March’s Inflation Trends Across the African Continent

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Angola’s inflation eased to 36.52 percent year-on-year in March from 38.32 percent in February, data from the National Statistics Agency reported. Price increases on a month-on-month basis slowed 1.91 percent in March compared to a 2.3 percent previously.

Algeria’s consumer price inflation stood at 7 percent year-on-year in March from 4.7 percent a year earlier. The National Statistics Office reported. Inflation reached 1.6 percent in March compared with the previous month after a 1.8 percent rise in food prices.

Botswana’s consumer inflation inched up to 3.5 percent year-on-year in March from 3.4 percent in February, statistics office reported. Prices rose 0.5 percent month-on-month compared to 0.2 percent previously.

Burundi’s inflation rate increased to 21.1 percent in March, from 20.7 percent year-on-year in February, the Institute of Economic Studies and Statistics (ISTEEBU) reported.

Democratic Republic of Congo’s consumer price inflation rose to 17.93 percent year-on-year in March, up from 14.8 percent in February, the central bank reported.

Egypt’s annual urban consumer price inflation rose to 30.9 percent year-on-year in March from 30.2 percent in February, the official CAPMAS statistics agency reported.

Ethiopia’s inflation rose to 8.5 percent year-on-year in March from 7 percent a month earlier, the statistics office reported. Food inflation rose to 9.6 percent in March from 7.8 percent a month earlier.

Ghana’s annual consumer price inflation fell to 12.8 percent in March from 13.2 percent the previous month, the statistics office reported. Food inflation was 7.3 percent in March compared with 7.1 percent in February.

Ivory Coast consumer inflation fell to 0.4 percent year-on-year in March from 1.5 percent in February, the National Statistics Institute reported. Food and soft drink prices declined by 1 percent year-on-year and housing and utilities prices climbed 1.3 percent.

Kenya’s inflation accelerated to 10.28 percent year-on-year in March from 9.04 percent a month earlier, pushed by higher food prices, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics reported. Month-on-month inflation was 1.67 percent.

Malawi’s consumer inflation slowed to 15.8 percent year-on-year in March from 16.1 percent in February, the National Statistical Office reported.

Mauritius’ annual headline inflation remained unchanged at 1.3 percent in the year to March, from the previous period, the statistics office reported.

Morocco’s year-on-year inflation slowed to 0.1 percent in March from 1.8 percent in the same month in 2016 and from 1.6 percent in February this year as food prices fell, the planning authority reported.

Mozambique’s consumer inflation rose to 21.57 percent year-on-year in March from 20.88 percent in February, the statistics agency reported.

Nigeria’s inflation slowed to 17.26 percent year-on-year in March compared to 17.78 percent

year-on-year in February, the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria reported. A separate food index showed inflation at 18.44 percent from 18.53 percent in February.

Rwanda’s year-on-year inflation eased to 7.7 percent in March from 8.1 percent a month earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics reported.

Seychelles’ inflation was at -1.15 percent year-on-year in March from -0.6 percent the previous month, the statistics office reported.

South Africa’s consumer inflation eased to 6.1 percent year-on-year in March from 6.3 percent in February. On a month-on-month basis, inflation fell to 0.6 percent from 1.1 percent, Statistics South Africa reported.

Sudan’s annual rate of inflation rose to 34.68 percent year-on-year in March from 33.53 percent the previous month, as food and energy prices kept rising after subsidies were cut in early November, the Central Statistics Office reported.

Tanzania’s year-on-year inflation rose to 6.4 percent in March from 5.5 percent the previous month, the statistics office reported. The monthly headline inflation rate for March increased by 1.4 percent compared with 1.0 percent in February.

Tunisia’s inflation rate rose to 4.8 percent year-on-year in March from 4.6 percent in the first two months of the current year, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) reported.

Uganda’s inflation fell to 6.4 percent year-on-year in March from 6.7 percent a month earlier, the statistics office said on Friday. The core inflation fell to 4.8 percent from 5.7 percent in February.

Zambia’s inflation slowed to 6.7 percent year-on-year in March from 6.8 percent in February, the statistics office reported. The monthly inflation slowed to 0.3 percent from 1.0 percent in the previous month.

Zimbabwe’s consumer prices rose by 0.21 percent year-on-year in March from a 0.06 percent increase in February, the national statistics agency reported. On a month-to-month basis, prices rose by 0.03 percent after increasing 0.61 percent previously.