International records / African Development Bank

West Africa Economic Outlook 2020 - Coping with the COVID-19 Pandemic

Prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, West Africa region was poised to expand by 4.0 percent in 2020.The magnitude of socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on countries in West Africa may not be known with certainty as the situation remains fluid. However, early assessment suggests that the prospect for initial growth projection is now evidently remote. Thus, under a conservative baseline scenario, the economy is now projected tocontract by -2.0 percent in 2020, 6 percentage points below the projected growth rate prior to the pandemic. Real output could fall by as much as -4.…