Category: Economy
Kenyatta Aims to Diversify Infrastructure Finance and Development Away From Dependence on China
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta returned on Saturday from a four-day trip to France loaded with $165 million (Sh17.91 billion) of new concessional loans, grants, and various other financing agreements for health and infrastructure development initiatives. The president signed ...
“Unlocking the Black Box” of Chinese Development Aid: A View From France
Chinese overseas development aid and finance remains something of a mystery to many outside observers. The opacity of the Chinese system, combined with large language and cultural differences often lead international stakeholders to complain that it's difficult to distinguish between Chinese aid, concessional financing, and market-based lending/investments. ...
Bondholders Reject Zambia’s Request to Delay Repayments Due to Concerns Over How Much Government Owes China
Zambia's burgeoning debt crisis got a whole lot worse on Friday after a committee representing bondholders rejected the government's request for a six-month repayment holiday on about $3 billion of Eurobond notes. The committee represents 14 international financial ...
IMF and World Bank Leaders Say the World’s Debt System is Broken and in Need of Urgent Repair
Leaders from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, including IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva, declared that the current "debt architecture" is broken and needs urgent action to prevent a full-blown crisis in some of the world's poorest countries. "The ...
Finding New Ways to Finance African Infrastructure
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta looked like he had a great time in France last week. After all, the weather in Paris this time of year is absolutely lovely and this being his first trip out of the country since the COVID-19 outbreak, he was able to get ...
China, Bondholders, and the Worsening African Debt Crisis
The debt crisis in Zambia got a lot worse this week after bondholders refused the government's request for a 6-month repayment delay. Those private creditors said they're frustrated by the government's lack of transparency about the total amount of debt ...
Letter to the Editor: Why China Will NOT Seize the Port of Mombasa if Kenya Defaults on SGR Debt
Hi Eric, Just caught this statement [in your September 28 column "China Faces a Critical Test": "And let’s not forget that, should Kenya Railways default on the Nairobi-to-Mombasa SGR loan, there's always the Port of Mombasa that serves as collateral"] ...
Will Africa’s First Free Trade Agreement With China Actually Help Africa?
Famed for its natural beauty, surrounded by nothing but the Indian Ocean, tiny in size yet densely populated, understanding how Mauritius managed to become the most developed, diversified, and competitive economy in Africa is worth exploring. Overall, Mauritius’s economic growth is ...
African Leaders Renew Calls for Urgent Debt Relief and Financial Assistance
Leaders from several of Africa's largest countries including South Africa, Kenya, and Ethiopia renewed their urgent appeals on Tuesday for debt relief, debt cancellation, and immediate financial assistance from the international community to help support economies across the continent ...
Tanzanian Official Publicly Mocks Kenya For Taking Huge Loans From China to Build the Standard Gauge Railway
A video of an unnamed Tanzanian official mocking Kenya for borrowing so much money from China to build the Standard Gauge Railway went viral in East Africa this week. "I do not want to mention ...
Who’s Next to Fall? Moody’s Points to Mozambique
In the wake of Zambia's default on a portion of its private creditor debt and the subsequent downgrade by international credit ratings agencies, investors are scanning the map to see which country will tumble next. According to the global ratings agency Moody's Investors Services, Mozambique is a ...
Pity the Poor American Diplomat in Africa
Life is not getting any easier for the U.S. diplomats posted in Africa. Today's clown show, excuse me, "presidential debate," is certainly not going to make what seems like increasingly awkward and uncomfortable discussions with local stakeholders any easier. Fairly or ...