Liquid Intelligent Technologies (Liquid) (https://www.Liquid.Tech/), a business of Cassava Technologies, a global technology leader of African heritage, has reaffirmed its dedication to safeguarding Rwanda’s history with a US$100,000 donation to the Imbuto Foundation, marking the company’s ongoing commitment to honouring the memory of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.
Liquid’s annual contribution helps to ensure that Rwanda’s national-level genocide memorials receive the necessary technology to preserve evidence and artifacts for future generations, while also supporting documentation and research efforts. This is vital in enabling both Rwandans and visitors to engage with an authentic record of the country’s past.
“Protecting the memory of the genocide against the Tutsi is essential to our nation’s collective healing and resilience. At Liquid Intelligent Technologies, we are committed to supporting the Government of Rwanda in strengthening memorial infrastructure and ensuring that historical records are preserved using technology and innovation. Beyond our role in building Africa’s digital future, we take pride in partnering with communities in ways that safeguard their heritage and strengthen their identity,” said Mr. Sam Nkusi, Executive Chairman of Liquid Intelligent Technologies Rwanda.
This donation represents the fourth consecutive annual contribution made by Liquid to the Imbuto Foundation, established by the First Lady of Rwanda, Her Excellency Mrs Jeannette Kagame. It forms part of the company’s US$1 million, ten-year pledge, made in collaboration with the Foundation and the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement.
Alongside this long-term memorialisation initiative, Liquid is also committed to Rwanda’s vision of inclusive digital transformation, providing free public internet access to various locations across the country. This ensures that students, entrepreneurs, and the broader public have reliable digital access to lessons about the country’s past, as well as opportunities to thrive in a digitally enabled future.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Liquid Intelligent Technologies.
About Liquid Intelligent Technologies:
Liquid Intelligent Technologies is a business of Cassava Technologies (Cassava), a technology company of African heritage with operations in 40-plus markets across Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, where the Cassava group companies operate. Liquid has firmly established itself as the leading provider of pan-African digital infrastructure with a 110,000 km-long fibre broadband network and satellite connectivity that provides high-speed access to the Internet anywhere in Africa. Liquid is also leveraging its digital network to provide Cloud and Cyber Security solutions through strategic partnerships with leading global players. Liquid is a comprehensive technology solutions group that provides customised digital solutions to public and private sector enterprises and SMEs across the continent.
A new independent field study conducted in Uganda has revealed compelling evidence supporting the use of Polesaver (www.Polesaver.com) Rot-Guard™ sleeves to maximise the lifespan of wooden electricity distribution poles. The findings are expected to guide utility companies and infrastructure specifiers across Africa toward more cost-effective, durable solutions.
Conducted by Dr. Paul Mugabi, Associate Professor-Consultant at Makerere University’s School of Forestry, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, the study is the first of its kind in East Africa to evaluate ground-line protection technology under local conditions.
What Are Rot-Guard™ Sleeves?
Polesaver Rot-Guard™ sleeves are dual-layer, heat-shrinkable barrier sleeves designed to protect the most vulnerable part of a wooden pole—the ground line—from fungal decay and termite attack. This area, where the pole meets the soil (and six inches below ground), is highly susceptible to biological deterioration. An outer thermoplastic layer shrinks to the pole, preventing water and oxygen ingress, while an inner bituminous layer seals the wood, forming a long-lasting, impenetrable barrier.
Despite competition from steel and concrete, wooden poles remain the preferred choice for power distribution in many African regions due to their lower cost, ease of installation, lighter environmental footprint, and local availability. However, premature failure—often within 10 years—due to rot and termites continues to burden utility providers. Between 2017 and 2021, Uganda spent over $8 million replacing decayed wooden poles—more than 85% of failures were attributed to biological deterioration.
Study Results
In the study, 200 wooden poles installed in central Uganda were examined: 113 protected with Polesaver Rot-Guard™ sleeves, and 87 untreated control poles, each in the ground for up to eight years.
