Browsing: Economic growth in Africa

Economic Growth Stalls Amid Debt Crisis

Africa’s economic growth stalls amid debt crisis, education reforms key to inclusivity

Africa
  • Sub-Saharan Africa economic growth remains stuck in “low gear” with a large youth population at risk of being left behind—The World Bank.
  • Currently, seven in 10 children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to pre-primary education.
  • The World Bank says stabilizing economies and transforming education to equip the region’s growing workforce with stronger foundational skills and market-relevant expertise is critical.

Despite signs of a fragile economic recovery, Sub-Saharan Africa economic growth remains stuck in “low gear” with a large youth population at risk of being left behind. According to the latest analysis by the World Bank’s Africa Pulse, two factors are critical to jumpstart inclusive growth: stabilizing economies and transforming education to equip the region’s growing workforce with stronger foundational skills and market-relevant expertise.

The report, which is in its 30th edition and on the theme of Transforming Education for Inclusive Growth, says economic activity in the region …

Is the Africa Rising Story a Fallacy?

Countries
  • Africa Rising narrative paints a picture of a continent on the cusp of a major economic and developmental breakthrough.
  • This upbeat assessment, however, stands in stark contrast to the realities of many African countries’ political instability, corruption, and threats from autocratic regimes.
  • This disharmony between the narrative’s upbeat tone and the facts prompts the question: is there a need for the widespread optimism about Africa’s future, or is it misplaced?

The “Africa Rising” narrative, popularised in recent years, paints a picture of a continent on the cusp of a major economic and developmental breakthrough. This upbeat assessment, however, stands in stark contrast to the realities of many African countries’ political instability, ongoing corruption, and threats from autocratic regimes. The premature or even misplaced optimism of this narrative is called into question by a close analysis of these problems. This discrepancy between the narrative’s upbeat tone and the facts prompts the …