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Kenya, IMF discuss economic and fiscal issues

Published

2 days ago

September 18, 2024

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday that it had had productive discussions with Kenya’s government on its economic and fiscal goals after widespread protests prompted it to shelve tax rises.

In June, President William Ruto abandoned this year’s finance bill, leaving the deeply indebted government with a larger budget deficit, unpaid payments, and a delay in IMF funding.

“We remain fully committed to supporting the authorities in their efforts to identify a set of policies that could support the completion of the reviews under the ongoing program as soon as feasible,” the IMF said in a statement.

Kenya signed a four-year IMF loan in 2021 and another for climate change measures in May 2023, totalling $3.6 billion. The country secured a staff-level agreement with the IMF on its seventh review in June, but the protest and finance bill withdrawal delayed the executive board’s sign-off and payout.

Public debt helps development. Governments utilise it to fund spending, protect and invest in their citizens, and improve their futures. However, too quick governmental debt growth can be a burden. The developing world which Africa forms core is experiencing this.

Kenya’s government debt was 70.10% of GDP in 2023. Kenya’s government debt to GDP averaged 56.36% from 1998 to 2023, peaking at 78.30% in 2000 and falling to 38.20% in 2012.

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Botswana grants a mining permit for its first manganese operation

Published

3 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Giyani Metals, Botswana’s first manufacturer of manganese suitable for batteries, revealed that the country had granted it a 15-year mining permit.

The demand for manganese, a crucial component of batteries, is anticipated to rise due to the rise in electric vehicles and other clean energy applications.

One of the few battery-grade manganese projects outside of China is Giyani’s Kgwakwe Hill (K.Hill) project, which will process manganese oxide material on-site to generate high-purity manganese sulphate. 90% of the world’s supply of high-purity manganese is controlled by this Asian nation.

An early economic study from 2023 states that the K. Hill mine will produce 80,000 metric tonnes of high-quality manganese sulphate monohydrate annually throughout a 57-year life.

“The next step is production of battery-grade manganese from our demonstration plant, which is under construction in Johannesburg, South Africa,” the Canadian company said in a statement.

It further stated that the product from the demonstration facility will be utilised for off-taker qualification, an essential stage before the signing of offtake agreements.

The diamond industry is very important to Botswana, which produces the most diamonds globally in terms of value. The gem industry accounts for 30% of national income and 70% of foreign exchange earnings.

The nation wants to diversify its mining industry by using resources including iron ore, nickel, copper, and coal.

The nation is home to three active copper mines in addition to its two active coal mines.

The demand for battery metals like manganese is predicted to decrease the nation’s dependency on diamonds as a result of the growing need for green minerals worldwide brought on by the energy transition.

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Ghana records fastest growth in 5 years as GDP expands by 6.9% in Q2 2024

Published

3 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Ghana has recorded its strongest rate of economic growth in five years in the second quarter of 2024, with the country’s statistics agency reporting on Thursday that the country’s GDP expanded by 6.9% year over year.

The country, which is a top producer of cocoa, oil, and gold has been battling the greatest economic crisis in a generation as a result of spiralling public debt, the robust rise signifies a noteworthy comeback.

“The 6.9% growth rate is the highest since the second quarter of 2019 and it was driven largely by strong expansion in the extractive sector, just as we saw in the second quarter of 2019,” government statistician Samuel Kobina Annim said.

Mining and quarrying contributed to the 9.3% growth in Ghana’s overall industry sector, while the gold sector climbed by 23.6% during the quarter for the third time in a row. Agriculture expanded 5.4%, but the services sector grew by 5.8%, according to Annim.

However, the cocoa sector shrank by 26.2% for the fourth consecutive quarter, underscoring the effects of a persistent drop in crop output brought on by disease and unfavourable weather.

The West African state is benefiting further from the economic recovery as it restructures its debt. After striking a preliminary restructuring agreement with two bondholder groups, it has extended an invitation to holders of its about $13 billion worth of international bonds to exchange their holdings for new instruments.

Bondholders can accept the offer until September 30. However, there will be a 1% consent fee for those who accept it before an early deadline of September 20.