Key findings include:
No decay of sleeved poles, compared to 4.6% decay of un-sleeved poles
No termite attack of sleeved poles, compared to 5.75% attack of un-sleeved poles
“These results demonstrate how a relatively simple, cost-effective, and proven technology can deliver substantial benefits for utility providers,” said Richard George, CEO of Polesaver. “By extending the lifespan of poles, Rot-Guard™ sleeves can dramatically reduce replacement and maintenance costs, while improving network safety and reliability.”
The report (https://apo-opa.co/4p0oPvk) provides strong evidence for wider adoption of barrier sleeve technology in tropical and subtropical climates and offers a roadmap for enhancing power infrastructure resilience across the continent. With Mission 300 funding rounds now underway, the findings are especially timely. The initiative’s ambitious target—delivering electricity access to 300 million new customers by 2030—will only succeed if investments prioritise solutions that extend the lifespan and reliability of these critical assets.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Polesaver.
For more information, contact:
Claire Powell
Head of Marketing claire.powell@polesaver.com
+44 (0) 1452 222 364
About Polesaver:
Polesaver is a UK-based family company headquartered in Gloucestershire. Polesaver pioneered the world’s first dual-layer, ground-line barrier sleeve in 1994. Since then, the company has become the largest manufacturer of ground-line barrier sleeves in the world, providing proven utility pole protection in over 35 countries worldwide. www.Polesaver.com
The State of Qatar participated on Monday in the second Joint Ministerial Meeting of the Strategic Dialogue between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Japan, held in the State of Kuwait.
HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi chaired the State of Qatar’s delegation at the meeting.
Engineering firm OilDynamics has been confirmed as an Associate Sponsor for the upcoming African Mining Week (AMW) conference – Africa’s premier gathering for mining stakeholders, scheduled for October 01 – 03, 2025 in Cape Town. OilDynamics’ participation underscores the firm’s commitment to expanding its footprint within Africa’s burgeoning extractive industry. The company manufactures and services equipment and systems for the extraction of oil and gas as well as geothermal fluids.
AMW 2025 is held alongside the African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies 2025 conference, providing firms such as OilDynamics an opportunity to tap into the synergies emerging from the energy–mining nexus. OilDynamics seeks to expand its footprint in North Africa, with plans to roll out advanced drilling and pumping systems for oil and gas projects in Tunisia and Libya. In Algeria, OilDynamics’ technology is already deployed in partnership with national oil company Sonatrach.
As African oil, gas, geothermal and mineral-rich nations ramp up resource exploration and production, OilDynamics’ expertise in project management, field engineering and innovative pumping technologies positions the firm as a key enabler of Africa’s extractive industry growth. Moreover, with increasing demand for energy to power key industries such as mining, the company’s expertise in oil, gas and geothermal is vital in strengthening Africa’s energy supply and sustainable mining sector growth.
At AMW 2025, OilDynamics representatives will participate in high-level panel discussions and exclusive networking forums, showcasing the company’s contributions to Africa’s extractive industries while forging new partnerships to accelerate sector growth.
Afrobarometer (www.Afrobarometer.org) has completed a five-day training for civil society organisations (CSOs) and media practitioners from Eastern and Southern Africa on using data for policy advocacy and news reporting. Participants in the training, held in Lusaka, Zambia, learned how to effectively access and use Afrobarometer public opinion data, gaining practical skills in conducting online data analysis and interpreting survey results.
The CSO session equipped 21 participants with skills to amplify citizen voices on governance and economic and social issues through the use of Afrobarometer data. Participants also gained skills in presenting evidence-based insights to policy makers, enriching their advocacy campaigns and reports with relevant data.
Dominique Dryding, Afrobarometer capacity building manager (basic track), noted that the CSOs are uniquely positioned to highlight citizen priorities. “Through Afrobarometer data, which reflects the lived experience of citizens, civil society organisations can drive meaningful policy dialogues at both national and subnational levels,” she said.
