<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414305" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Dec 21 (Reuters) &#8211; The International Monetary Fund will start discussions next month on an extended credit facility with Mozambique, the fund said on Tuesday, its first potential programme with the country since suspending support in 2016.



That year Mozambique unveiled hefty state-backed borrowing it had previously failed to disclose, in a $2-billion corruption scandal that prompted donors to cut off aid and sparked a currency collapse and debt crisis.



Since then the IMF has delivered some targeted aid to help Mozambique recover from natural disasters and cyclones, but the extended credit facility would be its first formal programme.



&#8220;Staff stand ready to commence negotiations in late January 2022, in accordance with the authorities’ preferred timeline,&#8221; the IMF said in a statement after a staff visit to the country.



The programme would aim to help ease financing pressures as Mozambique recovers from the pandemic, support poverty reduction and equitable growth, as well as catalyse additional development financing, the Fund said.



One of the world&#8217;s most impoverished countries, Mozambique is still grappling with its hefty debt burden, as well as an Islamist insurgency and the impact of COVID-19, which led to its first economic contraction in three decades last year.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-imf-poor-nations-could-face-economic-collapse-unless-g20-extends-debt-relief">Read more: IMF: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/imf-poor-nations-could-face-economic-collapse-unless-g20-extends-debt-relief/">Poor nations could face ‘economic collapse’ unless G20 extends debt relief</a></h3>



The discovery of massive liquefied natural gas (LNG) reserves saw Mozambique emerge as a potential major global exporter of the fuel, but graft scandals and the insurgency have dented or threatened the promised benefits.



The IMF said growth would reach 2.2% this year and 4% in the long-term, with the realisation of LNG reserves delivering an even sharper increase.



Risks to the outlook include vulnerability to climate change and a deterioration in the security situation, which could delay or stop LNG projects, it added.



Fiscal pressures are acute, it said, with economic difficulties of state-owned enterprises and the debts linked to the corruption scandal presenting risks.



Mozambique is disputing in the courts the validity of some of the debt, including a loan of $622 million from investment bank Credit Suisse. 



(Reporting by Emma Rumney; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

BE2FA7DW6VJP3AYQ5S5CUCMQO4

IMF, Mozambique to discuss first credit facility since $2-bln graft scandal

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="515" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/LCP4L7UPYJOUJA5NVQKNZZBMK4-820x515.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414240" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/LCP4L7UPYJOUJA5NVQKNZZBMK4-820x515.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/LCP4L7UPYJOUJA5NVQKNZZBMK4-300x189.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/LCP4L7UPYJOUJA5NVQKNZZBMK4-143x90.jpg 143w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/LCP4L7UPYJOUJA5NVQKNZZBMK4-768x483.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/LCP4L7UPYJOUJA5NVQKNZZBMK4-1536x965.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/LCP4L7UPYJOUJA5NVQKNZZBMK4-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>A drone mounted with a container to ferry medicine is inspected after it landed before being delivered by the Village Health Team (VHT) to the clinic at the Kusu village, in Kalangala district, Uganda December 3, 2021. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa</figcaption></figure>



KALANGALA, Uganda, Dec 16 (Reuters) &#8211; Uganda is delivering HIV medicine by drone in an archipelago in Lake Victoria, a pilot programme aiming to improve the transport of medical supplies for the country&#8217;s health system, which faces chronic shortages.



The trial is funded by pharmaceutical company Johnson &amp; Johnson, and run by the government-run Infectious Diseases Institute. It delivers HIV drugs from a hospital to patients in rural hamlets in Kalangala, an 84-island-archipelago.



Other African countries like Ghana and Rwanda are already using drones to improve healthcare delivery.



If the trial is successful it may be adopted on a larger scale to help to improve delivery of drugs and medical supplies for Uganda&#8217;s public healthcare system, which faces under-staffing and shortages of basic medicines such as vaccines and other drugs as well as medical supplies.



Kalangala&#8217;s soaring HIV rate, estimated at about 27% of the population on the islands, is partly because of nomadic fisherman who move from one island to another.



Deliveries of HIV medicines to the islands by boat are often disrupted by storms.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-covid-19-pandemic-could-lead-to-hiv-surge-in-west-central-africa-says-unaids-chief">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/covid-19-pandemic-could-lead-to-hiv-surge-in-west-central-africa-says-unaids-chief/">COVID-19 pandemic could lead to HIV surge in West &amp; Central Africa, says UNAIDS chief</a></h3>



&#8220;We have been facing a challenge of wind storms &#8230; the medical teams would not make it over here and some people would end up not getting their much-needed medical supplies,&#8221; Innocent Tushemerirwe, a village health team leader, told Reuters.



Rosalind Parkes-Ratanshi, director of the Academy for Health Innovation at the institute and head of the research project, said: &#8220;The boats are very expensive and they are also very dangerous, there are lots of drownings in Kalangala.&#8221;



&#8220;We thought that this may be a cost effective and a safe way of delivering antiretroviral medicine to people living on the islands with HIV.&#8221;



The drones can fly in winds of up to 15 meters per second and heavy rain, although the research team is restricting this to 5 meters per second and light and medium to rain to be safe.



The drones also speed up delivery times so it is easier to find windows of calm weather.



The DJI M300 drones were customised for the programme with detachable white cargo boxes, operation software and a piloting app by WeRobotics, a Swiss-headquartered organisation that uses robotics, data and artificial intelligence to solve problems in more than 30 developing countries.



The trial programme, which for now is delivering only antiretrovirals, will last until June, when it will be assessed. Parkes-Ratanshi said the team is also considering whether the drones could fly around samples for HIV, tuberculosis or COVID-19 testing. 



(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema. Editing by Jane Merriman)

Uganda tests whether drones can transport HIV medicine faster, in Kalangala

Uganda tests drones to speed up delivery of HIV medicine

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="492" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/QSXFTJY44BPHPJBKOGIXCMODOM-820x492.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414135" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/QSXFTJY44BPHPJBKOGIXCMODOM-820x492.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/QSXFTJY44BPHPJBKOGIXCMODOM-300x180.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/QSXFTJY44BPHPJBKOGIXCMODOM-150x90.jpg 150w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/QSXFTJY44BPHPJBKOGIXCMODOM-768x461.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/QSXFTJY44BPHPJBKOGIXCMODOM.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Kenya&#8217;s Opposition leader Raila Odinga and wife Ida Odinga attend the Azimio la Umoja (Declaration of Unity) rally to unveil his August 2022 Presidential race candidature at the Moi International Sports centre in Kasarani, Nairobi, Kenya December 10, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Dec 10 (Reuters) &#8211; Veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga launched his fifth bid for Kenya&#8217;s presidency on Friday, this time with the support of his former foe President Uhuru Kenyatta.



Voters are due to go to the polls next August but Kenyatta will not be on the ballot due to a constitutional term limit of two, five-year terms.



Odinga praised Kenyatta for initiating the dialogue that united them four years ago after a bitter dispute following the 2017 vote.



&#8220;It takes a seasoned statesman to shake the hand of his rival,&#8221; he told tens of thousands of supporters gathered at Nairobi&#8217;s main sports stadium.



Dressed in the orange and blue colors of Odinga&#8217;s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, the supporters sang and danced at the rally. Some waved party and national flags.



In Odinga&#8217;s last three runs for office in 2007, 2013, he led his supporters to protest at the outcomes or challenge them in court, saying his victories were stolen. Deadly clashes followed the 2007 and 2017 votes.



But he made peace with Kenyatta in early 2018, effectively sidelining Kenyatta&#8217;s deputy William Ruto, who has been vocal about his own presidential ambitions.



