The recent Kenyan protests are a warning that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is failing. The public does not think it is helping its member countries manage their economic and financial problems, which are being exacerbated by a rapidly changing global political economy.
South Africa will play an important international role in 2025
as president of the G20. The G20 is a group of 19 countries as well as the African Union and the European Union. Between them they
represent 85% of global economy, 75% of world trade and 67% of global population. The G20 defines itself as the premier multilateral forum for international economic cooperation.
It hasn’t been easy for African states to finance their developmental and environmental policy objectives over the past few years.
Recent events suggest that the situation may be improving. For the first time in two years, three African states have been able
to access international financial markets, albeit at high interest rates. Kenya, for example, is
now paying over 10% compared to about 7% in 2014.
The COVID pandemic has had a profoundly negative impact on Africa’s sovereign debt situation. Currently, 22 countries are either in debt distress or at high risk of debt distress.
Sub-Saharan Africa has a debt problem. According to the
most recent World Bank debt statistics, in 2018 the region had about $493 billion in long term external debt.