Africa Economics Focus African consumer boom has much further to run Sub-Saharan Africa's (SSA's) consumer market has quadrupled in size since 2000, and is now worth over US$650bn. While some of the tailwinds that have supported consumption over the past decade are... 11th December 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Focus Nigeria: naira devaluation on the cards Our forecasts for a fall in oil prices, coupled with a relatively high rate of domestic inflation, suggest that pressure on the Nigerian naira is likely to build over the next year or so. We think... 9th August 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Focus South Africa's rigid labour market to hold back growth The latest round of biennial economy-wide wage negotiations in South Africa could be the catalyst for a renewed flare-up in labour unrest. But they are also likely to cast a spotlight on the country’s... 9th July 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Focus A closer look at South Africa's current account vulnerabilities The sharp widening of South Africa’s current account deficit in 2012 has grabbed most of the headlines, but the more worrying issue is the deterioration in the quality of capital inflows that are... 15th April 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Focus The "two-speed" continent The scope for rapid “catch-up” growth, allied with improving levels of governance, point to a relatively upbeat outlook for most of sub-Saharan Africa over the next decade or so. By contrast, a lack... 19th February 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Focus Buoyant domestic demand to support regional growth Buoyant domestic demand should ensure that sub-Saharan Africa remains one of the world’s best performing regions over the next two years, even if the global economy remains weak. We are particularly... 12th February 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Focus Kenya: testing times, but brighter outlook beyond next year Our new GDP Tracker for Kenya suggests that the economy has picked up a little pace in the second half of 2012, but that growth remains subdued by recent standards. Looking ahead, the combination of a... 12th December 2012 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Focus South Africa’s near-term outlook: challenges and responses The widespread mining sector strikes in South Africa over the past few months have focused attention on some of the country’s deeply entrenched socio-economic problems, which will require addressing... 31st October 2012 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Focus South Africa set to remain a regional underperformer Recent events in South Africa’s mining sector, while tragic, are also symptomatic of wider economic problems that are likely to mean the country falls short of achieving its significant growth... 6th September 2012 · 1 min read