Several ministers and other senior officials attended the campaign launch. The vice chair of Kenyatta&#8217;s Jubilee party also addressed the crowd, underscoring the president&#8217;s support.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-kenyan-appeals-court-upholds-order-to-halt-president-s-constitutional-changes">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/kenyan-appeals-court-upholds-order-to-halt-presidents-constitutional-changes/">Kenyan appeals court upholds order to halt president’s constitutional changes</a></h3>



Odinga outlined a plan for improving socioeconomic welfare and said he would fight poverty.



Ruto, who quit Jubilee and is running on a new party called United Democratic Alliance (UDA), belongs to a different ethnic group in the Rift Valley.



Odinga and Ruto have already been battling it out on the campaign trail, especially in central Kenya, where Kenyatta&#8217;s ethnic Kikuyu votes are up for grabs.



Ruto fought alongside Odinga in 2007, when police crackdowns on protesters and clashes that turned into ethnic attacks killed more than 1,000 people in post-election violence, eventually prompting a new constitution to devolve power. Ruto teamed up with Kenyatta in 2013.



Odinga has secured the support of many of the central region&#8217;s business tycoons and ministers. Ruto has the backing of most of the region&#8217;s elected representatives.



Odinga has been touting his long experience in national leadership, including a stint as prime minister. He has also promised to stamp out widespread graft, give a monthly stipend of 6,000 shillings ($53) to the unemployed, and unite Kenya&#8217;s ethnic groups.



Ruto has also pledged to focus on the poor if elected.



($1 = 112.8000 Kenyan shillings) 



(Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Alison Williams and Angus MacSwan)

QSXFTJY44BPHPJBKOGIXCMODOM

Kenya’s Odinga launches fifth bid for top job with president’s backing

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="563" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ADQOYSLRQBLPDMQ2VOQFC6BNRU-820x563.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-411716" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ADQOYSLRQBLPDMQ2VOQFC6BNRU-820x563.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ADQOYSLRQBLPDMQ2VOQFC6BNRU-300x206.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ADQOYSLRQBLPDMQ2VOQFC6BNRU-131x90.jpg 131w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ADQOYSLRQBLPDMQ2VOQFC6BNRU-768x527.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ADQOYSLRQBLPDMQ2VOQFC6BNRU-1536x1054.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ADQOYSLRQBLPDMQ2VOQFC6BNRU-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: A health worker talks to her colleagues as they prepare to receive the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine under the COVAX scheme against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya March 5, 2021. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Dec 10 (Reuters) &#8211; Now that rich nations are sharing more COVID-19 shots with Africa, health officials across the continent are scrambling to overcome vaccine hesitancy and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/exclusive-up-1-million-covid-vaccines-wasted-nigeria-last-month-2021-12-08">logistical problems to get the doses into arms fast enough before they expire</a>.



Penda Health, a Nairobi-based chain providing low-cost private healthcare, has found a way to speed things up: bring the shots closer to people&#8217;s homes.



For many Kenyans, travelling to one of the big hospitals prioritised as vaccine centres meant lost earnings to take time off work and finding transport they could ill afford. So many didn&#8217;t go.



But this week, dozens of people patiently queued up for a shot outside Penda&#8217;s Tassia Medical Centre, a clinic now delivering the vaccine on their doorstep in one of Nairobi&#8217;s poorer neighbourhoods.



&#8220;It&#8217;s closer to my place. I have a son so it&#8217;s more accessible. I just walk a minute and I&#8217;m here,&#8221; said Nancy Mwebi, 26, adding that many of her friends had feared they would be charged for the doses once they reached a big hospital.



With just 7% of people fully vaccinated across Africa and supplies of vaccines improving, experts are urging African governments to copy the kind of approach taken by Penda to improve take up across the continent.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-imf-chief-says-omicron-could-dent-global-economic-growth">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/imf-chief-says-omicron-could-dent-global-economic-growth/">IMF chief says Omicron could dent global economic growth</a></h3>



When Penda noticed many of its patients were unable to access vaccines after doses began arriving in Kenya in March, it approached the health ministry to set up a partnership.



But Penda, founded in 2012, still only offers shots in seven of its 21 clinics in Nairobi because of the expenses involved in rolling out the programme.



The shots may be free but Penda has to pay 240,000 Kenyan shillings ($2,100) for World Health Organization-approved refrigerators to store them and staffing costs to administer the vaccine and keep records amount to $1,000 per clinic per month.



&#8220;It&#8217;s a small price to pay to get this many shots in arms, but on the other hand, it is very challenging for the narrow margins we have at our medical centres,&#8221; said Penda&#8217;s chief medical officer Dr. Robert Korom.



Last week, Penda administered about three in every 1,000 COVID vaccines given in Kenya, data from Penda and the ministry of health showed.



&#8220;The ministry of health is aware that vaccination needs to get to the last mile and especially in villages and grassroots,&#8221; Andrew Mulwa, the ministry&#8217;s acting director of medical services, told Reuters.



He said partners, including private sector players, were critical to achieve Kenya&#8217;s target of vaccinating the entire adult population by the end of 2022.



($1 = 112.8 Kenyan shillings) 



(Reporting by Maggie Fick; Editing by Katharine Houreld and Edmund Blair)

FILE PHOTO: Kenya to kick off coronavirus vaccination campaign with COVAX shots in Nairobi

Coming to a clinic near you: Kenya’s COVID-19 vaccine drive gets a boost

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="550" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GQOCCAIODBKDLH4SS24HJGYVUA-820x550.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-413969" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GQOCCAIODBKDLH4SS24HJGYVUA-820x550.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GQOCCAIODBKDLH4SS24HJGYVUA-300x201.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GQOCCAIODBKDLH4SS24HJGYVUA-134x90.jpg 134w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GQOCCAIODBKDLH4SS24HJGYVUA-768x516.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GQOCCAIODBKDLH4SS24HJGYVUA-1536x1031.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GQOCCAIODBKDLH4SS24HJGYVUA-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni speaks during a Reuters interview at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi district, Uganda December 4, 2021. Picture taken December 4, 2021. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa</figcaption></figure>



KYANKWANZI, Uganda, Dec 5 (Reuters) &#8211; Chinese private investment in Uganda is growing while Westerners are losing appetite to put money to work in the country, President Yoweri Museveni told Reuters, pledging to step up efforts to tackle corruption that have made slow progress.



Museveni, in power since 1986 and one of Africa&#8217;s longest-serving leaders, said Uganda was working to sign a number of deals with Chinese private sector lenders in sectors such as agro- and fertilizer-processing, minerals processing and textiles.



&#8220;The Western companies have lost their spectacles; they no longer have the eyes to see opportunities. But the Chinese see opportunities, and they come, and they are knocking, they are coming very vigorously,&#8221; Museveni told Reuters. &#8220;But (Western companies) are saturated with wealth. They are not bothered.&#8221;



Chinese state entities and private-sector firms have long been a driving force of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/african-nations-mend-make-do-china-tightens-belt-road-2021-11-22">investment in Africa</a>, lending countries on the continent hundreds of billions of dollars as part of President Xi Jinping&#8217;s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).



According to the Uganda Investment Authority, the country ranked third in Africa on foreign direct investment (FDI) from China in recent years.



The ties have not been without conflict, however.



A parliamentary probe in October concluded that China had imposed onerous conditions on a $200 million loan to Kampala, including the potential forfeiture of the east African country&#8217;s sole international airport.



Museveni flatly denied using the airport as collateral.



