Overview: A Game-Changing Corridor Deputy President Kithure Kindiki declared on 27 May 2025 that the 749 km Isiolo–Mandera Road, under construction at an estimated KSh 85–100 billion (US $625–735 million), will be a “game changer” for northern Kenya. Traversing Isiolo, Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera counties, the upgraded highway promises to unlock vast economic potential by […]
Overview: A Modest Upgrade Amid Lingering Risks On 27 May 2025, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its GDP growth forecast for the United Kingdom in 2025 from 1.1% to 1.2%, citing a stronger-than-expected first quarter and signs of a nascent economic recovery. However, the Fund simultaneously warned that U.S. tariffs and persistent productivity weaknesses […]
During President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to the White House on 21 May 2025, South Africa tabled an ambitious trade package aimed at resetting bilateral ties strained under the Trump administration. At its core was an offer to import 75–100 petajoules (approximately 75–100 million m³) of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) annually over the next decade, […]
The World Bank trimmed its forecast for Kenya’s economic growth in 2025 from 5.0 percent to 4.5 percent, warning that heavy government borrowing, elevated lending rates, and a sharp contraction in private‐sector credit risk stifling the nation’s business engines (Reuters, Bloomberg). Growth Outlook Revised Downwards In the biannual Kenya Economic Update, released Tuesday, the World […]
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde warned yesterday that the long-standing global economic order anchored by the US dollar is “fracturing,” and she called for concerted EU efforts to elevate the euro into a genuine alternative reserve currency. Speaking at the Hertie School in Berlin, Lagarde argued that multilateral cooperation is giving way to […]
Ethiopia’s National Bank (NBE) has announced a cap on all foreign-exchange (FX) transaction fees at 4 percent, effective May 26, 2025. The move—part of a broader series of reforms to modernize the forex market—also bans supplementary service charges and mandates transparent, publicly disclosed pricing on the NBE website from June onwards (National Bank of Ethiopia). […]
Introduction The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) is spearheading a vigorous campaign for transformative reforms in the Finance Bill 2025, urging lawmakers to adopt measures that strengthen the country’s industrial base, streamline the tax code, and institutionalize deeper private-sector input into fiscal policymaking. During a retreat in Naivasha on April 25, 2025, KEPSA engaged the […]
Introduction Nissan Motor Co., once a global frontrunner in electric vehicles with its Leaf model, finds itself at a critical juncture. The Yokohama-based automaker recorded a ¥670.9 billion (US $4.5 billion) loss for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, marking its worst financial performance in recent memory (AP News). With mounting headwinds from U.S. […]
Introduction In a landmark decision for Sub-Saharan Africa, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will officially begin operations in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria from July 2025. This follows the formal amendment to the EBRD’s founding treaty, approved by its shareholders in April 2025, which extends the Bank’s mandate beyond its traditional Eastern […]
The Kenyan government has instituted a moratorium on hiring and contract renewals across 42 State corporations slated for merger, dissolution, or restructuring, putting the livelihoods of hundreds of executives and staff on hold. The move, communicated in a May 16 memo from Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, follows Cabinet approval earlier this year to […]
In a pivotal moment for Kenya's economic trajectory, President William Ruto has officially assented to three critical National Assembly Bills:...
In a significant pronouncement that reverberates through the burgeoning digital asset landscape, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), often referred...
The Coca-Cola Company, a global beverage giant, has unveiled a groundbreaking study highlighting its monumental socio-economic impact across the African...
A transformative era has dawned for chilli farmers in Kenya's coastal region with the official commissioning of a state-of-the-art Sh250...