Solomon Ngoma, executive director of the Action Institute for Policy Analysis Centre (AIPAC) in Zambia, noted the training’s value for his work.
“The skills I have gained from this Afrobarometer workshop are a game-changer. They will directly inform our policy analysis here in Zambia, allowing us to use data to create more effective and impactful policies,” he said.
The media practitioners’ session focused on equipping journalists with tools to translate survey data into impactful stories that resonate with the general public. The training emphasised how they can use Afrobarometer data to spotlight citizens’ perspectives on various societal issues, hold leaders accountable through evidence-based reporting, and enrich news coverage with data.
Participants welcomed the practical benefits of the training.
“I’m returning to Ethiopia with a completely different perspective on Afrobarometer’s data,” said Firaul Hailu, a reporter for Asham TV. “I’ll definitely be using the depth of this resource, which spans almost three decades, as a reference for my news analysis.”
“My biggest takeaway from this workshop was learning how to pull data from Afrobarometer’s online platform and create my own visuals specifically for my viewers,” said Salome Baptister Kilasi, a news editor for the Tanzania Broadcasting Corp. “It’s fascinating how this will allow me to boost my news segments and add the kind of credibility that audiences really value.”
– on behalf of Afrobarometer.
For more information, please contact:
Daniel Iberi
Communications coordinator for East Africa
Telephone: +254 725 674 457
Email: diberi@afrobarometer.org
Visit us online at www.Afrobarometer.org.
Follow our releases on #VoicesAfrica.
About Afrobarometer:
Afrobarometer (AB) is a trusted source of high-quality data and analysis on what Africans are thinking. With an unmatched track record of 430,000+ interviews in 43 countries, representing the views of more than 75% of the African population, AB is leading the charge to bridge the continent’s data gap. AB data inform many global indices, such as the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer, and the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators. The data are also used for country risk analyses and by credit rating and forecasting agencies such as the Economist Intelligence Unit. All AB data sets are publicly available on the website (https://www.Afrobarometer.org/) and may be analysed free of charge using AB’s online data analysis tool.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Selma Uugwanga, Clinical Psychologist (Namibia) and PhD Researcher on Emerging Adulthood in sub-Saharan Africa, University of Zurich
Around the world, people become adults in different ways. In some places, it’s when you get a job, get married, or move out of your parents’ house. In others it might include an initiation ritual, or taking leadership in your family or community.
These milestones may differ, but they all point to the same question: what does it mean to “become an adult”? Understanding this matters – not only for psychologists who study human development and behaviour, but also for society, because adulthood is more than just getting older. It shapes our motivations and identity, how we relate to others, and our mental health and well-being.
Local views on adulthood set the stage for how young people learn to take responsibility and find their place in the world.
We are cross-cultural personality and developmental psychology researchers who study emerging adulthood, identity development, personality, and mental health. We were interested in what the transition to adulthood looks like in sub-Saharan Africa – specifically, among the Ovawambo people of Namibia. One of us (Selma Uugwanga) is Omuwambo, offering an important insider perspective.
Three young men of Himba, Herero, Oshiwambo and Damara backgrounds, have different views on living traditional lifestyles, but a shared dream to see Africa unite for political and economic power.Marta Van Patten, drawn from the documentary Namibia Up: Being 18 in Africa today (c) 2025 Amber Gayle Thalmayer, University of Zurich., Author provided (no reuse)
We interviewed 50 young Ovawambo adults, aged 18 to 25, living in both rural and urban areas of Namibia. We wanted to understand how they defined adulthood: what signals its beginning? What responsibilities and challenges come with it?
Our goal was to centre African perspectives, which are underrepresented in global psychology, and to understand how traditional values and modern realities shape the experience of growing up.
