Favorable global economic conditionssupported a turnaround in economic activity in Sub-SaharanAfrica in 2017, easing pressure on weak policy frameworks.Output growth rebounded to an estimated 2.6 percent afterdecelerating to 1.5 percent in 2016 amid challengingexternal and domestic conditions. Notwithstanding the recentupturn in economic activity, growth remained well below itspre–financial crisis average of around 5 percent; moreover,per capita growth was negative for a second consecutiveyear. Important near and longer term vulnerabilities remainin many of the region's economies: eroded policybuffers constrain the scope for countries to formulate anadequate policy response to adverse shocks; public debtrelative to gross domestic product (GDP) is rising, withimplications for debt sustainability; employmentopportunities severely lag the growing labor force, andlivelihoods and economic fortunes are still tied tocommodity price shocks and production disruptions,underscoring the limited economic diversification in theregion; and poverty is widespread.
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