Africa Chart Pack Inflation worries, Fed prompt hikes across Africa Over the past month central banks in South Africa, Ghana, Zambia, and Mozambique have all hiked interest rates. These countries’ domestic situations all vary, but each is facing a combination of high... 20th November 2015 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Cote d’Ivoire & Tanzania: Peaceful elections a welcome sign Peaceful elections held earlier this month in Cote d’Ivoire and Tanzania were welcome signs of improving institutions in both countries. While final results haven’t been announced yet, the fact that... 27th October 2015 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Reasons for optimism are few and far between The past month has seen a raft of very bad news from key African economies. New government figures show that growth slowed in Q2 in Ghana and that South Africa’s economy actually contracted. Forward... 28th September 2015 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack African interest rates begin rise The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) finally began its long-awaited tightening cycle by raising the repo rate from 5.75% to 6.00% this month. We had anticipated the move, and expect that the SARB... 29th July 2015 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Rate hikes to add to pressure on South Africa’s economy April’s activity data hinted at an uptick in South Africa’s economy, but we believe that thecontinent’s most developed economy will continue to face significant headwinds over the comingmonths. Growth... 29th June 2015 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Nigeria’s election does not end economic woes Nigeria’s 29th March election was a political triumph; the largely peaceful vote resulted in the country’s first-ever democratic transfer of power between presidents from different political parties... 24th April 2015 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Nigerian politics take centre stage All eyes are focused on Nigeria’s election on 28th March, which will almost certainly spark a brief period of political violence when (as seems likely) the losing candidate refuses to accept the... 26th March 2015 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Delay to Nigeria’s election puts naira under pressure The delay to Nigeria’s election and the controversy over the alleged misappropriation of oil revenues have cast the spotlight on the country’s weak governance. After the decision to delay the election... 27th February 2015 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Lower oil prices to delay rate hikes, but not in Nigeria The dramatic fall in oil prices pushed inflation down in much of Sub-Saharan Africa at the end of last year, and it is likely to slow further this year. This would lead policymakers in some of the... 23rd January 2015 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Naira and rand in the firing line Currencies in sub-Saharan Africa have continued to come under pressure this month, with both the South African rand and Nigerian naira falling to record lows. The naira has suffered from the further... 17th December 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Nigeria forced to hike rates, while SA & Kenya hold fire The slump in the Nigerian naira this month forced the central bank to take drastic action. Interest rates were hiked for the first time in three years and the currency was devalued. But given that the... 28th November 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Slower inflation might delay, but not prevent, rate hikes The latest data show a general slowdown in inflation across Sub-Saharan Africa. A variety of factors contributed to this easing, including lower commodity prices and the unwinding of the impact of... 30th October 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack South Africa comes back into the firing line The South African rand has come under pressure this month as renewed attention on monetary tightening in the US has put the country’s large current account deficit back into the spotlight. The latest... 29th September 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Weaker growth looms for twin deficit countries Ghana’s authorities bowed to the inevitable earlier this month by formally requesting assistance from the IMF in dealing with the country’s enormous twin budget and current account deficits. This... 29th August 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Tightening cycles have further to run The tightening cycles that began in Ghana and South Africa earlier this year continued in July and, in both cases, we think that further interest rate hikes are likely before the end of 2014. Ghana’s... 31st July 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Zambia turns to the IMF – could Ghana follow suit? As the tailwinds from the past decade’s commodity boom fade, several economies in Africa are losing their shine. Zambia remains the focus of attention – faced with widening twin budget and current... 26th June 2014 · 1 min read
