Economy

IMF Praises Zambia’s Move to Further Ease Monetary Conditions

Published

9 years ago

12/06/2017

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The decision of the apex bank in Zambia, the Bank of Zambia (BoZ), to further ease monetary conditions in the country has received commendations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The global financial firm, in a statement, said it also welcomed BoZ’s efforts to strengthen its supervision of the financial system, including with technical assistance from the IMF.

From May 31-June 10, 2017, a team of IMF led by Mr Tsidi Tsikata, visited Zambia to continue discussions on the 2017 Article IV consultation and the authorities’ request for an IMF-supported program.

During the meeting, the IMF team met with President Edgar Lungu; Minister of Finance, Felix Mutati; BoZ Governor, Denny Kalyalya; Minister of Agriculture, Dora Siliya; Minister of Development Planning, Lucky Mulusa; other senior government and BoZ officials; members of parliament; and representatives of the private sector, labour unions, civil society organizations, and Zambia’s development partners.

At the end of the visit, Mr Tsikata said both parties agreed on remaining actions needed to reach staff-level agreement on a program that could be supported under the IMF’s Extended Credit Facility (ECF).

He explained that the remaining actions entail measures to improve fiscal performance and concrete steps toward implementation of key policies contained in the 2017 budget.

Mr Tsikata said the IMF aims to reach understandings in the coming weeks that would form the basis for presenting the authorities’ request for an ECF arrangement and the report on the 2017 Article IV consultation to the IMF Executive Board in August 2017.

“The near-term outlook for the economy has improved in recent months, driven by good rains and positive sentiments in the financial markets as evidenced by increased foreign investor participation in the government securities market.

“A bumper harvest and increased hydroelectricity generation are expected to boost economic activity by more than previously projected; IMF staff project real GDP growth to improve slightly from the revised official rate of 3.4 percent in 2016 to about 4 percent in 2017.

“We also project the annual inflation rate (6.5 percent in May) to remain at single-digit levels, notwithstanding the impact of the move toward cost-reflective electricity tariffs,” he said in his report.

The IMF team leader noted further that, “Improved fiscal performance and discipline are needed to sustain market confidence. Fiscal performance in the first four months of 2017 was mixed relative to budget estimates. Total domestic revenue (tax and nontax) fell short of the projected level while total expenditures appeared to be broadly in line with the budget.

“However, on the expenditure side, while the government has cleared substantial arrears, it appears that new arrears may be emerging. The government is taking steps to strengthen commitment control, including by expanding the coverage of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) to all central government agencies.

“Other remaining fiscal measures relate to reduced spending on the Farmer Input Support Program through improved targeting of beneficiaries and limiting maize purchases to the level in the budget.”

He said, “Weaknesses in the management of public finances and public investment pose significant risks to the 2017 budget objectives of “restoring fiscal fitness for sustained inclusive growth and development” and scaling up social spending. In that context, IMF staff welcomed the heightened attention and efforts underway to strengthen the legal framework for managing public resources, including the introduction of the Planning and Budgeting Bill, and amendments to the Public Finance and Public Procurement Acts. IMF staff urged the authorities to continue strengthening their public debt management capacity in order to underpin their efforts to put public debt on a sustainable path.”

Economy

FrieslandCampina Wamco, Three Others Raise NASD OTC Exchange by 1.41%

Published

12 hours ago

16/05/2026

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange closed higher by 1.41 per cent on Friday, May 15, supported by four securities on the platform.

During the session, FrieslandCampina Wamco Plc added N14.24 to its share price to sell for N159.00 per unit, in contrast to the previous day’s N144.76 per unit.

Further, Central Securities and Clearing System (CSCS) Plc appreciated by N1.34 to N72.34 per share from N71.00 per share, Geo-Fluids Plc improved its price by 4 Kobo to N2.94 per unit from N2.90 per unit, and Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc gained 1 Kobo to trade at 61 Kobo per share compared with Thursday’s closing price of 60 Kobo per share.

As a result, the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) rose by 58.20 points to 4,188.41 points from 4,130.21 points, and the market capitalisation soared by N34.82 billion to N2.506 trillion from N2.471 trillion on Thursday.

During the session, the volume of trades went up by 180.8 per cent to 1.2 million units from 417,349 units, and the value of transactions increased by 29.8 per cent to N29.8 million from N23.2 million, while the number of deals fell by 22.6 per cent to 24 deals from 31 deals.

Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc ended the day as the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 60.8 million units exchanged for N4.1 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.9 million units valued at N1.9 billion.

GNI Plc also closed the session as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, followed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units transacted for N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units traded for N1.2 billion.

