among other facilities - the K10 billion (USD 550 million or 2.05% of GDP) medium term financing facility being managed by the Bank of Zambia, the K 1 billion (USD 55 million or 0.205% of GDP) recently released for crop purchases by the Food Reserve Agency.

30 November: The Bank of Zambia introduced a liquidity facility, the Targeted Medium-Term Refinancing Facility, however, only about 4,200 firms have been able to access its support. The We-Fi Zambia project is working with the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) and Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry to scale up access to finance for SMEs, through tailored products and services, and through firm capacity building. These are crucial aspects of COVID-19 response and of private sector resilience as Zambian firms seek to recover from the crisis.

13 December 2020: As part of its Economic Recovery Plan post-pandemic, the Zambian government has opted to scale up government social protection programmes by increasing both the size and number of households that receive both social cash transfers and food security packs during the next 2 years.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Effective States
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Ministry of Finance
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Bank of Zambia
_
John Hopkins University- Coronavirus

Lusaka Times News Website

Africa Inc Magazine

ITC Trademap

SABC Website

GAVI

US Embassy

EY Website

World Bank

IMF

AS

World Bank

International Bdudget Partnership

Zimbabwe

Tests p/million: 45

Confirmed cases: 254,801 Source

Confirmed deaths: 5,534 Source

Vaccinations (% population fully vaccinated): 30.31% (2022-06-17)

Vaccinations (% population vaccinated with at least one dose): 41.59% (2022-06-17)

COVID-19: expected financing requirement: 16 April: In order to assist the economy, estimates suggest that USD 220 million (1% of GDP) is needed to target prevention and control of Covid-19.

4 May: Authorities in Zimbabwe announced an updated response plan to Covid-19, which included providing liquidity to several economic sectors of ZWD 6 billion (roughly USD 22.1 million or 0.01% of GDP), expanding social safety nets ZWD 3.9 billion (USD 10.8 million, less than 0.01% of GDP), setting up a healthcare sector support fund ZWD 1 billion ( USD 2.8 million or 0.01% GDP), among various other interventions aimed at curbing the economic and social impacts of cyclone Idai.

9 September: The authorities launched on April 2, 2020 a USD 2.2 billion (or 7% of GDP) domestic and international humanitarian appeal covering the period April 2020 to April 2021. Of this, USD 220 million (or 0.7% of GDP), now revised to USD 300 million (or 1.3% of GDP) is targeted at fighting COVID-19, USD 37 million (or 0.02% of GDP) for other critical health spending, and USD 34 million (or 0.02% of GDP) for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Other critical needs include USD 956 million (or 4.5% of GDP) for food insecurity, and USD 20.8 million (or less than 0.01% of GDP) for social protection.

14 January 2021: In response to this pandemic, Government instituted a stimulus package equivalent to 9% of GDP (USD 1.9 billion).

Official COVID-19 links: http://www.mohcc.gov.zw/index.php?option=com_phocadownload&view=category&id=15&Itemid=741

Government health expenditure p/capita (PPP USD) (2017): 86

Government health expenditure of government expenditure (2017): 15%

Out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure (2017): 21%

External health expenditure of health expenditure (2017): 15%

Domestic and external financing: As of 30 March, the following development partners had provided financial support:
The UK Government pledged GBP1.7 million (USD2.1 million or 0.01% of GDP).
The Global Fund has pledged USD25 million (or 0.8% of GDP).
USD 5 million from the World Bank towards the COVID-19 preparedness and response plan.
EU pledged EUR38 million. (USD 42 million or 0.14% of GDP).

On 4 May, the government has announced a multi-pronged stimulus package, aimed at providing liquidity to various key economic sectors, and upscale infrastructure development.

On 13 May, The African Development Bank approved a USD13.7 million (or 0.04% of GDP) grant to finance the COVID-19 response in Zimbabwe.

14 May: The Global Financing Facility, a multi-donor World Bank affiliated trust fund, has earmarked USD 5 million (or 0.02% of GDP) for COVID-19 response in Zimbabwe (pending project approval), to be implemented through Cordaid, the Catholic Organization for Relief and Development Aid. Additionally, USD 2 million (or 0.01% of GDP) will be redirected from the ongoing Zimbabwe Idai Recovery Project toward the COVID-19 response in the affected communities, implemented through the United Nations Office for Projects and Service (UNOPS).

