South Africa’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will hold its first meeting of the year to decide on interest rates on Thursday, and while economists agree that the central bank will continue to hike rates, they are split on the size of the increase.

The most severe power cuts ever experienced in South Africa are threatening food and water supplies and disrupting the lives of millions of people, including chicken farmers.

Zambia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to facilitate massive investment in renewable energy in Zambia.

Barring any black swan events and other market shocks, the rand has the potential to strengthen further in 2023, and could see a period of relative stability, says Investec.

A decision to set up the East African Monetary Institute --the Central Bank of East Africa—will be made this year, a key establishment required in implementing a single currency regime.