&#8220;I don&#8217;t remember mortgaging the airport for anything,&#8221; Museveni said, adding Kampala would pay what it owed to China. &#8220;There is no problem, they will be paid.&#8221;



Museveni&#8217;s administration, seeking to finance its infrastructure construction programme and shore up political support, has secured <a href="http://China https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-uganda-debt-idUSKBN2AB1BU">large credit lines</a> from over the last decade.



Differences over the terms of the contract were also the reason why Kampala had not yet secured a deal with Beijing on the 1,000-km (620 miles) super-fast rail link from Kenya&#8217;s port of Mombasa to Uganda, though talks were still ongoing, the president said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-faith-against-corruption">FAITH AGAINST CORRUPTION</h2>



Talking about the fight against corruption, Museveni acknowledged more effort was needed. Transparency International ranked Uganda 142 out of 179 in its 2020 corruption perceptions index.



&#8220;We are still fighting. I wouldn&#8217;t boast that we have improved &#8211; initially we weren&#8217;t really concentrating much on corruption,&#8221; the 77-year-old said, adding the battle against graft was one of his main priorities for his current and sixth term as president.



His administration was focusing on recruiting from faith groups, of which the country had plenty, to have enough manpower to fight that war on corruption and would provide an assessment of progress on the issue in two years time, he said.



&#8220;That is our struggle: to get clean people to implement &#8211; otherwise the laws are there, the institutions are there,&#8221; Museveni said.



Speaking about the Nov. 16 bombings in Kampala, which killed three people and were blamed on the Islamic State-aligned Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), Museveni said that there was evidence of coordination from abroad with the men who carried out the attack.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/new-law-would-allow-uganda-to-take-stakes-in-private-mining/">New law would allow Uganda to take stakes in private mining</a></h3>



The blasts in the heart of the capital shocked a nation known as a bulwark against violent Islamist militants in East Africa, and prompted Museveni to send 1,700 troops into neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, where the ADF has training camps. But Museveni said foreign links stretched beyond eastern Congo.



&#8220;The bombs which they exploded in Kampala recently, we have some indication that they were coordinating with groups in Kenya and in Somalia,&#8221; Museveni said. &#8220;Maybe not command and control but collaboration.&#8221;



He was coordinating the operation with Congo&#8217;s president, Museveni said, but he did not answer a question whether there was coordination with Rwanda, which also has security interests in eastern Congo, and which has fought with Ugandan troops there before.



Uganda said on Friday that its troops sent this week into eastern Democratic Republic of Congo would stay as long as needed to defeat Islamist militants. 



(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema in Kyankwanzi, Karin Strohecker in London, Katharine Houreld in Nairobi, Hereward Holland in Kinshasa and Tommy Wilkes in London; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni speaks during a Reuters interview at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi district

Western companies are blind to Ugandan investments – President Museveni

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-94942899-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-411734" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-94942899-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-94942899-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-94942899-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-94942899-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-94942899-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-94942899-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>UNITED STATES &#8211; APRIL 25: Situmbeko Musokotwane, finance minister of Zambia, left, speaks as Mustafa Mkulo, finance minister of Tanzania, center, and Charles Koffi Diby, finance minister of the Ivory Coast, listen during a press briefing in Washington, D.C., U.S., Saturday, April 25, 2009. The global economic crisis may force as many as 90 million more people into extreme poverty this year and make it harder to meet goals to improve health and education, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund said yesterday. (Photo by Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



LUSAKA, Nov 24 (Reuters) &#8211; Zambia&#8217;s central bank raised interest rates by 50 basis points to 9.0% to help bring down stubbornly high inflation, with price rises only seen falling back within the bank&#8217;s target range in 2023, Governor Denny Kalyalya said on Wednesday.



Africa&#8217;s second-largest copper producer is in the throes of a debt crisis and is talking to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) about a lending programme.



Annual inflation was running at more than 21% in October, down from a peak above 24% in the middle of the year, but still well above the Bank of Zambia&#8217;s 6%-8% target.



Kalyalya told a news conference that Wednesday&#8217;s hike &#8211; the first since February &#8211; was aimed at bringing inflation back to target, but also took into account the need to continue supporting the economy and maintain financial stability.



He said inflation was still expected to average 15.0% next year and 9.3% in the first three quarters of 2023.



This week&#8217;s monetary policy meeting was Kalyalya&#8217;s first since his reappointment in September by <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/zambian-opposition-leader-hichilema-wins-2021-presidential-election/">President Hakainde Hichilema, who won a landslide election in August</a>.



Hichilema&#8217;s predecessor Edgar Lungu fired Kalyalya in August 2020 without giving a reason, in a decision that spooked financial markets and prompted the IMF to call for central bank independence to be maintained.



Hichilema has been trying to restore investor confidence in Zambia after it defaulted on its sovereign debt a year ago, the first African country to do so during the COVID-19 pandemic.



As part of those efforts, Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane last month pledged to slash the budget deficit and curb borrowing.



Zambia has more than $14 billion of external debt, including guaranteed loans to state-owned enterprises. Of that, $3 billion is Eurobonds, around $6 billion is owed to Chinese entities and the remaining $5 billion is a mix of commercial, multilateral and bilateral borrowing.



The central bank on Wednesday urged the government to implement fiscal reforms to complement an objective for low and stable inflation. It said economic growth this year was seen at 3.3%, with growth of 3.5% and 3.7% forecast in 2022 and 2023 respectively. 



(Writing by Alexander Winning Editing by Catherine Evans and Mark Potter)

Situmbeko Musokotwane, finance minister of Zambia, left, spe

Zambia delivers 50 basis point rate hike to curb inflation

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="604" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/KLRSJEBVJZOR7NN6DGH7ZJBXD4-820x604.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-413680" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/KLRSJEBVJZOR7NN6DGH7ZJBXD4-820x604.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/KLRSJEBVJZOR7NN6DGH7ZJBXD4-300x221.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/KLRSJEBVJZOR7NN6DGH7ZJBXD4-122x90.jpg 122w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/KLRSJEBVJZOR7NN6DGH7ZJBXD4-768x566.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/KLRSJEBVJZOR7NN6DGH7ZJBXD4.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>U.N. Under-Secretary for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman speaks during a news conference in Colombo March 3, 2015. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte</figcaption></figure>



WASHINGTON, Nov 23 (Reuters) &#8211; The U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa said on Tuesday that &#8220;nascent progress&#8221; toward getting all parties to Ethiopia&#8217;s conflict into negotiations on a ceasefire risks being outpaced by an &#8220;alarming&#8221; increase in military operations.



Envoy Jeffrey Feltman briefed reporters in Washington after returning on Monday from Ethiopia, where he met Prime Minster Abiy Ahmed and discussed a potential diplomatic solution to the year-old conflict, which has killed thousands and displaced millions in Africa&#8217;s second most populous nation.



Both Abiy and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the political party controlling the northern region of Tigray, seem to believe they are on the cusp of military victory, Feltman said.



&#8220;There is some nascent progress in trying to get the parties to move from a military confrontation to a negotiating process,&#8221; Feltman said. &#8220;What concerns us is this fragile progress risks being outpaced by the alarming developments on the ground that threaten Ethiopia&#8217;s overall stability and unity.&#8221;



Abiy&#8217;s spokesperson, Billene Seyoum, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda could not immediately be reached for comment.



War broke out in November 2020 in Tigray between Ethiopian federal troops and the TPLF. In July, the conflict spread into two neighboring regions in northern Ethiopia.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-u-s-african-union-envoys-arrive-in-ethiopia-to-revive-truce-efforts">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/u-s-african-union-envoys-arrive-in-ethiopia-to-revive-truce-efforts/">U.S., African Union envoys arrive in Ethiopia to revive truce efforts</a></h3>



Feltman said both sides were talking to the United States about beginning a discreet peace process, and said that the key desires of both sides were not mutually exclusive.



