South Africa set to topple Nigeria to regain mantle as continent’s biggest economy

South Africa is set to briefly overtake Nigeria and Egypt as the continent’s largest economy next year, International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts show. The IMF’s World Economic Outlook envisions South Africa’s gross domestic product reaching $401-billion based on current prices in 2024, compared with Nigeria’s $395-billion and Egypt’s $358-billion. Africa’s most industrialised nation is expected to only hold the top spot for a year before it once again lags Nigeria, and then fall to third place behind Egypt in 2026, according to the report, which was released last week.