Sub-Saharan Africa is currently enjoying strongest period of sustained economic expansion since the early 1970s, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Thursday.

The regional growth is expected at 5.2 percent this year, the third successive year it has exceeded 5 percent, the IMF said in its latest "World Economic Outlook" which was released in Singapore Thursday.

It also predicted that the growth rate for the region would reach 6.3 percent in 2007 as oil output recovers in Nigeria and new oil fields in Angola and Equatorial Guinea come on stream.

While strong growth is expected to continue, there are a number of risks to the outlook, said the IMF.

First, if oil prices remain elevated, they may have a more detrimental impact on growth going forward than they have done in the recent past, particularly if combined with a sharper-than- expected decline in non-oil commodities prices, said the IMF.

Secondly, export performance would suffer if global growth slowed or the euro appreciated substantially, which will undermine the competitiveness of the formerly French-ruled African countries.

Besides, countries that have widening current account deficits and are more reliant on private capital flows, such as South Africa, would be hurt if global financial market conditions deteriorate, according to the IMF.

The IMF also worried that an avian flu pandemic, political uncertainties and armed conflicts might adversely affect the outlook on the continent.

Source: Xinhua