Bank of Namibia governor, Johannes !Gawaxab says the central bank is committed to maintaining price stability and fostering sustainable economic growth.
Gaborone, 12 December 2023 (ECA) – The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in collaboration with Bank of Botswana and Frontclear have launched a Money Market Diagnostic Framework (MMDF) to boost the country’s financial system.The MMDF provides critical insights for the holistic development of the money and interbank market, while identifying impediments and
Bank of Botswana, ECA, and Frontclear strive to create a dynamic interbank money market africaleader.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from africaleader.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Reuters Staff
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GABORONE (Reuters) - Botswana’s central bank expects inflation to rise above 3% in the second quarter for mainly transitory reasons, and will keep monetary policy accommodative, it said on Thursday.
Annual inflation - running at 2.3% last month - was last within the bank’s 3%-6% target range in September 2019.
It dropped below 1% last year as the COVID-19 pandemic depressed economic activity.
Finance Minister Thapelo Matsheka hiked VAT, increased the fuel levy and introduced a new tax on sugary drinks in a budget speech on Feb. 1, which the central bank expects to drive prices higher.
Despite that prospect, central bank officials said on Thursday that they were not planning to tighten monetary policy, after 100 basis points of rate cuts last year to the current rate of 3.75%.