The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund has approved one billion dollars for Ghana to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds will be drawn under the Rapid Credit Facility. Samuel Kofi Ampah, Head of Research at Groupe Nduom joins CNBC Africa to discuss the growing implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on Ghana’s economy.

So far, Africa has had more than 160,000 confirmed infections and nearly 5,000 deaths from COVID-19. Many experts believe the continent is only in the early stages of the pandemic. Economies are already affected.

The United Nations is seeking more than $5 billion from international donors this year to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. It's the largest ever UN appeal for a single country, to avert what it describes as a "catastrophe". More than half of Afghanistan's population will need emergency assistance this year, with the UN estimating that 55 percent of Afghans are suffering from acute hunger. FRANCE 24's Business Editor Stephen Carroll has the details.

UN experts say the number of people who need help has jumped by 65 million compared to last year, bringing the total count to a staggering 339 million worldwide.