(Reuters) – DAKAR, May 1 (Reuters) – On Sunday,
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for debt relief and increased investment in African countries to assist their economies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and weather the effects of the Ukraine crisis.
The UN Secretary-General spoke in Senegal on the first phase of a trip that will also take him to Niger and Nigeria, where he will meet with people affected by violence and climate change.
According to Guterres, supply interruptions created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have resulted in simultaneous food, energy, and financial problems across Africa and beyond.
According to the International Monetary Fund, the coronavirus pandemic pushed several poor countries into debt crisis, and the Ukraine war has hampered their economic recovery (IMF).
The UN has made proposals to the World Bank and the IMF for the mobilization of various monies and debt relief vehicles, but he said that the steps done so far have been insufficient.
With nearly 80% of the African population remaining unvaccinated against COVID-19 lockdowns, he urged wealthier countries and pharmaceutical corporations to speed up COVID-19 vaccine donations and invest in local vaccine manufacture.