Public Management

Eswatini: IMF sees growth rising to 3.2% and inflation stabilizing in FY2022/2023

Eswatini: IMF sees growth rising to 3.2% and inflation stabilizing in FY2022/2023
Friday, 10 March 2023 15:19

The outlook for the Eswatini economy is positive in the near term but some of the Kingdom's vulnerabilities remain and could constrain economic growth. Therefore, the IMF believes that measures are needed to strengthen growth. 

The IMF expects Eswatini's economic growth to reach 3.2% and its inflation to stabilize this year. According to an end-of-mission release published by the multilateral institution today, the growth will be supported by agricultural production, manufacturing, and increased government spending. Compared to 2022, this forecast represents an increase of 2.8 points. Indeed, GDP growth stagnated in 2022 at 0.4 percent, mainly due to "the continued dampening effect from civil unrest, government payment arrears, slowing growth in South Africa, and heavier than normal rainfall and industrial action on the sugar sector."

Inflation is expected to stabilize at around 5 percent after reaching 5.6 percent in 2022, due to rising food and transport prices. While increased government spending and lower Southern African Customs Union (SACU) revenues are expected to widen the government's budget deficit to 5.4 percent of GDP at the end of FY2022-2023, the deficit is expected to narrow in the next fiscal year (2023-2024).

SACU revenue transfers are expected to roughly double in FY23-24, facilitating a significant reduction in the fiscal deficit and a modest reduction in the ratio of public debt to GDP,”  the release informs. 

Despite "considerable progress," the Fund says Eswatini's macroeconomic and fiscal imbalances remain a source of vulnerability for the Kingdom. The risks of debt distress, rising domestic arrears, and declining foreign exchange reserves make the country vulnerable to further shocks.

To improve the economy's resilience to these vulnerabilities, the Fund recommends the implementation of several measures. Among other things, the authorities are encouraged to continue their adjustment program to ensure fiscal sustainability and rebuild external buffers. Promoting private investment and strengthening competitiveness will be key to boosting growth and reducing unemployment, the IMF believes.

Jean-Marc Gogbeu

Additional Info

  • communiques: Non
  • couleur: N/A
On the same topic
• AfDB chief Sidi Ould Tah met BOAD president Serge Ekué in Abidjan on Aug. 30.• Talks focused on joint efforts to attract private investment for major...
Senelec issued a $215 million bond backed by unpaid bills, marking the first securitization by a public utility in Africa. Half of the...
• Moody’s warns Nigeria’s rate cut to 27% could shrink banks’ net interest margins, raising concerns over profitability in the coming quarters.• Zenith,...
• Finance Ministry says demand topped $9 billion for the Sharia-compliant debt.• The sukuk was split into $700m due 2029 at 6.375%...

Most Read
01

• Côte d’Ivoire signs $156.8M farm deal with Italy’s BF Group• 10,000-hectare project aims to c...

Côte d’Ivoire Signs $156.8 Million Farm Deal With Italy’s BF Group to Cut Food Imports
02

• Safaricom’s M-PESA Fintech 2.0 upgrade lifts capacity to 6,000 transactions per second, scalable t...

Safaricom Unveils Fintech 2.0 Upgrade to Expand M-PESA’s Reach
03

M-KOPA sold 1.3M smartphones in 2025, reaching 6.4M devices sold since 2020. 42% of buyers got th...

M-KOPA Sells 1.3 Million Smartphones in 2025, Contributing to the Expansion of Africa’s Digital Reach
04

Masiyiwa’s Cassava to invest $720m in 5 AI factories, bringing 15k GPUs for Africa’s data sov...

Africa’s Sovereign AI Play: Cassava Technologies and Zimbabwean Strive Masiyiwa $ 720 million Bets
05

The EU pledged €359.4m to build Côte d’Ivoire’s 400-kV Dorsale Est line, boosting capacity an...

Côte d’Ivoire: EU Commits €359.4 Million for Electricity Transmission Line Project
Enter your email to receive our newsletter

Ecofin Agency provides daily coverage of nine key African economic sectors: public management, finance, telecoms, agribusiness, mining, energy, transport, communication, and education.
It also designs and manages specialized media, both online and print, for African institutions and publishers.

SALES & ADVERTISING

regie@agenceecofin.com 
Tél: +41 22 301 96 11 
Mob: +41 78 699 13 72


EDITORIAL
redaction@agenceecofin.com

More information
Team
Publisher

ECOFIN AGENCY

Mediamania Sarl
Rue du Léman, 6
1201 Geneva
Switzerland

 

Ecofin Agency is a sector-focused economic news agency, founded in December 2010. Its web platform was launched in June 2011. ©Mediamania.

 
 

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.