By Semafor Africa
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Economic well-being topped a list of concerns in sub-Saharan Africa, a new Gallup survey found. Anxiety about the cost of food and other basic needs superseded worries about political, governance, and security issues.
Almost a quarter of respondents in sub-Saharan Africa ranked the economy as their country’s biggest national concern, reflecting a broader global trend that emerged from a survey of 107 nations conducted last year.
Some concerns reflected in Gallup’s survey overlapped with the impact of recent economic policies. Nigeria’s reforms to stabilize its economy, including eliminating fuel and electricity subsidies, has sparked a cost-of-living crisis that is still hurting Nigerians.
Zambians, whose country defaulted on its sovereign debt in 2020, are facing a similar challenge, with more than six in 10 residents living below the poverty line.
Despite a wave of military coups and disputed election results in parts of the continent in recent years, only 6% of people in sub-Saharan Africa ranked political and governance issues as their most important problem, Gallup found, echoing “a hierarchy of needs.”
