Home > Events

Events and Webinars

We run a worldwide programme of insightful conferences, roundtables, webinars and podcasts presented by our economic experts.

Conference

Filter by

Showing 1-20 of 28
Webinar
Watchlist 2024 – Coups, devaluations, and the birth of a sector

with Jacques Nel and Pieter Scribante | Online | November 28, 2023

Next year will see some countries breaching breaking points. It will also see the birth of a new industry and somewhat of a renaissance in East Africa’s economic anchor. In this webinar we discuss our watchlist for 2024. Our calls include major devaluations in Ethiopia & Egypt, and the highest likelihood in decades of coups d’état in Cameroon & Tunisia. We will give our expectations regarding South Africa’s presidential elections, and discuss two decidedly positive expectations: the inception of Africa’s green hydrogen sector and Kenya getting its economic groove back.

Request Recording
Webinar
Are African countries’ fiscal efforts strong enough to restore debt sustainability?

with Irmgard Erasmus and Pieter Scribante | Online | August 29, 2023

May’s downside surprise for inflation caused markets to rein in their expectations for the future path for Bank Rate. But we’re not out of the woods yet, with our recent research highlighting why the second round effects of higher energy prices are likely to prove more persistent than the initial direct and indirect impact. In this webinar we react to the August MPC meeting and assess the outlook for inflation and interest rates.

Request Recording
Webinar
Pockets of value in frontier markets

with Gabriel Sterne and Sergi Lanau | Online | May 31, 2023

Based on our recently released report, we will talk about value traps and good individual stories in the high-yield space. We will focus on our asset views on Kenya, Pakistan, Egypt and Sri Lanka, discussing how the external outlook and debt sustainability metrics feed into bond prices.

Request Recording
Webinar
Africa: Consumer spending in a new pricing landscape

with Jee-A van der Linde | Online | May 30, 2023

The cost-of-living crisis has not let up and consumers across the board have seen their spending power diminished, some more than others. African households are arguably the worst off due to relatively low discretionary spending levels. In this webinar, we explore how African economies are faring by looking at consumer spending patterns and how policymakers are navigating sticky price inflation.

Request Recording
Webinar
Crises and opportunities in Africa

with Irmgard Erasmus and Maya Senusi | Online | April 27, 2023

We draw global and country-specific implications for the current wave of sovereign crises, stressing implications for debt sustainability and sovereign bonds. We focus on three African economies (Egypt, Kenya and Nigeria).

Request Recording
Webinar
The high-stakes election in Africa’s largest democracy

with Pieter Scribante | Online | February 23, 2023

Nigerians are heading to the polls to vote for a new president, the house of representatives, and the senate on February 25, and for their state-wide representatives and governors on March 11. These elections take place under a spectre of record-high inflation, a deepening currency crisis, dissatisfaction with the political establishment, and heightened insecurity. Incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari is term-limited and set to be replaced. There are three candidates with a realistic path to victory: Bola Tinubu from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Obi from the Labour Party. In this webinar, we explore three scenarios of the potential outcome of the election and discuss the associated policy implications.

Request Recording
Webinar
Africa: What to expect from elections in 2023

with Pieter Scribante, Louw Nel, Francois Conradie and Zaynab Mohamed | Online | January 31, 2023

Thirteen African countries are scheduled to hold presidential or legislative elections this year. This webinar will focus on the four elections of greatest potential impact: Nigeria, home to the largest population in Africa; Zimbabwe, where the fractious and unloved Zanu-PF has already unleashed violence on its opponents; Gabon, where President Ali Bongo may try (again) to cheat to get a third term; and the DRC, where armed conflict is complicating the already massive task of registering 50 million voters across a territory the size of Western Europe. We will also touch on the elections in Eswatini, Libya, and Madagascar.

Request Recording
Webinar
Africa Watchlist 2023

with Jee-A van der Linde | Online | December 6, 2022

Africa’s economic resilience will be tested in 2023 as the west and east battle it out for the fastest-growing region. What are the factors that might precipitate recessions in the continent’s largest economies, and where could the next debt restructuring take place? A flare-up in tensions may lead to conflict between the DRC and Rwanda, jeopardising economic integration within the East African Community. Zimbabwe heads to the polls next year – will we see meaningful change this time? In this webinar we will take a closer look at these key themes for Africa in 2023.

Request Recording
Webinar
Africa in 2023

with Callee Davis and Jacques Nel | Online | November 15, 2022

The global economy is on the cusp of a recession. A number of African economies have historically been able to shrug off an unfavourable external backdrop, but a marked tightening in global financial conditions will make this time more challenging. In this session we will give our view on how 2023 will unfold on the continent and what we should, and shouldn’t, expect.

Request Recording
Webinar
Untangling the African political economy patchwork

with Pieter Scribante and Jacques Nel | Online | October 25, 2022

The African policy environment is volatile and difficult to predict due to complex interconnections between politics and economics. By using political economy risk tools, we can better understand where we could see the most severe policy volatility and what direction this policy might take. In this session we explore the findings of our updated political economy framework. These findings include in what way the nature of challenges to government supremacy matter – challenges by civil society (South Africa, Botswana, and Mauritius) have qualitatively different outcomes to challenges by the military or armed groups (Mozambique, Libya, and Ethiopia) – and how elections feed into policy decisions.

Request Recording
Webinar
Pre-emptive debt restructuring: a viable scenario for fragile African sovereigns?

with Irmgard Erasmus | Online | September 30, 2022

The expiry of Covid-19-related support coupled with a surge in the goods import bill has exacerbated pressure on external trade positions for various African sovereigns. We see headwinds intensifying from 2023 onwards in the form of a deepening drought in East Africa, populist-leaning policies aimed at appeasing voter frustrations, large redemptions of external public debt facilities, and moral hazard. The risk profile is fragmented but a common thread can be found across Africa: sovereigns face an uphill battle in meeting the projected external funding requirements. With the risks of disorderly default on the rise and informed by the Zambian blueprint, we investigate the case for pre-emptive debt restructuring for fiscally fragile nations including Egypt, Ghana, and Kenya.

