Addressing African debt burdens In the first two months of 2020, before COVID-19 struck the global economy, emerging markets experts warned of a growing “wall” of sovereign debt repayments threatening many African nations. Obligations to official ( i.e., national) creditors comprised a large share of the burden, but of equal concern was the growth of indebtedness to private (i.e., individual) creditors, fueled by recent years’ increases in foreign bond issuance. By the start of 2021, concern has become crisis. Across the world, COVID-19 has ravaged economies and government revenues. For many sub-Saharan African (SSA) nations, that has tipped the delicate balance of debt. Zambia was the first affected, defaulting on debt obligations in November. Many more must take action to avoid the same fate, including Angola, Gabon, Ghana