The World Ahead Globe Icon
The World Ahead | Africa in 2024

African countries will scrimp on investment in the coming year

This will drag down future growth

Street vendors pass a stationary bus in Ghana.
Image: Getty Images

By Kinley Salmon

Sub-Saharan Africa’s growth prospects for the coming year are modest. The region’s gdp expanded by 4% in 2022 and 3.3% in 2023, and the IMF reckons on 4% in 2024. Alongside population growth of about 2.6%, that is not a combination for widespread prosperity. Worse, the region may not surpass these modest rates any time soon.

Explore more

This article appeared in the Middle East and Africa section of the print edition of The World Ahead 2024 under the headline “Struggling economies”

Discover more

The World Ahead The World Ahead 2025

Ten business trends for 2025, and forecasts for 15 industries

A global round-up from The Economist Intelligence Unit

Illustration of power boats in the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China

The World Ahead The year ahead

Calendar 2025

Our selection of events taking place around the world


The World Ahead Superforecasters in 2025

What the “superforecasters” predict for major events in 2025

The experts at Good Judgment weigh in on the coming year


The World Ahead Obituary in 2025

The rings of Saturn will disappear in 2025

First observed by Galileo, this occurs twice every 29 years

The World Ahead By Invitation: Science & technology in 2025

Casey Handmer says solar power is changing the economics of energy

Large-scale production of synthetic fuel is now feasible, argues the founder of Terraform Industries

The World Ahead Science & technology in 2025

Space missions to watch in 2025

Humans may fly around the Moon, and robots will explore new frontiers