The Continued Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Education and Mental Health Among Sub-Saharan African Adolescents

Effects of a single cash transfer on school re-enrollment during COVID-19 among vulnerable adolescent girls in Kenya: Randomized controlled trial

“…2022 ). It is also within the range for several sub-Saharan African countries other than Kenya examined where between 1–11 % of adolescents enrolled prior to the pandemic were not enrolled in late 2021 ( Wang et al. 2023 ).…”

“…The research demonstrates––at least in the longer term and outside of crisis situations––cash transfer programs are not as cost-effective for improving enrollment as various health programs such as deworming. It is unlikely that such health programs would have substantially influenced re-enrollment when schools reopened in Kenya, though it is possible that other types of health-related programs could have, for example ones directly addressing the health safety and sanitation in schools or the mental health of adolescent girls, which worsened during the pandemic ( Pinchoff et al., 2021 ; Wang et al., 2023 ).…”

“…Economic lockdowns and associated school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic could have enduring negative implications for educational outcomes worldwide ( World Bank, UNESCO & UNICEF, 2021 ). Consequences of the disruptions might be particularly severe in lower-income settings with poor outcomes even before the crisis ( United Nations, 2020 ; Dang et al., 2022 ; Wang et al., 2023 ). Within those settings certain groups of vulnerable students, for example girls or those at stages in their schooling trajectory when they are at higher risk of dropout, could be affected more ( Akmal et al., 2020 ; Andrabi et al., forthcoming ).…”

A Review of Mental Health Burden and Social Determinants of Mental Health Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…On the other hand, there is a growing body of evidence con rming the negative impact of COVID-19 on mental health in younger people in SSA [99]- [103]. For example, a crosssectional study in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania found an association between high levels of depression and anxiety, and self-reported impacts of the pandemic [99]. However, there is a need for age and gender-aggregated data in this eld, especially since research in Ethiopia, Jordan and Palestine shows that the pandemic has exacerbated gender equality across young people [104].…”

“…It can be argued that this suggests that more attention is paid to SRH among AGYW compared to other equally pressing health issues such as mental health. On the other hand, there is a growing body of evidence con rming the negative impact of COVID-19 on mental health in younger people in SSA [99]- [103]. For example, a crosssectional study in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania found an association between high levels of depression and anxiety, and self-reported impacts of the pandemic [99].…”