Sub-Saharan Africa to contract 3.3 per cent this year, World Bank says

The coronavirus crisis is expected to drive a 3.3 per cent contraction in sub-Saharan African economies in 2020 and could push 40 million people into extreme poverty, the World Bank said on Thursday.

A Congolese woman buys groceries at an open air market, amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo March 28, 2020. [Reuters]

The Washington-based lender said growth in the region would recover in 2021, with economies growing by 2.1 per cent, below 2019’s growth of 2.4 per cent.