World Bank lifts Sub-Saharan Africa’s growth forecast to 4.3% for 2026

The World Bank’s October Africa Economic Update raised its 2026 growth forecast for Sub-Saharan Africa to 4.3%, up from 4.1% last year and 4.0% projected in April — upgrading the outlook for nearly three-quarters of the region’s countries, including Angola, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Zambia. The report is honest about the limits: growth still isn’t fast enough to cut extreme poverty much — the poverty rate is projected to edge from 47.8% to 47.1% in 2027. It also spotlights a regional push on practical AI: low-bandwidth tools built for local classrooms, farms and clinics.