11 May: The EU has provided Zimbabwe with USD 75 million (or 0.24% of GDP) aid package in light of the economic impact that Covid-19 is likely to have on the Zimbabwean economy.

5 June: The Global Partnership for Education has approved an application for Zimbabwe to obtain USD 7 million (or 0.02% of GDP) worth of Covid-19 accelerated funding.

17 June: In addition to the original USD 75 million (or 0.24% of GDP) provided to Zimbabwe by the EU, the EU has granted Zimbabwe a financial aid package of USD 41 million (or 0.13% of GDP) to assist in the country's Covid-19 response efforts.

26 June: The African Development Bank has approved USD 8.9 million in grant funding for 6 SADC countries (Lesotho, Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe).

6 November: The African Development Bank has disbursed USD 13.7 million (less than 0.01% of GDP) in grant funding to Zimbabwe.

On 27 April, the European Union donated 15 million euros (USD 18 million, or 0.1% of GDP) to Zimbabwe to alleviate the impact of COVID-19.

30 June 2021: The Arab Bank for International Development provided a USD 10 million (0.05% of GDP) for the procurement of PPEs and laboratory equipment towards.

PFM procedural and legislative adjustments: On 30 March, Treasury instructed the procurement agency to review its procurement regulations to facilitate speedy procurement of essential goods and services.

30 September: To allow providers to make more flexible use of funds, funds from results-based budgeting were rechannelled towards COVID-19 health services as advance payments.

2 February: There is no clear information on COVID-19 funding at the programmatic level. While the 2021 Blue Book (budget book) does not have programmes/sub-programmes for COVID-19, Ministry of Finance and Health may have internal tracking of activities related to the same.

25 January 2021: The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought in new ways of doing business with particular shift towards use of ICT to replace physical contact. The country was found wanting in this regard as the ICT infrastructure is not able to cope with the increased demand. Therefore, the 2021 National Budget will support the expansion and upgrading of the ICT infrastructure to enhance connectivity, better internet coverage and cheaper data.

Budget adjustments and non-vaccine COVID-19 allocations: On March 30, Zimbabwe's Treasury said it had availed ZWL$500 million (USD 1.4 million, which is less than 0.01% of GDP) towards the fight against COVID-19. It has also provided ZWL$50 million (USD 138 million or 0.45% of GDP) to Premier Service Medical Aid Society for preparedness against COVID-19 and to cover health requirements of civil servants.

Treasury will redirect most of the country's 2020 capital expenditure budget towards fighting Covid-19, including water supply and sanitation programmes.

The 2% Intermediated Money Transfer Tax (IMTT) currently ring-fenced for social protection expenditures and capital development projects will be channelled towards COVID-19 mitigatory expenditure.

Treasury issued a circular on 20 March 2020 instructing line ministries to identify areas for cuts and areas for redirecting expenditure.

Treasury has availed USD 2 million (or 0.01% of GDP) in forex for urgent and immediate health related imports.

Treasury has directed the use of National Disaster Accounts to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

Government has also unfrozen 4000 health sector posts and created an additional 200 to ensure a full-scale response to the pandemic.

11 May: Government has unveiled USD 3 million (or 0.01% of GDP) towards rehabilitation of Mvurwi Hospital, which has been designated as the Covid-19 Mashonaland Central provincial isolation centre.

9 September: The authorities have supported ministries’ Covid -19 mitigation and control measures with a ZWL$1.8 billion (USD 5 million or less than 0,01% of GDP) disbursement. Some of the interventions included ZWL$738.5 million (USD 2 million or % of GDP) to the Ministry of Health for Covid-19 risk allowances; additional employment costs, recruitment of additional staff to fight, capacity building and PPE procurement; ZWL$114.2 million (USD 315 thousand or less than 0,01% of GDP) for water and sanitation; ZWL$43 million (USD 118 thousand or less than 0,01% of GDP) for local production of PPEs by institutions of higher learning; ZWL$100 million (USD 91 thousand or less than 0,01% of GDP) for reopening of schools starting with examination classes; ZWL$32.8 million (USD 90 thousand or less than 0,01 % of GDP) for e-learning; ZWL$197 million (USD 544 thousand or less than 0,01 % of GDP) for enforcement of lockdown restrictions; ZWL$50 million (USD 138 thousand or less than 0,01 % of GDP) for support to transitory poor households; ZWL$35.5 million (USD 86 thousand or less than 0,01 % of GDP) for shelters for the homeless and ZWL$229.7 million (USD 635 thousand or less than 0,01% of GDP) for quarantine centres.

