Africa October 21, 2021 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: Debt restructuring talk targets private creditors Politics, Sub-Saharan Africa Anne Frühauf, Malte Liewerscheidt While the G20 advocate for a recalibration of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s pandemic management support, reforms and more comprehensive solutions to debt problems remain a medium-term prospect. Yet in the hardest hit countries, pressure on private creditors to partake... Read More...
Africa October 19, 2021 COTE D’IVOIRE: Gbago’s new party reshuffles Ivorian politics Cote d'Ivoire, Politics Malte Liewerscheidt Over the weekend of 16/17 October, former president Laurent Gbagbo (76) officially launched his new African People’s Party of Ivory Coast (PPA-CI) in Abidjan. By acclamation, some 1,600 delegates also elected Gbagbo as the party’s first president. The new... Read More...
Africa October 7, 2021 NIGERIA: Buhari’s final full-year budget stays true to form Nigeria, Politics Malte Liewerscheidt On 7 October, President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2022 appropriation bill to both houses of the national assembly. In some respects, the draft budget builds on last year’s tendency of putting forward sensible assumptions on some accounts, while others... Read More...
Africa September 30, 2021 GUINEA: Miners’ ‘selective review’ risks persist amid transition charter Politics Malte Liewerscheidt On 27 September, the junta led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mamady Doumbouya issued a ‘transition charter’ outlining the guiding principles, institutions, and mechanisms governing the transition phase, which remains without an official end date. Unsurprisingly, the charter confirms the junta’s central... Read More...
Africa September 21, 2021 NIGERIA: Goodluck Jonathan’s potential comeback Nigeria, Politics Malte Liewerscheidt Rumors that former president Goodluck Jonathan (2010-2015) may soon be defecting from his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to become the ruling party’s flagbearer for the 2023 presidential election may not be unsubstantiated. However,... Read More...
Africa September 15, 2021 NIGERIA: How FX scarcity, VAT spat point to 2023 Nigeria, Politics Malte Liewerscheidt As the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) continues to clamp down on USD sales in the parallel market, the soaring demand for the greenback in that segment may be fueled by the onset of the political campaigning season. In... Read More...
Africa September 8, 2021 GUINEA: Following coup d’etat, miners face medium-term risks Politics Malte Liewerscheidt On 5 September, special forces soldiers led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mamady Doumbouya arrested President Alpha Conde. During a subsequent broadcast on state TV, the putschists announced the suspension of state institutions, the temporary closure of national borders, and a nationwide... Read More...
Africa August 26, 2021 KENYA: Constitutional referendum dead, presidential succession less certain Kenya, Politics Anne Frühauf, Malte Liewerscheidt On 20 August, the Court of Appeal upheld a high court ruling declaring several aspects of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) unconstitutional. The ruling represents another blow to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s and opposition leader Raila Odinga’s... Read More...
Africa August 23, 2021 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: IMF SDRs – trickle-down or redistribution? Politics, Sub-Saharan Africa Anne Frühauf, Malte Liewerscheidt The International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s general allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) remains inadequate vis-a-vis the region’s external financing needs. Yet, the debate on how rich countries can transfer SDRs to countries in greater need has been dragging on for... Read More...
Africa August 19, 2021 NIGERIA: As PIB becomes PIA, fuel subsidy will test reform efforts’ seriousness Nigeria, Politics Malte Liewerscheidt On 18 August, President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated a steering committee to see through the implementation over the next 12 months of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which he had signed into law earlier this week. The quick formation of... Read More...
