West Africa Economic Outlook 2018
The West Africa Economic Outlook presents a comprehensive economic analysis of the 16countries in this region, focusing on growth, macroeconomic stability and employment, structural change, and poverty reduction. It provides estimates for 2017 and projections for 2018 and 2019. A second part of the outlook examines the labor market in more detail. Average GDP growth in West Africa stalled in 2016, after several strong years, to 0.5 percent. It rebounded in 2017 to 2.5 percent, and was projected to rise to 3.8 percent in 2018 and 3.9 percent in 2019. Countries’ performance varied, but because Nigeria contributes about 70 percent of regional GDP, its patterns largely shape regional ones.