Skip to content

COVID-19 Emergency Program Loan for Supporting South Africa’s Economic Recovery from COVID-19

Country
South Africa South Africa
Status
Approved
Area Of Operation
COVID-19 Emergency Assistance COVID-19 Emergency Assistance
Type
Sovereign

Quick Facts

Financing Approval Date
2 April 2021
Current Limit of NDB Financing
USD 1 billion
Borrower
The Republic of South Africa
Project Entity
Presidency of the Republic of South Africa, Department of Social Development of GoSA

More About This Project

The country-wide COVID-19 related restriction resulted in slowdown of economic activities and loss of jobs, with the unemployment rate striking a record high by the third quarter of 2020. To address the challenging situation, the GoSA adopted in October 2020 a comprehensive mid-term strategy, the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP). The ERRP embraces multiple sectors of the country’s economy and society while making emphasis on initiatives to generate employment, with the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) being the priority program of ERRP. The NDB Loan will be focused on the first phase of the PES (hereinafter – the Program).

The Program focuses on creation of employment opportunities in South Africa, in particular about 700,000 jobs in the first phase of the PES, together with social protection measures for active labor market participants that temporarily lost their jobs, in order to help them remain on the labor market.

The objective of the Program is to support the GoSA in its efforts to contain the economic fallout of the pandemic and start economic recovery. The Program aims to create job opportunities, sustain private consumption and provide public services, therefore contributing to economic recovery in South Africa.
The main impact of the Program will be to mitigate adverse economic effects of COVID-19 pandemic and to support economic recovery in South Africa. The Program will contribute to creating and supporting employment opportunities in the public sector and to keeping economically active population in the labor force. NDB’s commitment to support member countries to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is emphasized in the Program’s intervention logic. NDB’s financing under the Program is primarily aligned with SDG 8 by promoting full and productive employment and decent work for all.

The Program implementation arrangements rely on existing structures established in South Africa. The main subprogram related to employment creation will be coordinated by the Project Management Office in the Presidency of the Republic of South Africa and implemented by 11 relevant departments of GoSA. The supporting subprogram related to social assistance will be implemented by the Department of Social Development.

The Program has been categorized as Category B in line with NDB’s Environment and Social Framework. The E&S impacts will be associated with proposed public works as part of the employment generation program. The impacts will be low due to the nature of the activities. Adherence to the country systems will mitigate adverse E&S impacts. The Program will also achieve positive socio-economic impacts through creating job opportunities and assisting temporarily jobless persons.

The total loan amount for supporting South Africa’s economic recovery from COVID-19 is up to USD 1 billion.
Source of Fund Amount (USD Billion)
NDB 1.0
NDB Borrower and Project Entity
Africa Regional Centre

Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

National Department of Health and Department of Social Development of South Africa

Wanga Cibi

debtissuanceandmanagement@treasury.gov. za