Will African growth out­strip Asian growth (in 2026)?

Yes, but it will be close. As China slows, aver­age growth rates across Asia in 2026 could fall to 4.1 per cent, says the IMF. Africa, com­ing off a lower base, is seen nudging up from 4.1 per cent.

Des­pite some ter­rible news — war in Sudan, spread­ing extrem­ism in the Sahel and a spate of coups — Africa is bene­fit­ing from a weak dol­lar, strong gold prices and sounder fiscal policies. Half of the world’s 20 fast­est-grow­ing eco­nom­ies next year are expec­ted to be African. Big­ger eco­nom­ies like Egypt and Nigeria are also grow­ing after pain­ful struc­tural reforms. Even col­lect­ively, though, Africa’s 54 eco­nom­ies are still too small to shift the global needle. David Pill­ing, Financial Times