An economist and former Laikipia governor The economic outlook for Africa is moderate growth of 3.8 per cent this year, improving to 4.2 per cent in 2025.
Still slightly lower than Asia, Africa’s performance is buoyed by East Africa, where Ethiopia, Rwanda and DRC are growing at rates above 6 per cent. Some optimistic analysts predict the region’s growth to outpace Asia’s in the next decade. On account of supply and demand, every economics story is two-sided - on the one hand, and then on the other hand.
And so it is with the region’s growth. Not all East Africa’s economies are performing well, Kenya and Burundi being the two laggards. Long the most dominant economy in the region, Kenya is now the sick man of East Africa.
The label “sick man of Europe” is used to describe European states who are going through economic difficulties, social unrest, or impoverishment. When Nicholas I, Tsar of all Russian coined it mid 19th century, he was referring to the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey), then in rapid decline. In modern times, the phrase was used on 1970s UK as her global colonial empire collapsed, amid economic ruin at home.
In the last two years, the ignominy has gone to Germany. The industrial machine has not recovered well from Covid-19, posting the lowest growth among the G7. Economic growth in East Africa is outpacing Central and Southern Africa regions, and projected to continue that trajectory.
That growth is in part due to deeper regional integration. The EAC .