25 January: The outbreak of the pandemic stalled most capital projects during the first half of 2020 as priority went towards emergency expenditures. Therefore, priority for the 2021 capital Budget will be on growth enhancing investment projects with potential to unlock significant
private sector investments; projects that address emerging infrastructure gaps, such as Cyclone Idai and COVID-19, and which threaten the safety and health of citizens; and projects with potential to generate own cash flows for sustainable delivery of public services.

26 November 2020: The 2021 National Budget allocated ZWL$54.7 billion (USD 150 million, or 0.7% of GDP) to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, approximately 10% of the total budget. The Budget also mentioned that attempts will be made to increase the healthcare allocation to 15% as per the Abuja target.

Transparency, accountability and participation: 27 March: Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) publishes recommendations to strengthen transparency in the use of public funds during the COVID 19 crisis: (1) Government should improve access to information as it relates to funds and aid meant for #COVID-19. (2) Beneficial ownership disclosure and transparency on companies supplying #COVID-19 goods and services(3) Procurement procedures still need maintained: During emergency situations such as COVID-19 (4) Develop a patient’s service charter specifically for #COVID19 stating the rights of patients (5)Develop a whistle blower policy and protection mechanism(6)Periodic monitoring, evaluation and reporting of COVID 19 response mechanisms (7)Donors, NGOs, FBOs and CSOs to should put in place mechanisms to prevent corruption

24 April: Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) called on government to put in place mechanisms to ensure transparent and accountable use of funds donated towards the fight against Coronavirus.

7 May: Transparency International Zimbabwe is set to file an urgent High Court application to compel government to publish the distribution matrix of the Covid-19 funds.

22 May: Representatives from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Zimbabwe discussed the strengthening of compliance to IFRS in reporting and auditing measures across Zimbabwe, especially in light of Covid-19.

2 August: In the early days of the pandemic, government officials in Zimbabwe looted Covid-19 funds through a corrupt allowance scam. The Minister of Health, Dr Obadiah Moyo, was charged with criminal abuse of office after he approved a USD 60-million contract awarded to a company allegedly co-owned by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son, Collins, known as Drax Consult SALG (Drax International). The company allegedly supplied medical equipment to fight Covid-19 at inflated prices.

1 October: Zimbabwe has published its Public Finance Management Enhancement Project Brief at the following link http://www.zimtreasury.gov.zw/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=214:public-finance-management-enhancement-project-brief-october-2020&catid=83&Itemid=613 . In it, the Ministry of Finance outlines various transparency and accountability measures which will relate to PFM practices, as well as updates on some COVID-19 related interventions.

In May 2021, a paper released by the International Budget Partnership provides evidence on governments management of COVID funds. Zimbabwe is ranked among the countries with the lowest degree of transparency and accountability regarding COVID-related spending and financing.

Financing, procurement and distribution of vaccine and essentials: 15 April: SADC Member States have established National Emergency Operations Centres to facilitate coordination of logistics and stockpiling for disasters at the national level. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies is being implemented to provide sustainable availability and access to affordable and effective essential medicine and health commodities, and Member States have been encouraged to utilise this facility for the procurement of the needed supplies for prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 and any other epidemics.

30 September: Zimbabwe has been approved by the Gavi Board to access vaccines through the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment, which will also cover at least part of the cost

5 November: The government of Zimbabwe has imposed a ban on exports of medical supplies, banned the import of secondhand clothing and textiles and reduced import tariffs and suspended import duties on medical supplies and PPE

8 February: George Guvamatanga, the Ministry of Finance Secretary said that the government would use funds from a 2020 budget surplus and reallocate some of this year's budget to buy the vaccines. The Government has set aside USD 100 million for the vaccines to procure around 20 million vaccine doses to immunise 60 percent of the population.

8 February: China will donate 200 000 COVID-19 vaccines to Zimbabwe.

3 February: As part of the COVAX facility, Zimbabwe is expected to receive 1 152 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India by late February. The actual allocation will only be released once the vaccine has received approval from the WHO.

