The
world’s economy is predicted to suffer a significant decline because of
COVID-19. Some hard-hit economies will experience a negative growth rate. We
are told Ghana’s growth in GDP, which was projected at 6.8 percent, could fall
to 1.5 percent. One may ask if we should be concerned with economic growth at
this time of a public health crisis. But this reminds me of the usual statement
in development economics, which states that economic growth is a necessary
condition but not a sufficient condition to say a country is developed.
The
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for actions to end poverty, protect
the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The
integrated 17 SDGs recognize that action in one area affects other outcomes and
development must balance social, economic, and environmental sustainability. If
our social infrastructure - Housing, Health, Education, and Water supply
systems were so efficient, effective, and present in every community, as
requires by SDG 11, 3, 4, and 6 respectively, we would not be so worried about
COVID-19 induced economic growth rate. In the same vein, if our environment was
protected and with little pollution, I think a less than 2% economic growth
rate would not have pre-occupied our minds and the minds of African Finance
Ministers because of the economic impact of COVID-19. The social consequences
of COVID-19 are equally as important as economic growth when many are being
left behind, especially in our rural communities.
Improving
access to social services for rural communities to protect them from COVID-19
I
have heard that Africa will experience the worse form of COVID-19 in the coming
days if we fail to stop the spread. People of faith including me reject it. But
the truth must be told. The spread of COVID-19 must be stopped in the cities
and should not visit our rural communities. The truth of the matter is that,
physical distancing or social distancing is a luxurious commodity in our rural
communities. It will be impossible to expect people to wash their hands with
soap under non-existing running water in most rural communities.
The
sad reality is that, most rural population will prefer drinking to washing
their hands under running water. The UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional
Director for Africa, Ahunna Eziakonwa, while recognizing the need to support
the poorest to obtain water and soap in Sub-Sahara Africa in the fight
against COVID-19, had this to say
“some communities may not focus on handwashing because when they have
clean water, they will prefer to drink it. The COVID-19 pandemic must lead to
expedited efforts to address the unconscionable lack of access to clean water
in so many places” in Africa.
Access
to social services such as improved drinking water, housing, education, and
health care is critical to achieving the SDGs, particularly in eradicating
poverty among the poorest in rural Ghana. It is estimated that only 21% of
Ghana’s population has access to basic sanitation and this situation is the
same in most sub-Saharan African countries. A recent global survey by UNICEF
and the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that about 490 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lack
access to safe and improved water supply and over 90% live in rural areas – a major threat to the
achievement of the SDGs, particularly goal 6.
Lack of access to these social services coupled with the impact of
climate change will negatively affect the quality of life for most rural
population, street children and homeless people, who are particularly
vulnerable in Ghana and other parts of Africa.
Addressing
the biggest global health threat: climate change
Climate
change will have multiple impacts on human health. It will disturb natural
systems, making it possible for diseases to spread or emerge in areas where
they had been limited or had not existed especially among rural population.
Climate change has been identified as “the biggest global health threat of the
21st Century. The current climate trends of extreme temperature and humidity
will continue to present a public health crisis in most developing countries.
For
instance, the fifth assessment report of the
Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that risks
of undernutrition and vector-borne diseases are projected to generally increase
due to climate change in developing countries especially in rural communities
where there is lack of access to social services and lack of understanding of
appropriate health sector response to climate change. So has the World Health
Organization (WHO) estimates that climate change is expected to cause about 250
000 additional deaths per year between 2030 and 2050.
Time
for more actions to better prepare for future crises
It
has become very critical for us to continue to address climate change by
implementing our climate actions, so as to limit its effects particularly on
the most vulnerable. For instance, there is the need for more climate
commitments like the recent move by Ghana and Switzerland to strengthen the
mode of cooperation by signing an agreement under Article 6 of the Paris
Agreement on climate actions to expand renewable energy access.
More
importantly, we need to aggressively deal with issues of social exclusion and
inequality to leave no one behind, especially in our fight against COVID-19.
Other health crises such as Cerebro Spinal Meningitis (CSM), malaria, cholera
among others must also be holistically addressed. This is because climate
change will continue to slide back our efforts in dealing with these crises,
calling on us not to forget commitments to environmental protection in these
crucial times.
We
have a chance to change our narrative in Ghana and Africa as a whole post
COVID-19, if we focus on breaking all forms of inequities such as gender
inequality, and inequalities in opportunities and access to social services.
Our COVID-19 recovery efforts must deal with these inequality issues and
appropriate health sector response to climate change to prepare us better for
future pandemics.
Author:
Stephen Sabunam Kansuk, Programme Analyst, Environment and Climate, UNDP,
Ghana.
