African Response to COVID19: Unbundling movement restrictions with a focus on housing

Today I want to focus on one of the scenarios of restricting social interaction with special emphasis to family settings. Based on several sources, roughly over 50% live on less than 2USD a day which is about 760 Naira a day.

They have households with an average fertility rate of 5 children. This means they don't live in spaces where they can maintain any form of distance from each other. Africa is closing businesses and shutting economic activities to contain the spread.

Unfortunately, this policy direction is building hot spots because, with less than 2USD a day, a lot of the people cannot afford fancy accommodation. Having so many people in one place will not bring the solution we need because these places will just become concentrated

hubs. Africa needs an African tweak to a global response.

Image source: naijarealestatehub

Accommodation arrangements like these abound in many African cities:

"One slippers" where people pay for a space on the floor for the night.

As they begin to prosper they graduate to makeshift housing made of cardboard or wood called "Bachas" either with a roommate or alone.

"face me, I face you" where hotel styled multiple rooms are on a floor housing 10-14 households on the average. These come with kitchen and toilet facilities ( where available) at the end of the hall.

These arrangements have provided a place to sleep for many people that come to big cities to live their dreams.

Others have just woken up to a brother, cousin, uncle's child, sister's niece at their doorstep with no accommodation or plans and since we are one big happy family in Africa a weekend visit has become hosting a family of three in your parlor or spare room in order to survive in the "big city"

The available housing options for their budget cannot provide an enabling environment for them to strictly adhere to the restrictions placed on them because of COVID. Some of these arrangements thrive on the fact that accommodation is not needed at the same time by everybody so multiple people can share the same address because they run shifts. Ada leaves when Kunle is arriving so the house does not feel as if it is supporting 10 people at the same time.

This arrangement will be affected by the movement restrictions that Governments are beginning to put in place which has been very necessary to contain COVID19 in other climes.

This reality makes it important for Africa at this time to cut its proverbial coat according to its cloth in order to develop an effective response.