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Top 10 Most Productive Countries In Africa In 2025

Published

8 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

UK Police Arrest Asylum Seeker Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed

Published

2 days ago

October 26, 2025

Editor

The UK police on Sunday arrested an Ethiopian asylum seeker and convicted sex offender, whose crimes had sparked anti-immigration protests, after he was accidentally released from prison in an embarrassing blunder by British authorities.

London’s Metropolitan Police said officers arrested Hadush Kebatu in the north of the capital on Sunday morning, nearly 48 hours after he was mistakenly freed around 30 miles (48 kilometres) away.

Kebatu, 38, had served the first month of a one-year sentence for sexually assaulting a teenage girl and a woman, but was reportedly due to be deported when the Prison Service error occurred on Friday.

His high-profile case earlier this year in Epping, northeast of London, sparked demonstrations in various English towns and cities where asylum seekers were believed to be housed, as well as counter-protests.

Commander James Conway, who oversaw the manhunt for him, said “information from the public” led officers to the Finsbury Park neighbourhood of London, where he was found.

“He was detained by police but will be returned to the custody of the Prison Service,” he added.

Kebatu is now expected to be deported.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Friday he was “appalled” by the “totally unacceptable” mistake that saw him freed rather than sent to an immigration detention centre.

The Telegraph newspaper said he was wrongly categorised for release on licence and handed a £76 ($101) discharge grant.

Police had appealed Saturday for Kebatu to turn himself in, after reports emerged that he had appeared confused and reluctant to leave the prison in Chelmsford, eastern England.

A delivery driver described seeing Kebatu return several times in a “very confused” state, only to be turned away by staff and directed to the railway station.

The driver told Sky News he saw Kebatu outside the jail, asking, “Where am I going? What am I doing?”

“He was starting to get upset, he was getting stressed,” the driver said.

The father of Kebatu’s anonymous teenage victim told the broadcaster that “the justice system has let us down.”

Police arrested the asylum seeker in July after he repeatedly tried to kiss a 14-year-old girl and touch her legs, and made sexually explicit comments to her.

He also sexually assaulted an adult woman, placing a hand on her thigh, when she intervened to stop his interactions with the girl.

He was staying at the time at Epping’s Bell Hotel, where scores of other asylum seekers have been accommodated, and which became the target of repeated protests.

AFP

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Madagascar Revokes Ousted President’s Nationality

Published

2 days ago

October 26, 2025

Editor

Madagascar’s new government has stripped ousted president Andry Rajoelina of his Malagasy nationality in a decree published Friday, 10 days after he was removed in a military takeover.

According to AFP, the decree means that Rajoelina, who was impeached on October 14 after fleeing the island nation in the wake of weeks of protests, would not be able to contest future election.

The decree published in the official gazette said Rajoelina’s Malagasy nationality was revoked because he had acquired French nationality in 2014, local media reported, as photographs of the document were shared online.

French broadcaster RFI said it had confirmed the decree with the entourage of the new prime minister, Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo, who signed the order.

The decree cited laws stipulating that a Malagasy who voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality loses their Malagasy nationality.

Rajoelina’s French nationality caused a scandal when it was revealed ahead of the November 2023 elections, nearly 10 years after it was granted.

It triggered calls for him to be disqualified but he went on to win the contested polls, which were boycotted by opposition parties.

The 51-year-old politician fled Madagascar after army Colonel Michael Randrianirina said on October 11 his CAPSAT unit would refuse orders to put down the youth-led protest movement, which security forces had attempted to suppress with violence.

Rajoelina said later he was in hiding for his safety, but did not say where.

Randrianirina was sworn in as president on October 14, pledging elections within two years.

Headline

Kamala Harris Hints At Running For President Again

Published

2 days ago

October 26, 2025

Editor

Former US vice president Kamala Harris said in a British television interview previewed in Saturday that she may “possibly” run again to be president.

Harris, who replaced Joe Biden as the 2024 Democratic presidential candidate but lost to Donald Trump, told the BBC that she had not yet decided whether to make another White House bid.

But the 61-year-old insisted she was “not done” in American politics and that her young grandnieces would see a female president in the Oval Office “in their lifetime, for sure”.

“I have lived my entire career a life of service, and it’s in my bones, and there are many ways to serve.

“I’ve not decided yet what I will do in the future, beyond what I am doing right now,” Harris told the British broadcaster in an interview set to air in full on Sunday.

The comments are the strongest hint yet that Harris could attempt to be the Democratic Party nominee for the 2028 election.

The interview follows the release of her memoir last month, in which she argued it had been “recklessness” to let Biden run for a second term as president.

She also accused his White House team of failing to support her while she was his deputy, and at times of actively hindering her.

AFP