Zambia touted as emerging global growth leader at Africa business media summit

At the 2025 Africa Business Media Innovators (ABMI) summit, Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Mathew Winkler unveiled striking data positioning Zambia as one of the fastest-growing economies globally since 2018.

According to Bloomberg’s analysis, Zambia had consistently outperformed both African and global GDP growth averages, particularly following the conclusion of its debt restructuring process.

Two comparative graphs presented by Winkler illustrated the country’s sharp upward trajectory from 2023 onwards — markedly outpacing more modest continental and international trends.

Drawing a historical parallel, Winkler likened Zambia’s resurgence to Greece’s unexpected recovery in 2015.

At the time, market sentiment had largely written Greece off, expecting a default and Eurozone exit.

Defying expectations, Greece extended bond maturities to 26 years and gradually rebuilt investor confidence.

A US$1 million investment in Greek debt in 2015 would now be worth US$4 million — reflecting a 15 percent annual return.

Read more: IMF, Zambia reach staff-level agreement, pending final approvals to unlock $194 million in financing

Winkler noted that Zambia appears to be charting a similarly remarkable course.

Since restructuring its debt, the country’s bond yields have fallen to 6.7 percent — edging closer to the 5.6 percent average for investment-grade borrowers, despite Zambia’s credit rating remaining eight levels below that benchmark.

“The bond market sees what the pundits miss,” Winkler remarked, stressing that Zambia’s story is not an anomaly but a credible, data-backed case of resilience and recovery.

With projections indicating sustained robust GDP growth through 2027, Zambia is emerging as a standout example of successful economic reform on the continent — and a testament to how prudent policy decisions and investor confidence can transform heavily indebted nations into attractive long-term investment prospects.

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