Economy | - Part 6

Ghana Leader Favors Constitutional Change to Boost Finances

ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo said he is in favor of changes to the West African country’s constitution that will allow lawmakers better oversight over public finances. Akufo-Addo, whose National Patriotic Party came into power in January in the world’s second-biggest cocoa producer, is battling rising public debt following a discovery of about 7 billion cedis ($1.6 billion) in unplanned spending by the previous administration of President John Mahama. The new government is…

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,…

Assessing Uganda’s Fiscal and Monetary Policies in 2017 and beyond

Posted on by The Editorial Team

KAMPALA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Uganda’s rate of growth, though positive, has slowed over the past few years to average 4.5 percent in the last five years compared to 7.4 percent in the preceding period. Core inflation has been in line with the target of 5 percent over the medium term, with the few deviations from the target arising largely from supply side shocks caused by developments on the global scene as well as…

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

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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…

South Africa to Study Annual Wealth Tax as It Targets Rich

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s finance ministry has asked for a study into the introduction of an annual wealth tax as the government seeks to boost the standard of living of the black majority. The Davis Tax Committee, which makes recommendations to the National Treasury, also requested submissions from the public on the feasibility of a land tax and a national tax on the value of property in addition to existing charges, it…

Kenyan Economy Expands at Fastest Pace in Five Years in 2016

Posted on by The Editorial Team

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Kenya’s economy, East Africa’s largest, expanded at the fastest pace in five years in 2016, boosted by more construction and tourism. Gross domestic product increased 5.8 percent last year, the most since 2011, from a revised 5.7 percent in 2015, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Director General Zachary Mwangi told reporters Wednesday in Nairobi, the capital. Expansion could have been more robust had it not been for a sluggish…

Zambia Seeks IMF Deal of as Much as $1.6 Billion This Month

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LUSAKA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Zambia, Africa’s second-largest copper producer, plans to reach an aid deal for as much as $1.6 billion with the International Monetary Fund by the end of April, Finance Minister Felix Mutati said. Bond yields fell. “At the moment we know that we can get up to $1.6 billion — if you ask me, I’d go for the maximum,” he said in an interview Monday in the capital, Lusaka. “Hopefully the program…

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