The TPLF wants what the U.N. calls a &#8220;de facto government blockade&#8221; to be lifted and humanitarian aid to be allowed into Tigray, where 400,000 people are living in famine; Abiy wants the Tigrayan forces to withdraw from captured territory.



But the TPLF has also called on Abiy, who won a landslide victory in national elections this year, to step down.



Although Feltman said he discussed diplomatic solutions with Abiy, the Ethiopian leader expressed confidence he could achieve his goals militarily.



Abiy had posted a statement on Twitter on Monday promising to lead from the frontlines on Tuesday.



&#8220;I will head to the frontline to lead the defense forces personally,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;Let&#8217;s meet at the war front &#8230; the time has come to lead the country with sacrifice.&#8221;



Tigrayan forces and their allies have threatened to march on the capital, but have also been fighting fiercely to try to cut a transport corridor linking landlocked Ethiopia with the region&#8217;s main port Djibouti.



Feltman said the Ethiopian military and regional militias had been able to &#8220;more or less stem&#8221; the Tigrayan moves to cut the corridor but Tigrayan forces had been able to move south towards Addis.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/diplomats-work-to-avert-attack-on-ethiopian-capital/">Diplomats work to avert attack on Ethiopian capital</a></h3>



Ethiopia&#8217;s military spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.



&#8220;For a while the lines were static, and then about a week ago the&#8230; (Tigrayan forces) started to move again,&#8221; Feltman said. &#8220;It alarms us for several reasons.&#8221;



If Tigrayan forces move closer to Addis, they might increase their demands, Feltman said.



&#8220;We are absolutely opposed to the (Tigrayan forces) threatening Addis by cutting off the road to Djibouti or threatening Addis by actually entering Addis,&#8221; Feltman added.



Also on Tuesday, Germany joined France and the United States in urging its citizens to leave Ethiopia immediately. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric also told reporters in New York that a few hundred family members of international staff would be relocated from Ethiopia.



&#8220;Staff will remain in Ethiopia to deliver on our mandates,&#8221; he said. 



(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Simon Lewis; Editing by Dan Grebler and Grant McCool)

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Military moves in Ethiopia risk undermining progress toward peace talks -U.S. envoy

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="545" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5878839880_ed8cef1c71_o-820x545.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-413337" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5878839880_ed8cef1c71_o-820x545.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5878839880_ed8cef1c71_o-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5878839880_ed8cef1c71_o-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5878839880_ed8cef1c71_o-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5878839880_ed8cef1c71_o.jpg 842w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Olusegun Obasanjo, Former Nigerian President and Board Member of Africa&#8217;s Progress Panel</figcaption></figure>



ADDIS ABABA, Nov 18 (Reuters) &#8211; Two top international diplomats trying to revive peace talks and bring about a ceasefire in Ethiopia&#8217;s year-long conflict have returned to the country, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.



Olusegun Obasanjo, a former Nigerian president and now the African Union&#8217;s High Representative for the Horn of Africa, and Jeffrey Feltman, the U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, both arrived on Thursday, ministry spokesperson Dina Mufti said.



Both men have said they want the Ethiopian government and rebellious Tigrayan forces and their allies to declare an unconditional ceasefire and access for humanitarian aid to all areas in northern Ethiopia affected by the war.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-security-climate-dominate-as-u-s-secretary-of-state-kicks-off-africa-tour">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/climate-and-security-to-dominate-u-s-secretary-of-states-maiden-africa-tour/">Security, climate dominate as U.S. Secretary of State kicks off Africa tour</a></h3>



Around 400,000 people in the northern region of Tigray are believed to be living in famine conditions and only a tiny trickle of aid has entered there for months. Widespread hunger is also reported in the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar.



Conflict erupted a year ago between the Tigray People&#8217;s Liberation Front (TPLF), which used to dominate Ethiopian politics, and the federal government. The TPLF accuses the government of trying to centralise power at the expense of Ethiopia&#8217;s federal regions and the government accuses the TPLF of trying to regain its national dominance.



TPLF leaders want Abiy to step down, and the government to permit humanitarian aid into Tigray. The government says Tigrayan forces must withdraw from territory they have captured in neighbouring regions.



The TPLF have publicly speculated that Tigrayan forces might march south on the capital Addis Ababa, but more intense fighting has been reported in their push east a bid to capture the main transport corridor linking the landlocked nation to the region&#8217;s main port, Djibouti.



Obasanjo &#8220;went to Tigray, he came to Addis, he went to neighbouring countries as well. He went to the U.S. &#8230; he&#8217;s investigating, he&#8217;s talking to different partners,&#8221; Dina told a news conference on Thursday.



The two diplomats should provide a public update next week, Dina said.



On Wednesday, <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/u-s-top-diplomat-blinken-to-visit-kenya-nigeria-senegal-next-week/">U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated his support for Obasanjo&#8217;s efforts to achieve an unconditional ceasefire</a>.



TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda could not immediately be reached for comment. 



(Reporting by Addis Ababa Newsroom; Editing by Giles Elgood)

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U.S., African Union envoys arrive in Ethiopia to revive truce efforts

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="481" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-1219327286-820x481.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-411978" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-1219327286-820x481.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-1219327286-300x176.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-1219327286-153x90.jpg 153w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-1219327286-768x451.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-1219327286-1536x901.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-1219327286-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>NAIROBI, KENYA &#8211; 2020/06/11: Kenyas National Treasury and Planning Cabinet Secretary, Ukur Yatani with the budget briefcase before leaving to Parliament for budget reading 2020/2021.
The budget worth Kenya Shillings 3.2 Trillion seeks to jump start an economy ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo by Billy Mutai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Nov 10 (Reuters) &#8211; Kenya&#8217;s economy grew 10.1% year on year in the second quarter of 2021, helped by a rebound in activity after the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, Finance Minister Ukur Yatani said in a statement seen by Reuters on Wednesday.



The second quarter growth figure was contained in a speech by the minister, a copy of which was seen by Reuters. The ministry said it had not been released officially.



The director general of the statistics office, Macdonald Obudho, later confirmed to Reuters that the economy grew by 10.1% in the second quarter, adding that growth was 0.7% in the first quarter. 



This is a developing story&#8230;



(Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Toby Chopra)

Kenyas National Treasury and Planning Cabinet Secretary,

Kenya’s GDP grows 10.1% year-on-year in second quarter 2021

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="545" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5878839880_ed8cef1c71_o-820x545.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-413337" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5878839880_ed8cef1c71_o-820x545.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5878839880_ed8cef1c71_o-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5878839880_ed8cef1c71_o-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5878839880_ed8cef1c71_o-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5878839880_ed8cef1c71_o.jpg 842w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Olusegun Obasanjo, Former Nigerian President and Board Member of Africa&#8217;s Progress Panel</figcaption></figure>



UNITED NATIONS/ADDIS ABABA, Nov 8 (Reuters) &#8211; The African Union and the United States see a small window of opportunity to end fighting in Ethiopia, they said on Monday, as the United Nations warned that the risk of Ethiopia spiralling into a widening civil war is &#8220;only too real.&#8221;



The AU envoy for the Horn of Africa, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, and U.N. political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo both briefed the U.N. Security Council.



Speaking from Ethiopia, Obasanjo said that by the end of the week &#8220;we hope to have a program in hand that will indicate&#8221; how they can achieve humanitarian access and a withdrawal of troops that satisfies all the parties. The United Nations estimates 400,000 people in the northern region of Tigray are living in famine-like conditions following a year of war.



