Economy

The exacerbation of some of South Africa’s more intractable economic weaknesses – including contentious labour relations and tensions and uncertainty within the ruling African National Congress (ANC) – have combined to make 2012 a hugely challenging year for the continent’s largest economy.

The economy of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) has continued to expand, and while final year-end 2012 figures for growth have yet to be released, officials say they are confident that the forecast 8% increase in GDP – the same rate as in 2011 – will be have been achieved in the emirate.

Strong domestic demand kept the wheels of the Thai economy turning in 2012 while also helping to cushion the impact of global uncertainty on exports.

Le Gabon a affiché de bons résultats économiques en 2012 malgré une baisse de la production de pétrole : selon les chiffres du Fonds mondial international, la croissance du produit intérieur brut (PIB) s’élèverait à 6.1 %, contre 6.7 % en 2011. Bien que le pays continue de dépendre de ses recettes pétrolières, plusieurs piliers de la stratégie nationale de développement économique Le Gabon émergent ont enregistré des progrès durant l’année 2012.

The year 2012 was one marked by ups and downs for Kuwait, with a record profit highlighting the country’s economic growth, but also exposing its perpetuating reliance on oil revenues. While the planning of new infrastructure projects and growth in the banking sector showed that the country is recovering well from the effects of the 2009 economic crisis, the political scene was dominated by tensions between the government and opposition, which left the parliament paralysed for most of the year.

Un reciente aumento en el pronóstico del crecimiento del PBI del Perú para el año 2012 reafirma la evolución económica de más de una década que ha tenido este país. A pesar de que las exportaciones de commodities disminuyeron durante el año, el aumento de las exportaciones no tradicionales y la creciente demanda doméstica sirvieron como mecanismos de crecimiento. Sin embargo, los retos claves para la expansión económica a futuro son la apreciación del sol y la continua debilitación de la exportación de materias primas.