The implications of Neoliberalism on African economies, health outcomes and wellbeing: a conceptual argument

Not only did the 2015 Ebola Outbreak in West African countries leave the whole of the sub-Saharan region with a sense of uncertainty and panic, it was also a stress test to Africa’s and the wider world’s capacity to respond to and mitigate humanitarian crises in the twenty-first century. One plausible conclusion drawn from the spread and impact of the pandemic is that the pace of health infrastructure development in sub-Saharan Africa has lagged behind its population and economic growth posted in the last decade (2003–2013). An exhaustive audit of health infrastructure and remedial measures is, therefore, critical in navigating Africa to sustainable growth and development in the next decade. For the next charge of growth and development to not only be robust but also more sustainable and resilient to major emergencies (such as Ebola), there is a need to edify the state of healthcare across the continent to ensure the optimisation of the human resource and to redress the gap aggravated by loss of human-hours due to poor health.