South Africa: African Development Bank Country Focus Report highlights urgent need for economic transformation as GDP growth remains subdued

July 4, 2025-African Development Bank calls for strategic reforms to unlock South Africa's $3 trillion capital potential
South Africa's GDP growth declined to 0.6% in 2024 from 0.7% in 2023, underscoring the need for critical action and strategic reforms to unlock the country's vast capital resources and accelerate economic growth, the African Development Bank emphasized in its Country Focus report launched on Wednesday.

The report titled 'Making South Africa's Capital Work Better for its Development' comes amid global challenges, geopolitical tensions, conflicts, and political instability in several countries across the continent.

The report highlights that South Africa's economic growth remains sluggish, with GDP declining to 0.6% in 2024 from 0.7% in 2023. It attributes this slowdown to persistent power outages, the severe impact of drought on agriculture, and weaknesses in the transport and logistics sectors.