We identified five key themes, relating to gender roles, birth order, becoming a parent, community responsibility, and psychological maturity. A common thread was how participants connected personal aims and achievements with the capacity and duty to help others. An adult is someone who can care for both themself and for others.
Our findings are a reminder that there is no single pathway to adulthood. Recognising cultural differences is essential if we want to build a truly inclusive understanding of human development across the globe.
Why Namibia and the Ovawambo?
Namibia, a country in the south-western part of Africa with a population of about 3 million, is home to many ethnic groups. Nearly half of the population are Ovawambo. Traditionally, Ovawambo communities included formal rites of passage to adulthood, such as ceremonies and new roles in the household or community. For example, the Olufuko ceremony prepared girls around age 14 for womanhood, allowing them to become sexually active, have children and marry. These practices changed during colonialism and later with the rise of Christianity.
Namibia map.Namibia Up, Author provided (no reuse)
Today, things are shifting even more with globalisation. Many young Namibians now stay in school longer, with higher education enrolment rising from just 3% in the 1990s to nearly 29% in 2022. Young people also often wait longer to marry or have children. Yet, unlike their peers in many western countries, daily life is still strongly shaped by family obligations and community ties. For example, one young participant explained that he supported his grandmother and took on responsibilities for other relatives because his parents had limited resources.
Since Namibia’s independence in 1990, rural-to-urban migration has surged. The country’s urban population has risen from about 28% in 1990 to approximately 54% by 2025. Young people are often navigating between rural traditions and urban change.
While our focus was on Ovawambo youth, this group shares many cultural and social dynamics with other young people in sub-Saharan Africa, and we believe the patterns we observe here may reflect broader regional trends.
Perceptions of adulthood
We collected in-depth interviews, then generated overarching themes from close attention to meaning in participants’ stories.
We spoke with 50 young adults – half of them women – equally split between urban and rural areas in Windhoek and northern Namibia. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 25 years; most had finished secondary school and were enrolled in higher education, with only a few in steady jobs. Almost half lived with parents, and others with siblings, cousins, or extended relatives, showing how family households remain central at this stage of life.
We asked open-ended questions like:
Do you feel like you’re an adult?
What are the most important signs of adulthood?
Is adulthood different for men and women?
Do your parents consider you as an adult?
These conversations gave us deep insights into how young Namibians view themselves and their roles in society.
From the interviews, we identified five key themes:
1. Gender shapes the path to adulthood
Almost all participants said adulthood looks different for men and women. Ovawambo women are often seen as becoming adults earlier in their teenage years than men, because they take on caregiving roles like cooking and caring for siblings. Men are expected to be independent and financially responsible earlier, but often face more pressure. Both currently contend with high youth unemployment and carry different but significant burdens.
2. Birth order matters
Your position in the family shapes your adult responsibilities. Firstborns, especially in large families, are often expected to help care for siblings or even support the household. This can lead to earlier maturity. By contrast, youngest children are often protected longer, even if they are legally adults.
3. Parenthood signals change, but not always adulthood
Having a child, especially for women, is often a major turning point. Yet, because parenting is commonly supported by extended family, being a parent doesn’t automatically mean being seen as an adult. Maturity and independence remain essential markers.
4. Family and community responsibility is central
Adulthood in Namibia does not primarily centre on personal independence, but instead on caring for the wider community. An adult is someone who can support family members, neighbours, and others in need – emotionally, financially and socially.
5. Maturity means more than age
Participants emphasised that true adulthood is about behaviour and mindset – thinking carefully, learning from mistakes, showing resilience, and knowing when to seek advice from elders.
Difference in emphasis
Most psychological research on young adulthood focuses on the US and Europe, where this life stage is often framed as a time of freedom, self-focus and exploration. But our study shows a different picture: in Namibia, young adults are embedded in strong social networks and often assume serious responsibilities early in life, with their independence serving as a key resource for doing so.
Despite facing challenges like high unemployment and limited resources, many participants expressed pride in their ability to care for others. They saw responsibility as a source of meaning.