&#8220;All these leaders, here in Addis Ababa and in the north, agree individually that the differences between them are political and require a political solution through dialogue,&#8221; Obasanjo told the 15-member council, but stressed: &#8220;The window of opportunity we have is very little and that time is short.&#8221;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/nine-ethiopian-groups-to-form-anti-government-alliance/">Nine Ethiopian groups to form anti-government alliance</a></h2>



The U.S. State Department also said on Monday that Washington believes there is a small window to work with the AU to make progress on ending the conflict as U.S. envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, returned to Addis Ababa.



The African Union earlier on Monday held a closed-door meeting to discuss the crisis.



The conflict started in November 2020 when forces loyal to the Tigray People&#8217;s Liberation Front (TPLF), seized military bases in Tigray. In response, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent more troops to the northern region. Thousands have been killed and more than 2 million have fled their homes.



Ethiopia&#8217;s U.N. Ambassador Taye Atske Selassie Amde told the U.N. Security Council: &#8220;Our route to a dialogue and political solution will not be straightforward or easy.&#8221;



&#8220;For now we&#8217;re focused on halting TPLF and rescuing and reaching our public that suffered immensely,&#8221; he said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-time-to-put-your-weapons-down">&#8216;TIME TO PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN&#8217;</h2>



The war has intensified in recent weeks. Tigrayan forces and their allies are threatening to march on Ethiopia&#8217;s capital Addis Ababa, while the government has declared a six-month state of emergency.



&#8220;It is time to put your weapons down,&#8221; U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said at the Security Council. &#8220;This war between angry, belligerent men – victimizing women and children – has to stop.&#8221;



The TPLF had dominated national politics for nearly three decades but lost influence when Abiy took office in 2018. The TPLF accused him of centralising power at the expense of regional states. Abiy denies this.



Obasanjo told the council he had met with Abiy, the leader of Ethiopia&#8217;s Oromio region and travelled to Mekelle on Sunday to meet TPLF leaders. He plans to travel to the regions of Amhara and Afar on Tuesday, where the conflict has spread from neighbouring Tigray.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/u-n-security-council-to-discuss-ethiopia-expulsion-of-u-n-staff/">U.N. Security Council to discuss Ethiopia expulsion of U.N. staff</a></h3>



DiCarlo said the conflict had reached &#8220;disastrous proportions&#8221; and that incidents of hate speech and targeting of ethnic groups have &#8220;increased at an alarming rate. She told the U.N. Security Council: &#8220;What is certain is that the risk of Ethiopia descending into widening civil war is only too real.&#8221;



The Security Council on Friday called for an end to the fighting in Ethiopia and for talks on a lasting ceasefire as the body expressed deep concern in a rare statement about the expansion and intensification of military clashes. 



(Reporting by Addis Ababa newsroom, Michelle Nichols at the United Nations, Daphne Psaledakis in Washington Additional reporting by Nairobi newsroom; Writing by Maggie Fick and Michelle Nichols; Editing by Richard Chang and Grant McCool)

African Union, U.S. see small window of opportunity to end Ethiopia fighting

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/OU5SML6ZAZO77GNGQ5F7MVEMUQ-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-413259" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/OU5SML6ZAZO77GNGQ5F7MVEMUQ-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/OU5SML6ZAZO77GNGQ5F7MVEMUQ-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/OU5SML6ZAZO77GNGQ5F7MVEMUQ-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/OU5SML6ZAZO77GNGQ5F7MVEMUQ-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/OU5SML6ZAZO77GNGQ5F7MVEMUQ.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>A general view of the skyline of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia November 3, 2021. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Nov 5 (Reuters) &#8211; Nine anti-government factions are forming an alliance to push for a political transition in Ethiopia, two of the groups said on Friday, piling more pressure on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as rebel forces advance towards the capital.



Several of the factions have armed fighters although it was not clear whether they all do.



Two of them, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and the Agaw Democratic Movement (ADM), confirmed the move to Reuters. The pact will be signed in Washington later on Friday.



Called the United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces, the alliance includes the Tigray People&#8217;s Liberation Front (TPLF), which has been fighting Abiy&#8217;s government for a year in a war that has killed thousands of people and forced more than two million more from their homes.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/ethiopia-declares-state-of-emergency-as-tigrayan-forces-gain-ground/">Ethiopia declares state of emergency as Tigrayan forces gain ground</a></h3>



The front is being formed &#8220;to reverse the harmful effects of the Abiy Ahmed rule on the peoples of Ethiopia and beyond,&#8221; the groups said, and &#8220;in recognition of the great need to collaborate and join forces towards a safe transition.&#8221;



Abiy&#8217;s spokesperson, Billene Seyoum, asked for reaction to the development, referred Reuters to a comment she posted on Twitter in which she defended Abiy&#8217;s rule since he took office in 2018.



She said in the post that the opening of political space after Abiy took office provided ample opportunity for the opposition to settle their differences at the ballot box. Abiy&#8217;s party was re-elected in June. She did not refer directly to the new alliance.



Spokespeople for the government and foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the alliance. TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda also did not respond on Friday.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CEASEFIRE CALLS</h2>



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/us-embassy-ethiopia-allows-voluntary-departure-some-staff-family-2021-11-04">African and Western nations have called for an immediate ceasefire in Ethiopia</a> after Tigrayan forces from the north said they had moved closer to Addis Ababa this week.



&#8220;The conflict in Ethiopia must come to an end,&#8221; U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.



The spokespeople for the Ethiopian government and the TPLF did not respond to requests for comment on Blinken&#8217;s call. But on Thursday, the government&#8217;s communication department said in a statement: &#8220;This is not a Country that Crumbles under Foreign Propaganda! We are fighting an existential war!&#8221;



Prior to the new alliance announcement, the OLA had already joined with the Tigrayan forces. The two groups confirmed to Reuters they are in the town of Kemise in Amhara state, 325 km (200 miles) from the capital.



On Thursday the government accused the Tigrayan forces of exaggerating their territorial gains.



The TPLF had said on Tuesday its forces were closing in on the town of Mille, which would enable them to cut off the highway linking neighbouring Djibouti to Addis Ababa.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2020/ethiopia-names-new-tigray-head-as-conflict-boils/">Ethiopia names new Tigray head as conflict boils</a></h3>



On Friday, government spokesperson Legesse Tulu rejected the claim, saying fighting was 80 km (50 miles) from Mille. He had not responded to earlier requests for comment.



He also said there was fighting at least 100 km (60 miles) north of Shewa Robit, a town in the Amhara region that is located on the A2 highway, another highway running to Addis Ababa. That would put fighting about 57 km (36 miles) south of Kombulcha, one of two towns that the TPLF said it captured last weekend.



The government said on Friday that a TPLF commander, Colonel Guesh Gebrehiwot, was captured on Thursday during fighting near Dessie, in Amhara. The TPLF was unreachable for comment.



At a market in the outskirts of Addis Ababa, traders were going about their business as usual on Friday but fewer people were coming to shop.



Abdisa Wili, 32, a vegetable seller, said prices were going up.



&#8220;If the war is going to continue, it will have impact on the economy,&#8221; he said.



&#8220;Both sides should stop the war, no one will profit from war except death and economic downfall. They should solve the problem through discussion.&#8221;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-sanctions-bill">NEW SANCTIONS BILL</h2>



Amnesty International said on Friday there has been an alarming rise in social media posts advocating violence. The rights group also said the state of emergency declared by the government on Tuesday is overly broad and is &#8220;a blueprint for escalating human rights violations&#8221;.



