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<p>Another one billion rand fund has been set up for entrepreneurs impacted by Covid-19 in South Africa. This time, the focus is on supporting small businesses in the country’s township and rural economies. Access to finance for such entrepreneurs and start-ups can be harder compared to businesses operating in the mainstream sectors. Ubank CEO, Luthando Vutula joins CNBC Africa to outline details on how the fund will work.</p>


This R1bn fund is helping township & rural businesses survive Covid-19 shocks

This R1bn fund is helping township & rural businesses survive Covid-19 shocks, here’s how it works

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<p>Millions of people across the region struggle to get access to essential goods and the COVID-19 restrictions have made the situation even worse. E-commerce company Sokowatch has come up with a scheme to provide direct assistance to vulnerable families digitally as founder and CEO Daniel Yu explains.</p>


COVID-19: This e-Commerce platform is helping the vulnerable access essential goods

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<p>With the measures put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, businesses are rapidly adjusting to the changing needs of their people, their customers and suppliers, while navigating the financial and operational challenges. Ola Akinnusi, Country Manager for Bolt, Kenya joins CNBC Africa to break down the impact on the ride hailing economy and how industry players are navigating the pandemic.</p>


How the ride-hailing industry is navigating COVID-19 headwinds

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<p>This year was poised to see major strides in access to finance for SMEs in Kenya. Promising initiatives such as the repeal of the interest rate cap, financing opportunities though the African Development Bank and the establishment of a credit guarantee scheme are just a few of the steps that were underway. But now that the Covid-19 pandemic has reshuffled priorities and budgets worldwide, where does that leave vulnerable Kenyan SMEs? SME Consultant, Victor Otieno joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


How COVID-19 is affecting SME funding in Kenya

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<p>He is one of the toughest tacklers in the world who now tackling the books. World cup winner Tendai – the Beast &#8211; Mtawarira was the key to the Springbok victory over England in Japan late last year. His scrummaging in the final was described by one rugby writer as destructive. Now he has turned from the Boks to hitting the books. He has gone back to the studies, he abandoned when he was a teenage rugby hopeful, in search of an MBA at Henley Business School. What drew him to this decision and what does he plan to do with the qualification. CNBC Africa spoke to him for more.</p>


World rugby champion speaks on the importance of education


<p>By Danesh Ranchhod, vice-president and executive director at Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity</p>



<p>As with most parts of the world, what started out as a health crisis has also turned into a humanitarian and economic crisis. While Covid-19 infections rates have been relatively low on the African continent compared to the rest of the world, much of the region’s economies are being impacted due to the various forms of restrictions being imposed on citizens. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has forecast Sub-Saharan Africa Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to contract by 2% in 2020 vs growth of 3% in 2019. Some of the oil-exporting countries such as Nigeria are likely to face a sharper contraction due to the lower oil price. Many current forecasts and outlooks could be rendered irrelevant given the highly uncertain nature of the Covid-19 infection and the variability of outcomes given different government policy responses. At the same time, there is a growing risk that the spread of the virus could still escalate to unmanageable levels. This is due to some additional challenges facing many African countries.</p>



<p>FOR MORE COVID-19 COVERAGE VISIT: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/">https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/</a></p>



<p>1] While the level of urbanisation is still low compared to many other frontier and emerging markets, urbanisation has actually been growing fast off a low base to result in high density informal communities in larger cities. The nature of these living environments makes social distancing measures almost impossible to follow through in a government ordered lockdown.</p>



<p>2] Healthcare resources are constrained, with facilities lacking the necessary equipment such as ventilators and high care beds to deal with mass volumes of patients that could get sick. &nbsp;A report from McKinsey &amp; Company showed Africa has 1.4 beds per 1000 people compared to China which has 4 beds per 1000 people. Additionally, laboratory capacity is low implying that not enough testing is being done to collate a true gauge of active cases. Genomic sequencing of the virus in Africa is also the lowest globally. There is a risk that Africa may not be well represented in a potential vaccine; vaccines are typically developed on large and varied pools of sequencing data so that there is good representation of strains that may have mutated.</p>



<p>3] Much of the continent’s economic activity is driven by informal businesses that are small in nature. A hard lockdown would result in many businesses having to close down and subsequently leaving staff and business owners without income. There is also not much to rely on in terms of savings pools, while insurance or fiscal support for loss of income is negligible.</p>



