EPRC Research fellow and economist, Mr. Corti Paul Lakuma appeared on the NTV panorama show on the 19th April 2020 during which he made some recommendations to mitigate the adverse effects of Covid-19 on the economy in the post pandemic era..
Mr. Lakuma said that economic growth will subdued this year to 3 percent, but was optimistic about a recovery, 6 percent, in 2021. The impact of the global pandemic on Uganda includes disruption of supplies, as well as lower demand in global markets for a wide range of Uganda’s exports.
The action frame for Uganda must be designed in cognizance of the following:
Limited fiscal capacity. The ratio of public revenues to GDP in Uganda averages just 12 percent.
Highly informal economy: Uganda has many small and micro businesses. Small and medium enterprises create 80 percent of the Uganda’s employment.
Young populations: Uganda is rapidly urbanizing with more than 50 percent of urban dwellers living in slums. This has huge implications for the effectiveness and implementation of quarantine methods in these poor sanitary conditions. Uganda also has a young population—with 70 percent of population below 30 years.
Constrained health systems. There are 1.08 doctors for every 1,000 people in Uganda, compared to 1.6 in Latin America and 3 OECD countries.
In light of the above Mr. Lakuma recommended the following:
- Secure supplies of essential. Particularly, food, medicine and personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Ensure support for most vulnerable populations. This includes taking measures to sustain jobs, salary, wages and distribution of food to the most vulnerable groups
- Provide stimulus package to business and reduce expenditure on non – essentials