The Impact of Coronavrius on Health and Economic Growth in Sub- Sahara Africa

Abstract

Health enhancement is an essential determinant of economic growth; though, the impact of health on economic growth is affected by the level of poverty in any country. This paper, therefore, examined the impact of health on economic growth during corona virus in Sub-Sharan Africa and the verge of health required to alleviate the adverse effect of poverty on economic growth in Twenty (20) selected Sub-Sharan Africa countries. Based on the endogenous growth theoretical approach, the link between life expectancy, poverty incidence, and economic growth was estimated using the GMM technique of analysis. Findings showed that coronavirus pandemic exerts negative impact on health condition, household welfare, unemployment and the adverse effect of poverty on economic growth in Nigeria. Though government expenditure significantly increased during the period in a bid to check the pandemic, but household welfare degenerated and was negatively affected with high poverty rate, this paper recommended that the government of the Sub-Saharan countries should diversify the revenue base of their economies to cushion the effect of unprecedented shock due to the pandemic and provide adequate relief materials to pad the effect of loss of income to the poor and vulnerable, invest in the health sector to control infectious and pandemic diseases.