The global initiative plans to deliver two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines to developing nations
2020 was a challenging year for everybody, with no growth forecast in the economy, fears of a deep recession and a jobs bloodbath. Three experts contextualise this situation, focusing on what can be done in 2021 to slow down the spiral into an economic abyss
Economists question the manner in which the transitional government partially cut fuel subsidies
The narratives about the African country’s debt crisis are being used as fodder in geopolitical battles
The trade minister says the country is on track to reach more than R1-trillion worth of investments over five years, despite Covid-19 disruptions
Business Unity South Africa is eager to talk to its social partners at Nedlac about how the spiralling public-sector wage bill can be tamed. And the organisation says these talks need to happen soon
The ANC has, until now, always rejected going to the International Monetary Fund, which underscores how bad our economic situation is
South Sudan has nearly run out of foreign currency – and this is just the tip of a much bigger economic crisis.
COMMENT: Developing countries face a debt crisis that will only become worse as the Covid-19 pandemic continues, and massive debt relief will inevitably be necessary. The only question is whether it will be designed to address the even larger climate crisis
His road to the presidency was anchored in contention and acrimony, and if his bid is successful, Alassane Ouattara will have ruled for two decades when all is said and done.
The IMF loan is given with false motivation — to provide political cover for entrenched neoliberalism and deep cuts in the public service
The loan, which is repayable over five years at an interest rate of 1.1%, comes with various self-imposed conditions such cutting the public wage bill and rationalising support to the state-owned entities
The International Monetary Fund has approved a $4.3-billion – R71-billion – loan to South Africa to bolster the economic relief package
Successes and failures from other initiative such as the European Union will be instructive, but much work must be done before the African Continental Trade Area becomes a reality
Although Africans must continue to support the Black Lives Matter movement, there is also the need for them to raise their voices against injustices in other African countries
Public-private partnerships and big infrastructure builds have been suggested as ways to boost South Africa’s flagging economy. Another option to consider is green bonds, which would also help achieve climate crisis goals
The African Union’s human rights boss has expressed grave concerns about the erosion of human rights during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Stats SA’s latest GDP figures show the country’s economy has shrunk 2% in the first quarter of 2020
The finance minister has found money for the Covid crisis, but the cupboard is bare and he warns that a fiscal crisis is possible in 2024
The finance minister will cut departments’ allocations according to their cloth as one measure, and savings will have been made from underspend during the lockdown
International and regional finance institutions such as the World Bank, the IMF and the AfDB have provided emergency assistance, but there still remains a funding gap to effectively fight Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic provides a chance to reflect on, reimagine and reset the global economic system
Today, the whole world stands where Europe was in 1945. Europe recovered then thanks to massive international assistance. That same attitude of cooperation and solidarity is needed now more than ever
The International Monetary Fund’s emergency funding is cheaper than other options and is low risk. The Reserve Bank creating money to finance government debt is a better option
Government’s response to the coronavirus is unlikely to counteract the expected sharp decline of the country’s gross domestic product
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has outlined the fiscal and monetary policy interventions implemented by the government in its fight against Covid-19
President announces an ‘extraordinary coronavirus budget’ with R20-billion for healthcare and spending on the pandemic equal to 10% of national GDP
President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to announce the government’s long-awaited economic stimulus plan to deal with the effects of Covid-19. The key will be getting loans for a stimulus without ‘selling’ the country.
Measures to contain Covid-19, including the lockdown, are costly and hurt the economy
With little money to respond to Covid-19, the government is looking at other sources of funding
Individualistic values, reflected in everything from the the prosperity gospel and capitalism to social media influencers, may be overcome when we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic
Jakkie Cilliers’s book about igniting a growth revolution in Africa has some timely lessons as we seek ways to mitigate the economic effects of Covid-19