BCEAO once again raised its key rate, tightening money supply conditions, to contain inflation. However, in the region, containing inflation requires more than a monetary policy and a report by Ecofin Agency explains.  At the end of its monetary policy committee meeting on Wednesday, September 14, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) decided to, once again, raise its key rate...

Liquid is Eutelsat’s long-standing partner. Under a long-term contract that was renewed and extended in 2021, it operates the Ku-band resources of the EUTELSAT 7B satellite to provide VSAT services in sub-Saharan Africa. Pan-African Internet service provider (ISP) Liquid Intelligent Technologies announced on Thursday, September 15, a new partnership agreement with French satellite operator...

The United States government has announced it will provide a $5 million grant to the African Development Bank to support efforts to abate methane gas emission, across Africa. Methane accounts for about half of the net rise in global average temperature since the pre-industrial era. The grant, subject to the completion of US domestic procedures and approvals, will go to the multi-donor...

The drop in cryptocurrencies’ value has not dented their adoption. Three African countries are among the top 20 global countries with the highest adoption rate.  In Africa, Nigeria is the leading country in terms of cryptocurrency adoption, according to a blog post from  Chainalysis, a U.S-based blockchain analytics company. The index published by the U.S. company aims to distinguish...

Most of the studies that fail to account for informal cross-border trades undervalue Intra-regional trade in Africa. The overall contribution of intraregional trades to Africa’s exports is far higher than estimates because of “econometric and methodological errors,” U.S. think tank Brookings indicates in a recent working paper. According to the paper, intraregional trade accounts for 22 to...

In 2020, DR Congo accelerated initiatives for its digital transformation. Its aim is to improve the efficiency of its government and its population’s access to public and private services. However, the lower access to internet services remains a challenge to that ambition.   In DR Congo, President Felix Tshisekedi (photo, right) instructed, Friday (September 9), the...

In the region, venture capital financing was down but Senegal has remained the country most attractive for venture capital investors.  As of August 31, 2022, Senegal was the WAEMU country with the largest venture capital funding in the region. During the period, its startups captured US$106.2 million in venture capital funding. The bulk of that financing (US$91.5 million) was raised by Wave...

The new "food shock window" would allow member countries to borrow additional financing representing up to 50 percent of their IMF quota under the rapid financing instrument. The IMF executive board reviewed, Monday, a proposal to create a new "food shock window" to provide emergency assistance to countries hard hit by rising food prices. "The IMF is looking at all options to improve its...

Earlier today, during an official visit to Luxembourg by representatives from Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM), the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE) and the West-African regional exchange celebrated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).  The MoU, which places a heavy emphasis on sustainable finance, marks the first official step in what is hoped to be a...

Namibia's incumbent telecom operator controls 90 percent of the national market, according to figures from the regulator. As a result, the state-owned company earns much more money than other operators for calls originating from other networks. The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) recently announced the reduction of local mobile and fixed-line termination rates by 50...