Economic Development of African Countries in the Context of the Coronavirus Pandemic

Relevance of the study is determined by the rapid growth of interest in African countries from key players in the world economy seeking to expand and strengthen their presence on the continent.
The purpose of the study is to identify the features of the economic development of African countries in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.
Objectives: identification of the channels of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the economic development of African countries; clarification of the current economic development agenda; study of the features of providing economic assistance to Africa by the world's leading financial institutions; identification of the key economic and social consequences for African countries in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.
The methodology is represented by the methods of scientific generalisation, information collection and processing, analysis and synthesis.
Results. The impact of the coronavirus on African countries is superimposed on a significant number of existing problems: global warming, lack of drinking water, lack of a developed diversified industry, locusts, low standards of living and education, etc. There are no accumulated financial reserves that could mitigate the effects of the economic crisis. The countries of the continent are on the path of increasing the level of public debt, which places a heavy burden on national economies.
Conclusions. African countries in the context of the sanitary and economic crisis risk losing in a short time the achievements that were made during the 25 years of continuous economic growth that preceded the pandemic. Some countries in the region are acutely dependent on the demand for resources exported to the world market, while others are threatened by the weakening of the tourist flow from developed countries. Africa's dependence on international capital is rapidly increasing, allowing lenders to increase their control over the region's States. The coronavirus pandemic will suspend integration trends on the African continent at least in the medium term.

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