Rapid assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

This study explores the impact of the restricted Hajj 2020 on livestock exports through and from Somalia. In late 2020, Somalia experienced multiple hazards including floods, the impact of the worst plague of locusts in 70 years and the Covid-19 pandemic. The economic effects of the pandemic included the loss of livestock export opportunities and a forecast 20% reduction in the global flow of remittances as people lost their jobs around the world.

Factoring the cumulative impact of these different hazards, FEWS NET forecasted that one million children under the age of five in Somalia were at risk of acute malnutrition through to December 2020. This report is a rapid assessment of the situation, including interviews and focus group discussions with a limited number of participants. The assessment provides a range of recommendations for short, medium and longer-term programming and for longer-term development investment.