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As African Leaders Meet on Growth, Leading Economies Are a Drag

  • Growth in South Africa, Nigeria lag continent’s top performers
  • Lack of reforms and policy progress stifle economic revival
Lagos, Nigeria.

Lagos, Nigeria.

Photographer: Florian Plauchuer/AFP Via Getty Images

The two nations that account for almost half of sub-Saharan Africa’s gross domestic product are proving to be a damper on the region’s economic expansion.

Nigeria and South Africa, which vie with each other to be the continent’s biggest economy, both release second-quarter growth data on Tuesday. While the figures will probably show South Africa dodged a recession and Nigeria’s growth quickened, according to two separate Bloomberg surveys, both are expected to show they expanded at a limp pace.