Addis Ababa, February 16, 2024(Addis Walta) Africa’s economic growth fell to 3.2 percent last year from 4.1 percent in 2022, the African Development Bank (AfDB) said on Friday, but it projected higher growth this year for all regions except Central Africa.
The AfDB said political instability and China’s economic slowdown were compounding the shocks of Covid-19 and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The final figure for 2023 was below the 3.4 percent growth the AfDB had forecast in November. It also cut its regional growth estimates for Central and North Africa, amid a recession in oil producer Equatorial Guinea and the aftermath of devastating flooding in Libya.
“The shocks buffeting African economies since 2020 have damaged growth, with long-term implications,” the bank said in a report.
Despite the shocks buffeting the region, 15 African countries posted economic growth of more than 5 percent last year, the AfDB said, including Ethiopia, which is restructuring its external debt, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritius, and Rwanda.
According to The EastAfrica News, the bank forecasts faster growth in all regions except for Central Africa in 2024, with Southern Africa seen as remaining the laggard at 2.2 percent compared with 5.7 percent in East Africa.