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North American Aerospace Union presses Trump to stop tariffs on Canada
On Monday, the United States should stop imposing tariffs on Canada, just as it did with Mexico, said the president of the largest North American union in the aerospace industry, as executives of the industry weighed the effects of new duties on jets and plane parts. U.S. president Donald Trump announced that he would be imposing tariffs of up to 25% on Canadian imports, and 10% on Chinese goods starting Tuesday. Trump originally planned to impose a 25% tariff on Mexico. However, this was postponed after a call Monday with Mexico's President. Brian Bryant said, "I'd think they would do it for Canada," as he is the international president of IAM (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers), an organization that represents planemakers like Boeing. We don't want those jobs to be threatened. "We have so many U.S. jobs that export aerospace products to Canada for the programs they run up there. Bryant suggested that Trump meet with unions like the IAM in order to understand workers' concerns. He said that some IAM members who voted for Trump probably didn't realize "that their jobs would be affected by what he could do with tariffs." Tariffs will increase the complexity of plane-making and cost, as a tight supply network limits firms' ability find alternatives. According to government data from 2023, Canada exported C$12.8 Billion ($8.78 Billion) in aerospace and defense products to the U.S. Bombardier's shares fell as much as 13 percent before settling at around 2%. In a press release, the Canadian business jet manufacturer said it would use the next few days to evaluate multiple scenarios in order to avoid any negative consequences. Trump's tendency to change his mind quickly and the tariffs' duration are unclear, making planning for scenarios like this more difficult. Boeing, the U.S.'s largest exporter, has been trying to increase plane production after a lower output in 2024. A trade war could harm this sprawling supply chain. Boeing's inventory is $87.5 billion and parts of aircraft are exempted from tariffs due to a 1979 agreement that includes the U.S., Canada and other countries. However, it is unclear if this agreement will prevent Trump from imposing new tariffs. Canada has launched a second round in three weeks of retaliatory duties on aerospace products, planemaking materials and steel and aluminum. Analysts said that companies who buy aluminum from Canada for the production of sheets, plates, or extrusions used in seat racks will have to pass costs on to planemakers. Boeing, Airbus, the European rival that also manufactures jets in Canada, as well as the United States and Honeywell, suppliers, declined to comment. Frederic Loiselle is a cofounder of Montreal's private equity firm Thrust Capital Partners that specializes in small aeronautical firms. "Price increases are likely to be the result," he said. "There are no resources to call upon and, if the solution was simple to implement, then the industry would already have resolved its supply chain problems." Loiselle stated that some of Thrust’s companies were buying aluminum parts before Trump's weekend announcements. Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst in the United States, warned that tariffs would have a negative impact on the business jet industry. Pratt & Whitney Canada, a subsidiary of RTX, produces engines for certain business jets from Gulfstream Aerospace (General Dynamics) and Textron. Dak Hardwick is the vice president for international affairs of the U.S. Aerospace Industries Association. He said that tariffs against Canada and Mexico may change the trajectory which has led the U.S. to be a leading aerospace exporter.
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US gold magnet: Banks fly bullion to US from Asia-focused hubs in order to benefit from premium
Gold is being flown into the United States by global bullion banks from Asian trading hubs, such as Dubai and Hong Kong. They are doing this to take advantage of the high premium on U.S. futures gold prices over the spot price. Gold is traditionally transported eastward by bullion banks from the West in order to satisfy the demand of China and India. These two countries are the largest consumers worldwide, representing almost half the global consumption. In recent months, the fear of U.S. tariffs on imports by President Donald Trump drove Comex futures prices above spot prices. This created a lucrative arbitrage. A Singapore-based dealer for a major bullion bank said, "Gold prices have skyrocketed, and demand in Asia has virtually disappeared." Gold spot prices reached a new record on Monday. He said: "A sweet opportunity in the U.S. has arisen, and almost every bank is grabbing it -- moving the gold to Comex delivery in order to cash in on arbitrage." COMEX gold inventory The price of gold has risen by almost 80% in the last few months, or more than 38 billion dollars at current prices. Supplies are coming from London and Switzerland, as well as Asia. The premium of Comex futures prices over spot price widened to around $40 on Monday. This compares with discounts up to $15 in India, and one as low as $1 in China. A Mumbai-based dealer said that the cost of shipping gold from Asian hubs into the U.S. was a fraction when compared to current Comex premiums. He said that a leading bullion firm even transported gold from a duty-free zone of India to the U.S. Normal situations: Many banks import gold to India and store it in customs free zones. They only pay import taxes after they realize the demand. The cargo can be moved overseas without having to pay taxes. A bullion dealer in Dubai said that as retail demand on Asian markets was slowed by high prices bullion banks even began sourcing gold in Dubai from refiners, which is usually a major India supply hub. This helped them meet their demand for the U.S. He said that the U.S. was like a magnet for gold, attracting it from around the globe. (Reporting and editing by Veronica Brown, David Evans and Veronica Brown; Additional reporting and editing by Polina Deitt and Ashitha Shivprasad)
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Anglo CEO focuses on value while working on De Beers spinoff
