Analyze the impact of COVID-19 in African Private Sector (AfDB)

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the AfDB was called to contribute a financial response and take additional necessary measures to assist African countries, particularly their private sectors, during that period of crisis.
The assignment aimed to help in responding to (including but not limited to) the following questions:

(i) "Macro":
a) What were the potential impact scenarios in the short, medium, and long-term periods for the African private sector under the COVID-19 pandemic crisis?
b) Which countries could have been more affected?
c) What was the global economic and social impact on the private sector in African MICs, LDCs, and Transition States, with more attention given to countries in which the Bank had an active NSO Portfolio?
d) What was the impact of the current pandemic on the sectors and industry segments in which the Bank was present?
e) What measures had been already undertaken by countries and investors, and what were the various solutions that could have been envisaged and promoted by the Bank in response to the COVID-19 pandemic?
f) What lessons could have been learned from those countries that failed to adopt a strategy targeting the slowing or flattening of the COVID-19 contagion curve in their jurisdictions?
g) What lessons could have been learned from those countries that successfully contained the growth of COVID-19 infections in their jurisdictions?

(ii) "Delivery":
a) How could the Bank have continued to deliver its services to the African private sector in the identified scenarios?
b) What changes or adjustment mechanisms were required to be in place?
c) What were the measures (tools, frameworks, guidelines, methodologies) that could have been explored by the Bank to respond and be relevant during that pandemic and improve the delivery of its services to the private sector.

(iii) "Needs":
(a) What were those sectors that may have needed more support from the Bank and where the Bank had a comparative advantage to make the most impact during the crisis?
(b) What were the opportunities for AfDB's private sector operations during the current and post-COVID-19 pandemic?
(c) What specific and immediate mitigation measures should AfDB's private sector operations have adopted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic?

(iv) Health Sector
(a) What were the opportunities available for growing the Bank's NSO Portfolio in the health sector?
(b) What were the methodologies available for growing the Bank's NSO Portfolio in the health sector?