Tanzania – GDP rebasing raises size of economy
Tanzania is now the latest African country to have released rebased GDP figures. The base year was changed from 2001 to 2007, and this resulted in the estimate for GDP increasing from TSh20.95trn […]
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Namibia – Ease of doing business deteriorates
The World Bank released its Doing Business 2015 report on October 29. The intention of the publication is to provide a measure of the difficulty an entrepreneur faces when starting and/or running a […]
South Africa – Finding Nene… the politics of troubled fiscal waters
Minister of Finance Nhlanhla Nene presented the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) to Parliament on Wednesday, October 22. General consensus after the statement was that the successor to Trevor Manuel and Pravin […]
Zambia – No surprises as budget speech calls for increased burden on miners
The minister of finance, Alexander Chikwanda, delivered the 2015 budget address, entitled “Celebrating our Golden Jubilee as One Zambia One Nation by making economic independence a reality for all” to the national assembly […]
Tanzania – New draft constitution, donor aid on hold
President Jakaya Kikwete formally received the draft of the new constitution on Wednesday, October 8. At a ceremony in Dodoma, Mr Kikwete and the president of Zanzibar, Ali Mohammed Shein, received copies of […]
Kenya – Economy now estimated to be 25% larger
On September 30, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) released rebased GDP figures, which resulted in the estimated size of the economy being raised by 25%. The base year was changed from […]
Lesotho – Ramaphosa talks up prospects, but there is no progress
It is going to take some time before we fully understand the plans of Lesotho’s squabbling political elites. These elites are attempting to advance their own agendas in the mediation process led by […]
Regional – West Africa – International moves against still-spreading Ebola
Western governments and international organisations have started taking real action against the unrelenting spread of the Ebola virus. On Thursday, September 18, the United Nations (UN) Security Council adopted a US-sponsored resolution in […]
Namibia – Growth continues slide in Q2
The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) released revised National Accounts on September 12. The revised data – as opposed to the preliminary adjustments released earlier in the year – paint a far rosier picture […]
Lesotho – What lies beneath?
Behind Lesotho’s current political crisis, security cluster ructions and infighting are the real threats to stability. As Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s allegations of a coup disintegrated, the fractious nature of the relationship between […]
Zambia – Sickbed macerations pose new threats to political stability
Zambia’s President Michael Sata (77 years old) is playing succession politics from his sickbed. He has sacked Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba – the clear favourite to take over in 2016 if the ailing […]
Kenya – Factional struggles over Cord referendum plan
Factions are forming for and against the opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord)’s plan to force a referendum. The main fault line, unsurprisingly, is between Cord and the ruling Jubilee coalition of […]
Nigeria – APC wins Osun governor's election
Rauf Aregbesola of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has won re-election as governor of Osun State in the south-west. Mr Aregbesola won over 56% of the almost 700,000 votes cast in the […]
Swaziland – Off with their heads… justice, Swazi style
The conviction and sentencing of two Swazi activists was a done deal before they walked into court on charges of contempt. However worrying the conviction of journalist Bheki Makhubu and human rights lawyer […]
Africa – Washington’s Africa Summit needs economic and trade clarity
The US agenda driving this week’s Africa Summit in Washington, where some 50 African states will be represented, remains something of a mystery. Africa’s agenda, by contrast, should be clear – economic ties […]
Nigeria – Monetary policy instruments left unchanged
The first Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting led by the new governor, Godwin Emefiele, was held on July 22. As at the May MPC meeting of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), all […]
Mali – Rocky start to Algiers negotiations
Negotiations between Mali’s government and northern separatists kicked off on in Algiers on Wednesday, July 16. There has been no sign that a rapid resolution of the Malian issue can be expected. The […]
