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
Africa Economics Update Kenya joins the eurobond rush Sub-Saharan Africa’s eurobond markets hit the headlines again in June when Kenya became the latest country to issue dollar-denominated debt. With much of the region continuing to enjoy low yields by... 23rd June 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Concerns over policy credibility emerge in Nigeria Concerns over policy credibility in Nigeria have surfaced over the past month. The Central Bank’s (CBN’s) new governor Godwin Emefiele recently hinted at moves towards looser monetary policy, despite... 17th June 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Kenya revises up GDP as debut dollar bond issue nears In an attempt to drum up interest in its debut dollar bond issue, Kenya became the latest country in Africa to announce revisions to its measured GDP yesterday. Measured GDP has been revised up by... 13th June 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economic Outlook Growing pains Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is likely to remain one of the world’s best performing regions over the next couple of years but, in a number of countries, growing pains are starting to emerge. Budget and... 6th June 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Ghana and Zambia still in the firing line In line with the general rally in EM financial markets over the past couple of months, the South African rand has posted significant gains against the US$ of late. But the rally has not spread to a... 29th May 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Another leg down for currencies Most currencies in Africa have posted substantial losses against the US dollar over the past month, with the Ghanaian cedi and Zambian kwacha slumping to record lows. What’s more, there are a number... 23rd May 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Long-run prospects remain upbeat despite growing political concerns The apparent re-emergence of political risk in a number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the past couple of months has led some commentators to question the region’s longer-term growth... 16th May 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Kenya: interest rate hikes likely this year The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) kept interest rates on hold today but, given the country’s large current account deficit and the fact that inflation is likely to rise over the coming months, some... 30th April 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Nigeria rises to top of the pile Following significant revisions to historical GDP data, Nigeria was confirmed as the largest economy in Africa earlier this month. Measured GDP has almost doubled to US$510bn, placing Nigeria... 29th April 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Markets regain some composure after Q1 rout Following a woeful Q1, financial markets in Africa have stabilised in the early part of Q2. In most countries, bond yields have edged down and currencies have made modest gains. Nevertheless, there... 17th April 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update IMF’s new growth forecasts underscore growing vulnerabilities The IMF last week made significant downward revisions to its economic growth forecasts for sub- Saharan Africa (SSA) for 2014-15, leaving them close in line with our own. Indeed, this is another sign... 16th April 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Effects of China’s slowdown to vary across the region Concerns over the impact on sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) of a further slowdown in China have resurfaced over the past couple of weeks. While we do not expect China to experience a hard landing, we do... 28th March 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Currencies continue to tumble The Zambian kwacha has become the latest African currency to come under fire, and has this month slumped to an all-time low against the US$. This follows similar falls in the Ghanaian cedi and... 20th March 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Regional vulnerabilities rising, but differentiation is needed Clouds have gathered over the outlook for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the past few months due to growing concerns over widening twin budget and current account deficits and the effects of a slowdown... 19th March 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Kenyan rate hikes still on the cards The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) was able to keep interest rates on hold today as the shilling has remained stable despite the recent turmoil in EM currency markets. But a large current account deficit... 4th March 2014 · 1 min read
