Africa
Plenderleith: Something normal from South Africa
In the speech 'Always something normal from South Africa' given on 17 August Ian Plenderleith of the South African Reserve Bank said we can, and will, continue gradually to build up our official foreign exchange reserves to a respectable level in an…
IMF's Rato to visit South Africa and Burkina Faso
Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, will travel to Johannesburg and Pretoria, South Africa on September 6-7, and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, September 8-9. This is Mr. de Rato's second trip to Africa since becoming…
South African economy shows upswing
South Africa's economy grew by 3.9 per cent in the second quarter of 2004, its best performance since the end of 2002, the official statistics agency reported on Tuesday 31 August.
South Africa's Mboweni on challenges in Africa
In a speech on 'Challenges of central banking in Africa' given on 5 August, T T Mboweni, Governor of the South African Reserve Bank, spoke about how the traditional challenges facing central banks apply to African countries, what effet circumstances…
SARB announces changes to its MPC
The composition of the South African Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee has been changed to allow for two senior staff members of the SARB to become members. A.D. Mminele, Head of Financial Markets and Dr M. Mnyande, Head of Research and Senior…
Rato promises more effective IMF
Rodrigo Rato on Wednesday 4 August promised changes at the International Monetary Fund that would ensure its assistance to Africa was more effective and debt relief more readily available.
Common West African central bank by July 2005
A common central bank for the five West African countries, Nigeria, Guinea, Ghana, Sierra Leone and The Gambia will have begun operations by July 2005, this article says. To be officially known as the West Africa Central Bank (WACB) the policy-guiding…
South Africa celebrates democracy with new coin
The South African Reserve Bank said on 27 July it is issuing a special commemorative R2 coin, celebrating 10 years of democracy in South Africa.
SARB to issue bi-metal R5 coin
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) launched a bi-metal R5 coin on 27 July. The new R5 coin will be in circulation from Monday, 2 August 2004. The coin has a bronze-coloured centre and a silver-coloured border.
Mboweni on economic developments & monetary policy
In a speech on 'Economic developments and monetary policy' given on 22 July, Tito Mboweni of the South African Reserve Bank said that the bank still believes that an inflation-targeting monetary policy framework allows an independent central bank to…
SARB's Mboweni reappointed for new term
Tito Mboweni, the South African Reserve Bank governor, says he will aim for lower inflation during his next term in office. Mboweni's contract was renewed for a further five years by President Thabo Mbeki on Friday 23 July.
Mboweni discusses his future with Mbeki
South African Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni is currently in discussions regarding his future at the SARB, a government spokesman said. Mboweni's current contract is due to expire at the end of next month.
Bank of Central Africa to use CMA payment system
The Bank of Central Africa is implementing a real-time gross settlement (RTGS) platform supplied by Stockholm-based CMA Small Systems.
IMF chief Rato details Africa visit
International Monetary Fund managing director Rodrigo Rato will visit three African countries in August for talks on poverty reduction and other challenges on the continent.
SARB's Mboweni at the University of Pretoria
In a speech given on 8 July Tito Mboweni of the South African Reserve Bank emphasised that the bank has a vision of responsible and effective monetary policy formulation and continually strives to be an institution of excellence and innovation.
SARB's Marcus makes abrupt departure
Gill Marcus, deputy governor of the South African Reserve Bank, left her post on 30 June at the end of her five year contract, in a move local press reports described as unexpected.
S. African treasury and cb to co-ordinate policies
The South African treasury and the Reserve Bank have signed a memorandum of understanding to ensure there was no conflict between their different approaches to fiscal and monetary policies, Lesetja Kganyago, the new director-general of the treasury said…
African common currency 'will open up economies'
The introduction of the "ECO" as a common currency for Ghana, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Guinea and The Gambia will open up the economies of member states to increase trade and commerce, according to Lanto Harding.
SARB removes apartheid's forex overhang
South African Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni said on Monday 1 March that the SARB last month closed out its oversold forward book to eliminate a structural overhang in the economy caused by apartheid.
IMF reports no exact cause to rand collapse
IMF economists have concluded that no clear answer existed for the rapid depreciation of the South African rand between September and December of 2001.
Sources of exchange rate fluctuations in S Africa
IMF Working Paper on the "Sources of Nominal Exchange Rate Fluctuations in South Africa" published December 2003.
SARB MPC cuts repo rate by 50 points to 8%
The South African Reserve Bank has cut interest rates to 8 per cent, reports Business day. This brought the total amount of rate cuts to 550 basis points since the first cut this year was announced on June 12.
Mboweni says price stability is SARB's aim
South African Reserve Bank governor Tito said on Monday 1 December that price stability remains the central bank's core objective, according to Finance 24. "Monetary policy will continue to focus on the objective of price stability" and the outlook for…
SARB increases dollar buying
The South African Reserve Bank said in a statement released on Friday 28 November that it increased its purchase of US dollars during November, Business Africa reports. SARB governor Tito Mboweni emphasised that these operations represented normal…