Africa Economy

Nigeria’s new Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), to be established with an initial $1bn in investment, should significantly improve the country’s management of its crude oil earnings. The launch of the new fund, announced recently by the minister of finance, should also provide greater economic stability, improve national infrastructure and boost investor confidence.

Un fort taux de croissance du secteur non agricole au premier semestre, auquel s’ajoutent des récoltes records, se sont traduits par une amélioration des perspectives de croissance du Maroc en 2011. L’inflation reste faible malgré une hausse supérieure aux prévisions. Le gouvernement travaille à un certain nombre de mesures pour enrayer le problème du déficit budgétaire, dont la forte hausse est source d’inquiétude.

Steady growth in Ghana’s economy has seen the country maintain its position on the World Economic Forum’s “Global Competitiveness Index 2011-12”, with the country keeping its 114th position among 142 countries. The economy is also posited to continue growing, with 20% expansion expected this year on the back of increased oil, gold and cocoa prices.

The prime functions of a newly revamped ministry are to reverse a decline in foreign direct investment (FDI) and to boost trade. On July 11, the federal government said it would replace the Ministry of Commerce and Industry with the Ministry of Trade and Investment (MTI). The new ministry, to be headed by Olusegun Aganga, the former minister of finance, will lead Nigeria’s efforts to increase private investment from both domestic and international sources, as well as to expand the manufacturing base and the number of local jobs.

Malgré les troubles régionaux et la hausse des prix des denrées, qui creusent le déficit de la balance commerciale depuis le début de l’exercice, divers facteurs laissent entrevoir des perspectives encourageantes pour l’économie marocaine en 2011, notamment une excellente récolte et une diversification continue. Les chiffres de 2010 et des cinq premiers mois de 2011 mettent également en évidence un taux d'inflation resté particulièrement bas.