February’s Inflation Trends Across the African Continent

February’s Inflation Trends Across the African Continent

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Angola’s consumer inflation edged down to 39.45% year-on-year in February from 40.39% in January, data from the statistics office showed. On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased 2.59% compared to 2.25% in January. Botswana’s consumer inflation quickened to 3.4% year-on-year in February from 3.1% in January. Prices rose 0.2% month-on-month compared to 0.4% previously, Statistics Botswana stated. Burundi’s year-on-year inflation rate climbed to 20.7% year-on-year in February from 12.9% in…

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Zambia, Zimbabwe to Sell $440 Million Stake in Hydro Project

Zambia, Zimbabwe to Sell $440 Million Stake in Hydro Project

LUSAKA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Zambia and Zimbabwe plan on selling $440 million in equity stakes in the hydropower plants that form the centerpiece of the proposed $4 billion dam that will straddle their border. This is according to a document published by Ernst & Young Advisory Services Pty Ltd., the countries’ adviser. The Batoka Gorge hydropower project on the Zambezi river between the Kariba dam and Victoria Falls, will produce 2,400 megawatts of power once complete…

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Zimbabwe prints $102 million in bond notes, half its limit

Zimbabwe prints $102 million in bond notes, half its limit

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Zimbabwe’s central bank has printed half of the ‘bond notes’ quasi-currency it intends to issue under a $200 million scheme, a state newspaper reported on Friday, as the country grapples with a biting shortage of U.S. dollars. The notes are intended to be pegged to the U.S. currency but fears have been raised that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) would print more than planned, undermining their value. Long…

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Investing in African equity markets today: Zimbabwe as a case study for sub-Saharan Africa

Investing in African equity markets today: Zimbabwe as a case study for sub-Saharan Africa

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – A decade after its first disastrous flirtation with hyperinflation, Zimbabwe is once again on the economic precipice with the effects being conspicuously similar. Supermarket shelves have started to empty, some public and even private sector salaries remain unpaid, banking hall queues are getting longer and hospitals are short of basic supplies. Whilst the humanitarian state of affairs is critical we find the microeconomic structures persistently durable given that businesses continue…

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Which Path Africa’s Inflation Rate is Taking in January?

Which Path Africa’s Inflation Rate is Taking in January?

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Angola’s inflation slowed to 40.39% year-on-year in January from 41.95% in December, data from the national statistics agency showed. Prices increases on a month-on-month basis rose 2.29% in January compared to 2.17% previously.  Botswana’s consumer inflation inched up to 3.1% year-on-year in January from 3.0% in December, data from the statistics office showed. Prices rose 0.4% month-on-month compared to 0.1% previously.  Burundi’s year-on-year inflation jumped to 12.9% in January…

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Cash Is King in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe as Dollar Supply Dries Up

Cash Is King in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe as Dollar Supply Dries Up

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Walk into Pedzai Nyika’s furniture factory in Zimbabwe’s capital and he’ll offer a 20 percent discount straight away — provided you pay in cash. He’s not alone. A shortage of banknotes gripping the southern African nation has become so dire that business are offering huge discounts to cash-paying customers and limiting the amounts they can charge on credit cards or refusing to accept them altogether. “I am desperate. Business is…

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Zimbabwe Bank Suspends Use of Visa Cards as Cash Crunch Worsens

Zimbabwe Bank Suspends Use of Visa Cards as Cash Crunch Worsens

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – CBZ Holdings Ltd., Zimbabwe’s largest bank, suspended the use of Visa Inc. cards for local transactions as the country struggles to cope with a cash shortage. Charges on making transactions are very expensive for customers, CBZ Chief Executive Officer Never Nyemudzo said by phone from Harare, the capital, on Friday. Money also has to be settled outside the country for accounts that are held overseas in foreign currency, he said. The…

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