BoB keeps monetary policy rate stable
Botswana’s central bank Monetary Policy Committee ( MPC) last week announced a decision to maintain the country’s monetary policy rate ( MoPR) at 2.65 percent.
“The MPC decided to maintain the MoPR at 2.65 percent to support the nascent economic recovery,” said BoB Governor Moses Pelaelo.
The Governor said the MPC projects the economy will operate below full capacity in the short to medium term and, therefore, not create any demanddriven inflationary pressures.
“The projected elevated inflation in the short term is primarily due to supply- side factors and related second- round effects and entrenched expectations ( including, through price adjustments by businesses, contractors and property owners), while demand remains modest,” said Pelaelo.
Statistics Botswana ( SB), the country’s data authority, recently highlighted that inflation decreased from 14.6 percent in August 2022 to 13.8 percent in September 2022, remaining above the reserve bank’s medium- term objective range of three to six percent.
The fall in inflation has been partially attributed to downward adjustment of domestic fuel prices in September 2022.
However, the MPC projects that inflation will remain above the objective range into the medium term but trend downwards from the fourth quarter of 2022 and fall within the objective range from the third quarter of 2024.
“The projected decrease in inflation in the medium term is due to the dissipating impact of the earlier increases in administered prices, subdued domestic demand, current monetary policy posture, expected decrease in trading partner countries’ inflation and international commodity prices,” said Pelaelo. He however highlighted that there is a significant risk that inflation could remain elevated owing to factors that include the potential increase in international commodity prices beyond current forecasts; persistence of supply and logistical constraints to production; the adverse economic and price effects of the ongoing RussiaUkraine war; the uncertain COVID- 19 profile; and the tension between China and Taiwan. “On the domestic front, the risks for higher inflation than currently projected relate to possible annual adjustments of administered prices not included in the forecast; short- term,” he said.