Can Africa Avoid An Ebola Economic Shock?

Can Africa Avoid An Ebola Economic Shock?

From Next Africa by Bloomberg

June 4, 2026 · 13 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the economic impact of the Ebola outbreak in Africa, comparing past and current situations.

The 2014-16 Ebola epidemic in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone triggered one of the most severe health-related economic shocks in modern African history. While the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains a serious concern, analysts expect its economic impact to be far more contained. On today’s Next Africa podcast, Bloomberg Economics Africa Economist Yvonne Mhango joins Jennifer Zabasajja to discuss her latest research on the outbreak, why the West African epidemic dealt such a heavy blow to growth, what makes the situation in Congo different, and the key risks policymakers and investors should still be watching. You can read Yvonne’s analysis on Bloomberg Economic Insights, and for more stories from across the continent, subscribe to the Next Africa newsletter .   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Jennifer Zabasajja

Guest: Yvonne Mhango

Topics covered

  • Ebola outbreak
  • economic impact
  • health crisis
  • Africa
  • policy risks
  • investment
  • growth

Keywords

  • Ebola
  • economic shock
  • Africa
  • health crisis
  • investment risks
  • policy
  • growth

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bloomberg

Places: Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo

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