Impacts of COVID-19 on Migration and Intra-African Trade

Abstract

Migration, the movement either of persons or services across borders, dates back as the inception of the African Continent. Movement from the African Continent has continually been aided by several factors such as improved economy, better rights to life and livelihood, availability of basic amenities of life and infrastructure. These have pulled many young Africans to other continents as provision of these amenities is not relatively available in their home countries. Some, in an extreme bid to migrate, have had to go through unexplainable processes and ordeals, including loss of lives. The continuous movement and exchange of services have led to deliberate attempts to promote trading activities within the continent. A recent approach was the initiative of the Africa Union on Boosting Intra-African Trade (BIAT) with the inauguration of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA). This will support tariff reduction and easy access to information. Migration and Trading were severely affected by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic with many countries enforcing lockdown except for essential services and products. Preventive measures to curtail the spread were implemented and there were several disruptions in trading causing economic meltdown and increased vulnerability. The outbreak also showed the vulnerability of the health and food systems in the continent.

There is therefore an urgent need for the rejuvenation of the African continent through the development of a viable policy framework that will bolster the economy, provide financial support for trading, and reduce the effects of the pandemic.