(Ecofin Agency) - The World Bank has disbursed a total of $371 million to support the Chadian economy since January 2020. The resources mainly target the fields of education, refugee management, the rural world, agriculture, and healthcare, but the Covid-19 response plan received the largest share.

“While efforts focus on addressing Covid-19, there is a high risk of weakening the whole health system and undermining the response to other health needs,” said Clara Ana Coutinho de Sousa, World Bank Country Director for Chad. The latest financial deal with the Bretton Woods institution amounted to $80 million. It was aimed at helping the country improve the quality of its healthcare services.

The Chadian health system, compared to the UN standards, is still underfunded. And the advent of the pandemic has not helped at all. Official data showed that in 2019, the health sector only received 4.5% of GDP whereas the country is home to 16 million people and nearly 500,000 refugees. The threshold in Africa is set at 5.1% on average.

Another challenge is nutrition. Agricultural output is lower than demand and around 6.2 million Chadians still live under the poverty line, according to official stats. Finally, the World Bank suggests that Chad regains some political stability. The sudden death of the former president, Idriss Deby Itno, was quickly dealt with, but resentments may resurface.