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Tue, 28 Apr 2020 Feature Article

The Challenge Facing The African Economy Amidst Coronavirus

The threat of Africa's economy in the times of COVID 19, photo credit: Southern Times AfricaThe threat of Africa's economy in the times of COVID 19, photo credit: Southern Times Africa

Despite the fragile healthcare system in Africa, coronavirus cases confirmed on the continent, yesterday, April 27, 2020, were 32,138, with 9,735 recoveries cases confirmed and 1,438 deaths but the fact is the impact will affect the continent like other continents.

According to the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) it will reinforce all pre-existing weaknesses that were the main cause of structural unemployment: low levels of industrial transformation, lack of infrastructure development delayed financial and monetary integration, and tariff and non-tariff barriers.

They make the African economy an extrovert and sensitive to shocks and external decisions, with intra-African trade currently only 16.6%, a strong dependence on the export of raw materials.

The impossibility of becoming independent due to the lack of a manufacturing industry capable of transforming its raw materials to respond to the potential high demand for goods and services on national and international markets.

And it is precisely this last point, together with education, raised by the African Development Bank as the only method capable of creating the necessary jobs.

The direct negative impact on the most important sectors of economic growth on the continent is already being felt.

The breakdown of the world economy through global value chains, sharp drops in raw material prices and tax revenues, and the application of restrictions travel and social issues in many African countries are the main causes of negative growth.

African countries' exports and imports are expected to decrease by at least 35% from the level reached in 2019. Therefore, the loss in value is estimated at around 270 billion dollars.

The top five African economies, Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco represent over 60% of African GDP. The level of impact of Covid-19 on these 5 economies will be representative of the entire African economy.

The tourism and oil sectors represent on average a quarter (25%) of the economy of these countries, two sectors that are already suffering heavily from the current crisis, starting with the significant drop in commodity prices.

The drop in crude oil prices at the end of 2014 contributed to a significant drop in GDP growth for sub-Saharan Africa from 5.1% in 2014 to 1.4% in 2016. During that episode, prices of crude oil decreased by 56% in seven months.

The current drop in crude oil prices has been much more rapid. Already, crude oil prices have already fallen by 54% in the last three months since the beginning of the year, and the prices of non-oil raw materials have also fallen since January, with natural gas and metal prices falling respectively by 30% and 4%.

Aluminum also decreased by 0.49%; 0.47% copper and 1.64% lead. Cocoa has lost 21% of its value in the past five days, and global prices for key food products, such as rice and wheat, can also have an impact on African countries.

Johan van Dongen
Johan van Dongen, © 2020

Johan Van Dongen is a man who cares about humanity. As a scientist, he believes the scientific world is on the wrong track when it comes to the secret of using human beings for experiments and for testing bio-weapons. . More Johan Van Dongen is a man who cares about humanity. He often says, 'Smartness is a form of stupidity' if you're intelligent use it wisely but not to destroy.' As a scientist, he believes the scientific world is on the wrong track when it comes to the secret of using human beings for experiments and for testing bio-weapons.

Professor Johan van Dongen was born on May 15, 1946, to a family in the southern part of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, during one of the coldest days in that time of the year.

In 1969, at the age of 23, Johan was appointed as a laboratory animal keeper at the Department of General Surgery in the basements of the Dijkzigt Hospital in Rotterdam, part of the Erasmus University. Because of his experience with dead animals and as a butcher he knew a lot about the anatomy of animals.

From 1969 to 1976, he studied the professions of Laboratory Animal Keeper and Animal Technology at the University of Leiden The Netherlands and graduated in 1973. From May 1972 to 1976, Johan studied Experimental Microsurgery at the Erasmus University Rotterdam the Netherlands and graduated in May 1976.

He was a lecturer at the University of Maastricht until his appointment was terminated. In the medical establishment, his 42 years research revealed that Aids, Ebola, Lassa fever and other diseases were man-made and used as bio-weapons as a means to depopulate Africa.

He wasn’t happy over the medical crimes his fellow scientists were committing, especially, the secret use of Africans as Guinea pigs in testing drugs, manufactured in Europe and America. He left the establishment to expose them in his books previously published in his native language Dutch, ‘Aids, the greatest crime in medical history.'

The Dutch government and other world leaders weren’t happy about the publications because the medical holocaust was a hidden crime world leaders knew about it but kept it secret. The exposure of Aids and Ebola as medical crimes wasn't likely taken by the Dutch government.

Branded as a 'whistleblower,' Dongen's appointment as a lecturer was terminated. microsurgeon
Column: Johan van Dongen

Disclaimer: "The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect ModernGhana official position. ModernGhana will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements in the contributions or columns here." Follow our WhatsApp channel for meaningful stories picked for your day.

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