Africa Economics Weekly Ethiopia conflict, Nigeria cuts rates, SA hikes This week’s renewed fighting raises the risk of Ethiopia sliding back into civil war, threatening what had up to now looked like strong growth prospects. Elsewhere, Nigeria’s large 350bp rate cut... 25th September 2026 · 5 mins read
Africa Economic Outlook Africa resilient but pockets of vulnerability remain Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa should remain resilient despite high energy prices and tighter global financial conditions. We’re positive relative to the consensus on growth in much of the region... 25th September 2026 · 19 mins read
Africa Economics Update SARB hikes, but that’s probably the end of the cycle The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) chose to restart monetary tightening with a 25bp hike to 7.25% today, but the commentary suggests that this hiking cycle may already be over. Higher energy prices... 23rd September 2026 · 3 mins read
Africa Rapid Response South Africa Consumer Prices (Aug. 26) The smaller-than-expected rise in South African inflation in August, to 4.4% y/y, and signs of softer underlying inflation pressures will be welcome news for SARB officials. It will be a close call... 23rd September 2026 · 2 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Angola’s final rate cut, Nigeria and SA to hold rates The Angolan central bank's latest rate cut delivered this week is likely to be its last for some time. Next week, we expect the Central Bank of Nigeria to hold at 26.50%, as inflation remains too high... 18th September 2026 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly SA current account deteriorates, Senegal’s debt problem Q2 data this week showed the energy shock is putting South Africa’s current account position under strain, and with oil prices back above $100pb, we expect that external pressure to persist in the... 11th September 2026 · 5 mins read
Africa Rapid Response South Africa GDP (Q2 2026) The South African economy’s contraction of 0.2% q/q in the second quarter may not have been as bad as it first appears but, even so, it is likely to put an end to any talk of further rate hikes from... 8th September 2026 · 2 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Nigeria & Angola pick up, S. Africa Q2 data to disappoint The strength of the Q2 GDP figures out of Nigeria and Angola this week has prompted us to revise up our 2026 growth forecasts for both economies. But while Nigeria’s economy is likely to strengthen... 4th September 2026 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Naira rally won’t last, Strong SA Data, Zambia Inflation High commodity prices have continued to support the Nigerian naira, but we don’t think this will continue. For the Zambian kwacha, heightened post-election political uncertainty is a key risk that... 28th August 2026 · 5 mins read
Africa Chart Pack Africa Chart Pack (Aug. 2026) Economic growth in the region has been resilient in the face of the energy shock, and we think it will accelerate from here. Inflation held steady or slowed, including in Nigeria and South Africa... 24th August 2026 · 0 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly SA food inflation slump, Ethiopia FX, Zambia election The fall in South African inflation in July is likely to be followed by a pick-up in the coming months due to unfavourable base effects. But underlying inflation pressures, as well as food inflation... 21st August 2026 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: softer Q2 but reasons to be upbeat The latest batch of activity data from South Africa point to GDP growth softening to around 0.3% q/q in the second quarter. That said, we remain confident in our above-consensus forecast for the... 19th August 2026 · 3 mins read
Africa Rapid Response South Africa Consumer Prices (Jul. 26) The large fall in South African inflation in July, to 4.3% y/y, will likely prove a blip and the headline rate is likely to rise into early 2027. That should keep the SARB on the sidelines in the near... 19th August 2026 · 2 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly AGOA extended, Kenya and Uganda hold rates The African Growth and Opportunity Act took another step towards being extended this week, providing further evidence that Africa is emerging from the latest US trade actions relatively unscathed... 14th August 2026 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Update South Africa’s inflation outlook still benign South Africa’s inflation figures for July, due next Wednesday, are likely to show a temporary drop (probably to 4.3%) and the headline rate is likely to rise back to around 5% by early 2027. But we... 13th August 2026 · 3 mins read
Africa Economics Update Can Africa move up the commodity value chain? Governments in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly turning to interventionist measures to boost refining of commodities. But many of the conditions to make this a success, including transport... 11th August 2026 · 4 mins read
