Economy News |

Ramaphosa’s South African Recession Heightens Election Risk

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – President Cyril Ramaphosa’s job of getting South Africa back on track just got a lot more perilous with the surprising news that the economy has slipped into recession. He must walk a fine line between restoring investor confidence battered by almost nine years of misrule by his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, while reducing widespread poverty. And next year’s general elections are looming. The “Ramaphoria” that buoyed the markets and the public at large after…

South Africa Unexpectedly Tips Into Second Recession in 8 Years

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s economy fell into a recession for the first time since 2009 after it contracted for a second straight quarter in the first three months of the year as all bar two industries shrank. Gross domestic product receded an annualized 0.7 percent in the first quarter from a contraction of 0.3 percent in the previous three months, Statistics South Africa said in a report released on Tuesday in the capital,…

Ivory Coast Economy Remains ‘Solid’ Despite Challenges, PM Says

Posted on by The Editorial Team

ABIDJAN (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ivory Coast’s economy is strong despite challenges including a slump in cocoa prices and social unrest, according to Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly. “The fundamentals of the Ivorian economy are solid, as evidenced by the growth that we’re experiencing,” Coulibaly said in an interview on state TV late Thursday. “But we’re confronted with numerous challenges.” The government of the world’s biggest cocoa producer cut this year’s budget by a 10th…

Capitec Says Political Risk May Delay SouthAfrica Economic Rebound

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – The uncertainty surrounding South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s future risks heaping extra pressure on consumers and delaying a rebound in the country’s economy, according to the nation’s largest provider of loans not backed by assets. “It’s going to be a difficult year if you look at the political risk,” Capitec Bank Holdings Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Gerrie Fourie said by phone on Tuesday. “It’s probably going to be much longer before there’s a turning point…

Ghana’s Second Quarter Economic Growth Slowest in Two Years

Posted on by The Editorial Team

ACCRA, Capital Markets in Africa: Ghana’s economy grew at the slowest pace in two years in the second quarter as mining and oil output slumped. Gross domestic product expanded 2.5 percent in the three months through June 30 from a year earlier, compared with a revised 4.8 percent in the previous quarter, Philomena Nyarko, government statistician at the Ghana Statistical Service, told reporters in the capital, Accra, on Wednesday. The economy grew 0.6 percent from the…

Ethiopia | Government-led growth model is maintained — BAoML

Posted on by The Editorial Team

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Capital Markets in Africa — Ethiopia’s government-led growth model shows no signs of significant change, with many meetings focused on investment in new industrial parks across the country as part of the second Growth and Transformation plan (GTP2) that runs from 2015 to 2020. The major investment areas are infrastructure, energy, and education/healthcare. GDP growth (which the IMF expects at c.8% in the medium term) continues to be driven by the government….

Tunisia to start economic rescue plan, sees 7 pct growth in 5 years

Posted on by The Editorial Team

TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisia’s new government will launch an emergency economic plan that includes reforms in subsidies and social funds to revive growth to a projected 7 per cent in five years, Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid said.Tunisia has been praised as an example of compromise politics and democratic transition since overthrowing autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben AliÂ in a 2011 uprising, holding free elections and drafting a new constitution.But the North African country faces pressure from…