SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: Debt restructuring talk targets private creditors
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 pa… Become a member to read the rest of this article Username or E-mail Password […]
SOUTH AFRICA: Who will be the biggest winner of the municipal elections?
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 (EFF), will make inroads, … Become a member to read the rest of this […]
COTE D’IVOIRE: Gbago’s new party reshuffles Ivorian politics
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 leftist party has the po… Become a member to read the rest of this article
NIGERIA: Buhari’s final full-year budget stays true to form
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 remain as illusory as e… Become a member to read the rest of this article
GUINEA: Miners’ ‘selective review’ risks persist amid transition charter
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 … Become a member to read the rest of this article
ZAMBIA: A string of positive news
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 relations with the International Monetary Fund (IM… Become a member to read the rest of […]
SOUTH AFRICA: ANC improves candidate registration but election troubles remain
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 factors could cons… Become a member to read the rest of this article
NIGERIA: Goodluck Jonathan’s potential comeback
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, an impo… Become a member to read the rest of this article
ETHIOPIA: Piling on sanctions pressure
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 Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s accompanying stateme… Become a member to read the rest of this article
NIGERIA: How FX scarcity, VAT spat point to 2023
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 the same vein, the controversy around the jurisdiction over Va… Become a member to read […]