Africa’s Growth Imperative: Clearing the Path for Private Sector Development

Faced with the world’s fastest-growing working-age population—projected to add over 620 million people to its labor force between 2025 and 2050—the continent’s current economic model simply isn’t working. As the October 2025 edition of the World Bank’s Africa’s Pulse highlights, despite strong overall growth projections, Africa is seeing too little conversion of GDP gains into formal, wage-paying jobs. Each year, about 12 million people enter the labor market, yet only 24% of existing jobs are salaried. The result is that most workers remain trapped in low-productivity, informal sectors, limiting the continent’s potential for inclusive growth. On our blog.