Brookings: Africa’s 3 Deadly Deficits

Despite sub-Saharan Africa’s rapid population growth, the region’s income growth matches the global pace and was even negative in 2016. The Sustainable Development Goals pioneered by the United Nations in 2015 seem out of reach for the region as income inequality widens. Three factors for the region’s slow economic growth are low quality education, limited access to electricity and weak domestic revenue mobilization. Education is essential for the region – countries with the world's 10 youngest populations are in the region. Rapid youth population growth can only be harnessed into a faster economic growth rate if the youth develop useful skills with high quality education. Electricity is essential for schools, health facilities and infrastructure development, but more than half a billion people lack access despite regional availability due to the rural-urban divide. Lastly, sub-Saharan Africa is heavily dependent on foreign aid, which reduces its capacity to mobilize taxes and weakens accountability. – YaleGlobal