The Political Economy of Infectious Diseases in Africa: Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) as a Case in Point

Abstract

Africa is the second most populous continent with over 1 billion people and home to the largest number of people living on less than $1.25 per day. Globally, 80 percent of the world’s poor can be found in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Seventy percent of the world’s extreme poor are in ten countries and five of these countries are in Africa. These five countries are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Madagascar and Tanzania. The remaining five countries are Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia and Pakistan. Despite these figures, Africa is viewed as a rising economy with the influx of mobile technology and an increase in Gross Domestic Product from 2.1% in 2001 to 7.1% in 2007.