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Massive job losses loom in Kenya as US Dollar shortages persist

Published

2 years ago

June 8, 2022

Workers in the private sector in Kenya are on the verge of losing their jobs following an acute shortage of the dollar which could trigger manufacturing firms to shut down or suspend operations as they try to navigate cash flow problems.

The fears were raised barely a week after the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) warned that most of its members are facing challenges accessing the dollar.

According to the KAM, firms like Pwani Oil, the manufacturer behind the Salit Oil, Mpishi Poa, and Fresh Fry cooking oil products, has announced a temporary halt of its operations, citing dollar shortage which has hindered it from sourcing key commodities.

KAM Chairperson Mucai Kunyiha on May 30, had said manufacturers have been forced to plan for foreign currency payments by purchasing foreign currency in advance resulting in an increase in working capital.

A foremost Kenyan economist, Ken Gichinfa who spoke on a radio programme on Wednesday, said with sufficient dollars in reserves, the shortage is being occasioned by pent-up demand for the dollars which has led to the depreciation of the Kenyan shilling.

“The worst-case scenario is that many firms will shut down resulting in job losses escalating due to manufacturers struggling to meet their obligations.

“If the situation remains unresolved, the business community involved with importation, like manufacturers and car dealers, will be largely affected and might lead to further closure and job losses,” Gichinga said.

But in response to the fears, the Kenyan Central Bank (CBK) accused the manufacturers of causing the scarcity of the dollars.

“The manufacturers should understand that they are small in that sense and sort of go to the market like everyone else. There are no favorites in the market. Follow the rules of the market and everything will be okay,” the CBK head, Patrick Ngugi Njoroge had previously remarked.

Kenya is already battling rising inflation which has heightened the cost of living with fuel and food prices rising.

The costs of producing goods and services remained at an 8-year high driven by rising fuel prices, higher taxes, and input shortages which forced many firms to scale back on output and employment levels.

Related Topics:Dollars Economy Featured Kenya

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Kenya seeks $750m from World Bank, obtains $200m from AfDB— Official

Published

2 days ago

November 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The head of debt management for the finance ministry told Reuters that Kenya had obtained a $200 million loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and was negotiating a fresh $750 million loan with the World Bank.

After being forced to abandon proposed tax rises costing more than 346 billion shillings ($2.68 billion) in June due to fatal demonstrations, the East African nation’s administration, which has been grappling with significant debt, has been frantically seeking fresh funding.

The Finance Ministry’s public debt management office director general, Raphael Owino, told Reuters that the IMF’s October clearance of the seventh and eighth reviews, which opened the door for a $606 million loan tranche, had aided the ministry’s talks for more loans.

“The World Bank is coming on board, riding on the back of IMF receipts,” Owino said. “The AfDB is already on board.”

The discussions for more assistance, which came under the World Bank’s “Development Policy Operations” (DPO) with the government, were confirmed by a representative at the organization’s Kenya office.

“The amount of the current (loan) is yet to be determined. The amount will also depend on the implementation of the policy reforms agreed upon,” the spokesperson told Reuters, adding that past DPO loans averaged about $750 million.

In May, the World Bank approved the latest round of DPO loans, totalling $1.2 billion.

According to a statement made last month by Finance Minister John Mbadi, Kenya has set a foreign borrowing goal of 168 billion shillings for the fiscal year ending in June 2025.

VenturesNow

Dangote refinery begins petroleum sales to West Africa

Published

2 days ago

November 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In an indication to traders that the activities of its mega-refinery might soon disrupt regional fuel markets, Nigeria’s private Dangote Petroleum Refinery has started exporting refined petroleum products to neighbouring West African nations.

According to a Bloomberg story on Tuesday, a tanker had transported a consignment of petrol from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to seas off the coast of Togo, a nearby West African nation. The article cited data from Vortexa, Kpler, Precise Intelligence, a port report, and a ship-tracking tool.

According to the source, a CL Jane Austen recently departed west after loading over 300,000 barrels from Dangote.

Recall that Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, the chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Authority, stated last month that the nation is thinking of purchasing petroleum products from the Dangote refinery in order to reduce the approximately $400 million it spends each month on more costly exports from Europe.

Speaking at the OTL Africa Downstream Oil Conference in Lagos, the chairman of NPA, Ghana, said that by eliminating freight expenses, buying from Nigeria instead of Europe will lower the cost of other products and services.

“If the refinery reaches 650,000bpd a day capacity, all that volume cannot be consumed by Nigeria alone, so instead of us importing as we do right now from Rotterdam, it will be much easier for us to import from Nigeria and I believe that will bring down our prices,” Hamid said.

Two weeks ago, it was announced that the refinery would start exporting fuel to Namibia, Angola, and South Africa. Four more African nations—Niger Republic, Chad, Burkina Faso, and Central Africa Republic—had also begun talks with the refinery, it was said.

According to a very reliable source who spoke directly to one of our reporters, the management of the refinery with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day was in the advanced stages of negotiations with the nations to begin lifting petroleum.

“I can confirm to you that talks are actually at the advanced stage with Ghana, Angola, Namibia, and South Africa, while the initial discussion is coming up with Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic,” the source said.

The petroleum product shipment is currently floating off the coast of Lome, which is a well-liked location for ship-to-ship transfers, according to the source.

Furthermore, the final destination of the cargo of the CL Jane Austen is uncertain.

Despite being off Togo, the region is frequently utilised for ship-to-ship transfers, thus the gasoline may eventually be transported elsewhere.

“While the shipment is tiny in the context of the global gasoline market, it signals the ramp-up of Dangote’s production and the potential to export significant volumes of gasoline beyond Nigeria, which could upend regional markets.”

Last month, the refinery sent its first shipment of petrol by sea to Lagos, a neighbouring commercial centre.

Under the regulatory statute, the Federal Government last month terminated the state-owned oil company’s monopoly on purchasing gasoline from the plant for domestic use, but it has permitted the ongoing importation of fuel from the US and Europe.