The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
North African countries are projected to see a slight increase in economic growth to 4.6 percent in 2023 and 4.4 percent in 2024, and should make green growth an urgent priority, according to the African Development Bank. According to the Bank Group, growth in the region is essentially driven by …
Somalia’s natural and human geography is shaped by its harsh climate. Lying at the eastern extremity of the Sahel, Somalia has an arid to semi-arid climate. The country is in the midst of a prolonged and complex climate disaster, which shows little sign of abating. It has recently endured its …
Nearly 29 million children with disabilities live in Eastern and Southern Africa. Each of them – like every child in the world – has the right to be nurtured and supported through responsive care and education, to receive adequate nutrition and social protection, and to enjoy play and leisure time. …
The Gambia’s economy continued to recover in 2022, albeit at a subdued pace in a sluggish global economic environment. Real GDP increased by 4.3 percent (1.8 percent in per capita terms) in 2022, unchanged from 2021, when economic growth was recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic following a sharp deceleration to …
Despite growing awareness of the scale and adverse outcomes of gender gaps in economic opportunities, progress to address them in practice has been limited to date. Intending to bridge the gap between knowledge generation and policy/operational design, the evidence briefs in this review summarize in a concise, user-friendly way what …
The Malawi Economic Monitor (MEM) provides an analysis of economic and structural development issues in Malawi. This 17th edition was published in July 2023 and is part of an ongoing series published twice each year. The publication intends to foster better-informed policy analysis and debate regarding the key challenges that …
This report makes clear that there is a path to end AIDS. Taking that path will help ensure preparedness to address other pandemic challenges, and advance progress across the Sustainable Development Goals. The data and real-world examples in the report make it very clear what that path is. It is …
Over 122 million more people are facing hunger in the world since 2019 due to the pandemic and repeated weather shocks and conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, according to this latest report published jointly by five UN specialized agencies. This report provides an update on global progress towards the …
Plastic pollution is a worldwide environmental challenge. In coastal West Africa, about 80 percent of plastic waste is mismanaged, posing escalating challenges to people, the economy, and the coastal and marine environment. This Synthesis Paper was prepared to inform decision-makers from the region about the challenges of plastic pollution and …
The energy transition requires a dramatic increase in the supply of critical materials, yet their supplies chains remain vulnerable to a range of geopolitical risks. While there is no scarcity of reserves for energy transition minerals, global capabilities for mining and refining them are limited. Supply disruptions could impact the …
This paper aims to review the state of gender equality in Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) and showcases how a gender perspective can inform and strengthen the discourse around SDG 6 acceleration. The paper emphasizes the need for a feminist approach to addressing the global water crisis, one that …
Around 415 million people exited poverty within a span of just 15 years between 2005 to 2021 in India, according to this latest Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2023 report by the UNDP and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). This report presents a compact update on the state …
CPAN’s Chronic Poverty Report 2023: Pandemic Poverty provides evidence and analysis on how policies and programmes shaped and were shaped by the Covid-19 pandemic. It aims to help decision-makers and multi-lateral agencies prepare for future crises as well as suggesting recommendations to recover equitably from the Covid-19 pandemic. The Chronic …
The Rwanda Economic Update No. 21 reviews the country’s macroeconomic performance and prospects and includes a special section focusing on the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the domestic economy. After growing by 8.2 percent in 2022, Real GDP expanded by 9.2 percent in the first quarter of 2023. …
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023: Special Edition provides a powerful call to action, presenting a candid assessment of the SDGs based on the latest data and estimates. While highlighting the existing gaps and urging the world to redouble its efforts, the report also emphasizes the immense potential for success …
Africa’s Development Dynamics uses lessons from Central, East, North, Southern and West Africa to develop policy recommendations and share good practices across the continent. Drawing on the most recent statistics, the analysis of development dynamics aims to assist African leaders in reaching the targets of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 …
Women and girls responsible for fetching water in 7 out of 10 households without supplies on premises, according to this first in-depth analysis of gender inequalities in drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in households. The 2023 WHO/UNICEF JMP report on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene has a special …
Global agricultural and food production are projected to continue to increase over the next ten years, but at a slower pace of growth than the previous decade due to demographic trends, according to this report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Organisation …
Tax Transparency in Africa is a key output of the Africa Initiative, a programme established in 2014 to ensure that African countries are equipped to exploit the latest improvements in global transparency, to better tackle tax evasion and other illicit financial flows and ultimately improve domestic resource mobilisation to support …
Developing countries face an investment gap of $2.2 trillion annually for the energy transition, out of a $4 trillion annual funding gap for the Sustainable Development Goals, according to this new report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2023 reveals a widening …