On Thursday, 7 May 2020 President of Congo-Brazzaville, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, stated that he has “confidence” in a recovery of the economy of his country, battered by the fall in oil revenues and the extension of the thirty days of confinement until May 15 due to Covid-19.
“Our Parliament has just approved a collective budget which cuts our 2020 budget by half, but we are confident. We believe that the world has experienced such serious situations in the past and that the economies of the world will recover. Oil will also go up – prices – and we do not believe in a general collapse of all this, not in a collapse of the Congolese economy either, “argued the Congolese head of state on RFI and France 24.
In the top 10 of oil exporting countries in Africa, the Congo has largely built its economic prestige on this product, which has been in free fall since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The oil revenues of the Central African country will be cut in half according to the consequences of the health crisis. A recession is also in sight, as predicted by the World Bank for the countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
However, Sassou-Nguesso wants to be optimistic and does not believe “in a collapse of the Congolese economy”, but requests emergency aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) worth three-hundred to five-hundred million dollars.
With this envelope, he will try to revive the economy in the same way as the some two-hundred and twenty patients of the new coronavirus still listed in the country. Ten people, including two doctors, have already been swept away by the pandemic where around thirty cases have been cured.
For the treatment of patients, he declared his support for the controversial remedy proposed by the French infectious disease specialist Didier Raoult, based on hydroxychloroquine, and that developed by Madagascar (Covid-Organics) from the plant of Artemisia.
Sassou-Nguesso has also received with other countries an order for the Malagasy remedy, launched last month with great fanfare by his counterpart Andriy Rajoelina. The latter continues his charm operation with other heads of state on the continent, despite the calls for caution from certain people or institutions like the WHO, which is asking for evidence of the effectiveness of Covid-Organics.
Meanwhile, a country like Senegal started a clinical trial of the treatment on Thursday to offer a local protocol for Covid-19 patients.
“Since scientists have not yet developed an effective and universally accepted drug, we believe that all the trials that are done elsewhere and that have given some signs of effectiveness, we can try them in a hospital environment under control, to try to save lives” he contined.
In addition, the Congolese president boots in touch against the accusations of certain detractors who think that he is preparing his son Denis Christel Sassou-Nguesso for the succession. “This is legend,” replied Denis Sassou-Nguesso, 76, dryly.
– APA
