Highlights

As of end of August, the West Africa region has reported 185,673 confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 151,740 cases are recovered and 3,033 deaths reported. The number of active cases was thus less than 17 percent of the confirmed cases (i.e. 30,900 active cases). On average, the increase has slowed down compared to the earlier phase of the pandemic.

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Nonetheless, the impact of the extension of COVID-19 containment and border restriction measures, exacerbated by the impacts of heavy rains and floods (that have hit several countries in the region in August), the security context, and the ongoing lean season, are all affecting negatively livelihoods, incomes and food security of the most vulnerable populations.

The needs in the region still stand high, with net funding requirements of USD 395 million for the next six months (September 2020-February 2021).

Preparations for the reopening of schools for the 2020/2021 academic year, mostly planned between September and October in the region, are underway. Resilience activities further resumed, while COVID-19 related (partly) cash-based transfers (CBTs) were rolled out in August in Cameroon and Senegal.

Linked in part to the increasing needs in urban settings, emergency response through CBTs is further planned in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania (as part of lean season response) and Nigeria.