By Semafor Africa
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
Economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa will slow to 3.8% in 2025 from 4% last year, the International Monetary Fund said, while projecting growth would rebound to 4.2% next year.
Forecasts for global growth have been lowered since January, reflecting new US tariff rates and a highly unpredictable trading environment.
Senegal, Ethiopia, and Côte d’Ivoire are projected to post the highest growth figures on the continent this year. Africa’s oil exporters, meanwhile, will average at 2.7%, with Nigeria at the top end at 3%. Equatorial Guinea’s economy is expected to contract by 4.2%. The IMF revised down Nigeria’s projected growth by 0.2 percentage points due to lower oil prices driven by downbeat demand projections because of the forecast slowdown. South Africa, the continent’s most industrialized economy, is predicted to grow by 1% this year.
Political unrest and conflict remain a “pronounced” risk to these growth projections, the IMF said. It noted that “rising food and energy prices have had a severe impact on vulnerable nations with limited fiscal space.”
