Removing donor assistance might make it more difficult for the poorest nations in the region to pay off their debt and worsen humanitarian problems, especially in areas that are unstable and afflicted by violence.
Additionally, low-income agrarian populations would be disproportionately affected if the frequency or intensity of severe weather events increased further, worsening poverty in unstable economies like Niger, Mozambique, and South Sudan.
The World Bank uses the term “fragile countries” to describe nations that are having serious problems with development because of conflict, weak institutions, or susceptibility to outside shocks.
“Home to more than one billion people, the 39 emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) classified as being in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS) are plagued by instability and weak institutions, hindering their ability to attain the robust, sustained economic growth needed for development,” the report states.
“These economies exhibit lower per capita incomes, slower economic growth, and greater volatility than other developing countries. Conflicts impose a high human and economic toll on many FCS economies,” it adds.
According to the Bank, these nations are officially classified as being in fragile and conflict-affected circumstances.
These countries are officially designated as what the Bank calls fragile and conflict-affected situations.
In fragile states, a number of factors impede international trade, such as insufficient trade facilitation, political instability, transportation interruptions, weak regulatory frameworks, and corruption.
Last year, output in low-income countries (LICs) increased by an estimated 4.6 percent, remaining below the 2010-19 average of 5%.
While growth in low-income countries is projected to accelerate further, reaching 5.3 percent in 2025 and an average of 6.1 percent in 2026-27, this prediction is dependent on significant improvements in security in numerous LICs in fragile and conflict circumstances.
With that said, here are the African countries currently considered fragile states, according to the World Bank.
