Africa's Mobile Banking: Boom Or Bust?

ANNUAL SUPPLEMENT: AFRICA 2013   By Erik Heinrich   Africa’s mobile-banking boom is a complicated tale of East versus West. But who’s approach will prove right in the end?   Mobile banking is a force for social and economic change ...

 
 
Source
Central bank

Bank of Central African States

International Reserves

USD 0.05 billion (2018)

International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019

Gross Domestic Product - GDP

USD 13.7 billion (2018, estimate)

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)

Intl$ 29.8 billion (2018, estimate)

Real GDP growth
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
15.3% 17.8% 1.3% -8.9% 6.5% 8.3% -4.1%
2014 2015 2016 2017* 2018*    
0.4% -9.1% -8.8% -4.7% -5.7%    

*Estimate

GDP per capita - current prices

USD 10,452.9 (2018, estimate)

GDP per capita - PPP

Intl$ 22,709.7 (2018, estimate)

GDP (PPP) - share of world total
1980 1990 2000 2010 2019*
0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.03% 0.02%

*Estimate

 
 
Source
GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 2.3% 
  • industry: 56.9% 
  • services: 40.5%

(2019 estimate)

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP)

N/A

 

Inflation
2015 2016 2017 2018* 2019*
1.7% 1.4% 0.7% 1.3% 0.9%

*Estimate

Unemployment rate
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

*Estimate

Household saving rates

N/A

 

Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
2015 2016 2017* 2018* 2019*
33.6% 43.4% 38% 43.3% 45.4%

*Estimate

Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
2015 2016 2017* 2018* 2019*
-15.1% -10.9% -2.6% 0.5% 0.9%

*Estimate

Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: N/A

Moody's: N/A

Standard & Poor's / Moody's 

Market value of publicly traded shares
2016 2017 2018
N/A N/A N/A
Largest companies

N/A

 
 
Source
Current account balance

USD -0.7 billion (2018 estimate)

Current account balance by percentage of GDP

-5.4 % (2018 estimate)

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services)

56.7% (2018)

Shares in world total merchandising export

0.03% (2018)

Shares in world total commercial services export

0.006% (2016)

Total exports

USD 4.4 billion (2016)

Export commodities

Petroleum products, timber

Total imports

USD 3.5 billion (2016 estimate)

 
 
Source
Import commodities

Petroleum sector equipment, other equipment, construction materials, vehicles

Exports - major partners

China 28%, India 11.8%, South Korea 10.3%, Portugal 8.7%, US 6.9%, Spain 4.9% (2017)

Imports - major partners

Spain 20.5%, China 19.4%, US 13%, Cote dIvoire 6.2%, Netherlands 4.7% (2017)

FDI inflows
2016 2017 2018
USD 54 million USD 304 million USD 396 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2015 2016 2017 2018
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014

N/A

Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015

N/A

Best countries for doing business

Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

178 out of 190 countries

​Subcategories:

Starting a Business: 183 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 162 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 155 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 163 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 132 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 162 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 179 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 175 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 105 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 168 out of 190 countries
World Bank - Doing Business 2019

Global competitiveness ranking

N/A

Index of Economic Freedom

Ranking: 174 / Score: 41 (Repressed)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

 
 
Source
Time zone

UTC+1

Total area

28,051 sq km

Capital

Malabo; note - a new capital of Oyala is being built on the mainland near Djibloho; Malabo is on the island of Bioko

Currency

Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) 

Government type

Presidential republic

Languages

Spanish (official) 67.6%, other (includes Fang, Bubi, Portuguese (official), French (official)) 32.4% (1994 census)

Religions

Nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, Muslim, Baha'i, animist, indigenous.

Total population
1990 2000 2010 2015* 2020*
0.43 million 0.61 million 0.95 million 1.18 million 1.41 million

*Estimate

 
 
Source
Urban population as % of total population
1960 1980 2000 2018
25.5% 27.9% 49.1% 72.1%
Population median age

19.9 years

Population growth rate

2.41% (2018 estimate)

Life expectancy

65 years (2018 estimate)

Literacy

Total population: 95.3% 
Male: 97.4% 
Female: 93%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

% of population living on less than $3.10 a day

N/A

Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

N/A

Freedom House rating

Not Free
Political Rights: 7
Civil Liberties: 7 (2019)

(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)

Source
Total telephone subscribers as % of population

Fixed: 0.8% Mobile: 45.2% (2018) 
(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)

Internet users as % of total population

26.24 % (2017)

Mercer Cost of living index

N/A

CO2 emissions

4.76 metric tons per capita (2014)

World's Best Banks By Region