Africa Economics Weekly Grim budget in SA, Nigeria’s FX buzz and debt woes South Africa’s emergency budget highlighted that the government plans to turn to harsh austerity to try to deal with the legacy of higher debt, but this is unlikely to be politically sustainable in... 26th June 2020 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Naira unity, China debt talks, South Africa’s budget Nigeria’s government is rumoured to seek the merger of the country’s main exchange rates, but a unified and market-determined naira still seems far away. A speech by Chinese president Xi Jinping shed... 19th June 2020 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Nigeria’s finances, debt relief uptake on the rise Nigeria’s revised budget for 2020 is nearing a final hurdle of approval, but the deficit will probably exceed the government's expectations. And despite the recent rise in oil prices and easing... 12th June 2020 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Angolan debt, South African court ruling Angola’s debt problem returned to the fore this week as the government announced that it is seeking debt relief under a G20 initiative and to reprofile oil-related debts, but we think that more will... 5th June 2020 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Private creditor debt talks, SA budget constraints The past week has brought private sector debt relief a step closer for the region, although we suspect that talks will drag on. Similarly, the road ahead for an ambitious infrastructure spending plan... 29th May 2020 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly SA’s slump, SOE problems, naira still struggling The activity figures coming out of South Africa continue to make for depressing reading and the economic slump is causing growing problems at SOEs. Eskom remains the main risk for the public finances... 22nd May 2020 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Nigeria’s budget proposal, SA economy reawakening The amendments to the 2020 budget approved by Nigeria’s cabinet this week suggest that the government is not yet fully facing up to the fiscal damage caused by the coronavirus. Elsewhere, flickers of... 15th May 2020 · 6 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Survey blues in South Africa, Nigeria’s budget woes Figures published in South Africa this week gave an early indication of the scale of economic devastation caused by the country’s lockdown. The risks to our forecast for a 6.5% fall in GDP this year... 7th May 2020 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Debt relief, Nigeria’s exchange rates Debt relief proposals for low-income African economies that would include commercial creditors are taking shape, although our sense is that restructurings are most likely to be relatively modest and... 1st May 2020 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Lockdown to ease in SA, fallout from oil price collapse The fiscal package announced by South Africa's government this week will probably ease some of the economic pain from efforts to contain the coronavirus, although much of the damage has already been... 24th April 2020 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Debt moratoriums, South Africa’s policy response This week’s G20 deal allowing low-income countries – many in Sub-Saharan Africa – to freeze debt payments on bilateral loans will provide much needed reprieve, most notably in Angola. But broader debt... 17th April 2020 · 4 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Coronavirus round-up, defaults nearing The coronavirus continued to ripple through Sub-Saharan Africa this week, with policymakers ramping up containment measures. But there are reasons to think that severe restrictions will be less... 9th April 2020 · 4 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Tumbling rand, coronavirus containment, default risks The current risk-off sentiment means that the South African rand’s slide this week will probably continue in the near term. And escalating containment measures will take an economic toll, despite... 3rd April 2020 · 4 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Can containment work in Africa? IMF takes the stage African countries tightened their coronavirus containment measures this week, which will add to economic disruptions. But it isn't clear whether these policies will be as effective as they have been... 27th March 2020 · 4 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Worsening outbreak, growth downgrades, rate cuts The coronavirus outbreak in Africa took a turn for the worse this week, with the number of cases more than tripling. Policymakers in South Africa and Ghana fired the first shots by cutting interest... 20th March 2020 · 4 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Oil prices batter Angola, SARB prepares to fight back Six more African countries reported their first confirmed coronavirus infections this week, but the virus’ spread in the region remains slower than elsewhere. Even so, the economic shockwaves caused... 13th March 2020 · 6 mins read
