South Africa’s Inflation rate falls to a 19-month low in June

Businessam StaffJuly 19, 2017

South Africa’s inflation rate fell to its lowest in 19 months in June, creating room for the central bank to shift toward looser monetary policy. Inflation slowed to 5.1 percent from 5.4 percent in May, Pretoria-based Statistics South Africa said Wednesday in a report on its website. That’s the lowest rate since November 2015. The […]

Zimbabwe capital city plans $100 million housing bond this Year

Businessam StaffJuly 19, 2017

Zimbabwe’s capital city plans to raise a $100 million bond this year to finance the building of new homes and end a decades-long housing shortage, its mayor said. The capital, Harare, has “outgrown itself and the population has grown beyond the city’s initial designs,” mayor Bernard Manyenyeni said Tuesday in an interview. An original plan […]

Kenya holds key rate after GDP growth slows, inflation persists

Businessam StaffJuly 18, 2017

Kenya’s central bank left its key rate unchanged for a fifth straight meeting as East Africa’s largest economy expanded at the slowest pace in three years and price growth remains above the target band. The Monetary Policy Committee retained the benchmark rate at 10 percent, Governor Patrick Njoroge said Monday. The decision was in line […]

Market competition for commercial vehicles in Africa intensifies, Frost & Sullivan

Businessam StaffJuly 18, 2017

Rising urbanization is encouraging unprecedented infrastructural developments in Africa, especially across the construction and oil and gas sectors. This is strengthening the regional market for commercial vehicles (CVs) like rigid trucks and flatbed trailers. Asian original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Dongfeng, Sinotruk, Tata and Ashok Leyland have started making rapid inroads into […]

African economies need to integrate technological processes to catch up with the rest of the world

Businessam StaffJuly 15, 2017

The technology space in Africa holds an outstanding promise, which requires stakeholders in the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) to pursue the tech market in accelerating Africa’s development efforts. This was unanimously agreed upon by the Panelists at the 4th Tech 360 Africa Summit held in Accra  Thursday, July 14. Contributing to panel discussions on several […]

South Africa considers privatisation to wrestle economy out of recession

Businessam StaffJuly 13, 2017

Malusi Gigaba, South Africa’s finance minister said on Thursday the country was considering the sale of non-core assets and partial privatisation of state-owned firms to wrench the economy out of recession, according to a report by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The privatisation was part of an “ambitious 14-point programme” to put the country back […]

Rwanda’s Inflation slows to 4.8% in June on reduced food prices

Businessam StaffJuly 12, 2017

Rwanda’s Inflation rate dropped to 4.8 percent in June compared to 6.5 percent recorded in May, the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda monthly consumer price index (CPI) indicates. However, this is slightly higher than the 4.1 percent recorded during the same period last year. The rate was down 0.8 percent on a monthly basis, […]

Gabon seeks private partners to boost processing of Minerals

Businessam StaffJuly 11, 2017

Gabon, Africa’s second-biggest manganese producer, wants to partner with private companies to process most its minerals locally before exporting them, Mining Minister Christian Magnagna said. Local processing will boost the mining industry’s contribution to gross domestic product from the current 2.1 percent to at least 4 percent as the central African nation seeks to make its […]