Africa Briefs

Africa tops global hunger index Global hunger has fallen more than a quarter since 2000, but conflict and climate shocks are beginning to reverse these gains, an annual global hunger index said. Nearly half of the 119 countries surveyed had "serious", "alarming" or "extremely alarming" hunger levels between 2012 and 2016, with war-torn Central African Republic worst affected, followed by Chad, Sierra Leone, Madagascar and Zambia. "Conflict and climate-related shocks are at the heart of this problem," said Dominic MacSorley, chief executive of Concern, which compiled the report along with the International Food Policy Research Institute and Welthungerhilfe. South Sudan and Somalia, which are at risk of renewed famine, were among 13 countries excluded from the index due to lack of data. – Nampa/Reuters Angola's inflation steady at 25.18% Angola's inflation was unchanged at 25.18% year-on-year in September compared with the prior month, data on the national statistics agency's website showed. Price increases on a month-on-month basis rose to 2.14% in September from 1.59% previously. – Nampa/ReutersGabon proposes 2018 budget increaseGabon's government has proposed an 8% budget increase for 2018, although parliament could insist on a reduction as low crude prices continue to batter its oil-dependent economy. Gabon is Africa's fourth-largest oil producer. It has suffered from the 50% drop in crude prices since 2014 and its struggle to diversify the economy away from oil. The government said in a statement that 2018 spending would total 2.69 trillion CFA francs (US$4.85 billion). It was forced to cut its budget for 2017 to 2.48 trillion CFA franc because of low oil prices. The International Monetary Fund predicted in August that Gabon's economy would grow at just 1% in 2017, down from 2.1% last year, due to weakness in the oil sector and a recession in the commercial and service sectors. – Nampa/ReutersSouth Sudan oil conference flopsSouth Sudan's president was a no-show for the nation's first international oil conference, a gathering that also failed to attract prospective investors from the biggest global energy companies.The turnout showed only smaller companies are risking bets on the oil sector of the world's youngest country. Oil production has fallen to about a third of the peak it reached before the war.Conference attendees said they worried that political obstacles, more than technical ones, would plague any possible investment. – Nampa/ReutersMalawi's inflation slows to 8.4% Malawi's consumer inflation slowed to 8.4 percent year-on-year in September from 9.3 percent in August, official data from the National Statistical Office showed. The statistics office said a key contributor to slower price growth was a decline in both food and non-food inflation. – Nampa/Reuters

Africa Briefs

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-31

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Africa Briefs

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-31

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