Shanghai, China | AFP | China Monday replaced finance minister Lou Jiwei, state media reported, with some analysts predicting more fiscal stimulus in the world’s second-largest economy. Lou was relieved of his duties and replaced by 59-year-old Xiao Jie, the deputy secretary-general of the State Council, or cabinet, Xinhua news …
Read More »Rethinking the banking industry
THE LAST WORD: By Andrew M. Mwenda Lesson for Central Bank from the experience of the takeover of Crane Bank This week, the government injected Shs 200 billion into Crane Bank to bolster its liquidity position. This is only 40% of the Shs 500 billion needed to bring the bank …
Read More »Sudan arrests opposition leader over fuel price speech
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese security agents arrested a senior opposition politician on Friday for giving a speech that criticised a government decision to raise fuel prices, his party said. Agents from the all-powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) arrested Khaled Omar, deputy chief of the Sudanese Congress …
Read More »African Development Bank okays $600 million loan for Nigeria
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | The African Development Bank has approved the first installment of a $1 billion loan to Nigeria to help President Muhammadu Buhari combat a “crisis situation”. In a Wednesday press release, the AfDB said that the $600 million loan was the “first tranche of a US …
Read More »Qatar must tackle ‘culture of consumption’, says emir
Doha, Qatar | AFP | Qatar’s emir said Tuesday that the super-rich Gulf state must tackle its “culture of consumption” as it deals with the sharp decline in world energy prices. In a speech to mark the opening session of Qatar’s Advisory Council, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani also called …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Without reform Ethiopia risks a deepening crisis
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Faced with its most serious challenge yet, the Ethiopian regime, a crucial Western ally in the fight against terrorism, risks a deepening crisis if promised reforms do not come, researchers and analysts warn. A nationwide state of emergency since October 9 combined with the …
Read More »ANALYSIS: How Crane Bank fell
ANALYSIS: Why President Yoweri Museveni’s behind- the-scenes-maneuvers to save Sudhir’s bank hit a snag On Oct.10, President Yoweri Museveni directed the Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda to find an immediate solution to Crane Bank’s problems with the Bank of Uganda (BoU). Apparently, this was expected to mark an end a …
Read More »Bringing the state back in
THE LAST WORD: By Andrew M. Mwenda Lessons for Uganda from the failure of Crane Bank and what should be done going forward Last week’s central bank takeover of Uganda’s third largest bank, Crane Bank, was another step in our nation’s march to the absolute mastery of our economy by …
Read More »Angolan state oil company mirrors nation’s troubles
Luanda, Angola | AFP | Angolan state-owned oil company Sonangol rode the commodities boom that drove the country’s extraordinary growth after civil war ended in 2002, but today it symbolises a national economic crisis. The Luanda-based company has increasingly been in focus since Isabel dos Santos, the billionaire daughter of …
Read More »Zimbabwe ‘bond notes’ stir hyperinflation fears
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabweans know the risks of worthless money all too well after hyperinflation between 2007 and 2009 gave them the 100-trillion-dollar banknote that barely bought a loaf of bread. Now they fear that the government is about to create another devastating crisis by printing its own …
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