<p>4] In the developed world and many parts of Asia, governments have announced Covid-19 related fiscal support for citizens and businesses amounting to 7%-10% of their respective GDPs. These far exceed support programmes at the time of the Global Financial Crisis. This quantum (relative to the GDP) of support is not possible in Africa due to fiscal pressures already faced. While the IMF and World Bank have been disbursing crisis funding to help with healthcare and related costs, it is likely that a lack of more broad fiscal support together with a hard lockdown could see African economies struggle to recover.</p>



<p>These challenges preclude many African governments from adopting some of the measures that are being employed elsewhere in the developed world and more formalised emerging Asian economies. <a>Extended hard lockdowns in Africa are likely to have a more dire result due to a devastating economic environment that could see increased deaths from starvation.</a></p>



<p>To find a balance between containing the virus and maintaining a semblance of economic activity will require a different approach. While African governments may not have the fiscal capacity to rapidly increase hospital and equipment capacity, they can more easily at a lower cost increase widespread testing to get a true sense of active cases.  The testing can be multi-level with initial screening doing a lot to filter patients that require immediate testing and care. This together with mobile operators can introduce a form of smart contact tracing and awareness using mobile phones. As the level of cases will initially be low, infected patients can be housed in basic isolation centres that do not require high care in key areas to help alleviate pressure on hospitals and reduce the reproduction rate given it is hard to isolate in high-density informal areas. Other soft lockdown measures such as border control and social distancing measures where possible can still take place to help flatten the curve. Most importantly having confidence around widespread testing and tracking will help to create more timely data on active cases and recoveries and assist in identifying hot spot areas that could then be considered for targeted lockdowns rather than national hard lockdowns. It can also allow economic activity to remain in some form allowing many informal businesses to continue to operate and giving much-needed income to large parts of the populace that have no social safety net in any form.</p>


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Op-Ed: Why Africa cannot afford an extended hard lockdown in the COVID-19 crisis


<p>By Zandre Campos, CEO of ABO Capital.</p>



<p>As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, no country is immune. Global cases are well into the millions and Africa is continuing to see a rise. There are several African countries <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html">whose numbers are rapidly increasing</a> including Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa. However, their numbers are still relatively low compared to some of the hardest-hit countries, such as the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom and Italy. In my homeland of Angola, we have been very fortunate to have less than 50 reported cases to date. However, despite the swift actions taken by the country to keep the rate of infection relatively low, its role in the global economy means it is still at risk. Angola must prepare for when travel and trade resume at full speed, as it will be critical to remain vigilant and prepared. </p>



<p>The cost of the coronavirus, if it becomes more widespread, will not only be to the health of Angolans, but to its economy, as seen in the latest Ebola epidemic. During the Ebola epidemic of 2014 to 2016, there were approximately 28,600 cases and 11,300 deaths<a href="#_ftn1">[1]</a>. In addition to the devastatingly large loss of life, Ebola contributed significantly to economic hardships in the countries that were most impacted, ie, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.</p>



<p>For more COVID-19 coverage visit <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/">https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/</a></p>



<p>In 2014, the World Bank projected that the three nations would in 2015 lose approximately $2.2 billion in their gross domestic product. The primary donors in the international response, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, donated a combined total of over $3.6 billion in relief efforts. The sectors most greatly affected were the private sector, agricultural production, and cross-border trade as restrictions on movement, goods, and services were put in place<a href="#_ftn2">[2]</a>. Not only did this hurt the GDP and the economy, but it had a direct impact on the lives of those in affected regions. While a slowdown in these sectors leads to a loss of jobs and job security, it often impacts the most vulnerable in society first. Decreased agriculture and trade can cause food shortages, which have a direct impact on low income individuals and their ability to have access to food.</p>



<p>if Angola fails to remain diligent and keep the rate of infection relatively low, it could come at a severe economic cost as shown by countries that had Ebola, therefore different industries need to step up to help the relief efforts. While some industries are being negatively impacted by the coronavirus, they can also do a number of things to help. For example, Angola’s oil and gas industry has been hard hit by the coronavirus. As people across the world shelter in their homes, the price of oil has been consistently dropping and the industry is facing a significant downturn. However, there are a number of ways that those in the industry can assist Angola and the challenges it is facing caused by coronavirus.</p>



