Africa October 21, 2021 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: Debt restructuring talk targets private creditors Sub-Saharan Africa, Politics 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 21, 2021 SOUTH AFRICA: Who will be the biggest winner of the municipal elections? Politics, South Africa Anne Frühauf The African National Congress (ANC) will likely be the biggest loser of the 1 November municipal elections, but its loss will not be the gain of the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA). Smaller parties, not only the Economic Freedom Fighters... 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 27, 2021 ZAMBIA: A string of positive news Zambia, Politics Anne Frühauf President Hakainde Hichilema today, 27 September, announced the return of Denny Kalyalya as governor of the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) with immediate effect. The move puts the BoZ in a safe pair of hands and bodes particularly well for... Read More...
Africa September 24, 2021 SOUTH AFRICA: ANC improves candidate registration but election troubles remain Politics, South Africa Anne Frühauf The African National Congress (ANC) appears to have largely closed its self-inflicted candidate registration gap this week, but the party’s electoral troubles do not end here. With just under six weeks to go to the 1 November municipal elections, several... 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 19, 2021 ETHIOPIA: Piling on sanctions pressure Ethiopia, Politics Anne Frühauf US President Joe Biden today, 17 September, signed an executive order authorizing sanctions on Ethiopia. In the first instance, the order is an attempt to force ceasefire negotiations in the 10-month-old Tigray conflict. US... 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...
