Economic Growth |

World Bank, IMF Raise Rwanda’s 2018 Growth Estimate to 7.2%

KIGALI (Capital Markets in Africa) – The World Bank and International Monetary Fund revised their projection for Rwanda’s economic growth this year to 7.2 percent as rains improved food supply. The revision comes after Rwanda’s government posted 10.6 percent growth in gross domestic product in the first quarter of 2018 after services, which make up almost half of national output, accelerated. Rwanda is one of Africa’s top performers and has expanded an average of more than…

Sub-Saharan Africa growth outlook subject to external and domestic risks

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The World Bank projected economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to accelerate from 2.6% in 2017 to 3.1% in 2018, relative to a previous forecast of 3.2% for 2018, supported by higher oil and metals production and prices, improved agricultural activity, increasing domestic demand, supportive external financial market conditions, as well as a pick-up in investment. It expected growth in the SSA region to average 3.6% annually during the 2019-20 period on the…

State Firms Debt May Threaten Financial Stability, SARB Says

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – The inability of South African state-owned companies to roll over debt could threaten the nation’s financial stability and ultimately result in more credit-rating downgrades, according to the central bank. Governance issues at state companies, rising contingent liabilities and inadequate liquidity could add pressure to government finances through the increased use of guarantees, the Reserve Bank said in its six-monthly Financial Stability Review released in Pretoria on Wednesday. “Financial stability centers around…

Ghana President Pledges to Build on Economic Progress of 2017

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ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo said efforts to stabilize the economy are beginning to yield results as the rate of debt-growth slowed while the government exceeded targets for keeping spending under control. The West African nation wants to avoid another bailout from the International Monetary Fund after the current credit facility ends this year, Akufo-Addo, 73, told lawmakers Thursday in the capital, Accra. Ghana’s budget deficit probably narrowed to 5.6 percent…

Nigerian Economic Growth Quickens as Oil Output Increases

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s economic growth accelerated in the third quarter as oil output rose to the highest since the start of last year. The gross domestic product of Africa’s largest crude producer expanded 1.4 percent in the three months through September from a year earlier, compared with a revised 0.7 percent in the second quarter, the Abuja-based National Bureau of Statistics said Monday in an emailed report. The median of 13 economists’ estimates…

Kenyan Court Backs President’s Vote Win, Ending Uncertainty

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NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Kenya’s top court upheld Uhuru Kenyatta’s presidential-election win, ending three months of electoral uncertainty that have slowed growth in East Africa’s biggest economy. Stocks gained the most in two months. Kenyatta won the rerun fairly and electoral authorities’ failure to hold polling in the country’s western region didn’t invalidate the outcome, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, rejecting all of the petitions challenging the vote. “The court has unanimously determined that the…

Rwandan President Sees Growth Accelerating on Banking, Mining

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KIGALI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Rwandan economic growth is expected to accelerate this year and next as the outlook for industries including financial services, tourism and mining improves, President Paul Kagame said. The pace of expansion is expected to increase to 7 percent next year from about 6 percent this year, Kagame said Thursday in an interview in Dubai. That compares with 2016’s growth rate of 5.9 percent, which was a three-year low. The pace of…

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