Request Recording
Webinar
A perspective on Just Energy Transitions in Africa

with Deon Fourie | Online | September 6, 2022

One of the key expected outcomes from the upcoming COP27 summit is for earnest action to be taken by global climate leaders to close the enormous funding gap that is restraining the ability of African countries to transition to low-carbon economies. A central feature of this transition involves the sustained displacement of fossil fuels by renewable energy and complementary technologies. This transformation process, however, must be carefully managed in such a way that the net social and economic benefits outweigh the costs. In this webinar, we offer a perspective on what the structural changes to more environmentally sustainable energy systems may mean for a number of African countries. We also offer insights into energy transitions within the distinct developmental circumstances and energy structures of these countries, along with highlighting the likely implications for energy investment and the factors to be considered in the climate deliberations at COP27 in Egypt.

Request Recording
Webinar
Post-elections brief, mapping the way forward for Kenya

with Louw Nel and Shani Smit | Online | August 18, 2022

In this post-election webinar, we will present our outlook on what the new presidency in Kenya means for the future of the economy and democracy in the country. The past decade under Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration has seen fiscal debt and youth unemployment become increasing points of concern in East Africa’s most advanced economy. How the new leader chooses to deal with these issues will be critical in shaping investor sentiment in Kenya. We will also explore the contentious topics of identity politics, corruption, and the rising cost of living.

Request Recording
Webinar
Understanding the climate risks faced by Africa

with Felicity Hannon and Francesca Jones | Online | July 11, 2022

In this webinar, Francesca Jones will present Oxford Economics’ latest climate scenarios. The expanded country coverage offers an enhanced understanding of the climate risks faced by Africa. Our findings show that Africa is responsible for a small proportion of global emissions, yet its economy is highly vulnerable to the negative consequences of climate change. A transition to a low carbon economy could support productivity growth through lower global temperatures and create significant investment opportunities due to the huge solar and geothermal potential in the region.

Request Recording
Webinar
Unlocking the potential of Africa’s most valuable resource

with Shani Smit | Online | July 5, 2022

The story of youth unemployment in Africa is often told alongside the tale of fast and steady economic growth on the continent. With more than 200 million people aged between 15 and 24, Africa has the largest population of young people in the world, and current trends indicate a doubling of the numbers by 2045. Therefore, investing in their education, health, and protection will be key to unlocking a demographic dividend in the 21st century. This webinar will look at the different options that governments and other sectors have to unleash this potential.

Request Recording
Webinar
Global Economic Outlook Webinar: Will high inflation halt the recovery?

with Ben May | Online | June 16, 2022

The global economy has started 2022 on a distinctly soft note and uncertainties over the economic fallout from the Ukraine war, high inflation and activity restrictions continue to cloud the nearer-term outlook. While recession risks have certainly grown over recent months, we continue to remain cautiously optimistic about the economic recovery. In this webinar, we provide an overview of our latest assessment of the global economic outlook.

Request Recording
Webinar
Africa’s ability to adapt in a changing landscape

with Jacques Nel and Greg Struyweg | Online | May 31, 2022

Relations between Russia and the West have changed irreversibly. This will have a lasting impact on the global economy. The outlook for a number of commodities has changed fundamentally. Economic structure may be destiny: Algeria received an unexpected reprieve at a moment that otherwise looked threatening, whereas the picture for energy-importing Tunisia is suddenly bleaker than ever. This webinar looks at which African countries have the economic structures to make the best of the situation. We also look at where institutional factors will play either a positive or negative role in this transition - highly centralised and personalised systems, in which popular anger can be focussed narrowly, are more fragile than democratic and liberal ones in which hardship is experienced as impersonal.

Request Recording
Webinar
Frontier market turmoil: Argentina’s value, Sri Lanka’s crisis, Egyptian FX worries

with Gabriel Sterne, Regis Chatellier and Maya Senussi | Online | May 24, 2022

Frontier markets will continue to be volatile in the near term, but bond valuations are attractive with plenty of arbitrage opportunities. We see value in Argentine bonds, as the country should benefit from higher commodity prices and liquidity risks are contained; we focus on the light at the end of Sri Lanka’s tunnel, with markets failing to price in the possibility of a successful IMF program; and also our concerns that further depreciation may be consistent with Egyptian stabilisation efforts.

Request Recording
Webinar
Food price inflation could hit Africa the hardest

with Jacques Nel and Petro van Eck | Online | April 26, 2022

Food accounts for a large share of the consumer price basket in a number of African countries. This means that the impact of surging global food prices will be marked. Higher food prices will filter through to consumers and undermine purchasing power. But the impact will extend far beyond headline CPI: calls for subsidies will either be heeded, putting pressure on the fiscus, or disregarded, resulting in social discontent. In this webinar we look at which African countries look set to be hit the hardest and what this means for the fiscus, monetary policy, and political stability.

Request Recording
Webinar
Filling the void: Africa’s role in European energy security

with Callee Davis and Zaynab Mohamed | Online | March 29, 2022

As Western Europe accelerates a structural transition away from Russian energy dependence, Africa will play a salient role in filling this void. In this webinar we explore how a more pressing shift towards renewable energy and a reduction on Russian hydrocarbon dependence will increase demand for African renewable and non-renewable resources. We also look at where political, institutional and governance risks might hinder this transition.

Request Recording

Trusted By

Sign up to our Resource Hub to download the latest and most popular reports.