<p>For one, many companies have and can donate to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, which purchases and ships protective equipment for medical workers. The fund also puts money towards research to develop a vaccine for the virus. In addition to donating to relief funds, many companies have and can turn their focus to producing products that can be useful in the fight against the coronavirus. Some of the materials that are used in fuel production, such as ethanol from sugarcane, can be made into disinfectant instead. Oil and gas companies can shift their production in other ways as well. For those with major factories, if the resources are available, they can produce not only disinfectants, but face masks and protective gear too.</p>



<p>Despite the downturn that the oil and gas industry is currently facing, there are other ways that companies can provide relief in multiple ways. For example they can follow the example of those offering free fuel to service vehicles, while others are giving fuel cards or fuel vouchers to service workers. Angola’s oil and gas industry is a crucial component of the economy. While it is in a vulnerable position right now, this doesn’t mean that companies aren’t able to shift their focus, and their resources, in a way that combats the coronavirus.</p>



<p>While most businesses and industries in Angola will weather the coronavirus pandemic, and even come out stronger on the other side, it highlights the need for an improved education system to be put in place. The coronavirus pandemic draws attention to the fact that the country does not have enough doctors or medical professionals. Angola will have a shortage of doctors if the youth of Angola aren’t getting the best possible education. The need for a highly trained medical community may be brought to light due to current issues, but it will not go away after this virus does. Angola must utilise the scope and knowledge of its ancestors to help in developing other sources of knowledge or solutions.</p>



<p>What is clear is that while the coronavirus might not be going away any time soon, it is presenting an opportunity for companies to mobilise in inspiring ways to help the best that they can. With the ability to come together to provide much-needed materials such as disinfectants and face masks, and the more traditional output of fuel, there is hope in our fight against the global health pandemic. In addition, there are many lessons that we can learn from the past including how to stabilise the economy, keep each other safe, and ultimately make Angola a stronger country.</p>



<p>[1] <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/history/2014-2016-outbreak/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/history/2014-2016-outbreak/index.html</a></p>



<p>2 <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/history/2014-2016-outbreak/cost-of-ebola.html#N3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/history/2014-2016-outbreak/cost-of-ebola.html#N3</a></p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<p><a href="#_ftnref1">[1]</a> <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/history/2014-2016-outbreak/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/history/2014-2016-outbreak/index.html</a></p>



<p><a href="#_ftnref2">[2]</a> <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/history/2014-2016-outbreak/cost-of-ebola.html#N3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/history/2014-2016-outbreak/cost-of-ebola.html#N3</a></p>


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Op-Ed: How Angola can use its industries to fight COVID-19

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<p>Astral Foods has become the latest South African company not to declare an interim dividend as Covid-19 plucked the feathers of certainty for the poultry business. Astral increased first half revenue by 4 per cent but profits were flat. Astral CEO, Chris Schutte joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Astral CEO: How the weak rand could solve cheap chicken imports problem


<p>Report by Sam Shead</p>



<p><strong>Key Points:</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Alibaba’s Jack Ma, China’s richest man, is stepping down from the board of SoftBank on June 25.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>SoftBank’s Vision Fund reported losses of $18 billion on Monday, while the SoftBank Group as a whole had losses of $13 billion.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Big bets on companies like Uber, WeWork and Oyo have not paid off for the SoftBank Vision Fund.</li></ul>



<p>Alibaba founder <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/east-africa/2020/03/18/covid-19-billionaire-jack-ma-to-donate-masks-test-kits-to-all-countries-in-africa/">Jack Ma</a> is stepping down from the board of SoftBank after the company’s Vision Fund posted record-breaking losses of $18 billion. </p>



<p>Ma, whose $41.8 billion net worth makes him China’s richest man, is the latest high-profile figure to exit SoftBank Group, which on Monday posted total annual losses of $13 billion for the year ending March 31.&nbsp;Uniqlo founder Tadashi Yanai stepped down from SoftBank’s board in December, while Nidec founder Shigenobu Nagamori stepped down in 2017.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Son said that Ma decided to leave SoftBank’s board “on his own”. He added: “That’s sad, but we still keep in contact directly and right before the <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/">Covid-19</a>, we met face-to-face every month to have dinner, to talk about businesses, to talk about lives. And we will remain friends for the rest of our life, I believe.”</p>



<p>Ma has become increasingly focused on education philanthropy over the last year. He stepped down as Alibaba’s chairman last September and there’s speculation that he’ll quit Alibaba’s board later this year.</p>



<p>Ma’s departure (effective June 25) comes after SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son pivoted away from telecoms to backing new companies through the colossal $100 billion Vision Fund, which was launched in 2017.</p>



