SA Deputy FM Mashego-Dlamini ends Sierra Leone visit
South African Deputy Minister of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation Candith Mashego-Dlamini will return from Sierra Leone today.
Following a brief visit to Liberia, Mashego-Dlamini traveled to Sierra Leone to deliver vaccines.
Despite the slower COVID-19 proliferation rate in Africa, African economies were equally negatively impacted by the pandemic in comparison to other continents. Sierra Leone—largely dependent on subsistence agriculture and the informal economy—saw as much as a 60% decline in average weekly profits for Sierra Leonean businesses, as well as a spike in youth unemployment resulting from business closures and a contracted tourism industry. In total, Sierra Leone saw a 2% decline in economic growth in 2020. However, last year’s recovery efforts saw a 3.2% growth in economic growth driven by the mining and agribusiness sectors.
South Africa’s donation will be important to supporting Sierra Leone’s recovery efforts. Mining in the country will be important to driving further economic growth, increased vaccination numbers ensures that mines will be able to operate without risk of COVID transmissions. Tourism is also likely to recover and support growth with increased trust in the travel industry.
