An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo could drain as much as $3.6 billion from Africa’s economy and endanger more than 300,000 jobs, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has warned.
Damien Mama, the UNDP’s Resident Representative, cautioned that neighboring states risk significant fallout — from tighter borders and slower transport to disruptions in informal trade — consequences that, he said, “could reduce the continental GDP by $2.37 billion, even if transmission remains largely contained”.
The latest outbreak began on May 15 in eastern DRC and Uganda and has since spread to three Congolese provinces. Nearly 400 people have died in the current wave.
