World

Burundi inflation eases to 6.0pc in October

NAIROBI: Burundi's inflation eased to 6.
Published November 16, 2016 Updated November 16, 2016 03:29pm

NAIROBI: Burundi's inflation eased to 6.0 percent year-on-year in October from 7.0 percent a month before as food costs rose at a slower pace in local markets, official data showed on Wednesday.

Food inflation rose 7.0 percent in the year to October from 8.4 percent in September, the Institute of Economic Studies and Statistics (ISTEEBU) said in its monthly report. Burundi's economic activity has been affected by several months of political crisis after President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a third term, which he secured in a July 2015 election.

The country's opposition boycotted the election and said the third term was unconstitutional. Authorities say businesses revived since the third quarter of the year due to a relative stability across the country, particularly in the capital Bujumbura, boosting tax revenue.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts economic growth would shrink 0.5 percent this year and expand by 2 percent in 2017.

Copyright Reuters, 2016