24 February: Zimbabwe will buy an additional 1.2 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from China at a preferential price. China has doubled its donation of vaccines to 400,000 as part of its “solidarity and action” with Zimbabwe.

24 February: Zimbabwe began Covid-19 vaccinations last week after receiving a donation of 200,000 doses from Sinopharm. The government initially aims to inoculate health workers, security forces and journalists, among others.

28 May 2021: 500 000 Sinopharm vaccines are expected to be delivered in June 2021 from China.

3 June 2021: The Zimbabwean government set aside USD 100 million (0.5% of GDP) for its vaccination programme. To date the country has received 800 000 Sinopharm vaccines from China.

10 June 2021: US President Biden has pledged to donate half a billion doses of coronavirus shots (Pfizer/BioNTech) to low- and middle-income nations as part of the COVAX global programme. Zimbabwe is a part of this initiative. The first tranche of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines will start shipping in August 2021, with 200 million doses scheduled to be delivered by the end of the year. The next 300 million doses will be delivered in the first half of 2022.

On 26 June 2021, the Zimbabwean government recieved its shipment of 500 000 Sinopharm vaccines. Another 7 million are expected to arrive by the end of August.

9 July 2021: Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube says the government has so far used USD 40 million of the reserved USD 100 million meant for Covid-19 vaccine acquisition.

Business support and tax measures: 7 May: Tax refunds for businesses will be expedited.

7 May: Tax incentives for production and importation of essential drugs and health related capital equipment, as well as other medical supplies have been gazetted. Furthermore, in order to enhance preparedness to fight the pandemic, and also guided by the United Nations Covid-19 Medical Supplies, government further suspended duty and tax on various list of goods and services related to testing, protection, sterilisation, and other medical consumables.

29 June: The deadline for the submission of income tax returns in Zimbabwe has been pushed out to 31 August.

9 September: The freeze on government hiring has been lifted for the health sector, targeting over 4 713 additional medical personnel (about 20% increase); companies have been allowed to extend the payment of corporate taxes (waiving interest and penalties); and duties and taxes on various goods and services related to COVID-19 have been suspended, including on testing, protection, sterilization, and other medical consumables and procurement regulations have been relaxed to facilitate speedy procurement of essential goods and services. The authorities are also offering corporate tax credits of up to 50% for COVID-19 donations.

5 November: Wages for those in the civil service have been subsidised at a rate of 40%.

18 November: In order to prop up the tourism sector, the government has reduced the VAT rate on internal tourism to 0% until the middle of 2021.

26 November 2020: Due to the impact of COVID-19, the 2021 National Budget increased tax free threshold from ZWL$300 (USD 0.82) to ZWL$500 (USD 1.38). Further, from 1 January the maximum tax payable per transaction by corporates is decreased from ZWL$800 000 (USD 2 210) to ZWL$25 000 (USD 69) to on transactions with values exceeding ZWL$40 million (USD 110 000).

Financing social assistance and food relief: On 31 March, the Government announced funds to cover one million vulnerable households under existing cash transfer programmes to the vulnerable populations. ZWL$200 million (USD 553,000 or 0.001% of GDP) will be availed between April and June 2020.

On May 4, it was stated that, instead of ZWL$200 Million (USD 553,000 or 0.001% of GDP), cash transfer programmes to vulnerable households would now be to the effect of ZWL$ 600 Million (USD1,8 million or 0.01% of GDP)

18 June: Given the extremely high inflation rate of 786% in May in Zimbabwe, authorities have increased all civil servants salaries and pensions by 50%. Additional monthly grants have also been approved for distribution to pensioners (USD 30) and civil servants (USD 75) to cushion the impact that Covid-19 has on their livelihoods.

26 November 2020: The 2021 National Budget allocated ZWL$5.5 billion (USD 15 million, or 0.07% of GDP) to social grants in light of the increase in vulnerable groups due to COVID-19, in addition to the pre-existing socioeconomic challenges.

Primary sources: IMF Policy Response to COVID-19
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African Health Stats
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Southern Times Africa
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John Hopkins University- Coronavirus
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All Africa News

City Press News

CGTN Africa

Africa Inc Magazine

CNBC Africa Website

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe

KPMG Website

African Development Bank Website

ITC Trademap

Zimbabwean Treasury

PWC Website

Reuters

Times Live

GAVI

IMF

AS

BusinessLive

International Budget Partnership

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