Africa
Ghana’s gold board rejects responsibility for $1.7bn losses
Dispute follows claim by politician citing a report by IMF
Economists devote up to half of working hours to research
Higher-paid research economists tend to spend more time on own research
Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia and Uganda all hold rates
Expert says El Niño weather event likely to drive greater rate variability in 2027
Africa’s domestic debt shift raises costs and risks, BIS warns
Diversifying investor bases necessary to reduce reliance on central and commercial banks, study says
Central banks predict growth more accurately than inflation
AI models may offer more precise forecasts
Guinea taps IMF funding as it prepares major mining project
Central bank is expected to implement governance and transparency reforms
Most key projection models capture policy rates
But respondents rarely disclose policy rate forecasts alongside scenarios
PBoC appoints Deutsche Bank as a renminbi clearing bank for Europe
China’s central bank reiterates pledge to internationalise RMB as part of its five-year plan
Third of key models now employ endogenous financial sector
Multiple channels of monetary transmission rooted in majority models
Central banks complement traditional models with AI
Time series and semi-structural models remain economists’ choices for forecasting
Working paper production linked to number of PhD economists
Central banks averaged output of roughly 10 working papers last year
Third of economics departments say staffing ‘barely sufficient’
Forecasting, policy analysis and research are economists’ top duties
Sarb governor outlines cautious stance on technological change
Kganyago sets out opportunities and risks of AI and stablecoins as Sarb marks 105th anniversary
Economists’ average annual salary rises
Incomes have some relation with GDP per capita and central bank size
Economics staff strength increases over two-year period
Departmental size as share of central banks’ workforce widens to 7.7%, on average
Mampho Modise on payments reforms and the hierarchy of money
Sarb's deputy governor discusses conflicting crypto directives, wholesale CBDC plans, expensive remittance and a Brics gold-backed settlement unit
Financial education hits the golf course in Kenya
Central bank uses tournament to tee up domestic bond market
Southern African countries consider joining SADC-RTGS
Mauritius, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe could onboard their currencies
South Africa surprises by holding at 7%
MPC split over how to tackle high inflation and weak growth
Ghana holds rates for second time this year
‘Vigilance is the word’ amid heightened geopolitical tensions, says governor
Renewed Middle East hostilities prompt Nigeria to hold
Central bank keeps rates at 26.5%, despite moderating inflation