The United Nations has warned that the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could cost African economies up to $3.6 billion and push nearly one million more people into poverty if the crisis worsens.
In a statement on Tuesday, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said the outbreak is evolving beyond a public health emergency into a major socioeconomic crisis, threatening livelihoods, disrupting essential services and putting tens of thousands of jobs at risk.
According to the agency, the epidemic could force an additional 985,000 people into poverty, with women expected to be disproportionately affected. The impact is expected to extend beyond the DRC to neighbouring countries, including Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan.
UNDP warned that while quarantine measures are necessary to contain the virus, broader restrictions on travel and trade are severely affecting local economies, particularly informal businesses that many people rely on for income.
The World Health Organization reported that the DRC has recorded 1,333 confirmed Ebola cases, 399 deaths and 189 recoveries. Uganda has also confirmed 20 cases linked to the outbreak.
“Ebola does not stop at the hospital gate,” said UNDP Africa Regional Director Ahunna Eziakonwa. “It affects livelihoods, education, food security, trade, public finances and trust. If we treat this Ebola outbreak solely as a health challenge, we risk missing the much larger development emergency unfolding around it.”
The agency projected that even if the outbreak is successfully contained in the DRC and Uganda, the DRC alone could suffer more than $1 billion in GDP losses and lose about 55,000 jobs. Across the continent, trade disruptions, border restrictions and declining consumer confidence could reduce Africa’s GDP by an estimated $2.37 billion.
To reduce the economic impact, UNDP called for targeted cash assistance to vulnerable households, enhanced health screening instead of blanket border closures, and emergency funding to sustain maternal, reproductive and child healthcare services during the outbreak.
The latest Ebola outbreak is centred in the conflict-affected Ituri province in northeastern DRC and is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
