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Botswana: Debswana diamond sales drop almost 50% in first nine months of 2024

Published

2 hours ago

November 1, 2024

According to data provided by Botswana’s national bank on Tuesday, sales of rough diamonds at the Debswana Diamond Company decreased by almost 52% during the first nine months of 2024 as the worldwide diamond market continued to decline.

Debswana, which is jointly controlled by Botswana and De Beers of Anglo American Plc, sells De Beers 75% of its produce; the state-owned Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) keeps the remaining portion.

A new 10-year diamond sales agreement was reached between Botswana and De Beers last year, according to which ODC will receive 30% of Debswana’s supply, with the possibility of increasing this to 50% by the end of the new arrangement.

The Bank of Botswana announced on Tuesday that Debswana has sold diamonds valued at $1.53 billion in the first three quarters of this year, up from $3.19 billion in the same period last year.

Sales decreased 50.3% to 20.9 billion pula in local currency or around $1.55 billion at the current exchange rate.

A third of Botswana’s national output, 30% to 40% of its revenue, and 75% of its foreign exchange earnings come from diamonds. By value, it is the leading producer of the gem worldwide.

The poor economic performance, which is mostly attributable to the decline in the global diamond market, and the high unemployment rate are among the issues that will be the focus of the general election that will be held in the southern African nation on Wednesday.

“Our diamonds have not been selling since April, so yes, our revenues are down but the economic fundamentals still remain intact,” President Mokgweetsi Masisi, who is seeking a second term, said at a presidential debate last week.

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Angola’s draft budget estimates 1.65%/GDP deficit in 2025

Published

1 hour ago

November 1, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Draft budget documents show that Angola’s government expects a 1.65% GDP budget deficit in 2025, up from 1.46% this year.

According to finance ministry records on its website, Africa’s second-largest crude oil exporter’s 2025 budget is predicated on $70 per barrel of oil. Brent crude futures were around $74 per barrel on Friday.

In an interview with Reuters last week, Vera Daves de Sousa, the finance minister of Angola, stated that the southern African nation was under a lot of strain due to the possibility of declining oil prices.

Additionally, according to the draft budget, economic growth would pick up speed in the non-oil sectors, increasing from 3.3% this year to 4.1% next year.

According to the finance ministry, yearly inflation will drop from nearly 29% to 16.6% by the end of next year.

Last week, Daves de Sousa told Reuters that Angola was considering asking the International Monetary Fund for a funding program.

Its most current IMF program, worth $3.7 billion, was authorised in 2018 after the country’s earnings were severely damaged by the collapse of global petroleum prices.

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IMF predicts 4% Middle East, North Africa growth next year

Published

2 hours ago

November 1, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that Middle East and North Africa growth would rebound to 4% next year if oil output curbs were phased out, and headwinds, including wars, subsided.

As geopolitical and macroeconomic concerns remain, the IMF’s latest Regional Economic Outlook, launched in Dubai, predicts “sluggish” growth of 2.1% in 2024.

The IMF noted that risks to the outlook for the overall area, including the Caucasus and Central Asia, “remain tilted to the downside,” and called for an acceleration of structural reforms, notably in governance and labour markets, to raise chances for medium-term growth.

Jihad Azour, the IMF’s director for the Middle East and Central Asia department, said in an interview that the MENA growth estimate for 2024 has been revised downwards by 0.6% from April’s report, mainly due to the extension of the Israel-Hamas conflict and further extensions of OPEC+ voluntary oil production cuts.

He said the “good news” was that inflation was gradually being brought under control across the region. He predicted that the region would average the 3% goal rate in 2024, except for Egypt, Iran, and Sudan.

The outlook, however, differs significantly throughout the region. According to Azour, oil-exporting nations should be better equipped to handle such threats thanks to “strong” growth in the non-oil sector.

Non-oil growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region has mostly outpaced overall growth despite lower oil prices and production this year, thanks to government-led investment programs that support domestic demand. The GCC includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman.

Oil importers from the Middle East and North Africa are still more susceptible to protracted hostilities and significant funding requirements.

“Even as these issues gradually abate, uncertainty remains high and structural gaps will likely hold back productivity growth in many economies over the forecast horizon,” the IMF report said.

Since January 2024, the IMF has authorised $13.4 billion in fresh investment for Middle Eastern and Central Asian nations, including initiatives in Jordan, Pakistan, and Egypt.