<p>In total, the Vision Fund has backed 88 start-ups with a total of $75 billion. The Vision Fund, which counts Apple and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund among its contributors, is in poor health because a number of its biggest bets have turned out to be disasters.&nbsp;</p>



<p>An enormous $9 billion bet on WeWork turned out to be a very bad move after the office space provider imploded, spectacularly, months before the coronavirus wreaked havoc with global economies. With dozens of multi-story offices empty around the world, WeWork’s situation is only expected to go from bad to worse.</p>



<p>The Vision Fund has also pumped billions of dollars into companies like taxi app Uber and Indian hotel chain Oyo, which have seen their valuations plummet over the last few months as a result of the coronavirus and confinement measures, among other factors.</p>



<p>“Values of Uber, WeWork and its three affiliates decreased, and total fair value of other portfolio companies decreased significantly,” SoftBank wrote in its financial report.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Old friends&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Ma and Son, two of Asia’s best-known tech tycoons, are close friends and their relationship goes back at least 20 years as Son was one of Alibaba’s earliest investors.</p>



<p>In 2000, one year after Alibaba was founded, SoftBank invested a reported $20 million into the company. An SEC filing from February showed that SoftBank owns around 25% of Alibaba, a stake worth more than $100 billion, making it SoftBank Group’s most valuable investment. </p>



<p>SoftBank stock hit a four-year low on March 19, prompting the group to announce plans to sell or monetize $41 billion of its assets and buy back $4.7 billion of its shares.</p>



<p>This article was first published on CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/18/alibabas-jack-ma-quits-softbank.html">https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/18/alibabas-jack-ma-quits-softbank.html</a> and is republished with its permission.</p>



<p>For more coverage on COVID-19 visit: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/">https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/</a></p>


Op-Ed: Supporting the ICT sector in Africa as a cure for the economic crisis

Billionaire Jack Ma quits SoftBank’s board as its Vision Fund posts a record $18 billion loss

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<p>According to a new survey by the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA), close to 94 per cent of banks in the country expect a significantly slowed business growth. However, the survey indicates that a financial crisis in Kenya is unlikely due to the high levels of liquidity within the banking system. Dr. Habil Olaka, Chief Executive, Kenya Bankers Association joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Kenyan banking industry to survive the pandemic – survey

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<p>The Bank of Ghana says leading indicators of economic activity during the first quarter of the year suggests some slowdown, reflecting the restrictions, social distancing, and the partial COVID-19 lock-down measures introduced by the government in the middle of March. Joining CNBC Africa to discuss how Ghana’s economy performed in the first quarter of the year is Courage Kingsley Martey, Senior Economist at Data Bank&#8230;.</p>


Data Bank’s economic review for Ghana

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<p>The current Covid-19 pandemic has caused world leaders to establish extreme, and in some cases, unprecedented measures in order to curb the spread of the dangerous virus. In a matter of just a couple of months, one-by-one, we saw countries around the world go from postponing events and gatherings, to closing borders and instituting partial and total lock-downs. Naturally, these measures have stifled the tourism industry in the most fundamental way possible. So with no end in sight, what is the solution? How will the sector pivot to survive? In this CNBC Africa Special we speak to three players, representing different segments of the industry for their take&#8230;.</p>


Tourism during COVID-19: An industry shift


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">KEY POINTS</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Heavy rains over the last month have led to overflowing rivers and lakes and mudslides, with Kenya particularly impacted.</li><li>Authorities and international organizations on the ground face an uphill battle against spiraling food insecurity, which had already been exacerbated by the locust invasion, while at the same time working to curtail the spread of Covid-19.</li></ul>



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<p>Already navigating the coronavirus pandemic and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/23/east-africa-faces-dual-shock-from-coronavirus-and-locust-swarms.html">worst invasion of desert locusts for more than 25 years</a>, parts of East Africa are now being devastated by flooding.</p>



<p>Heavy rains over the last month have led to overflowing rivers and lakes and mudslides, with Kenya particularly impacted. Almost 200 people have lost their lives and according to the Kenyan Red Cross, while hundreds of thousands have been internally displaced since the rainy season began in March.</p>



<p>Authorities and international organizations on the ground face an uphill battle against spiraling food insecurity, which had already been exacerbated by the locust outbreak, while at the same time working to curtail the spread of Covid-19, which remains the main focus of government resources.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Consecutive climate shocks</h2>



