Nigeria’s external shocks raise economic vulnerabilities

Nigeria’s external shocks raise economic vulnerabilities

Merrill Lynch projected Nigeria’s real GDP growth to decelerate to 3.5% in 2015 from an average annual growth rate of 5% between 2011 and 2014, due to the large terms of trade shock that has resulted from lower global oil prices. It said that the depreciation of the Nigerian naira would increase inflationary pressure and would weigh on domestic consumption that is heavily dependent on imports. In addition, it forecast the inflation rate to average…

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Ghana govt, IMF agrees on $940milion support reform plan

Ghana govt, IMF agrees on $940milion support reform plan

The loan, which could receive final approval in early April, would back a program aimed at boosting economic growth and tightening fiscal discipline. Ghana would implement its reform program under a three-year Extended Credit Facility arrangement from the IMF, which is still subject to approval by the IMF’s management and Executive Board. One of the priorities of Ghana’s program is to restore debt sustainability through a sustained fiscal consolidation. Offshore oil production came on stream…

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Drop in oil prices to impact Angolan public finances

Drop in oil prices to impact Angolan public finances

Business Monitor International (BMI) projected real GDP growth in Angola to decelerate from 4.1% in 2014 to 3.8% in 2015, assuming an average global oil price of $55 per barrel. It said that the non-oil economy has been the main engine of activity in recent years, but most of the growth has been indirectly underpinned by oil revenues channelled through government spending.  As such, it expected cuts in government spending on the back of lower…

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Ghana to grow by 5.8% in 2015

Ghana to grow by 5.8% in 2015

Business Monitor International anticipated that the Ghanaian cedi would resume its depreciation in the coming three to six months after stabilizing during the last months of 2014. It attributed the expected depreciation of the cedi to the strengthening US dollar, wide current account deficit and uncertainty about an agreement between the International Monetary Fund and the Ghanaian authorities. It forecast the current account deficit to widen from 9.2% of GDP in 2014 to 11.9% of…

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IMF’s 2015 growth forecast for Egypt, Algeria and Sudan

IMF’s 2015 growth forecast for Egypt, Algeria and Sudan

Egypt’s Fiscal deficit to narrow to 11% of GDP in current fiscal yearThe International Monetary Fund projected Egypt’s real GDP growth rate at 3.8% in the fiscal year that ends in June 2015 and at 4.3% in FY2015/16, up from 2.2% in FY2013/14. It forecast Egypt’s annual average inflation rate at 9.7% in FY2014/15 and 9.9% in FY2015/16, down from 10.1% in FY2013/14. Further, it expected the growth of broad money at 16.7% in the…

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Drop in oil prices to support global growth

Drop in oil prices to support global growth

The World Bank anticipated that the decline in global oil prices would have significant macroeconomic, financial and policy implications on the global economy. First, the Bank pointed out that sustained lower global oil prices would contribute to global growth, would temporarily reduce the global inflation rate in 2015 and would generate substantial real income shifts to oil importers from oil-exporters. But it noted that the recovery in global growth would be slow. It said that…

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IMF reduces emerging economies growth to 4.3% in 2015

IMF reduces emerging economies growth to 4.3% in 2015

Economic growth reduced to 4.3% in 2015, downside risks persistThe International Monetary Fund reduced its projection for growth in emerging markets and developing economies to 4.3% in 2015 from an October forecast of 4.9%. It attributed the revision to lower growth in China and its negative impact on Emerging Asia, a much weaker economic outlook for Russia and its spill over on Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and to lower potential growth in commodity exporters….

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