The pandemic could undercut Africa’s precarious progress

before covid-19 sub-Saharan Africans were not only the world’s youngest people, with a median age of less than 20, they were also some of the most optimistic. Just 12% of Japanese told pollsters they thought their lives would improve over the following 15 years, compared with 78% of Kenyans. Nigerians and Senegalese were even more upbeat.The pandemic has made it harder to be sunny. When covid-19 first struck, a lot of pundits thought Africans might be spared the worst, because so many are young or work on the land (and would thus be little affected by lockdowns). Yet it now looks as if the virus will leave more lasting scars in Africa than elsewhere. Whereas rich countries can hope for a rapid economic rebound as they vaccinate their people, Africa is years away from jabbing enough to achieve general immunity. The predicts it will be the slowest-growing large region this year. Repeated waves of infection will also disrupt the schooling of millions, putting at risk the educational and demographic trends that are among Africa’s best reasons to be hopeful.