A Year of COVID-19 Impact on Small Businesses

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At the worst moment during the early months of the pandemic, Catarina Bié figured she’d have to shut down her business, a small carryout food kiosk in Maputo, Mozambique. The COVID-19 crisis was still new, customers were scared, and the government had enacted tough measures to prevent the spread of the disease. As a result, Bié had seen her sales vanish nearly overnight. “There were days that we didn’t have any sales, and it became more and more difficult to cover the business’ basic expenses, such as electricity,” she said.

However, a year later, her business was still up and running. Customers came and sat at tables that Bié placed outdoors to provide them with a safe place to eat. She tested new recipes and products, and improved the business’ signage to attract more customers.

But while Bié adapted to keep her business alive, she still faces real challenges. Mozambique’s gross domestic product fell for the first time in decades in 2020, and the recovery has been slow. And with spiking COVID-19 case counts and deaths — and very low vaccination rates — the country is now facing a fresh round of restrictions.

In putting together TechnoServe’s report on the impacts of COVID-19, we were struck by the fact that Catarina Bié’s story is unfortunately typical of many entrepreneurs in developing countries. Drawing upon a series of surveys conducted with more than 700 owners of micro and small businesses in 13 countries across Latin America and Africa between July and December of last year, the report shows that while the situation improved over time, entrepreneurs continued to confront serious obstacles. But korea whatsapp number data understanding the evolution of these challenges also helps us to develop strategies to address them and help businesses lead the recovery.



Small businesses faced an acute crisis in the initial months of the pandemic. When surveyed last July, 67% of male entrepreneurs and 65% of female entrepreneurs reported that were experiencing declining sales as they dealt with an array of challenges.