Impacts of Ebola in Western Africa

The outbreak of Ebola epidemic in the Western African countries causes death, health crisis, decline in living standard pushing those countries towards a handicapped economic system.The devastating impact of Ebola on the socio-economic condition has spread to six countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and, most recently Mali). Among these, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have been suffering the most. If the situation continues, the peace gained through democratic transition in some of these countries will be ruined within a short time.
In Guinea, Ebola crisis has affected every sector of the economy, and specialists say, the meltdown of the economy will be felt even after ten years. The outbreak of Ebola has caused many constraints by impeding trade, commerce, activities of social organisations and institutions. Closure of borders has left a severely adverse impact on the people of these countries. In Conakry port, container traffic is down by a third and the two-third of the airport is empty. Exports of fruits and vegetable in Northeastern region have slumped by 90 per cent. The major sectors-- agriculture and mining-- have reached almost the rock bottom level. Farmers are not eager to cultivate and are leaving their lands fallow. Even farmers of unaffected areas are also not showing any interest in farming due to a combination of many deterrents. For example, the potato producing region of Fouta Djallon has not been affected by Ebola virus but the farmers are facing severe problem in marketing their produce. They cannot export their goods due to the closure of border. Besides trade, exploration of minerals, iron ore etc., has been experiencing the worst scenario since decades.
Last year Liberia was one of the fastest growing countries in the region. But the Ebola crisis slowed it down and projection showed that the economy will melt down in 2015. GDP growth became negative after 11 years of the civil war. The Liberian government was expecting 5.9 per cent growth but it is quite impossible to reach that level due to lack of transport, workers and a drastic fall in productivity in most segments of the economy.
In Sierra Leone, almost all the districts (12 out of 13) are under the threat of Ebola.  Some districts such as Kailahun, Kenema, Bombali, Moyamba and PortLoko were kept in quarantine for a month. People are facing soaring price of products for limited access to market, restriction over movements and serious dearth of daily necessities. The majority of the people (66 per cent) in Sierra Leone are farmers. So, they are facing severe problem in leading their livelihood.  Overseas mining complies have already fled leaving things in a state of mess. It may be mentioned that mining accounts substantially to Sierra Leone's economy. The tourism industry of this country has also been severely shaken; hotels are empty and the authorities have declared lay off for an indefinite time.
Ebola outbreak in Western African countries is damaging the ability of the governments to be self-reliant and it is increasing their reliance on foreign aid. As a whole, a study shows the governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are in a shortage of $ 328 million to fight against the crisis in its pre-crisis level. Although overseas aid is available, experts hold that in order to contain the far-reaching effect of Ebola on the socio-economic spheres of the region, a more concerted effort is required on the part of the international community in terms of both short-term and longer-term planning.
shakkhar@live.co.uk