On Thursday, U.S special envoy Jeffrey Feltman met African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki, as well as the Ethiopian defence minister, finance minister and deputy prime minister, according to the State Department.



It was not clear whether he would meet Abiy during his two-day visit.



The conflict started a year ago when forces loyal to the TPLF, including some soldiers, seized military bases in Tigray. In response, Abiy sent more troops to the northern region.



The TPLF had dominated national politics for nearly three decades but lost much influence when Abiy took office in 2018.



The TPLF accused him of centralising power at the expense of regional states. Abiy denies this.



(Additional reporting by George Obulutsa in Nairobi; Writing by Maggie Fick; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

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Nine Ethiopian groups to form anti-government alliance

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/MTPYEYSKNVOEZBDRFXJLTR5D3Q-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-413225" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/MTPYEYSKNVOEZBDRFXJLTR5D3Q-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/MTPYEYSKNVOEZBDRFXJLTR5D3Q-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/MTPYEYSKNVOEZBDRFXJLTR5D3Q-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/MTPYEYSKNVOEZBDRFXJLTR5D3Q-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/MTPYEYSKNVOEZBDRFXJLTR5D3Q.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>A general view of the skyline of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia November 3, 2021. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri</figcaption></figure>



ADDIS ABABA, Nov 4 (Reuters) &#8211; Diplomatic efforts to try to avert an attack on Ethiopia&#8217;s capital gathered pace on Thursday after Tigrayan forces from the north of the country made advances towards the city this week.



The U.S. special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, was expected to arrive in Addis Ababa later in the day to press for a halt to military operations and a start to ceasefire talks.



Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni called an East African bloc leaders&#8217; meeting on Nov. 16 to discuss the conflict, which pits the central government against the Tigray People&#8217;s Liberation Front (TPLF) and its allies.



Separately, the bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, appealed for an immediate ceasefire. It urged the parties to show restraint, de-escalate tensions and resolve their differences through dialogue.



Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta issued a statement on Wednesday saying &#8220;The fighting must stop!&#8221;



He called on the rival parties &#8220;to put down their arms and to cease the fighting, to talk, and to find a path to sustainable peace&#8221;.



U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he had spoken to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday &#8220;to offer my good offices to create the conditions for a dialogue so the fighting stops&#8221;.



In another sign of alarm, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa authorised the voluntary departure of some staff and family members because of the intensifying hostilities.



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/us-gravely-concerned-by-escalating-violence-ethiopia-ahead-envoys-visit-2021-11-03">Washington said on Wednesday it was &#8220;gravely concerned&#8221; about the situation</a> and called for a halt to military operations in favour of ceasefire talks.



&#8220;The (State) Department authorized the voluntary departure of non-emergency U.S. government employees and family members of emergency and non-emergency employees from Ethiopia due to armed conflict, civil unrest, and possible supply shortages,&#8221; the embassy said in a statement.



Police had arrested &#8220;many people&#8221; in Addis Ababa since the government declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, police spokesperson Fasika Fanta said on Thursday.



Residents told Reuters on Wednesday that many Tigrayans had been arrested, but Fasika said arrests were not based on ethnicity.



&#8220;We are only arresting those who are directly or indirectly supporting the illegal terrorist group,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This includes moral, financial and propaganda support.&#8221;



He also said many people were registering weapons at police stations around the city in line with a government directive issued on Tuesday for people to prepare to defend their neighbourhoods.



&#8220;Some are even coming with bombs and heavy weapons. We are registering those too,&#8221; he said.



The streets and shops in Addis Ababa, a city of around five million people, were busy as usual on Thursday morning, though some residents said there was a feeling of uneasy calm.



&#8220;There are rumors about the approach of the rebels. People debate about the conflict, most of the people accuse the government for what happened,&#8221; said one man, who spoke on condition of anonymity.



Abiy&#8217;s government declared the state of emergency on Tuesday as the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/addis-ababa-government-urges-residents-register-arms-media-2021-11-02">Tigrayan forces threatened to push forward to Addis Ababa.</a>



The Tigrayan troops are in the town of Kemise in Amhara state, 325 km (200 miles) from the capital, TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda, said on Wednesday.



Government spokesperson Legesse Tulu did not respond to requests for comment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-year-old-conflict">YEAR-OLD CONFLICT</h2>



Abiy&#8217;s spokesperson, Billene Seyoum, accused the international media of being &#8220;overly alarmist&#8221; in its coverage of Ethiopia.



&#8220;Perpetuating terrorist propaganda as truth from offices far off and detached from the ground is highly unethical, she said in a tweet.



On Wednesday, Britain urged its citizens to consider leaving Ethiopia while commercial options were available.



The conflict started a year ago when forces loyal to the TPLF, including some soldiers, seized military bases in Tigray. In response, Abiy sent more troops to the northern region.



The TPLF had dominated national politics for nearly three decades but lost much influence when Abiy took office in 2018 following years of anti-government protests.



The TPLF then accused him of centralising power at the expense of Ethiopia&#8217;s regional states &#8211; an accusation Abiy denies.



The Tigrayan forces and their Oromo allies have made significant advances in the past week. Spokesman Getachew on Wednesday pledged to minimise casualties in their drive to take Addis Ababa.



&#8220;We don&#8217;t intend to shoot at civilians and we don&#8217;t want bloodshed. If possible we would like the process to be peaceful,&#8221; he said.



A regional analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the TPLF was likely to hold off on any advance on Addis Ababa until they secured the highway running from neighbouring Djibouti to the capital.



That requires seizing the town of Mille. Getachew said on Tuesday that Tigrayan forces were closing in on Mille.



Ethiopian military spokesman Colonel Getnet Adane did not immediately respond to a request for comment.



(Reporting by Addis Ababa newsroom; Additional reporting by George Obulutsa and Ayenat Mersie in Nairobi; Writing by Maggie Fick; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Robert Birsel and Angus MacSwan)

MTPYEYSKNVOEZBDRFXJLTR5D3Q

Diplomats work to avert attack on Ethiopian capital

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/49948352483_5753c4c613_o-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-413221" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/49948352483_5753c4c613_o-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/49948352483_5753c4c613_o-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/49948352483_5753c4c613_o-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/49948352483_5753c4c613_o-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/49948352483_5753c4c613_o-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/49948352483_5753c4c613_o-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption> Marco Verch is a Professional Photographer &#038; Twitch Streamer from Cologne.

 

📝 This image is available under Creative Commons 2.0 (Attribution required). Please link to the original photo and the license. License for use outside of the Creative Commons is available by request.
Photo: via Flickr</figcaption></figure>



DAR ES SALAAM, Nov 4 (Reuters) &#8211; Tanzania expects its overall spending to rise 7% in the fiscal year from June 2022 to July 2023 fiscal year and economic growth to jump in 2022, its finance minister said.



Mwigulu Nchemba said in a speech to parliament late on Wednesday he forecast overall spending to rise to 39.39 trillion Tanzanian shillings ($17.2 billion) from 36.68 trillion shillings in the year to the end of June 2022, and aimed to keep the budget deficit at below 3% of gross domestic product.



He said economic growth was forecast to jump to 5.2% in 2022 from an estimated 5% this year. The 2021 forecast is lower than the 5.6% figure the finance ministry gave in June.



Nchemba said the 2022/23 budget would focus on construction of a standard gauge railway, a 2,115-megawatt (MW) hydropower dam in eastern Tanzania, a crude oil pipeline from Uganda and a liquefied natural gas processing plant in Lindi in the country&#8217;s southeast.



Other projects the government would focus on are two hydropower projects with a total installed capacity of 580 MW, Nchemba said.