Economy

Profit-taking Sinks Nigeria’s Equity Market by 0.76% as Bears Take Control

Published

12 hours ago

16/05/2026

Dipo Olowookere

By Dipo Olowookere

The bears overpowered the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Friday, sinking it further by 0.76 per cent when the closing gong was struck by 4 pm.

The nation’s flagship equity market was under selling pressure during the session, as investors booked profits after the shares witnessed price appreciation in the past trading sessions.

The energy sector was the most impacted, as it shed 4.43 per cent. The consumer goods index declined by 0.90 per cent, the banking counter decreased by 0.15 per cent, and the industrial goods sector lost 0.08 per cent, while the insurance counter gained 2.42 per cent, which was not enough to salvage the situation.

Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) contracted by 1,912.19 points to 250,330.92 points from 252,243.11 points, and the market capitalisation moderated by 1.225 trillion to N160.444 trillion from N161.669 trillion.

Zichis was the worst-performing stock for the session after it gave up 9.97 per cent to close at N29.43, FTN Cocoa slipped by 9.95 per cent to N8.96, The Initiates slumped by 9.90 per cent to N32.30, LivingTrust Mortgage Bank tumbled by 9.88 per cent to N3.83, and International Energy Insurance dropped 9.71 per cent to trade at N2.79.

The best-performing stock was ABC Transport, which grew by 10.00 per cent to N6.27. May and Baker also appreciated by 10.00 per cent to N47.30, SCOA Nigeria surged by 9.98 per cent to N33.05, Trans-Nationwide Express expanded by 9.97 per cent to N7.06, and DAAR Communications jumped 9.76 per cent to N2.25.

Yesterday, investors traded 1.1 billion shares worth N44.3 billion in 65,744 deals compared with the 1.0 billion shares valued at N41.6 billion transacted in 74,822 deals a day earlier. This indicated a dip in the number of deals by 12.13 per cent, and a rise in the trading volume and value by 10.00 per cent and 6.49 per cent, respectively.

Chams was the busiest equity for the day, with 328.5 million units sold for N1.1 billion. UBA traded 61.6 million units worth N2.7 billion, First Holdco transacted 58.7 million units valued at N4.2 billion, Secure Electronic Technology exchanged 51.9 million units worth N45.0 million, and Access Holdings traded 51.8 million units valued at N1.3 billion.

Economy

Naira Weakens to N1,371/$1 at Official Market

Published

12 hours ago

16/05/2026

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

The last trading session of the week at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) ended on a negative note for the Naira on Friday, May 15, as it lost N15 Kobo or 0.1 per cent against the Dollar to trade at N1,371.04/$1 compared with the previous day’s N1,370.89/$1.

However, it further appreciated against the Pound Sterling in the same market segment yesterday by N20.77 to close at N1,830.61/£1 versus Thursday’s value of N1,851.38/£1, and gained N7.91 against the Euro to settle at N1,595.07/€1 versus N1,602.98/€1.

At the GTBank FX desk, the Naira lost N2 against the US Dollar during the session to sell at N1,383/$1 compared with the preceding session’s N1,381/$1, and at the black market, it remained unchanged at N1,385/$1.

The Naira is forecast to be broadly stable, supported by Dollar sales by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) amid steady, higher oil receipts, with the ‌market settling ⁠into a balance.

Policy direction is also expected to give the market some boost as the CBN said the new edition of the FX market guidelines will deepen liquidity, improve transparency and strengthen confidence in the country’s foreign exchange market.

According to the Governor of the CBN, Mr Yemi Cardoso, the update is due to changing global economic realities, domestic reforms and the need for a more coherent and forward-looking regulatory framework. According to him, the last edition of the FX manual was issued in 2018, making the latest review both timely and necessary.

Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market plunged into the red zone as rising bond yields hit risk assets across markets, while traders are increasingly betting the Federal Reserve may need to raise rates again. Rising energy prices and resurging inflation could force central banks back into tightening mode.

Cardano (ADA) shrank by 4.4 per cent to $0.2557, Dogecoin (DOGE) slid by 3.7 per cent to $0.1104, Ripple (XRP) depreciated by 3.5 per cent to $1.41, Solana (SOL) crashed by 3.5 per cent to $87.81, and Binance Coin (BNB) slumped by 3.4 per cent to $659.64.

Further, Bitcoin (BTC) declined by 2.6 per cent to $78,547.49, Ethereum (ETH) lost 2.1 per cent to quote at $2,209.19, and TRON (TRX) tumbled by 0.7 per cent to $0.3509, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) traded flat at $1.00 each.