The Covid-19 pandemic is a world-shattering event whose ranging consequences we can only begin to imagine today.
The disease is shattering lives, disrupting the markets and exposing government competence all other the world.
The pandemic is redefining a lot of things around us and we much prepare our industries for domestic purposes.
The under consumption and the high level of unemployment due to Covid-19 will lead to economic depression and not only a recession.
It is clear that domestic economy and foreign trade have been in a critical condition for the past five years and it is highly probable that this situation will worsen sharply in the next few years for as long as there is no vaccine for this pandemic virus.
With the Brexit effect on the other hand, the domestic effect of Covid-19 will deplete growth that was creeping.
If are to trade internationally, it will require us to rearrange the chain of supply with more security. Covid-19 has an unprecedented and devastating effect on the world order.
It can be anticipated that the social and economic consequences in the countries hardest hit by Covid-19 are going to recompense an important part of their structure and this is a hypothesis.
There is a need for the government to reshape the way it think, this will be in the interest of the survival of those outside the palace.
The critical question to ask is whether there will be a redistribution of the main factor of production, which is land, for housing and domestic agricultural purpose?
The future will answer these and I trust, it will be objective.
After the lockdown, much needs to be invested in agriculture and desalination of the seawater for agricultural purpose. The amount of rainfall received can not sustain us to the next rainy season. Tourism industry will not recover anytime soon, even after the pandemic.
Borders should open for international trade with more security.
Recently, the US and Japanese governments threatened to withdraw their financial support from the World Health Organisation and a lot of SADC bloc members’ international borders are closed for foreign trade.
For domestic purposes, compromising on the health and education sectors will be our biggest mistake.
The National Commission on Research Science and Technology has a big role to play, especially during these pandemic. Let it not be underfunded. The National Institute of Pathology must get the necessary support.
*Epaphras Sheya Ngolo is a decolonial scholar. He can be reached at epaphrasngolo@gmail.com