The slump in global oil prices since mid-2014 is taking its toll on Africa’s oil exporters. For instance, Angola has seen its realised and projected export earnings plummet and has been forced to revise down its fiscal revenue and spending plans by around US$14bn in its Budget 2015 proposals compared with estimates tabled in late 2014. Meanwhile, the state-owned oil company (Sonangol) published its preliminary results for 2014 at end-February...

Ethiopia successfully piloted its first mobile money-transfer service (M-BIRR) in 2013 and 2014. It now has its sights firmly set on rolling out mobile money networks in the hope of reducing transaction costs and increasing financial inclusion throughout the country. Foreign firms are providing services to support the development of mobile banking in Ethiopia, which includes the wider roll-out of M-BIRR and introduction of competing services...

Nigeria and Cameroon have signed a series of agreements to strengthen trade and commerce between the two countries. However, a section of Cameroon’s north-western border with Nigeria was closed by the Nigerian authorities in February in an attempt to block the free passage of the militant Islamist group Boko Haram. The group is waging a campaign of violence in north eastern Nigeria and has reportedly used areas in north-western Cameroon to...

The current constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) came into effect in 2006 and set out a plan for decentralisation, which included the fragmentation of the existing 11 provinces at the time into 26 new provinces by the end of 2009. In addition to the restructuring of local government, the constitution made provisions for each province to retain 40% of its internally produced revenues. However, more than seven years after...

Zambia is by far Africa’s largest copper producer and has benefited greatly from rising output and historically high global copper prices over the past five years. According to the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA), copper production increased from 570,000 tonnes in 2008 to over 800,000 tonnes in 2012. Most recently, copper production rose by a further 20% in 2013 as new mining projects financed by international mining companies came on line. The...