Browsing: International Monetary Fund

President Ruto on new world order.
  • President William Ruto of Kenya says resources should neither be controlled by the World Bank nor the International Monetary Fund.
  • Africa does not want anything for free. But needs a new financial model where power is not in the hands of the few, says Dr Ruto.
  • In Paris, President Ruto says the world cannot continue normally when things are not going forward.

Kenya’s President William Ruto has has called for a new world financing model to tackle poverty and negative effects of climate change. Dr Ruto is advocating for a financial architecture made up of equals. This is his latest call as he continues to emerge as Africa’s most vocal leader since his election in August last year.

According to the leader of East Africa’s top economy, President Ruto said resources should neither be controlled by the World Bank nor the International Monetary Fund. “Africa does not want anything for …

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  • Project Management Institute’s recent Talent Gap report shows 2.3 million people will be needed each year to fill all project management-oriented (PMO) positions that are expected to open by 2030.
  • To remain competitive, companies will need to hire problem solvers and relationship builders who can help drive change and deliver strategic value.
  • During this decade, sub-Saharan Africa will witness a 40 percent growth in PMO employment opportunities.

African economies could be headed to a severe shortage of skilled project managers to implement critical infrastructure investments across the continent.

According to Project Management Institute’s most recent Talent Gap report, 2.3 million people will be needed each year to fill all project management-oriented (PMO) positions expected to open by 2030.

To remain competitive, companies will need to hire problem solvers and relationship builders who can help drive change and deliver strategic value.

During this decade, sub-Saharan Africa will witness a 40 percent…

Central Bank of Egypt hikes key interest rates by two per cent. www.theexchange.africa

The CBE also announced in a statement that it will begin a process of phasing out Letters of credit (LCs) for import finance by December 2022.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced an exceptional bonus to public employees and pensioners of the state administrative apparatus and state-affiliated companies at a value of EGP 300 to meet the cost of living. The government also froze household electricity prices through June 2023.

The National bank of Egypt (NBE) issued new three-year-maturity saving certificates with an annual yield of 17.25 per cent.

Banque Misr also has raised the annual yield of the three-year saving certificates to 17.25 per cent.…

IMF approves US$1.3bn loan for Zambia. www.theexchange.africa

Since he won the election last year, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has worked to repair relations with the IMF following tense times under his predecessor Edgar Lungu.

Under Lungu, who came to office in 2015, Zambia’s economy borrowed significantly to fund infrastructure projects. His unfriendly regulatory environment in the mining sector and a default on its Eurobonds in December 2020 shook investor confidence.

President Hichilema expressed his support for the agreement in a series of tweets, claiming that it helps to handle the nation’s debt load.…

The 2022 Tanzania Foreign Exchange Regulations will have implications on Traders and investors not only in Tanzania but also the EAC. www.theexchange.africa

These foreign exchange controls and restrictions will pose challenges for international businesses and foreign investors in Tanzania.

When introducing approvals and making them necessary for just about every kind of transaction, foreign exchange restrictions add a level of complexity to investors’ business model and implementation strategy.

The Tanzania Foreign Exchange Regulations require authorisations and justifications for several areas including exporting, importing or simply where a non-resident is directly investing in Tanzania.

While there could be a problem with income being paid outside of Tanzania for activities that are taking place in Tanzania, putting foreign exchange controls rarely constitutes the answer to encourage investors to keep their funds in the country.…

The BRI is one of China’s biggest infrastructure projects. This disturbing state of affairs has raised the alarm over Africa's debt situation. www.theexchange.africa

Consequently, China has carefully abandoned its strong preference for bilateral dealing with problem debtors. The Chinese state avoids being a rule-taker compared to the West on debt issues. Still, it increasingly appears to recognize that multilateral approaches – ideally on an ‘a la carte’ basis – can help contain both the pressures on its African partners and its challenges.

China, therefore cautiously supported the DSSI for some African nations when it came to effect in April 2020, and similarly, the Common Framework launched in 2021. However, the slow implementation of the Common Framework brings to light four specific challenges linked to China’s role.  

First is China’s discomfort with the independent and central role played by the IMF in controlling how much a country can afford to pay through its debt sustainability analysis (DSA). Second is the alarm of privates, and public sector lenders in the West over a lack of …

Copper plates in Zambia. Copper has given the Zambian Kwacha more strength against the dollar. www.theexchange.africa

A dollar is trading at 16.67 Kwacha and 13.35 Seychelles rupees as at December 31. Both countries were among the three worst performers in 2020.
This has fueled speculation from corporate participants and currency retail traders on when exactly to exit foreign currency risks for dollar hoarders or whether to buy the Kwacha as a safer haven store for value.
President Hichilema’s government is in the process of reworking as much as $17 billion in external public debt. He has submitted an endorsement request to the IMF as his administration advances talks with creditors from US$3 billion in Eurobond holders to US$5.8 billion owed to the Republic of China. …

Kenyan currency. Kenya’s economic growth remains a puzzle despite flowery projections. www.theexchange.africa

The National Treasury is projecting real GDP growth of 6.0 per cent and 5.8 per cent for 2021 and 2022 respectively and has used the same as the basis for its revenue projections. But this adds to the overall optimism being projected.

In September 2021, the Central Bank of Kenya Governor projected a 6.1 per cent growth rate for 2021 and 5.6 per cent in 2022.

The International Monetary Fund’s most recent forecast puts 2022 growth expectations at 6.0 per cent. The World Bank, on the other hand, projects growth to print at 4.5 per cent and 4.7 per cent in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

We really believe this optimism being projected around is largely irrational and the story of Kenya’s economic growth still remains a puzzle to us. …

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Inside KQ's economy class on the NBO-NYC route. Kenya Airways has signed an agreement with Safarilink for seamless connections of travellers from international destinations. www.theexchange.africa

The government of Kenya’s involvement has borne fruit. This Christmas week, KQ has increased the frequency of flights to the United States from two to four a week.

Bookings have picked up and the cost of a one-way ticket has risen from US$ 900 (KSh90,000) to US$10,00 (KSh101,305). This comes as a relief to the Kenya Airways Chairman, Michael Joseph, who had earlier said in an interview with a local station in Kenya last year that the pandemic would continue to affect demand for air travel for the next two to three years.

The airline said they had increased the number of direct flights to New York to enable families to reconnect and unite during this festive season.…

US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken flanked by President Joe Biden. Blinken is visiting Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal to discuss furthering cooperation. www.theexchange.africa

For the five years since 2002, Kenya registered its golden period in terms of economic growth. This was during President Mwai Kibaki’s first five-year term which ended in 2007. The Kenyan economy blossomed with the growth noticeable in both industry and tourism as well as in improved livelihoods.
At this time, the growth attracted the attention of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank because Kibaki’s government was not keen on funding from the Bretton Woods institutions. The government largely financed its budget from the revenues it collected which was unheard of in the previous regime. President Daniel Moi, Kibaki’s predecessor had deeply entrenched corruption in the country which wrecked the economy to almost collapse.
But today, the economy is worse than it was under Moi with the Jubilee government overseeing the worst job cuts, company closures and distressed livelihoods due to corruption. While the Covid-19 pandemic has …