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Top 10 Most Productive Countries In Africa In 2025

Published

6 months ago

February 24, 2025

Labour productivity, as defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), measures the total volume of output—expressed in Gross Domestic Product (GDP)—produced per unit of labour in productive countries in Africa.

This is typically assessed by the number of employed persons or total hours worked within a given period. Essentially, it reflects how efficiently labour contributes to economic output.

Africa, with its youthful and expanding workforce, has immense economic potential.

However, many nations struggle with low productivity.

Despite these challenges, some countries outperform others, with Libya leading the continent in labour productivity at $29.8 GDP per hour worked, followed closely by Algeria and Egypt, per data from Ilostat.

Top 10 African Countries Most Productive

1. Libya ($29.8 per hour worked)

Libya’s economy is heavily reliant on its vast oil reserves, which drive its high productivity. However, political instability and conflict have stifled long-term economic growth and diversification.

2. Algeria ($28.2 per hour worked)

Algeria’s productivity is largely fueled by its hydrocarbon sector, particularly oil and natural gas. The government has been making efforts to diversify its economy, but state control and bureaucracy remain challenges.

3. Egypt ($27.1 per hour worked)

Egypt benefits from a diversified economy, with strong contributions from tourism, Suez Canal revenues, and a growing industrial sector. However, high population growth and unemployment pose ongoing economic hurdles.

4. Djibouti ($26.6 per hour worked)

Djibouti’s strategic location along key global trade routes boosts its economy. The country relies on port services, logistics, and foreign investments, particularly from China, to drive productivity.

5. Eswatini ($25.0 per hour worked)

The small southern African nation of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) maintains relatively high productivity due to its strong manufacturing sector, particularly in textiles and sugar production.

6. Botswana ($23.8 per hour worked)

Botswana has leveraged its diamond mining industry to achieve stable economic growth. Good governance and prudent financial management have contributed to its strong labour productivity.

7. South Africa ($21.6 per hour worked)

As Africa’s most industrialized nation, South Africa has a diverse economy spanning mining, finance, and manufacturing. However, challenges such as energy shortages and high unemployment limit productivity gains.

8. Tunisia ($19.2 per hour worked)

Tunisia’s economy benefits from a well-developed industrial and service sector, including tourism. However, political instability and slow economic reforms have affected long-term growth.

9. Equatorial Guinea ($18.9 per hour worked)

With one of the highest GDPs per capita in Africa, Equatorial Guinea’s productivity is driven by oil exports. However, economic inequality remains a major issue due to reliance on a narrow economic base.

10. Namibia ($15.6 per hour worked)

Namibia’s economy is supported by mining (diamonds, uranium), agriculture, and a growing tourism sector. Despite a relatively small workforce, the country has managed steady productivity levels.

Headline

42 Killed In Israeli Attacks, Says Gaza’s Civil Defense

Published

13 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Gaza’s civil defence agency reported at least 42 people killed in Israeli attacks on Sunday, as the Israeli army prepared for a new assault on the Palestinian territory’s largest city.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said there had been several air strikes around Gaza City — which the military is gearing up to capture — including one in the Al-Sabra neighbourhood that killed eight people.

Attacks were also reported elsewhere across the territory, he said, with the “total tally currently rising to 42 dead”.

The army did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the figure.

“The situation is extremely dangerous… Each day, each minute, there are bombings, martyrs, death and blood — we can’t take it anymore,” Al-Sabra resident Ibrahim Al-Shurafa told AFP, explaining strikes and shelling were ongoing.

“We don’t know where to go. Death follows us everywhere,” he added.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.

The October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel’s offensive has killed at least 62,686 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.

AFP

Headline

Venezuela Frees Eight Opposition Leaders

Published

13 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Venezuelan authorities released eight opposition leaders from jail early Sunday, including a former congressman and two Italian citizens, and granted house arrest to five others, an opposition politician said.

Most of those released had been charged with corruption in opposition-run mayoral offices.

Also set free was Congressman, Amirico de Grazia, detained amid protests that erupted during President Nicolas Maduro’s reelection in 2024.

“Today, several families are once again embracing their loved ones. We know there are many left, and we have not forgotten them; we continue to fight for everyone,” two-time former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said on X.

Opposition leaders Victor Jurado, Simon Vargas, Arelis Ojeda Escalante, Mayra Castro, Diana Berrio, Gorka Carnevalli, as well as Italian nationals Margarita Assenzo and de Grazia were released, Capriles said.

Nabil Maalouf, Valentin Gutierrez Pineda, Rafael Ramirez, Pedro Guanipa, and David Barroso were placed under house arrest.

The Italian government confirmed the release of de Grazia and Assenzo, who must appear in court to clarify the conditions of their release. It also vowed to continue working on securing the release of other detained Italians.

“We have always said, and we maintain it: we will talk to whomever we need to talk to so that there is not a single political prisoner in our Venezuela!” Capriles added.

AFP

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Russia, Ukraine Exchange Prisoners Of War, Civilians

Published

13 hours ago

August 24, 2025

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Russia and Ukraine each sent back more prisoners of war on Sunday in the latest in a series of exchanges that have seen hundreds of POWs released this year, the two sides said.

Large-scale prisoner exchanges were the only tangible result of three rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul between May and July.

They remain one of the few areas of cooperation between the two countries since Russia’s offensive began in 2022.

“On August 24, 146 Russian servicemen were returned from the territory controlled” by Kyiv, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram.

“In exchange, 146 prisoners of war of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were transferred” to Ukraine, it added. Ukraine did not confirm any figures for the release.

Russia also said that “eight citizens of the Russian Federation—residents of the Kursk region, illegally detained” by Kyiv were also returned.

Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August last year, seizing hundreds of square kilometres (miles) of territory in a major setback for the Kremlin.

Russia deployed thousands of troops from its ally North Korea as part of a counterattack but did not fully reclaim the region until April.

Among the Ukrainians released on Sunday was journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Khyliuk was kidnapped in the Kyiv region in March 2022. He is finally home in Ukraine,” Zelensky said on social media.

Also freed was former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolayenko, “who spent more than three years in captivity,” Zelensky’s aide Andriy Yermak wrote on X.

“In 2022, he was on the list for return, but Volodymyr voluntarily refused to be exchanged in favour of a seriously ill prisoner with whom he was sharing a cell in a Russian prison,” Yermak said.

AFP