Uncertainty Shocks in Africa provides a concrete solution for cultural, environmental and economic recovery in Africa in the post-Covid-19 era. Although the Covid-19 pandemic has been devastating to health and the economy, Africa has managed to turn it into a valuable experience that serves as a foundation for achieving the goals of the African Union’s Agenda 2063. This book explores the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and recovery strategies of African countries from an economic and social development perspective. The arguments are systematically presented in twelve chapters.

The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and the post-pandemic economic recovery that followed are explained in the first section. The book asserts that demographic inequality in Ethiopia could be prevented by reducing urbanization (p. 16), while poverty in Nigeria could be reduced by adopting the rapid economic growth strategies of East Asia, which are determined by education, physical capital, labour, technology, institutions and economic diversification (p. 23). It further argues that micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, the backbone of economic development in Nigeria (p. 45), must be supported by expanding insurance coverage to mitigate economic volatility. In addition, the Non-Motorized Transport Strategy 2020–29 (p. 72), introduced in 2020 to reduce the spread of Covid-19 and environmental pollution, and direct cash transfer policies (p. 74) could be implemented in Ethiopia to accelerate job creation and food security.

The book highlights how, in the tourism sector, the Covid-19 pandemic adversely affected Visit Rwanda advertisements, resulting in a 73 per cent decrease in international tourist visits and a financial loss of US$76 million during the lockdown. The book asserts that green economic growth (p. 95) – namely, eco-tourism and green building policies – needs to be implemented for economic recovery and to reduce Rwanda’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. This book also emphasizes the importance of attractions, accommodation and accessibility (p. 117) for the tourism sector in Africa, which has significant spillover effects and great potential for development.

The second part of the book examines the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and recovery strategies in social development, including gender-based violence – for instance, rape, physical and psychological violence, murder and child marriage in Kenya (p. 130). This is a significant problem in Africa due to low income and patriarchal culture (p. 131). The book argues that Africa, which has the largest average family size in the world, is also highly vulnerable to maternal and infant mortality risks due to low contraceptive use. Therefore, health promotion, as seen in Nigeria, needs to be more effectively communicated to prevent misconceptions related to religion and taboos, the book avers (p. 149). In addition, half of Nigeria’s urban population lives in overcrowded informal settlements (p. 154) and is vulnerable to the spread of Covid-19 due to people’s mobility to meet their basic life needs. The government needs to provide housing and access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), as well as regional public health emergency funds.

In the entertainment sector, the Covid-19 pandemic increased television viewing in Nigeria. The book demonstrates how Big Brother Naija became the most popular television show because it inspired viewers to work towards their goals (p. 177), as well as reducing anxiety and improving well-being during lockdown (p. 179). Although television plays an important role in delivering information, education and persuasion (p. 184), local media needed to provide more interesting Covid-19 pandemic content (p. 199) because the health programmes were found to be less watched than other shows. The book argues that, although 80 per cent of farmers in Nigeria are smallholders who play a crucial role in food production and food security, their livelihoods are less prosperous, with an average annual income of 212,092.22 Nigerian naira in 2021 (p. 208). Smallholder farmers need support in the form of access to financial services and credit, adult and formal education, modern agricultural technology, and extension services to improve their livelihoods.

The main strength of this book is that it is based on a good balance of secondary sources and empirical data, which is systematically presented to the readers. However, the detailed empirical research in some chapters may require more attention from the general reader to understand the mechanisms behind the policy recommendations. In addition, the rationale for selecting East African countries as representative of Africa for each topic is not fully explained.

Overall, this book successfully explains the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and provides inclusive policy recommendations that can be implemented in Africa and other low- and middle-income countries. Policymakers, researchers, academics and the public are highly recommended to read this book to gain valuable insights into Africa’s resurgence through sustainable development.