'Bank rate increase to curtail credit growth'
Friday, June 06, 2008
After sticking to their guns for a while, BoB last week finally raised the bank rate from 14.5 percent to 15 percent as a counter inflationary measure.
This followed a seven-month rally of the annual inflation figure rising from 6.8 percent in September 2007 to 11.1 percent in April this year.
Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...