NKC African Economics

The latest data from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) shows that real GDP growth plunged to 1.8% y-o-y in Q1 2020 from a revised 6.7% y-o-y expansion the previous quarter, due to a slowdown in e...

Doubts over Treasury’s ability to contain spending ZAR runs out of momentum late in the session Australian retail turnover rebounds in May UK PMI results continue to tell an implausible story

Gabon - A $2bn drop in export value (30%), a sharp widening of the current account deficit, and drastic switch in the government balance from a surplus equal to 1.9% of GDP to a deficit equal to 4.2%...

Government responded early and decisively to the Covid-19 pandemic, announcing stimulus measures worth 4.6% of GDP to provide a safety net to firms and households. However, the collapse in the oil pri...

Africa – Weekly Covid-19 update. Ghana – Work begins on compiling new voters’ roll. Senegal – Growth slows in Q1 as services take a big knock. Sudan – Anniversary protests and aid pledges.

On June 30, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets on the one-year anniversary of the deadly 2019 ‘millions march’ demonstration, demanding a quicker implementation of the transitional ag...

Real GDP growth slowed to 1.4% y-o-y in Q1, following a growth rate of 3.5% y-o-y during the preceding quarter. Despite growth picking up in both the primary and secondary sectors, it was a contractio...

The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) has started the process of compiling a new voters’ roll, with a large number of people turning out for the first day of voter registration on June 30. This follo...

As of the end of Thursday, July 2, 139 days after the first confirmed case in Africa, the number of active cases of Covid-19 (that is confirmed cases minus recoveries and deaths) on the continent prac...

Angola – From our Quarterly Update (Jul 1). DRC – Struggle for control of the courts (Jun 29). Ethiopia – Targeted killing sparks protests in Addis Ababa, Oromia (Jul 1). Malawi – Chakwera starts work...

First current account surplus since 2003 ZAR upbeat as risk sentiment improves US employment is recovering, but steep climb back US stocks rise as Nasdaq posts record closing high

Namibia - While the IMF revised its growth forecast for 2020 to -6.0% in the latest release of the regional economic outlook, a considerable 3.5 ppts lower than its previous projection, we retain a mo...

The Covid-19 enforced détente in South African politics has not lasted very long and the more familiar competition, contestation and conflict have resumed. This is not because the threat of the virus...

Kenya – Current account deficit narrows in Q1 2020. South Africa – First current account surplus since 2003.