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World Bank approves $750 million loan for Kenya’s COVID-19 recovery

Published

2 years ago

March 18, 2022

The World Bank, in an effort to accelerate Kenya’s ongoing inclusive and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, on Thursday approved a $750 million loan for the East African country.

The fund is under the Development Policy Operation (DPO) programme of the World Bank. It is expected to strengthen fiscal sustainability through reforms that contribute to greater transparency and the fight against corruption.

According to the World Bank, its finance policy provides rapidly-disbursing financing to help a borrower address actual or anticipated development financing requirements.

“DPF supports borrowers in achieving sustainable, shared growth and poverty reduction through a program of policy and institutional actions aimed at, for example, strengthening public financial management, improving the investment climate, addressing bottlenecks to improve service delivery, and diversifying the economy”.

The Washington-based lender said the loan is on concessional terms at an interest rate of about 3%, and will help the East African nation enhance the performance of its domestic debt market, reform the electricity industry and improve governance,

“The government’s reforms supported by the DPO help reduce fiscal pressures by making public spending more efficient and transparent, and by reducing the fiscal costs and risks from key state-owned entities,” Alex Sienaert, senior economist for the World Bank in Kenya, said in the statement.

It’s the fourth time in three years that Kenya has tapped the DPO facility, bringing cumulative borrowing to $3.25bn. East Africa’s biggest economy received $750m in June last year, $1bn in May 2020, and $750m in 2019. Requests for DPOs are presented to the World Bank’s board after the implementation of agreed reforms.

Critics of the World Bank argue that its loans are a mechanism of forcing free-market economics on countries through coercion. Countries with a debt crisis, whatever their other characteristics, agree to the bank’s package of legal and economic reforms, and the bank agrees to lend them money. Argentina, Ecuador, and India have all either weakened their labour legislation or amended their land laws to qualify for an adjustment loan. India is reported to have changed 20 pieces of major legislation.

Kenya consented to a raft of measures to secure the funding, including shifting government procurement to a new electronic platform to make transactions more transparent and reduce opportunities for corruption, the lender said. By the end of 2023, the programme aims to have five strategically selected ministries, departments, and agencies procuring goods and services through the electronic platform, it said.

Related Topics:Featured Kenya World Bank

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Nigeria has received $10.9 billion multi-sector investments from AfDB— Official

Published

4 days ago

July 23, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Nigeria has received $10.9 billion from the African Development Bank (AfDB), comprising $4.9 billion in public and private sector initiatives.

AfDB Director-General of the West Africa Region, Lamin Barrow, said the bank’s Nigeria funding approvals total $10.9 billion since it started operations.

Barrow made the revelation at the Second Interactive Session and Workshop on Developing Bankable Business Proposals/Business Plans for Youths in Agriculture in Abuja on Monday.

It was part of the bank’s 60th anniversary celebrations with stakeholders. Nigeria is the AfDB’s largest shareholder, and the bank’s relationship with it has grown, Barrow said.

The AfDB invests in Nigeria’s energy, power, transport, water, and sanitation infrastructure.

“Over the last 60 years, the Bank has grown into a trusted partner and the continent’s premier development financial institution.

“Our cooperation with Nigeria has expanded over the years, especially considering that Nigeria is the largest shareholder.

“Since it started operations in the country, cumulative financing approvals have reached 10.9 billion dollars and our portfolio currently stands at 4.9 billion dollars supporting projects in the public and private sectors,” he said.

After taking office eight years ago, AfDB President Dr Akinwumi Adesina prioritized the High 5—Power, Feed, Industrialize, Integrate, and Improve Africa’s quality of life—Barrow added. He said these were accelerators for achieving the SDGs and Agenda 2063 ambitions. The projects and programs supported during this time have reportedly affected over 400 million individuals.

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Analysts expect Egypt’s economy to rise 4.0% in 2024/25

Published

4 days ago

July 23, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A recent study that sampled seventeen economists by Reuters has predicted slower economic growth for Egypt in April after a $8 billion IMF accord in March.

The median projection for GDP growth in the fiscal year starting July 1 was 4%, down from 4.35% in April and 4.15% in January.

The poll predicted the GDP grew 2.9% in the fiscal year ending June 30. This is below their April and January predictions of 3% and 3.5%. Poll: 2025/26 growth should rise to 4.99%.

After the IMF agreement, Capital Economics’ James Swanston predicted slower growth due to tighter fiscal and monetary policies and a weaker pound.

“The overall net impact is that economic growth will be weaker this fiscal year, but there are reasons to be more optimistic on GDP growth from FY2025/26 onward,” Swanston said.

Egyptian tourism and Suez Canal revenue have slowed due to the Gaza crisis, which has cut Egypt’s foreign revenue by more than half.

Egypt’s planning ministry predicted 4.2% growth in 2024/25 on June 2. Analysts expect the Egyptian pound to fall to 49.50 per dollar by June 2025 and 52.50 by June 2026.

Before dropping it in March 2024, the central bank kept the pound at 30.85 per dollar. It’s roughly 48.40 per dollar.

The survey forecast 20.5% headline inflation in 2024/25 and 12.05% in 2025/26. In June, inflation dropped to 27.5% from a record high of 38.0% in September, exceeding the central bank’s objective of 5%-9%.

The analysts expect the central bank’s overnight lending rate to drop to 21.25% by June 2025 and 15.25% by June 2026.

Foreign money shortages have slowed the Egyptian economy. However, a $24 billion real estate transaction with the UAE in late February, a significant currency devaluation, and a $8 billion IMF accord in early March have mitigated that.