- Year: 2023
- Budget: 10,000,000.00 €
- Location: Nigeria
- Sector: Science, Technology, Innovation and Digitalisation
- Partner: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on ACP countries, encompassing the following dimensions:
- Economic disruption: The pandemic led to severe economic disruption in ACP nations, with key sectors such as tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing experiencing substantial setbacks. These economic shocks resulted in considerable job losses and economic uncertainty. In some cases, GDP contractions reached as high as 12% to 20%.
- Healthcare challenges: The pandemic underscored significant deficiencies in healthcare infrastructure and access across ACP countries. Hospital bed shortages, a lack of critical medical supplies, and inadequate healthcare services strained healthcare systems. High infection rates, especially among vulnerable populations, further exacerbated these challenges.
- Socio-economic disparities: The COVID-19 pandemic magnified existing socio-economic disparities within ACP countries. Vulnerable and marginalised groups, including women, elderly citizens, and people with limited digital literacy, faced disproportionate challenges. These disparities encompassed access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunities.
- Digital divide: The pandemic exposed a significant digital divide, with disparities in access to digital technologies and digital literacy. Limited access to the internet and digital devices hindered the ability of citizens to engage in remote work, education, and healthcare services. In some regions, less than 20% of the population had reliable internet access.
The intervention “Promoting scalable and sustainable solutions to enhance financial inclusion in ACP countries” is co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and operates within the framework of the German initiative "Global Programme Digital Transformation." This programme underscores the pivotal role of digitalisation in addressing the challenges posed by the pandemic. The support for this intervention is provided in the form of a grant, offering the necessary financial resources to execute the initiative's ambitious objectives. The intervention is also known as “Smart Development Fund” (SDF).
This intervention is a multi-country effort, spanning numerous nations within the ACP regions, including Kenya, Malawi, and Nigeria. Each country presents a unique set of challenges and circumstances stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The intervention seeks to comprehensively address these challenges by tailoring solutions to the specific needs of each nation.
The intervention is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) as the lead partner. GIZ collaborates with ad hoc partners for each of the projects within the intervention, including governmental bodies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), private sector entities, and civil society organisations. These collaborations are established to provide essential support to ACP countries affected by the pandemic.
During this assignment three countries were visited: Kenya, Malawi, and Nigeria.