NAIROBI, Kenya, June 23 – Rising project complexity is increasingly undermining the delivery of major projects across Sub-Saharan Africa, with missed deadlines, delayed decisions and pressure on teams emerging as key challenges, according to new research by the Project Management Institute.
The findings, contained in PMI’s latest Pulse of the Profession report, show that 81 percent of project professionals globally believe projects have become more complex in recent years, with 37 percent describing the increase as significant.
The report, which surveyed project professionals and senior executives across 35 countries, identifies rapid technological change, artificial intelligence adoption, shifting stakeholder expectations, economic uncertainty and increasingly interconnected systems as major drivers of complexity.
For Sub-Saharan Africa, the study points to a particularly high level of project disruption. About 44 percent of respondents cited missed delivery deadlines, compared to a global average of 35 percent.
Delays in stakeholder decision-making were also more prevalent in the region, with 41 percent of respondents identifying the issue compared to 34 percent globally.
The report suggests that governance bottlenecks, approval delays and challenges in aligning stakeholders are increasingly affecting project execution across sectors including infrastructure, energy, public sector reforms and digital transformation.
Team wellbeing is also being affected. About 23 percent of respondents in the region reported declining morale linked to poorly managed project complexity, compared to 19 percent globally.
PMI Sub-Saharan Africa Managing Director George Asamani said many organisations are struggling to execute ambitious transformation programmes using traditional project management approaches.
“Africa is currently undertaking some of the world’s most ambitious transformation agendas, from infrastructure and industrialisation to digital inclusion, energy access, fintech innovation and public-sector reform,” he said.
“As organisations attempt to deliver more projects faster, many are discovering that traditional approaches focused purely on timelines and tasks are no longer enough.”
The report identifies three main sources of complexity: organisational challenges such as unclear governance structures and competing priorities; environmental factors including technological disruption, regulatory changes and economic volatility; and human factors such as competing interests, political dynamics and stakeholder relationships.
Despite the challenges, the research found that organisations that effectively manage complexity are significantly more likely to succeed. Projects managed effectively in complex environments recorded an 88 percent success rate, compared to 14 percent among organisations that struggled to address complexity.
Key success factors highlighted in the report include early alignment between project sponsors and teams, continuous stakeholder engagement, structured project governance frameworks, scenario planning and maintaining team resilience during periods of uncertainty.
PMI argues that strengthening project execution capabilities will be critical for Africa as governments and businesses pursue large-scale investments aimed at driving economic growth and development.
According to Asamani, the continent’s ability to deliver projects successfully may increasingly determine whether planned investments translate into tangible economic and social benefits.
“The future competitiveness of African economies will increasingly depend on the ability to execute at scale,” he said. “What will determine whether this decade delivers on its promise is execution capability.”
