Issue 10 | June 1, 2020

Introducing the Tenth Issue of the CBEG Economic Briefer

Greetings from the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) and welcome to the 10th Issue of our Economic Briefer! This Issue of the Briefer comes at a time when the world is beginning to ease lockdown situations that were in place to contain Covid-19. In order to address ourselves to the socioeconomic effects of Covid-19, we decided to change the interval of publishing the briefer from quarterly to monthly. This 10th Issue is the first in monthly series (If you missed Issue 9, find it here).

The 10th Issue of the Briefer is themed around the Fiscal Responses to the Covid-19 Pandemic and Economic Recovery Measures . The Covid-19 curve in most of the countries of the world started falling in May 2020, and with it came the easing of some containment measures countries had put in place. Total lockdowns have started being eased in Europe and Australia – where professional contact sport is resuming; as well as Africa where movement of people and goods is picking up the pace. However, countries across the region – and indeed the rest of the world are now counting the cost. The emergency expenditure that contained the spread of Covid-19 has left many African countries with major fiscal deficits going into their new fiscal years. The IMF has for instance projected that Uganda’s fiscal deficit is likely to grow from 5.5% of GDP in the current fiscal year to 7.7% in FY 2020/21.

It is against this background that this Briefer is addressing the fiscal responses to the pandemic and the necessary economic recovery measures from a developing country perspective. In this 10th Issue, we present a leading article from Ms. Clara Mira, the IMF Resident Representative in Uganda detailing the IMF’s rapid credit facility of USD 491 Million approved for disbursement to Uganda on 6th May, 2020. We have also carried an article from Dr. Susan Kavuma, a Research Associate at ACODE that examines import Substitution as an Economic Response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda. We also have an article from Mr. Emmanuel Keith Kisaame – a Research Fellow at ACODE that examines how Uganda’s tax policy can be used as an economic stimulus in fiscal year 2020/21. We’ve also present some highlights from our recent research and policy engagements to inform further research and policy around the world.

Finally, we invite your feedback to help us know how useful the Briefer is to your work and how we can improve it. Feedback should be addressed to [ Leave a comment] Please note that while ACODE is the publisher of this briefer, the views expressed herein are strictly for the authors. They do not represent organisational positions for ACODE or the organisations where our contributing authors work.

Stay Safe.

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