Finance | - Part 185

What significant non-mining infrastructure projects are underway in Africa?

A well-worn argument postulates that infrastructure spending in Africa is focused on resources due to many countries remaining very dependent on the export of minerals and hydrocarbons. But this is no longer the case. GDP per capita levels in many African countries have climbed past the critical US$1,000 level – enabling consumers to purchase more than just the basics. Urbanization has also been an important factor to contend with: Africa had 22 cities with more than…

Ethiopia sets sights on building new airport, beyond Addis Ababa expansion project

Posted on by The Editorial Team

A major infrastructure project in Ethiopia designed to expand the capacity for handling passengers passing through the capital’s airport is on course for completion in 2018, but moves are already under way to build an additional airport. Bole International Airport, on the edge of Addis Ababa, will be able to triple the number of passengers it handles from the current level of around seven million annually when the expansion project is completed, Ethiopian Airports enterprise…

Africa’s Net capital inflows at $23bn in 2014

Posted on by The Editorial Team

The United Nations estimated net capital inflows to African economies at $23.3bn in 2014, relative to net outflows of $24.2bn in 2013. Net flows to the region fluctuated significantly since 2005 as they reached $26bn in 2005, $109bn in 2006, $11.2bn in 2007, $52.1bn in 2008, $30.2bn in 2009, – $1.2bn in 2010, $20.9bn in 2011 and $60.8bn in 2012. Net private capital inflows to the region accounted for 13.6% of total net private inflows…

The Davos Challenge: bikes for school children in SA

Posted on by The Editorial Team

When was the last time you walked 6km to work or school? Did you know that this is the average daily distance to school for half a million students in South Africa? This past week, participants at the World Economic Forum took part in “The Davos Challenge: Walk for Education” by having their steps tracked with electronic pedometers. For every 6km walked, UBS and the UBS Optimus Foundation donated a bicycle for school children in…

Net private capital inflows to decrease by 2% in 2015

Posted on by The Editorial Team

The Institute of International Finance (IIF) projected net private capital inflows to emerging markets at $1,064bn in 2015, constituting a decrease of 2.2% from $1,088bn in 2014 and a drop of $94bn from its forecast in October. It attributed the decline to the expected increase of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s policy rate and to the relative slow growth in emerging markets. It said that lower oil prices would stimulate global growth, but it noted that…

IMF Says Pan-African Banks Could Pose Systemic Risks

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Rapid expansion of cross-border banking in Africa in recent years poses oversight challenges that, if unaddressed, may increase systemic risks, IMF staff said. A recent report noted that pan-African banks have a systemic presence in around 36 countries and are now more important than the continent’s long-established European and American banks. Pan-African banks are improving competition, especially in host countries with small markets, driving innovation, and bringing new opportunities for diversification for the home countries….

The Resilience that African Economies Have Built Over the Past 15 Years is Real

Posted on by The Editorial Team

Donald Kaberuka, president, African Development Bank At the dawn of 2015, the question being asked frequently is: Are the good times over for much of Africa? Can the decade-long momentum be sustained, given the Ebola epidemic; the chronic crises in Central African Republic; South Sudan; the sharp fall in commodity prices; and a slowdown in the emerging markets, etc? In a sense it is déjà vu. The same question was asked in the aftermath of…

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