아프리카ㆍ중동

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting businesses on a national and global scale. As governments introduced measures to contain the domestic spread of the virus, restrictions on trade have impeded the flow of goods and services and intensified global uncertainty. As a consequence, businesses, financial institutions, state agencies, associations, and other public and private enterprises need to find new ways to cope with the pandemic. This note focuses on how micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are affected by the pandemic and are dealing with its impact in Guinea. This note is part of a series that will provide snapshots of the state of MSMEs’ business operations and how they are navigating their way through the COVID-19 pandemic in countries across Africa and the Middle East. These assessments draw on data from an ongoing standardized survey of MSME clients of financial institutions throughout the Middle East and Africa. The assessments, therefore, primarily reflect the impact of the pandemic on banked enterprises. The country snapshot assessments focus on three main aspects: First, the financial health and resilience of the MSME sector in the country; second, the crisis response and future plans of businesses; and, third, businesses’ needs and required support from governments and financial institutions.