Anglo American CEO Duncan Wanblad stated on Monday that the company is working hard to maximize its value in case a new M&A bidder comes along. He also expects significant progress on a much-anticipated spin-off of De Beers' diamond business this year. Anglo American, a London-listed company, rejected a hostile bid of $49 billion from BHP in May. BHP was focusing on Anglo’s copper assets. Anglo has since streamlined its operations by selling coal assets and agreeing on the separation of its platinum business. It still needs to find partners for the UK fertiliser project, which requires massive amounts of funding to get it to commercial production. A weak diamond demand could make it a good idea to spin off De Beers. Anglo stated in May that it would take 18 to two years for the spin-off of this unit. Analysts have said that timeline is too ambitious. Wanblad said, however, that plans to divest De Beers would "substantially be completed" by the year 2025. He said this on the sidelines the Indaba Mining Conference in Cape Town. Botswana has offered to increase its 15% stake. Wanblad stated that Botswana had expressed a desire to raise its stake, and also indicated they would do this on commercial terms. However, he declined to specify how large a stake Botswana desired. Anglo may find that it is even more aggressively pursued by De Beers for its copper assets, which are long-lasting and vital for the transition towards greener energy. Copper is also needed for data centres, as artificial intelligence requires them. Takeovers can be a quick way to increase profits for both the company being targeted and its shareholders. The latter have the final word in any deal. Wanblad stated that "consolidating the industry per se is not a good idea for the global population because it results in less work being done." He continued, "My job is to get the best value from this company for shareholders and that's exactly what I do." "If this company is valued at its full value and someone makes a premium offer to buy it, that's fantastic." Reporting by Felix Njini and Clara Denina, Editing by Veronica Brown & Barbara Lewis
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How Trump's tariffs impact on corporate profits and inflation
Analysts said that the tariffs imposed by Donald Trump on Canada, Mexico, and China could have a significant impact on corporate profits and the direction of inflation, economic development, and stock market performance. Mexico-exposed stocks recovered some of their losses after Trump agreed that he would delay the new tariffs for Mexico by one month. However, investors are still evaluating the impact of the tariffs. COMPANIES AND PROFITS Goldman Sachs estimates that the announcements will reduce their S&P 500 earnings-per-share (EPS) predictions by approximately 2% to 3 %. The company said that every five percentage points increase in U.S. Tariff rates could reduce the EPS between 1% and 2%. Barclays analysts warned that tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China would have a negative impact on the S&P 500 if they were fully implemented. The materials and discretionary sectors are most at risk. Citigroup stated before the announcement that a small shock to import prices in a narrow scenario would likely result in a reduction of 50 basis points in S&P's gross margin. However, broader tariffs may see margins decline by 250 basis points. BlackRock warns that exporters' profit margins could be affected if high inflation rates cause interest rates to rise and a dollar surge reaches its peak in 2022. AUTOMAKERS According to Daniel Roeska of Bernstein, the U.S. automobile industry could be facing an extra cost of $40 billion per year, or an increase of 7% on average for each car. Goldman Sachs estimated that Canada and Mexico accounted for almost one-fifth the value of U.S. automobile consumption and production before the tariffs. RBC analysts wrote in a Jan. 28 note that the surcharges on Mexican imports may prove to be a problem to General Motors and could lead to a shift of production to the U.S. Stifel, following Saturday's announcement, said that Volkswagen and Stellantis are the two most vulnerable European automakers. The impact could be as high as 8 billion euros (8.25 billion dollars) on Volkswagen's revenue and 16 billion euro for Stellantis'. Stifel said that the impact of the measures taken by companies could be significantly lower. Steelmakers J.P. Morgan has said that European steelmakers whose U.S. supply chains are integrated with Mexico and Canada, as well as Europe, will be directly affected. Analysts point out that ArcelorMittal and its Finnish counterpart Outokumpu are exposed to Mexican steel and Canadian steel. Acerinox, on the other hand, has a high U.S. production. J.P. Morgan analysts stated in a note dated Feb. 3, that 70% of U.S. aluminium imports come from Canada. SPIRITS: Beverages, spirits, like mezcal and tequila make up almost 12 billion dollars in U.S. trade. Analysts at J.P. Morgan said that the tariffs announced on February 1 will have a major impact on Diageo and Campari. J.P. Morgan reported that AB Inbev, Heineken, and Remy Cointreau have the greatest EBIT exposure in the two markets. Carlsberg and Remy Cointreau have the most EBIT exposure in China. J.P. Morgan estimates that around 85% of the consolidated sales of Corona Beer maker Constellation Brands come from imported Mexican beer. Piper Sandler estimates that tariffs could have a negative impact on Constellation's fiscal 2026 earnings by $3.75 to $3.75 a share if they last the full fiscal year. OTHERS BofA Global Research stated on January 29 that tariffs against Mexico could harm appliance distributors like Whirlpool. Masco and Fortune Brands, both construction products companies, have a certain exposure to China. BofA stated that they have multiple suppliers for many of their products, and price increases could help them overcome some of the tariff obstacles. Builders FirstSource may benefit from tariffs on Canadian imports of lumber in the short term, but this would be offset by a decrease in homebuilding starts. INFLATION- Barclays' strategists say that the tariffs may lift the Fed’s preferred inflation indicator, the personal consumption expenditures index, by 35-40 basis point on an annual basis, over a 12-month period. Goldman Sachs estimated that tariffs would increase the U.S. PCE index by 0.9% if they were implemented. This is excluding volatile products such as energy and food.
