Africa's most economically powerful countries are not necessarily its most structurally capable.
Nigeria and Egypt — two of the continent's five largest economies by GDP — rank 167th and 129th globally on productive capacity, well below much smaller economies like Mauritius (56th) and Seychelles (68th).
According to UNCTAD's Productive Capacities Index 2024, which measures eight foundations an economy needs to sustain and grow: human capital, natural capital, energy, transport, ICT, institutions, private sector development, and structural change, no African country ranks in the global top 50.
Closing the gap will require African governments to direct more investment into the foundations that drive long-term capacity, rather than relying on natural resource revenues alone.
