Bloomberg reported late on Tuesday, September 8 that JPMorgan has decided to eject Nigeria from its Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets (GBI-EM). Justifying its decision, the investment bank stated: “Investors who track the GBI-EM […]
Wednesday, August 19, was a busy day at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The ICC’s judges made two calls that could potentially have an impact on political risk in Kenya. […]
The Suez Canal’s new extension was inaugurated on Thursday, August 6, in a ceremony that burst with nationalist pride. The extension involved dredging a 37 km waterway that runs parallel to the existing […]
US President Barack Obama spent 48 hours in Kenya last weekend, in a visit that caused great excitement and comment. Kenyans feel a special affinity for the American leader, whose late father was […]
Structural factors, recent news and upcoming events give reason to believe that Nigeria is about to take a liberal turn on policy. The most important structural factors are the catastrophic state of public […]
Burundi’s presidential election has been postponed by five days, and the first round will now be held on Tuesday, July 21. Authorities thus want to look as though they are meeting international diplomats […]
Violence in Ghardaia is a symptom of Algeria’s stagnant polity, but also shows up a dangerous, exploitable fault line. The most recent violence between Mozabite (Berber) and Arab communities, who belong to different […]
Prosecutor-General Hesham Barakat was assassinated in a roadside bombing on Monday, June 29. The bomb was planted on a road near Mr Barakat’s home and detonated as he was on his way to […]
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced additional capital controls on June 24. CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele listed up to 40 items that would henceforth not be eligible for the purpose of purchasing […]
At some point before or during the 25th African Union (AU) summit held in Gauteng during June 7-15, the South African government crossed an extremely dangerous line. The executive took a decision to […]
The 25th World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa was held in Cape Town during June 3-5. The organisation promoted the event as including “[o]ver a thousand of the world’s top government and business […]
Four days before a change of government, oil marketers negotiated an $800m payout from the federal government. In the afternoon of Monday, May 25, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria agreed to […]
Former president Mohammed Moursi, cleric Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, and 104 other people have been sentenced to death. Among the others condemned on Saturday, May 16, were Mohamed Badie, the Supreme Guide of the Muslim […]
The Nigerian economy expanded by 3.96% y-o-y during 2015 Q1, down from 5.94% y-o-y in 2014 Q4. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recorded a 11.57% q-o-q decline in real GDP during Q1, […]
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently released its Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The Fund expects the region to continue to record commendable growth in 2015, but notes that the recent […]
On Monday April 20, the Zambian cabinet approved proposed changes relating to the mining tax regime. The changes imply a reinstatement of the two-tiered tax system. The budget address for the 2015 fiscal […]
In reaction to the Garissa massacre, Kenya is taking steps that threaten to do more harm than good. The devastating terror attack on April 2, in which 148 civilians were murdered by Al-Shabaab […]