($1 = 2,296 Tanzanian shillings) 



(Reporting by Nuzulack Dausen; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Alison Williams and Christian Schmollinger)

Text GDP on coin stacks

Tanzania GDP to expand 5.2% in 2022 from estimated 5% in 2021

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="555" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/GettyImages-1194859854-820x555.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-413198" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/GettyImages-1194859854-820x555.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/GettyImages-1194859854-300x203.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/GettyImages-1194859854-133x90.jpg 133w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/GettyImages-1194859854-768x519.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/GettyImages-1194859854-1536x1039.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/GettyImages-1194859854-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>PARIS, FRANCE &#8211; DECEMBER 19: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva is welcomed by General secretary of the presidency Alexis Kohler as she arrives at the Elysee Presidential Palace prior to a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on December 19, 2019 in Paris, France. Kristalina Georgieva is the new Managing Director of the IMF, she took office on October 1, 2019. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



GLASGOW, Nov 3 (Reuters) &#8211; International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva said on Wednesday she was &#8220;very optimistic&#8221; about reaching a lending arrangement with Zambia, one of just three countries that has sought debt restructuring under a G20 framework.



Georgieva told Reuters on the sidelines of the COP26 UN climate conference that Zambian authorities had done &#8220;fantastic&#8221; work in terms of debt transparency and engaging with creditors, but more work was needed on financial assurances.



&#8220;We are not yet quite there, but they are very determined,&#8221; she said. &#8220;So I&#8217;m very optimistic. (It&#8217;s) not quite yet closed, but I&#8217;m optimistic that we will have a good arrangement.&#8221;



Zambia&#8217;s finance ministry on Wednesday said it expected to resume talks with the IMF on Thursday about an agreement <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/zambia-economy-imf-idAFJ8N2PD00I">mapping out economic reforms</a> and a medium-term macro-fiscal framework that, together with a debt restructuring package, would restore the country&#8217;s fiscal and debt sustainability.



Zambia hopes to secure an IMF support agreement by the end of November, but Georgieva declined to give a timetable.



Zambia became Africa&#8217;s first COVID-era sovereign default one year ago after years of government overborrowing drove <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/zambia-debt/update-6-zambia-will-miss-eurobond-payment-setting-stage-for-default-idUSL1N2HZ0R1">its debt burden above 120%</a> of annual economic output.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-imf-says-africa-urgently-needs-vaccines-to-halt-repeated-covid-waves">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/imf-says-africa-urgently-needs-vaccines-to-halt-repeated-covid-waves-2/">IMF says Africa urgently needs vaccines to halt repeated COVID waves</a></h3>



An IMF agreement would help advance Zambia&#8217;s bid to restructure its broader debt burden under the G20 Common Framework agreed with the Paris Club of official creditors. Chad and Ethiopia are the other countries that have sought such help.



Georgieva said reaching a deal with Zambia would allow the country&#8217;s &#8220;very determined and progressive leadership&#8221; to address its heavy debt burden and other problems. It would also embolden other countries that needed help to step forward and seek debt restructuring under the framework, she said.



Zambia&#8217;s 2024 bond gained 0.5 cents in the dollar, rising to just under 80 cents &#8211; levels last seen in spring 2019, Tradeweb data showed. The bonds have risen by 12 cents or more since Hakainde Hichilema secured a landslide win in the August 12 election.



Georgieva said the Zambian process also pointed to the need to reform the Common Framework, to ensure quicker timelines for setting up creditors committees and concluding the process, and finding ways to incentivize countries to seek help.



Georgieva said she and World Bank President David Malpass would continue to push the G20 economies to offer a freeze in debt payments once a country sought help under the framework.



G20 finance ministers failed to add the debt standstill to the framework when they met in Rome last week, but Georgieva&#8217;s comments make clear that the issue remains on the table.



(Reporting by Andrea Shalal, additional reporting by Karin Strohecker; Graphic by Marc Jones; editing by Karin Strohecker and Toby Chopra)

French President Emmanuel Macron receives Kristalina Georgieva, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director

IMF chief Georgieva says ‘very optimistic’ about reaching loan deal with Zambia

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/SU76VGVVABMKBHYB6RQ3Z46ELE-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-413187" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/SU76VGVVABMKBHYB6RQ3Z46ELE-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/SU76VGVVABMKBHYB6RQ3Z46ELE-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/SU76VGVVABMKBHYB6RQ3Z46ELE-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/SU76VGVVABMKBHYB6RQ3Z46ELE-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/SU76VGVVABMKBHYB6RQ3Z46ELE.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Police officers walk amongst civilians at the Meskel Square in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia February 21, 2018. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



ADDIS ABABA, Nov 2 (Reuters) &#8211; Ethiopia declared a six-month state of emergency on Tuesday after forces from the northern region of Tigray said they were gaining territory and considering marching on the capital Addis Ababa.



The announcement came two days after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed urged citizens to take up arms to defend themselves against the Tigray People&#8217;s Liberation Front (TPLF).



Earlier on Tuesday, authorities in Addis Ababa told residents to register their arms and prepare to defend their neighbourhoods.



The state of emergency was imposed with immediate effect after the TPLF claimed to have captured several towns in recent days and said it might march on Addis Ababa, about 380 km (235 miles) to the south of their forward positions.



&#8220;Our country is facing a grave danger to its existence, sovereignty and unity. And we can’t dispel this danger through the usual law enforcement systems and procedures,&#8221; Justice Minister Gedion Timothewos told a state media briefing.



He said anyone violating the emergency would face three to 10 years in prison, for offences such as providing financial, material or moral support to &#8220;terrorist groups&#8221;.



Ethiopia last imposed such a measure in February 2018 for six months ahead of the transition of power to Abiy. Curfews were enforced and people&#8217;s movements restricted, while thousands of people were detained.



The Addis Ababa city administration said people should register their weapons and gather in their neighbourhoods. House-to-house searches were being conducted and troublemakers arrested, a statement said.



&#8220;Residents can gather in their locality and safeguard their surroundings. Those who have weapons but can&#8217;t take part in safeguarding their surroundings are advised to hand over their weapons to the government or their close relatives or friends.&#8221;



Before the announcement, people moved around the capital as normal.



&#8220;I will try to buy food commodities in advance. But so far I haven&#8217;t yet purchased anything,&#8221; said one woman who asked not to be named.



The governments of four of Ethiopia&#8217;s 10 regions also called upon Ethiopians to mobilize to fight against the Tigrayan forces, state-affiliated Fana TV said.



The conflict in what was once considered a stable Western ally in a volatile region has plunged around 400,000 people in Tigray into famine, killed thousands of civilians and forced more than 2.5 million people in the north to flee their homes.



It erupted in the night of Nov. 3, 2020 when forces loyal to the TPLF &#8211; including some soldiers &#8211; seized military bases in Tigray, a northern region. In response, Abiy sent more troops there.



The TPLF had dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades but lost much influence when Abiy took office in 2018 following years of anti-government protests.



Relations with the TPLF soured after they accused him of centralising power at the expense of Ethiopia&#8217;s regional states &#8211; an accusation Abiy denies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-towns-captured">TOWNS CAPTURED</h2>



TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda said that if Tigrayan forces and their allies succeeded in removing the government, they would establish an interim government. &#8220;If the government falls, we will definitely have an interim arrangement.&#8221;



There would also need to be a national dialogue, he said, but Abiy and his ministers would not be asked to take part. &#8220;They will have their day in court,&#8221; he said.



The TPLF has claimed the capture of Dessie, Kombolcha and Burka, all in the Amhara region, in recent days.