Some findings mirror patterns seen in other contexts. For example, in East Asia or among immigrant youth in North America, researchers have also found that adulthood is closely linked to family responsibility.
What seems more distinct in Namibia is the emphasis on “agentic communalism”: the idea that personal agency (making your own decisions) and communal values (helping others) are not in conflict. Instead, they are interwoven. Being an adult means both acting independently and contributing to others’ well-being.
Becoming an adult in Namibia isn’t just about age or personal milestones. It’s about growing into a role that combines independence with care for others. It means taking responsibility – not only for yourself, but for your family and community – and earning respect through your actions.
– What does it mean to become an adult? In Namibia, it’s caring for others – https://theconversation.com/what-does-it-mean-to-become-an-adult-in-namibia-its-caring-for-others-263223
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Temitayo Isaac Odeyemi, Research fellow, University of Birmingham
Across Africa, democracy is being tested – by rising authoritarianism and military coups as well as a growing disconnect between citizens and the institutions meant to represent them.
The latest flagship report from Afrobarometer, a pan African research network, delivers a powerful warning. Citizen Engagement, Citizen Power, released in July 2025, reports that over 60% of Africans are dissatisfied with how democracy works in their countries. Support for democracy remains high, but belief in its effectiveness is fading, especially when citizens feel excluded from meaningful participation in decisions that affect them.
Put simply: the crisis of participation results from people being absent from the room when decisions that affect them are made. This article sets out practical ways parliaments can bring citizens in.
I am a political scientist whose work in comparative politics focuses on political institutions and democratic engagement in Africa. My broader research builds on my PhD on institutional development and legislative public engagement in Nigeria.
This research has shown that democratic fatigue has many roots, including insecurity and unmet socio-economic needs. But the deeper issue is a crisis of participation where decisions that affect people are made without consultation. Too often, Africans feel that decisions are made for them, not with them. Power remains concentrated in elite circles, while public engagement is reduced to symbolic gestures.
Democracy, in this view, is something performed in capitals rather than lived in communities.
If that is to change, parliaments must take the lead. As the institutions most visibly linked to representation, they can reconnect citizens with the democratic process. When parliaments get people to take part, they help restore public confidence. When they fail to do so, the entire democratic project is weakened.
Encouragingly, many African constitutions, including those of Kenya, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, now call for public participation in making laws.
Parliaments are increasingly referring to citizen engagement in their strategic plans, and standout models like South Africa’s Public Participation Model offer practical frameworks.
South Africa’s efforts have contributed to a 27% increase in public understanding of the parliament’s mandates. Evidence from civil society and independent research corroborates this.
But in many countries implementation remains patchy, and most parliaments fall short on including citizens.
According to Afrobarometer’s October 2024 data, trust in parliaments has declined by 19 percentage points since 2011. Only 37% of Africans now express confidence in these critical policy-making and representative bodies.
There’s a sense that public participation is often tokenistic — and that parliaments engage with citizens only when politically convenient.
Two recent examples illustrate the cost of disengagement. In Kenya, mass protests over the 2024 Finance Bill erupted after parliament passed controversial tax measures without adequate public consultation. The backlash, including the storming of parliament, reflected widespread anger not just at the bill’s content, but at the lack of citizen involvement in shaping it.
In Nigeria, lawmakers reinstated a colonial-era national anthem in a single day, bypassing public input.
One of the reasons trust in parliaments is falling is that there are gaps in how the institution listens and acts.
As the Afrobarometer data shows, citizens consistently believed that parliaments hold the key to making laws and holding leaders to account. So the challenge is not what the institution does or is expected to do, it is how it does it. Thus, producing visible actions is one way for parliament to restore public faith.
What Afrobarometer tells us about participation
The message of Citizen Engagement, Citizen Power is clear: citizens want more than just the right to vote. They want to shape decisions, hold leaders accountable, and co-create solutions to the challenges they face. Participation is not a luxury; it is central to the legitimacy and effectiveness of democratic institutions.
