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Top 10 Most Productive Countries In Africa In 2025

Published

4 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

92-year-old Convicted For 1967 Killing In UK’s Oldest Cases

Published

15 hours ago

June 30, 2025

Editor

A 92-year-old British man was convicted on Monday for a rape and murder committed nearly 60 years ago, in one of the UK’s longest-running cold cases.

Ryland Headley was found guilty by a UK court for raping and killing 75-year-old Louisa Dunne after breaking into her house in Bristol, southwest England in June 1967, when he was 34 years old.

It is “one of the oldest cold cases to ever be solved in the UK”, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which brings criminal prosecutions, said.

Local police reopened the case in 2023 and matched DNA from the victim’s skirt and other items from the original probe to Headley, who had also served a prison sentence for raping two elderly women in 1977.

He is due to be sentenced by a judge at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday.

During the initial investigation, police had found a left-hand palm print from Dunne’s home, where she was found dead from strangulation.

The palm print was compared to 19,000 men to no avail.

At the time, Headley was a railway worker who lived just outside the area in which men and boys were asked to give prints.

Reaching a dead-end, police sealed away forensic evidence for half a century. Both DNA testing and later Headley’s palm print resulted in matches.

When Headley was arrested at his home last November, he told detectives: “I don’t know what you are talking about. Very strange, very strange.”

“For 58 years, this appalling crime went unsolved and Ryland Headley, the man we now know is responsible, avoided justice,” said Charlotte Ream of the CPS.

Following the conviction, Dunne’s granddaughter Mary Dainton said her death had a “far-reaching impact throughout my family”.

“I was just 20-years-old when my grandmother died and I’m now almost the same age as she was when she was killed,” Dainton said outside court.

Police said they were now looking into other possible cold cases Headley could be linked to.

“Ryland Headley has now been convicted of three rapes of elderly women within their own addresses, and in the case of Louisa Dunne, her murder as well,” Dave Marchant of Avon and Somerset Police told the PA news agency.

“I think there’s every possibility that there are other offences out there – over the 60s, 70s, however long a time period – which Mr Headley could be culpable for.”

Headline

Hope Dashed As Norwegian Company Apologizes For ‘Mistakenly Telling’ Thousands They Won Big On Lottery

Published

16 hours ago

June 30, 2025

Editor

A Norwegian lottery company on Monday apologised to 47,000 crestfallen gamblers who were mistakenly told they had won huge sums in a lottery, the firm blaming a currency conversion error.

State-owned gambling group Norsk Tipping said they had published incorrect prize amounts after a Eurojackpot draw on Friday because of an error converting from euro cents to Norwegian kroner.

The winnings had been multiplied by 100 instead of being divided by 100, the company said.

Among the disappointed was Ole Fredrik Sveen, who was on holiday in Greece when he received a message from Norsk Tipping that he had won 1.2 million kroner ($119,000).

“I thought: ‘Wow, is it finally my turn? Could it be true?’ I go onto the Norsk Tipping website, and there it says in black and white: ‘Congratulations, you have won!’,” Sveen told public broadcaster NRK on Monday.

In reality, he had won 125 kroner ($12).

On Monday, Sveen and the 47,000 others received apologies by text message from Norsk Tipping for the snafu.

“The apology was a poor consolation. They should have sent it out after the mistake, not today,” he said.

The Lottery Authority said Monday it had launched a review to determine if gambling laws had been broken, and Culture Minister Lubna Jaffery called the error “totally unacceptable”.

The firm’s chief executive Tonje Sagstuen resigned on Saturday after the scandal, leaving acting chief executive Vegar Strand to apologise on Monday.

Strand said his company’s state ownership made the mistake particularly problematic, noting that the firm was “entirely dependent on the trust of the population”.

“We have deeply disappointed our customers and take full responsibility for rectifying the situation. Such errors are serious for a company that is supposed to manage the trust of Norwegians,” Strand said.

“The work to rebuild trust again has the highest priority going forward.”

AFP

Headline

Musk Renews Attack On Trump, Says ‘Big, Beautiful Bill Utterly Insane’

Published

17 hours ago

June 30, 2025

Editor

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has renewed his public criticism of United States President Donald Trump, taking aim at the administration’s controversial “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which recently cleared a critical hurdle in the Senate, TIMES reported.

In a post on X on Saturday, Musk denounced the 940-page legislative package as economically harmful, claiming it would severely damage emerging industries while supporting outdated sectors.

“The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country,” he wrote to his more than 220 million followers.

He further described the legislation as “utterly insane and destructive.”

The senate narrowly voted 51–49 to advance the bill on Saturday night, following extended negotiations among Republicans. Vice President J.D Vance was present to cast a tie-breaking vote, though it was ultimately not required.

Musk, who once served as head of the Department of Government Efficiency under Trump, left the administration after a high-profile fallout and has since emerged as one of the bill’s fiercest opponents.

He described the measure as “political suicide” for Republicans and warned that it would raise the national debt ceiling by $5 trillion — the largest such increase in US history. “America is in the fast lane to debt slavery,” he added.

Responding in an interview aired Sunday on Fox News Sunday Morning Futures, Trump attempted to defuse the tension. “I haven’t spoken to him much, but I think Elon is a wonderful guy,” he said. Trump also suggested Musk’s frustration stemmed from disagreements over recent changes to electric vehicle mandates.

Musk’s opposition to the bill is not new. Earlier in June, he urged Americans to contact their representatives, calling the legislation a “massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill.”

Despite the bill’s advancement in the Senate, it faces continued resistance. Senate Democrats have slowed proceedings by demanding the entire bill be read aloud in protest.

“If Senate Republicans won’t tell the American people what’s in this bill, then Democrats are going to force this chamber to read it from start to finish,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer