0Mpho TebeleGaborone – The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has served to hasten an economic downturn in Southern Africa that was already in the making, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has said. As such, even without COVID-19, the region’s overall economy was on a downturn already. Botswana: The AfDB report highlighted that Botswana’s macroeconomic outlook had deteriorated as global containment measures disrupted supply chains, curtailed transportation and lowered demand. After reaching 4,6 percent in 2018 and 4,8 percent in 2019, real GDP growth was forecast at 5,3 percent for 2020. Zimbabwe: As with Madagascar, the report was fairly optimistic about Zimbabwe’s prospects, with real GDP growth expected to reach 4,6 percent in 2020 and 5,6 percent.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 17, 2020 09:55 UTC