The World Trade Organization has sharply upgraded its forecast for Africa’s trade growth, predicting imports will soar 11.8% in 2025, up from an earlier estimate of 6.5%. The agency also upgraded its forecast for exports to 6.5%, a dramatic jump from 0.6%. This growth marks the fastest among all regions this year, demonstrating Africa’s resilience in global trade despite persistent US tariffs, including a 30% levy on South African exports. Economists attribute the stronger-than-expected performance to factors such as US import frontloading, disinflation, supportive fiscal policies, and robust expansion in emerging markets. However, the WTO cautions that momentum may slow in 2026, forecasting African import growth to drop to 5.4%, signaling potential challenges ahead for the continent.
SEMAFOR