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IMF Staff Country Report-West African Economic and Monetary Union: Staff Report on Common Policies for Member Countries
May 19, 2025--Summary
Economic growth continues to be strong in the WAEMU, while inflation has fallen back to its target range. An appropriately tight monetary policy, along with progress in reducing external imbalances, is supporting a strong recovery in reserves back above the lower end of the adequacy range. However, there is significant divergence among WAEMU member states in macroeconomic performance, policies, and resilience.
In addition, public debt ratios have been significantly increasing in recent years and are particularly high in some member states. The region remains vulnerable to potential shocks, notably delays in oil production, falls in commodity prices (notably cocoa and gold), and constraints on external financing.
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Source: IMF.org
Building Momentum for Inclusive Growth
May 12, 2025--Nigeria's macroeconomic situation is improving as a result of sustained reforms according to the latest edition of the Nigeria Development Update (NDU) report released today.
The report, titled "Building Momentum for Inclusive Growth," shows that economic growth in the last quarter of 2024 increased to 4.6% (year-on-year), pushing growth for the full year 2024 to 3.4%, the highest since 2014 (excluding the 2021-2022 COVID-19 rebound).
Recent reforms have also helped to strengthen the foreign exchange (FX) market and Nigeria's external position. The consolidated fiscal position improved in 2024, driven by surging revenues. The fiscal deficit shrank from 5.4% of GDP in 2023 to 3.0% of GDP in 2024, a major improvement which was driven by a sharp increase in revenues of the entire Federation, which rose from N16.8 trillion in 2023 (7.2% of GDP) to an estimated N31.9 trillion in 2024 (11.5% of GDP). This is according to the latest edition of the Nigeria Development Update (NDU) Report.
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Source: worldbank.org
Economic Growth is Speeding Up in Africa, but Uncertainty Clouds Outlook
April 23, 2025--Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is showing some resilience despite uncertainty in the global economy and restricted fiscal space. Regional growth is expected to reach 3.5% in 2025 and further accelerate to 4.3% in 2026-2027. This growth is mainly due to increased private consumption and investments as inflation cools down and currencies stabilize.
The median inflation rate in the region declined from 7.1% in 2023 to 4.5% in 2024.
However, growth is still not strong enough to significantly reduce poverty and meet people's aspirations -a core concern of the 31st edition ofAfrica's Pulse, which focuses on Improving Governance and Delivering for People in Africa. Real income per capita in 2025 is expected to be approximately 2% below its most recent peak in 2015. Countries rich in resources and those facing fragility, conflict and violence are growing more slowly than more diversified economies, and the region is struggling to create enough good jobs for its young population.
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Source: World Bank
Africa's Opportunity in a Fragmenting Global Economy
April 9, 2025--The global trade landscape is shifting dramatically. With the U.S. imposing new tariffs on key imports with countries already planning retaliation, the world is edging deeper into a long-term trade war. This is not just a bilateral dispute. It signals the acceleration of a broader move away from open globalisation toward protectionism and economic nationalism.
For Africa, this rupture in the global order presents both risks and rare opportunities. Historically positioned on the periphery of global value chains and heavily reliant on raw material exports, Africa has often been a passive player in the trade system.
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Source: allafrica.com
Nigeria: Investors Lose N91bn As Nigerian Exchange Opens Bearish
April 3, 2025-"What we witnessed today was an alignment of portfolios by dividend-seeking investors."
The stock market on Wednesday opened the week bearish as performance indices declined by 0.14 per cent.
Specifically, the Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX) market capitalisation fell by N91 billion, or 0.14 per cent, to N66.166 trillion from N66.257 trillion recorded on Friday.
The All-share Index also dropped by 0.14 per cent or 144.65 points to close at 105,515.99, down from 105,660.64 posted on Friday.
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Source: allafrica.com
Africa's Debt Crisis Under-Reported-AFRODAD
March 30, 2025-AFRICAN Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) Executive Director Jason Braganza has expressed concern over how challenges arising from debt servicing to international monetary facilities by African countries are going unreported due to lack of information and statistics among other challenges.
Braganza was speaking at the official opening of the 5th edition of the AFRODAD Media Initiative (AFROMedI) held in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa recently.
With half of the continent currently being in debt distress, Braganza said the need to capacitate the media for the benefit of the public and holding authorities accountable.
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Source: allafrica.com
Africa's Digital Payments Economy to Reach $1.5trn By 2030-Report
March 27, 2025-A recent Mastercard-commissioned report by Genesis Analytics has stated that the digital payments economy in Africa would continue to grow, with a projection that is expected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030.
As a longstanding technology partner to Africa, Mastercard continues to strengthen its commitment to the continent's digital growth through strategic investments, public-private partnerships, and innovation initiatives that drive financial health and economic growth. By fostering collaboration with key stakeholders, Mastercard aims to enhance digital connectivity, expand economic opportunities, and enable millions of people and businesses to thrive in the digital economy.
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Source: allafrica.com
Bitcoin Price Trends and the Future of Digital Transactions in Africa
March 24, 2025--There's an increasing acceptance of Bitcoin on the African continent. More businesses, individuals and even financial organizations are using cryptocurrency to transact as an alternative to traditional banking systems.
With the economies of the continent experiencing a lot of currency instability, poor banking infrastructure and exorbitantly priced remittances, Bitcoin is coming up as a viable solution financially.
Analyzing Bitcoin price trends is crucial for investors, traders and businesses in Africa who want to implement digital assets in their operations.
The Impact of Bitcoin on the African Economy
North American nations have been at the forefront of Bitcoin adoption; however, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa have recently emerged as leaders in Africa. Peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trading across the continent reached over $100 billion in 2023, making Africa one of the fastest-growing markets for blockchain technology, according to a report by Chainalysis.
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Source: allafrica.com
IMF-Boosting Growth and Prosperity in South Africa
March 10, 2025-Summary
Improving the business environment, strengthening governance, and reforming the labor market are among the keys to economic success
South Africa is well-positioned to confront significant longstanding challenges that have been holding the economy back: declining real per-capital income, persistent unemployment, pervasive poverty, and one of the highest inequality rates in the world.
These outcomes reflect deepening structural rigidities and governance weaknesses, evidenced by the negative contribution of Total Factor Productivity to growth over the past 15 years.
A new Government of National Unity, in power since June 2024, has committed to tackle these challenges by providing new impetus to the ongoing structural reforms initiated in 2020.
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Source: imf.org
How Africa could help diversify the booming global semiconductor industry
March 6, 2025-- Demand for semiconductors is booming amid growth in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Countries and regions including the US and EU want to diversify semiconductor supply chains; Africa offers many benefits for semiconductor manufacturing.
With the right policies and increased investment, African countries could play a key role in the future diversification of the semiconductor industry.
The global semiconductor industry is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by rising demand, geopolitical shifts and the need for more diversified and resilient supply chains. The US, EU and Japan are all actively seeking to diversify their semiconductor supply chains and semiconductor manufacturing is now at an inflection point as a result.
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Source: weforum.org
