The World Bank has warned that by 2050, Nigeria, along with four other countries, will carry nearly half of Sub-Saharan Africa’s jobs challenge.
This projection comes from the latest Africa’s Pulse report, which outlines troubling trends in employment and demographic growth across the region.
According to the report, economic activity in Sub-Saharan Africa will moderately improve: projected growth is 3.8% in 2025, up from 3.5% in 2024, accelerating to around 4.4% in 2026–2027.
However, this growth is not translating into sufficient job creation, especially wage jobs. Nigeria is expected to face the largest burden of employment deficits over the next 25 years.
The World Bank report identifies that almost half of the region’s employment shortfall between 2025 and 2050 will be concentrated in five countries: Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The working-age population in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to increase by more than 620 million during that period, with Nigeria contributing a very significant share.
One striking detail the report highlights is the weak linkage between GDP growth and formal job generation. A 1 percentage point increase in growth is associated with only a 0.04 percentage point rise in the
share of working-age people with wage‐paying jobs. The report states that despite resilient macroeconomic indicators such as easing inflation,
improving terms of trade, and more stable currencies job creation remains lagging. Debt burdens, deficits, and global trade policy uncertainty are dampening investment and slowing down recovery.
To address this looming crisis, the World Bank urges countries to focus on productivity improvements, infrastructure investments, skills development, and boosting the private sector.
In particular, reforms that lower business costs, improve public infrastructure (energy, digital, transport), and foster larger firms are vital. Without decisive action,
many young people entering the workforce may find themselves underemployed or without wage work, even in economies that grow steadily.
The report emphasizes that policy choices made now will determine whether Sub-Saharan Africa can harness its demographic potential into shared prosperity.
Kindly Share this News!!!