For parliaments, this starts with communication. Many citizens are simply unaware of what their parliament does, or how to influence it. Parliamentary websites are often out of date, social media channels underused, and legislative documents filled with inaccessible jargon.
Parliaments must use plain-language summaries, infographics and citizen-focused materials to explain key issues. This is urgent in an era of misinformation and deep fakes.
Radio remains one of the most powerful and accessible tools for democratic outreach. Legislatures already using radio programmes to explain bills and gather feedback should expand these initiatives, especially in local languages. Podcasts, public dialogues and community events can also spark engagement.
But engagement is not only about information – it is about presence. Many parliaments remain physically and culturally distant from the people they serve. Members of parliament are increasingly drawn from wealthy, business-oriented elites, creating a growing perception that parliament serves its own interests.
In earlier periods, teachers, civil servants and community leaders were more common in legislatures.
To close this gap, parliaments must invest in decentralised engagement. That includes hosting hearings outside capitals, organising outreach in rural areas, and partnering with schools, universities and faith-based institutions.
Crucially, consultation must be genuine. All too often, participation is limited to elite NGOs in urban centres. They play an important role, but are not a substitute for broad-based engagement. South Africa’s Parliamentary Democracy Office offers one model: a dedicated outreach unit working to include rural voices and translate public input into policy. Similar efforts across the continent should ensure that participation becomes routine, and that citizens can trace how their contributions affect outcomes.
Existing community structures can host citizens’ assemblies and forums. Technology can also help, but must be used inclusively. With nearly half the population living in rural areas and one-third lacking formal education, digital engagement risks excluding the very groups that most need a voice.
Participation as a democratic lifeline
The Afrobarometer report shows that citizens are not turning away from democracy itself. They are turning away from democratic institutions that don’t include them. Participation can reconnect citizens to democracy and restore trust in governance. But only if it is meaningful, sustained and inclusive.
The events in Kenya and Nigeria demonstrate the risks of exclusion. If parliaments legislate without the people, citizens will seek a voice elsewhere – through protests, populist movements, or authoritarian alternatives.
– 60% of Africans don’t believe democracy is working in their interests – how parliaments can fix the problem – https://theconversation.com/60-of-africans-dont-believe-democracy-is-working-in-their-interests-how-parliaments-can-fix-the-problem-262581
Eviction notices issued to occupants of hijacked State properties
Public Works and Infrastructure Deputy Minister Sihle Zikalala has issued eviction notices to over 100 illegal occupants who have hijacked State properties in Cape Town.
Two properties in Goodwood and Khayelitsha, meant for use by the South African Police Service (SAPS), have been hijacked and are illegally occupied.
Zikalala issued the eviction notices while leading Operation Bring Back (OBB) in Cape Town on Sunday.
Operation Bring Back is a nationwide campaign led by DPWI Deputy Minister, Sihle Zikalala, and its intended purpose is to recover all stolen State land and property. Some of these properties include those that are vacated by user departments without being brought back to the department, and have become vulnerable to illegal occupation.
As a result, some are run down due to overcrowding and dilapidation and lack of management by State institutions that were allocated the buildings.
During this Cape Town leg of Operation Bring Back campaign, many whistle-blowers came forward and others physically brought evidence to the Deputy Minister of stolen properties by even commercial entities and NGOs.
The Goodwood property Zikalala first visited is a residential property that was donated to the asset portfolio of government by patriotic citizen, the late Clair Shelly Boulton, to be used by the South African Police Service.
In her will, Boulton clearly stated that the property must be used by the SAPS for fighting drug abuse in the community. The property has since been hijacked and is believed to be used as a drug peddling den against the will of Boulton, who donated the property.
Illegal occupants have invaded the property and have erected temporal structures. Currently there are 12 illegal occupants including children. There is allegedly rampant substance abuse including drugs in the property.
