Why Afronomics exists

A farmer in Kisumu, a SACCO treasurer in Nyeri, a trader in Lagos, a pension fund in Johannesburg and a bond desk in London have one thing in common: every one of them lives under the price of money, and almost none of them can see it. What a government pays to borrow sets what the SACCO charges for a loan, what the bank pays on a deposit, what a money-market fund yields, how fast the currency buys fertiliser, and how much of this year’s taxes go on interest. That price is public — printed every week by every central bank — and yet invisible to nearly everyone who lives under it.

Afronomics makes it visible. We read each central bank’s published auction results the day they appear, keep the full history, publish every figure with its source at an address that will not change, explain what it means for a saver or a borrower in plain English and Kiswahili, and send it to anyone who asks — free. Institutions pay for depth, speed, the index and the workflow built on the same numbers; that is what keeps the public layer free. The terminal in New York costs more a month than most African analysts earn; this costs nothing to read.

Three things a public reference changes. Fairness: a person who knows the government pays 9% on a one-year bill can judge the 6% their bank offers or the 18% their lender charges. Accountability: every shilling a government borrows is the citizen’s, and a permanent public record of what it paid belongs to the citizen too. Inclusion: the people who most need the number will never open a terminal, so it has to travel — by WhatsApp, by text, in their language, to a notice board.

What you get

  • The Wire — headlines from African business, markets, technology and energy publishers, refreshed every 15 minutes.
  • 54 country files — growth, prices, debt, capital flows, connectivity and energy, each with history.
  • The capital tracker — development finance heading to African Boards, by country and theme.
  • The data hub — every series ranked across the continent, with free CSV downloads.
  • Analysis — field guides to the documents that move African markets.

How we earn trust

Every number links to the publisher that printed it and carries its year. Blank means the publisher has no value. We correct mistakes in public. The full standard is on sources and method.

How we are funded

Reading and citing Afronomics is free. Institutions pay for depth — full analysis, alerts, bulk data, licensed feeds and commissioned research. See pricing and research and advisory. We do not take payment for coverage.

Who we are

Afronomics is published from Nairobi by Pesara. Write to desk@afronomicsfeed.com or follow us on LinkedIn.