Africa's population boom: Can the demographic surge become a prosperity story?

An Al Jazeera analysis said Africa's population will reach 2.5 billion by 2050 and will host two-thirds of the world's youth labour force. UN Population Fund and African Development Bank data show that the 15-24 age cohort will rise to 740 million by the same year. Adesina, speaking to reporters in Yaoundé, said "demographics become an advantage only if there is investment".

The report flags an annual need of $100bn in infrastructure, $70bn in energy and $50bn in education. AJ said International Monetary Fund Africa department director Abebe Aemro Selassie said "it is hard to commit half of public debt to development spending". It said trade mechanisms such as AGOA and the AfCFTA risk under-delivering unless they are matched with concrete capacity-building.

African Union Commission's Commissioner for Economic Affairs Albert Muchanga said the AfCFTA pan-African tariff reduction schedule would be completed by the end of 2027. The Lagos exchange's main index closed 0.4 per cent higher and the South African rand firmed 0.3 per cent against the dollar. AJ noted the role of China Exim Bank and the EBRD's public-private partnership funds. Not investment advice.