<p>The latest floods have followed a series of intermittent droughts and flooding. Oxfam’s Director of Humanitarian Systems in Kenya, Matthew Cousins, told CNBC that these weather events and the locust outbreak are the latest in “a decade of back-to-back crises” linked to climate change.</p>



<p>“It’s a bit of a triple whammy really with Covid, locusts, floods, and it’s happening more and more often which is our primary concern,” Cousins told CNBC via telephone from Nairobi.</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-default td_pull_quote td_pull_center is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"><p>“It’s a bit of a triple whammy really with Covid, locusts, floods, and it’s happening more and more often which is our primary concern</p><cite>citation</cite></blockquote>



<p>“Cycles between the droughts are getting a lot shorter, which impairs recovery time for herds for the poorest families to get their lives back. These areas are particularly vulnerable anyway, you’ve got underlying absolute poverty of anywhere up to 90% in some of the northern counties,” he explained.</p>



<p>Jemimah Khamadi Wekhomba, Kenya’s health and nutrition coordinator for Action Against Hunger, said NGOs and authorities on the ground have barely had time to respond to one crisis before another hits.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide"><img decoding="async" src="https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/106541527-1589779090051ke_2020_manderaeast_21.jpeg?v=1589779355&amp;w=678&amp;h=381" alt="Residents in Mandera County, Kenya, assess the damage from the latest round of flooding which has devastated the region."/><figcaption>Residents in Mandera County, Kenya, assess the damage from the latest round of flooding which has devastated the region.The County Government of Mandera, Kenya.</figcaption></figure>



<p></p>



<p>“These communities’ roads were cut off, their infrastructure was destroyed, communication was destroyed, the health facilities submerged, schools submerged,” she told CNBC.</p>



<p>Wekhomba added that thousands of displaced people had been forced to move into the houses of friends or relatives, or into makeshift camps in vacant schools, which presents new challenges to social distancing in the age of Covid-19.</p>



<p>“The issue is there is not enough funding in terms of a response because the needs keep on increasing over and over again. There is a need for funding which the government cannot support by itself,” she said, adding that the international community has a role to play.</p>



<p>The International Monetary Fund last week announced a $739 million disbursement to Kenya under its Rapid Credit Facility, aimed at tackling the coronavirus pandemic. So far, just 887 cases have been confirmed in the country, but policymakers are wary of the impact the virus could have if allowed to take root in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/06/leading-the-fight-against-coronavirus-in-africas-largest-urban-slum.html">densely populated informal settlements</a>.</p>



<p>Wekhomba said policymakers and the affected communities were both “overwhelmed” by the scale and concurrence of the crises. She suggested that beyond the immediate response, funding will be required for a further three to five years to return affected communities to stability and better equip them to weather future shocks.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide"><img decoding="async" src="https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/106541531-1589779535287ke_2020_westpokot_11.jpg?v=1589779835&amp;w=678&amp;h=381" alt="Residents in the county of West Pokot, Kenya, retrieve a body after a recent mudslide."/><figcaption>Residents in the county of West Pokot, Kenya, retrieve a body after a recent mudslide.The county government of West Pokot, Kenya.</figcaption></figure>



<p></p>



<p>“People are talking about the effects of climate change, but we are here. We are already facing the effects of climate change,” she told CNBC.</p>



<p>“There is a need to support these communities in terms of knowing how to handle their shocks and bounce back to their normal lives.”</p>



<p>At a press conference last week, Eugene Wamalwa, the Kenyan cabinet Secretary for Devolution, appealed to Kenyans living in areas susceptible to floods and landslides to relocate to safer ground, with the situation expected to worsen in the coming weeks as rains persist until June.</p>



<p>Wamalwa noted that the last time Lake Victoria reached current levels was in the 1950s, while Lake Naivasha has reached levels not seen since 1961.</p>



<p>Along with ravaging crops and communities directly, the rains also favor the locusts’ reproduction, with a second wave anticipated around June, coinciding with harvest season and further adding to the mounting humanitarian crisis.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Return of the locusts</h2>



<p>According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), more than 20 million people are in severe acute food insecurity in East Africa.</p>



<p>A single Desert Locust swarm, which can contain up to 150 million insects per square kilometer, is capable of eating as much food in a day as 35,000 people. It is thought to be the most destructive migratory pest in the world.</p>



