Ebola Outbreak Could Cost Africa $3.6bn, UN Warns

The United Nations has warned that the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could cost African economies up to $3.6 billion and push nearly 985,000 more people into poverty if the crisis worsens.

According to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the outbreak is triggering a wider socioeconomic crisis, threatening tens of thousands of jobs while disrupting healthcare, education, trade, and livelihoods across the region.

The agency said the economic impact would be felt most in the DRC and neighbouring countries, including Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan, with women expected to bear the greatest burden of the poverty shock.

UNDP warned that while measures such as quarantines are necessary to contain the virus, broad travel and trade restrictions are unintentionally damaging local economies and informal businesses.

The World Health Organization reported that the DRC has recorded 1,333 confirmed Ebola cases, 399 deaths, and 189 recoveries since the outbreak began.

UNDP's Regional Director for Africa, Ahunna Eziakonwa, stressed that Ebola is not only a public health emergency but also a development crisis affecting livelihoods, food security, education, public finances, and public trust.

Even if the outbreak is successfully contained in the DRC and Uganda, where 20 confirmed cases have been recorded, the agency estimates the DRC could lose more than $1 billion in GDP and around 55,000 jobs.

The UNDP also warned that trade disruptions, border restrictions, transport delays, declining consumer confidence, and interruptions to informal markets could reduce Africa's GDP by $2.37 billion, even under a containment scenario.

To reduce the impact, the agency urged governments to provide direct cash support to vulnerable households, replace blanket border closures with targeted health screening, and establish emergency funding to protect maternal, reproductive, and infant healthcare services.

The latest outbreak is centred in the conflict-affected Ituri Province in northeastern DRC and is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

• Tweet
• Share
• Share
• Share
• Share