Regional Economic Outlook, Sub-Saharan Africa, April 2025: Recovery Interrupted

A hard-won recovery in sub-Saharan Africa has been overtaken by recent events. The sudden shift in the global outlook has clouded the region’s short-term prospects and significantly compli¬cated policy making. After four years of crisis, sub-Saharan Africa’s authorities had already faced a significant challenge in their efforts to deliver economic stability while also advancing long-term devel¬opment goals, all amid high social expectations. This task has now been made even more difficult by yet another shock, in the form of higher global borrowing costs, additional constraints on external funding, a downturn in global demand, lower prices for some key commodities, and a step increase in economic uncertainty. An extra premium is now on resilience—a country’s ability to rebound quickly from future shocks. The region’s progress and perseverance over the past few years is notable, but continued efforts will be needed to sustain the recovery and enhance the region’s resilience. Caution, consistency, and credibility are now more important than ever.