SOUTH AFRICA’S COVID-19 RESPONSE GETS BOOST
The World Bank has approved South Africa’s request for a $750 million development policy loan. This loan will support the Government of South Africa’s efforts to accelerate its COVID-19 response…
OMICRON-FUELLED COVID-19 SURGE IN AFRICA PLATEAUS
After a six-week surge, Africa’s fourth pandemic wave driven primarily by the Omicron variant is flattening, marking the shortest-lived surge to date in the continent where cumulative cases have now…
SCHOOL CLOSURES COULD IMPOVERISH WHOLE GENERATION
This generation of students now risks losing $17 trillion in lifetime earnings in present value, or about 14 per cent of today’s global GDP, as a result of COVID-19 pandemic-related…
FOSSIL FUEL PLANS OUT OF SYNC WITH PARIS AGREEMENT
The 2021 Production Gap Report, by leading research institutes and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), finds that despite increased climate ambitions and net-zero commitments, governments still plan to produce more…
STRENGTHENING SOCIAL PROGRAMMES FOR THE POOR IN SOUTH AFRICA
The World Bank, in collaboration with the Government of South Africa, released a new report assessing the country’s social assistance programmes and systems. In an environment of high unemployment, persistent…
40% OF CHILDREN IN EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA NOT IN SCHOOL
UNICEF estimates that 40 per cent of all school-aged children across Eastern and Southern Africa are currently not in school due to COVID19-induced closures and pre-pandemic levels of out of…
LEARNERS IN SOUTH AFRICA UP TO ONE SCHOOL YEAR BEHIND
The impact of disrupted education since the COVID-19 outbreak has been devastating, with learners between 75 per cent and a full school year behind where they should be, according to…