The government of Sudan devalued the Sudanese pound by around 25% against the US Dollar in November as the country continued to struggle with an economic crisis exacerbated by the secession of South Sudan in mid-2011. This is the second large devaluation of the past twelve months and one that had been pre-empted by a widening of the gap between the official and black market exchange rates. Exchange rate reforms are being encouraged by the IMF...

The discovery of gas condensate in a pre-salt layer earlier this year has raised expectations that Gabon is on the verge of an offshore oil windfall that could offset declining output from mature fields and provide much needed finance to the domestic economy. The government hopes that new discoveries will eventually raise oil production to 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) from a projected 230,000 bpd in 2014. In October, Gabon awarded various...

The government of the DRC and the leaders of the March 23rd Movement (M23) rebels are on the cusp of signing an important peace agreement brokered by members of the African Union (AU), particularly Uganda. The M23 rebels recently ceased military operations following an intense campaign by the DRC forces and the introduction of a beefed up UN ‘intervention brigade’. If the peace deal goes through, it could be a catalyst for greater security in...

The contribution of the tourism sector to economic growth in Botswana has been stifled in recent years by fall-out from the global recession as well as the legacy of years of under-investment in infrastructure and staff training to raise standards in the sector. However, a recent study by the World Bank suggests that Botswana is amongst the best placed countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to grow the sector rapidly over the next five years. There...

After several delays and missed opportunities, DRC was finally connected to the West African Cable System (WACS) in July this year, which links Europe to West Africa and South Africa through a 14,530 km submarine fibre-optic cable system. The connection provides potential for DRC to expand internet connectivity and benefit from faster and cheaper internet access, more reliable connections and more advanced services. However, the national...

The United Nations (UN) deployed a new 3,000 strong ‘intervention brigade’ in July to support MONUSCO operations in eastern DRC. The peacekeeping mission aims to establish a security zone around Goma (near the border with Rwanda) to protect the population from renewed fighting between government forces and M23 rebels, and has a specific mandate to target offensive operations and neutralise and disarm rebel groups. The introduction of the...