COVID-19 Macroeconomic Policy Research in Africa

Updated on: 2023-09-13 14:03:18

The project’s overall goal is to inform macroeconomic policy development in response to the coronavirus pandemic by low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and development partners that result in more climate-resilient and gender responsive measures hrough evidence-based research.

The COVID-19 Macroeconomic Policy Research in Africa (CoMPRA) is a research project promoting short-term recovery from COVID-19 and long-term inclusive growth in African countries. The CoMPRA project was initiated following a call by the International Development Research Centre for rapid response policy research to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project’s overall goal is to inform macroeconomic policy development in response to the coronavirus pandemic by low- and middle-income countries, and development partners. It also calls for more climate-resilient and gender-responsive measures through evidence-based research.

The measures introduced worldwide to slow down the spread of COVID-19 have a significant socioeconomic impact on all countries. In low- and middle-income countries this impact is compounded by the limited financial, monetary and social instruments and the associated resilience at a state and societal level. Low- and middle-income countries need to engage on three central issues: (1) how to improve the efficacy of various fiscal and monetary interventions in a way that reflects their specific developmental context, (2) what viable (as opposed to available) financing options exist, with specific emphasis on vulnerable groups, and (3) how to align the COVID-19 stimulus with broader technological and social system transformation to support more climate-resilient and sustainable economies.

The project’s overall goal is to inform macroeconomic policy development in response to the coronavirus pandemic by low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and development partners that result in more climate-resilient and gender responsive measures through evidence-based research. The project will focus broadly on Africa and specifically on Benin, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria and South Africa.