Sierra Leone

West African governments are planning to “slash and burn” their way out of COVID-19 induced economic loss, reveals new analysis from Oxfam and Development Finance International (DFI) today. The organizations are calling for an urgent change of course as West African governments are preparing their annual budgets and participating in the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and IMF, which are crucial discussions to focus the recovery on fighting inequality and poverty.

Very low spending on public healthcare, weak social safety nets and poor labor rights meant the majority of the world’s countries were woefully ill-equipped to deal with COVID-19, reveals new analysis from Oxfam and Development Finance International (DFI) today.

Inequality is at crisis levels in West Africa, yet these governments are less committed to reducing inequality than the rest of the continent.

Oxfam is providing clean water and hygiene kits to survivors of yesterday’s mudslide on the outskirts of Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Rich countries have paid out less than half the amount they originally pledged to help countries recover from a snapshot of three major humanitarian crises, according to Oxfam.

Sierra Leone has declared a public health state of emergency in a bid to contain the spread of Ebola, including imposing quarantines. An effective quarantine strategy provides a means of mitigating the spread of Ebola and saving lives, but only when implemented correctly