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2008 Tutu Fellow Eunice Ajambo has drafted a United Nations policy brief titled COVID-19: An Emerging Development Challenge, but opportunity for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Namibia.  The policy brief examines economic transformation in the context of COVID-19 and analyses how Namibia is currently fairing. It provides a socio-economic impact assessment for short, medium- and long-term recommendations in addressing COVID-19. She makes the point that crises can be an opportunity to prioritize economic transformation.

Eunice is the Economic Affairs Officer with the Macroeconomics and Governance Division of the UN Economic Commission for Africa.  Her work on economic policy spans economic governance, development finance, and public sector management.

2018 Tutu Fellow Mohammed El Dahshan, has written an analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on the Egyptian economy, sector by sector, that has been published in the latest  issue of The Africa Report. Mohammed is also an Associate Fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, where he focuses on economic development, regional cooperation, and fragile states. In his analytical piece, he also provides recommendations to the state on balancing the short- and long-term response to the economic impact of the pandemic.

He makes the point that the ravages caused by the coronavirus have equalised the playing field across the globe and that as states learn to live with this new reality, they must also create policies to minimise the economic impact the crisis brings.

2008 Tutu Fellow Eunice Ajambo provided a briefing overview on the main points for Namibia and Southern Africa from the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) mid-2020 Report. The UN report covers the impact of the global pandemic and subsequent global economic contraction.  Eunice is the Economist and Development Coordination officer for the United Nation in Namibia.

The UN is projecting an economic contraction of 3.2 per cent this year and says it is likely to be the worst recession since the Great Depression due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the scale and global nature of the economic impact, it presents unique challenges given how much the global economy has changed since the 1930s.