In practical terms, President Kagame is poised to remain President for life as Rwandans continue to vote in favour of peace and development over justice and democracy. With a c.99% vote share in the 2024 presidential elections, Paul Kagame – the incumbent Rwandan President – crushed election victory and will be extending his nearly a…
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Suppose a central bank is incapable, or unwilling, to meet all the demand for foreign exchange at its official exchange rate and seeks to protect or provide a temporary stopgap for its foreign exchange reserves during unpalatable balance of payment adjustments. In that case, it often implements foreign exchange controls. Unfortunately, these restrictions typically encourage…
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Globally, climatic shocks have become more frequent and intense. Many people still think of climate change as a future phenomenon, probably because climate change-related projections are tied to future dates: 2030, 2050, or 2100, for instance. But we are, unfortunately, experiencing climate change, and have done so for some time now. Over the past century,…
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14th February was not just about chocolates and roses; it was also the second anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. The COVID-19 pandemic brought atypical disruptions to Africa—crunching incomes, magnifying poverty and food insecurity, and leading the region into its first recession in 25 years. Faced with the shock of unprecedented proportions, Africa has…
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A new year, another coup in Africa, especially West Africa that has seen no less than five military takeovers in the past year. Mali, Tunisia, Guinea, Sudan, and now Burkina Faso have been recent coup hotbeds amid widespread public discontent and disillusionment. Africa saw more than 10 general elections in 2021, and the majority returned…
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As the economic consequences of the pandemic continues to dissipate and the global recovery progresses further, economic policymakers are now faced with the herculean task of taming inflation amid the fragile global recovery. With the risk of a rates lift off looming larger in 2022, a number of themes are expected to dominate the macroeconomy.…
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Angela Merkel’s sixteen-year hold of Europe’s largest economy ended earlier this month, as she handed over the helm of Germany’s affairs to Olaf Scholz, her four-year finance minister, vice-chancellor, and an ardent social democrat. Scholz, who narrowly edged out other candidates in the race to fill Merkel’s huge shoes in the September elections, has taken…
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By November 3, the United States of America (USA) will be making a choice between a Trump or Biden presidency. Increased uncertainty on the outcome of the elections drove jitters on major US equity indexes last week, as the markets priced in the possibility of an election contest given the increased adoption of mail-voting as…
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