<p>The FAO’s Desert Locust appeal, launched in January, has now requested $153 million in external funding and currently covers 10 countries — Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania and Yemen.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide"><img decoding="async" src="https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/106400449-1582206861003gettyimages-1195325273.jpeg?v=1582207253&amp;w=678&amp;h=381" alt="Locusts swarm acros a highway at Lerata village, near Archers Post in Samburu county, approximately 300 kilomters (186 miles) north of Kenyan capital, Nairobi on January 22, 2020. (Photo by TONY KARUMBA / AFP) (Photo by TONY KARUMBA/AFP via Getty Images)"/><figcaption>Locusts swarm acros a highway at Lerata village, near Archers Post in Samburu county, approximately 300 kilomters (186 miles) north of Kenyan capital, Nairobi on January 22, 2020. (Photo by TONY KARUMBA / AFP) (Photo by TONY KARUMBA/AFP via Getty Images)Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



<p></p>



<p>If left unchecked, the FAO estimates that the locusts could multiply 400 times by the end of June. Oxfam is coordinating with local partner organizations on the ground in affected areas across northern and eastern Kenya, who are working to track the swarms and deploy aerial and ground pesticide operations.</p>



<p>“I don’t think they will be able to get on top of this swarm, so we will be looking at a third wave a little bit later on, and then after that, the locusts will naturally migrate with the winds back up north and then out over the Arabian sea to parts of the Middle East, or more likely Iran,” Oxfam’s Cousins said.</p>



<p>He added that communities have “very little room for maneuver” in terms of food security should the next wave coincide with harvest season in June.</p>



<p>“With Covid and the floods hampering transport connections, the pesticides have been slow coming in, because they’re normally brought in by flight and now they have to be brought in by sea,” Cousins explained.</p>



<p>The greatest concern, Cousins said, is the impact of the climate crisis on long term food security, particularly for children, in some of the poorest communities and harshest regions of the country.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide"><img decoding="async" src="https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/106541534-1589779871626ke_2020_tanariverdelta_maziwa_21.jpeg?v=1589780174&amp;w=678&amp;h=381" alt="Flooding in an area of Tana River county, Kenya."/><figcaption>Flooding in an area of Tana River county, Kenya.The county government of Tana River, Kenya.</figcaption></figure>



<p></p>



<p>“That has a huge impact on the ability to attain good education, stay healthy, and in turn further puts pressure on health and education systems,” he said.</p>



<p>“The long term impacts of all these climate crises is the steady eroding of human capital in a lot of these areas, which in turn puts extra stress on government support systems.”</p>



<p>While the policy framework in Kenya is strong, Cousins suggested that it was overmatched at present, and more emphasis would need to be placed on “resilience-building” for the country’s health, education, infrastructure and agricultural systems to deal with what could well become a constant stream of climate shocks.</p>


Residents in Mandera County, Kenya, displaced by flooding. The County Government of Mandera, Kenya.

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Coronavirus, floods and locust swarms: Kenya is fighting a ‘triple whammy’ of crises

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How Nigeria’s economy is bracing up to the COVID-19 shock

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Rwanda sees strong revenue from tea exports

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Kenya closes borders with Somalia

Kenya closes borders with Somalia, Tanzania due to coronavirus

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Coronavirus, floods and locust swarms: Kenya is fighting a ‘triple whammy’ of crises

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Rwanda sees strong revenue from tea exports

Kenya closes borders with Somalia, Tanzania due to coronavirus

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Newsletter

This R1bn fund is helping township & rural businesses survive Covid-19 shocks, here’s how it works

COVID-19: This e-Commerce platform is helping the vulnerable access essential goods

How the ride-hailing industry is navigating COVID-19 headwinds

How COVID-19 is affecting SME funding in Kenya

World rugby champion speaks on the importance of education

Op-Ed: Why Africa cannot afford an extended hard lockdown in the COVID-19 crisis

Op-Ed: How Angola can use its industries to fight COVID-19

Astral CEO: How the weak rand could solve cheap chicken imports problem

Billionaire Jack Ma quits SoftBank’s board as its Vision Fund posts a record $18 billion loss

Kenyan banking industry to survive the pandemic – survey

Data Bank’s economic review for Ghana

Tourism during COVID-19: An industry shift

Coronavirus, floods and locust swarms: Kenya is fighting a ‘triple whammy’ of crises

How Nigeria’s economy is bracing up to the COVID-19 shock

Rwanda sees strong revenue from tea exports

Kenya closes borders with Somalia, Tanzania due to coronavirus

Kenya rejects G20 debt relief initiative due to restrictive terms

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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