A government spokesperson disputed the capture of Dessie and Kombolcha but later released a statement saying TPLF &#8220;infiltrators&#8221; had killed 100 youths in Kombolcha.



Spokespeople for the government, military and the Amhara region did not return calls seeking further comment on Tuesday.



On Monday night, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/ethiopia-conflict-link-idAFL8N2RS5NL">Tigrayan forces said they had linked up with fighters from an Oromo force also fighting the central government</a>. The Oromo are Ethiopia&#8217;s biggest ethnic group. Many of their political leaders are currently in prison.



U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is &#8220;extremely concerned&#8221; by the latest developments in Ethiopia, said U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. &#8220;The stability of Ethiopia and the wider region is at stake,&#8221; Dujarric said.



U.S. ALARM



The U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa said on Tuesday Washington was alarmed by the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the north, including signs of famine, and urged all sides to find ways to de-escalate and let aid in.



Also on Tuesday, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-conflict-trade/biden-says-ethiopia-mali-and-guinea-to-lose-duty-free-trade-access-idINKBN2HN1QQ">U.S. President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration accused Ethiopia of &#8220;gross violations of internationally recognised human rights&#8221;</a> and said it planned to remove the country from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade agreement which gives it duty-free access to the United States.



Ethiopia&#8217;s trade ministry said it was &#8220;extremely disappointed&#8221; by the U.S. move and called for a reversal by January.



&#8220;The Ethiopian government takes all human rights allegations seriously: we are looking at them and conducting investigations and we are committed to ensuring accountability,&#8221; it said.



(Reporting by Addis Ababa newsroom, Maggie Fick and Katharine Houreld in Nairobi, Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis in Washington, Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Mark Heinrich)

SU76VGVVABMKBHYB6RQ3Z46ELE

Ethiopia declares state of emergency as Tigrayan forces gain ground

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="640" height="360" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/istockphoto-1250489640-640x640-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-400524" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/istockphoto-1250489640-640x640-1.jpg 640w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/istockphoto-1250489640-640x640-1-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /><figcaption>World Bank on glass building. Mirrored sky and city modern facade. Global capital, business, finance, economy, banking and money concept seamless and loopable 3D rendering animation.</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Oct 27 (Reuters) &#8211; Climate change will force tens of millions of East Africans to abandon their homes within the next three decades, even if schemes to reduce its impact on the region are rolled out, the World Bank said on Wednesday.



People affected will include drought-stricken farmers seeking new arable land or different work in urban areas, and others driven out by the need to find clean water, the Bank said in a report issued four days before the U.N. COP26 climate summit begins in Glasgow.



East Africa&#8217;s five nations &#8211; Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi &#8211; have increasingly experienced extreme weather events in recent years.



Apart from a worsening drought in a region heavily reliant on agriculture, there was extensive flooding in 2020, while a locust infestation of historic proportions that began in 2019 continues to wreak havoc.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-african-governments-want-climate-finance-to-hit-1-3-trillion-by-2030">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/african-governments-want-climate-finance-to-hit-1-3-trillion-by-2030/">African governments want climate finance to hit $1.3 trillion by 2030</a></h3>



&#8220;Without broad, urgent action&#8230; as many as 38.5 million people could be internally displaced as a consequence of climate change by 2050,&#8221; said Hafez Ghanem, World Bank vice president for the region.



Concrete steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fund climate change and adaptation schemes could cut the projected number of displacements, but only by 30%, the bank&#8217;s report said.



The bank has committed to ensuring 35% of its financing over the next five years will go to projects that will help address the threat of climate change, Ghanem said.



Kenya has demonstrated leadership in the region in establishing a policy framework to manage climate risk, &#8220;though climate action is still under-funded,&#8221; said Keith Hansen, World Bank&#8217;s country director for Kenya.



Rich nations promised in 2009 to deliver $100 billion a year for five years from 2020 to poorer countries to help them tackle the impact of global warming. But that funding programme is set to be delayed by three years, COP26 president Alok Sharma admitted on Monday. 



(Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Editing by George Obulutsa and John Stonestreet)

istockphoto-1250489640-640×640

Climate change to displace tens of millions of East Africans by 2050 -World Bank

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234712281-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-411467" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234712281-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234712281-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234712281-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234712281-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234712281-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234712281-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>TOPSHOT &#8211; President elect Hakainde Hichilema gives a press briefing at his residence in Lusaka, on August 16, 2021. &#8211; Zambian business tycoon and veteran opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema scored a landslide victory on August 16, 2021 in bitterly-contested presidential elections. (Photo by Patrick Meinhardt / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK MEINHARDT/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Oct 20 (Reuters) &#8211; Zambia&#8217;s total public debt to foreign and local lenders was just shy of $27 billion at the end of June, the Finance Ministry revealed on Wednesday.



The figure was equal to about 115% of GDP, according to the latest World Bank figures from 2019, and could be more because Zambia&#8217;s economy contracted sharply last year.



The figures published by the ministry on its website include $16.86 billion in foreign holdings, of which $520 million is interest arrears. Zambia became Africa&#8217;s first COVID-19 pandemic-era sovereign default at the end of last year.



The remaining $10.1 billion was local currency debt, the figures showed.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-zambia-imf-make-progress-towards-bail-out-loan-programme">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/zambia-imf-make-progress-towards-bail-out-loan-programme/">Zambia, IMF make progress towards bail-out loan programme</a></h3>



<a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/zambian-opposition-leader-hichilema-wins-2021-presidential-election/">President Hakainde Hichilema won a landslide election victory in August</a>, beating incumbent Edgar Lungu, in part on a promise to clean up corruption and untangle its myriad debt woes.



His Cabinet has since sought to bring debts accumulated under the former administration to light, so that the southern African country can get IMF emergency relief.



&#8220;In line with its commitment for greater transparency, the Ministry of National Planning and Finance of Zambia has published a detailed summary of debt figures as of end-June 2021,&#8221; a statement from the ministry said.



Zambia&#8217;s foreign debt is spread across diverse regions, with a <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/zambia-says-it-owed-more-than-6-bln-to-chinese-creditors-in-june/">$6 billion chunk owed to China</a> and rest owed to various banks, nations and multilateral institutions. 



(Reporting by Tim Cocks; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Sandra Maler)

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IMF chief Georgieva says ‘very optimistic’ about reaching loan deal with Zambia

Ethiopia declares state of emergency as Tigrayan forces gain ground

Climate change to displace tens of millions of East Africans by 2050 -World Bank

Zambia owes nearly $27 bln in foreign and local public debt

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East Africa

IMF, Mozambique to discuss first credit facility since $2-bln graft scandal

Uganda tests drones to speed up delivery of HIV medicine

Kenya’s Odinga launches fifth bid for top job with president’s backing

Coming to a clinic near you: Kenya’s COVID-19 vaccine drive gets a boost

Western companies are blind to Ugandan investments – President Museveni

Zambia delivers 50 basis point rate hike to curb inflation

Military moves in Ethiopia risk undermining progress toward peace talks -U.S. envoy

U.S., African Union envoys arrive in Ethiopia to revive truce efforts

Kenya’s GDP grows 10.1% year-on-year in second quarter 2021

African Union, U.S. see small window of opportunity to end Ethiopia fighting

Nine Ethiopian groups to form anti-government alliance

Diplomats work to avert attack on Ethiopian capital

Tanzania GDP to expand 5.2% in 2022 from estimated 5% in 2021

IMF chief Georgieva says ‘very optimistic’ about reaching loan deal with Zambia

Ethiopia declares state of emergency as Tigrayan forces gain ground

Climate change to displace tens of millions of East Africans by 2050 -World Bank

Zambia owes nearly $27 bln in foreign and local public debt

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