Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to continue being the second fastest-growing region in the world, just behind emerging and developing Asia.

This is according to Antoinette Sayeh, International Monetary Fund (IMF) African Department Director.

However, she informed TWA that sustaining growth in sub-Saharan Africa requires proactively addressing structural bottlenecks to growth such as infrastructure gaps and poor business climates. Adding that avoiding the emergence of macroeconomic imbalances such as excessive fiscal and external current account deficits would also underpin expansion.

“The challenge will be striking the right balance between scaling up investment in infrastructure and other development objectives while avoiding an unsustainable public debt build-up.”

“The underlying picture for sub-Saharan Africa remains favourable, with the region’s economy expected to expand by 5 percent in 2014 and 5 ¾ percent in 2015. Most sub-Saharan African economies are enjoying strong growth, driven by investment in infrastructure, buoyant services sectors, and strong agricultural production.”

But she adds this positive outlook coexists with a dire situation in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, where the Ebola outbreak continues to spread unabated.

• The IMF’s Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa will be released on October 20, 2014.