Dakar — The recovery in growth in sub-Saharan Africa has remained fragile in recent years after the worst economic crisis in two decades, APS has learned.

This observation was made in the 19th edition of the Africa's Pulse report, released on Monday. In particular, the document reports an increase in GDP in 2018, revised downwards, to 2.3%, before a slight rebound in 2019, to 2.8%.

The Africa's Pulse report, produced by the World Bank's Office of the Chief Economist for Africa, provides a semi-annual look at the continent's short-term macroeconomic outlook.

It is published in October and April, during the Annual And Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund.

According to a statement received at APS, "the report highlights the key role that the continent's three largest economies, Nigeria, Angola and South Africa, play in the region's economic dynamism."

In Nigeria, while growth accelerated in 2018 compared to 2017, thanks to a slight recovery in the non-oil sector, it remained below 2%.

Angola remains in recession as weak oil production has led to a sharp decline in growth.

South Africa, which emerged from recession in the third quarter of 2018, is experiencing only modest growth, against a backdrop of political uncertainties weighing on investor confidence, according to the same source.

On the rest of the continent, performance in 2018 was mixed.

The report also notes that resource-rich countries have benefited from the recovery in commodity prices and mining production, as well as increased agricultural production and public investment in infrastructure, which are essential to bring consumers, goods and markets closer together.

In the countries of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, reforms are beginning to bear fruit, although efforts seem to be slowing down in some cases.

The report notes that economies "less dependent on natural resources, such as Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda and several countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union, including Benin and Côte d'Ivoire, performed strongly in 2018."

The paper also discusses two factors that "continue to dampen growth in the region: debt and fragility."

He points out that beyond the increase in indebtedness, "the problem is linked to the characteristics of the debt and the vulnerabilities it generates".

According to the report, "countries that have previously turned to traditional, state-guaranteed concessional sources to finance their external debt are increasingly turning to expensive, market-dependent private funds that increase risks."

The document notes that at the end of 2018, "almost half of the sub-Saharan African countries covered by the debt sustainability framework of low-income countries were at risk of debt distress or even over-indebtedness, a proportion that has doubled compared to 2013".

The report also looks at the prospects for sub-Saharan Africa by highlighting the challenges of the digital revolution.