The second property visited is the 946.90 Ha on Stellenbosch Road, near Khayelitsha, which was allocated for mixed use by SAPS, including residential accommodation, public order policing, stock theft, anti-gang and shooting range.
The farm was used to accommodate SAPS officials, many of who have since left after being deployed to other areas, leaving many of the houses vacant.
The farm has vast land, which has been illegally occupied and informal settlements proliferation is taking place.
Zikalala’s visit has revealed a huge problem of hijacked State properties not only by the poor and people desperate for houses but by big commercial entities, NGOs and those posing as owners and collecting rent money from illegal occupiers.
Failure to comply with the eviction notices, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure said, will result in legal action.
“Clearly the problem of illegally occupied, hijacked and stolen government properties is extensive and underestimated. We are seeing a strong element of poor management of State assets that are handed over to client departments that do not hand them back the department [when they vacate them],” said Zikalala.
Zikalala will be intensifying Operation Bring Back in the coming months. A support programme, which includes the appointment of property specialists, has been developed to identify, audit, analyse, evict and recover illegally occupied and hijacked buildings.
The focus is on all buildings that are supposed to be in the immovable asset register of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.
In carrying out evictions of land and buildings by an unauthorised occupants, the department follows legal processes, including the Prevention of Illegal Eviction (PIE) from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act, 19 of 1998, which regulates the eviction of unlawful occupiers from land and property in a fair manner, while recognising the right of landowners to apply to a court for an eviction order in appropriate circumstances. – SAnews.gov.za
While government continues to review reducing inflation levels, the Ministry of Finance and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) have asserted that the work being done on it will be evidence based.
South Africa continues to target inflation within the 3‒6% range, with the SARB focusing on anchoring inflation at the midpoint of the range, or 4.5%, since 2017.
“Research and consultations have however highlighted a range of specific challenges associated with a wide target band and the long-term costs to the economy and entrenched inequality caused by relatively high inflation,” a joint statement by Ministry of Finance and SARB said on Monday.
With the post-pandemic surge in inflation fading, National Treasury and SARB have analysed and discussed the value of reducing inflation to levels consistent with the country’s trading partners.
“Over the past year, inflation expectations have shifted downward in line with softer inflation outcomes. To sustain this progress and meet its constitutional mandate of price stability, at its July 2025 meeting, the SARB’s Monetary Policy Committee expressed its preference for consumer price inflation to remain low, around the bottom end of the current target range of 3‒6%.
“Similarly, National Treasury, in its 2024 Macroeconomic Policy Review, acknowledged that low and stable inflation is good for economic growth and concluded that monetary policy goals have broadly been achieved,” the statement said.
The review also emphasised that, while the current macroeconomic policy framework is fit for purpose and flexible to changing conditions, some adjustments could make it more effective.
In this regard, additional technical work was undertaken by the Macroeconomic Standing Committee (MSC) of the two institutions to assess the appropriateness of the inflation target.
“As has been the practice, macroeconomic policy, including adjustments to the inflation target, will continue to be evidence-based. As the technical work draws to a close, the MSC will draft recommendations on the inflation target and table them to both the Minister of Finance and the Governor of the SARB.
“The Minister of Finance and Governor will agree on any changes to the target band. The Minister of Finance will make a formal announcement as soon as is practical to anchor expectations,” the statement said.
Rising public debt and inflation globally have made clear the importance of sound macroeconomic frameworks to sustainable economic growth.
“Since the pandemic and its aftermath, domestic inflation has eased, and the debt trajectory tempered. Monetary policy has been effective, and fiscal policy is actively moving to a more sustainable path for public finances.
“Nonetheless, new risks to the global outlook underscore the high potential for further global shocks. Macroeconomic policy needs to be both flexible and robust to these shocks and the many others that will inevitably come our way,” the statement read. –SAnews.gov.za
