Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa remains fragile – here's how African economies performed in 2018

In its report, World Bank said African economic growth remains below population growth for the fourth consecutive year, and “although regional growth is expected to rebound to 2.8% in 2019, it will have remained below 3% since 2015.”

“The slower-than-expected overall growth reflects ongoing global uncertainty, but increasingly comes from domestic macroeconomic instability including poorly managed debt, inflation, and deficits; political and regulatory uncertainty; and fragility that is having visible negative impacts on some African economies.

“It also belies stronger performance in several smaller economies that continue to grow steadily,” the monetary institution said.

Here's how economies in Africa performed in 2018:

Nigeria

Growth reached 1.9% in 2018, up from 0.8% in 2017, reflecting a modest pick-up in the non-oil economy.

South Africa

The country came out of recession in the third quarter of 2018, but growth was subdued at 0.8% over the year, as policy uncertainty held back investment.

Angola

The region’s third-largest economy, remained in recession, with growth falling sharply as oil production stayed weak.

Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger

Growth picked up in some resource-intensive-countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger, as stronger mining production and commodity prices boosted activity alongside a rebound in agricultural production and public investment in infrastructure.

Liberia and Zambia

Growth was subdued, as high inflation and elevated debt levels continued to weigh on investor sentiment. In the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, a fragile recovery continued as reform efforts to reduce fiscal and external imbalances slowed in some countries.

Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, others

In the Non-resource-intensive economies such as Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and several in the West African Economic and Monetary Union, including Benin and Côte d’Ivoire recorded solid economic growth in 2018.

Digital economy can help the continent move forward

The Africa’s Pulse report also looks at how fragility is holding back sub-Saharan Africa, and how the digital economy can help the continent move forward.

World Bank Africa Chief Economist Albert Zeufack speaking on the Africa Pulse report for 2018 ece-auto-gen

“The digital transformation can increase growth by nearly two percentage points per year and reduce poverty by nearly one percentage point per year in sub-Saharan Africa alone. This is a game-changer for Africa,” said Albert Zeufack, World Bank Chief Economist for Africa.

Africa’s Pulse also found that fragility in a handful of countries is costing sub-Saharan Africa over half a percentage point of growth per year. This adds up to 2.6 percentage points over 5 years.

“The drivers of fragility have evolved over time, and so too must the solutions,”said Cesar Calderon, Lead Economist and Lead author of the report. “Countries have a real opportunity to move from fragility to opportunity by cooperating across borders to tackle instability, violence, and climate change.”