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Holcim CEO: Holcim will not be affected by U.S. Tariffs and is optimistic about the construction market.
Holcim, a Swiss supplier of building materials to the United States, does not anticipate any negative impact from President Donald Trump's new tariffs. Instead, it hopes to benefit from an increase in infrastructure spending by the U.S. Gutovic said in an interview that the cement maker will increase capital expenditures and acquisitions in order to take advantage of the infrastructure spending trends and reshoring in the United States. This is its largest market. When asked what effect tariffs would have on Holcim, Gutovic replied: "I don't see any impact because our business is local (in the U.S .),". How will this affect us, since we produce locally and source the spare parts, equipment locally? "I don't see it." Gutovic, Holcim's CEO since May, said that the company will list its North American operations in the first half 2025. According to Holcim, the spin-off could be the largest transaction in global construction this year. It could also give Holcim North America a market value of $30 billion. Gutovic stated, "I do not see any difficulties from the point of listing." "We're committed to making this happen by H1." Holcim plans to expand its business in the United States through organic growth and acquisitions this year, according to him. Gutovic said that there is a huge demand for bridges, tunnels, and roads to be refurbished. Last year, we saw a good deal of momentum in the reshoring...and this was from data centres to factory." He added, "And it goes on." The best is yet ahead. Last week, Holcim's German competitor Heidelberg Materials pledged to do many more deals in the U.S. during this year. They also identified that country as a major growth driver. Holcim has acquired 35 companies in North America in 2018 and expanded its footprint by building new factories in Indiana, Utah and Utah. The company's North American workforce increased by 50% between 2020 and 2023, to around 16,000 employees. It aims to achieve annual sales of around $20 billion by 2030 - up from $11 billion annually in 2023. Gutovic stated that "we are investing both in M&A as well as organic growth." We need to consider both sides. "We have the firepower to handle both." Reporting by John Revill, Editing by Susan Fenton
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FEATURE-As climate costs rise, U.S. communities turn to the courts
Eleven U.S. States, as well as dozens of counties and cities file lawsuits Climate action lawsuits demand payment Supreme Court declines to review a key case By Carey L Biron The U.S. Supreme Court now has given tacit approval to legal efforts that allow local officials to use public nuisance laws or consumer protection laws to ask major oil and gas companies for funds to cover climate change related losses and upgrades. Richard Wiles of the Center for Climate Integrity said that "the Supreme Court's ruling creates a path for communities and state to seek climate justice in state courts." The Center for Climate Integrity has supported such local options. We expect more state and local governments to go to court as a result of the Los Angeles fire and climate damage affecting communities all over the country. The Jan. 13 decision, which comes just days before President Trump returns to the White House offers a new avenue for local climate action in a time where federal attention on the issue has changed rapidly. Trump declared an "energy crisis" as one of his first acts. This could have allowed him to bypass certain environmental regulations, and accelerate approvals for oil production. The court's decision was in response to a suit filed by officials from Honolulu in Hawaii. They claimed that oil companies knew about climate impacts but hid them for decades. This is now causing local governments problems such as flooding, erosion, and water system concerns. The Supreme Court refused to stop the process that had been started by a lower court. This disappointed oil industry groups. In an email, Ryan Meyers, the general counsel of an industry group called American Petroleum Institute said that this coordinated campaign was a waste of taxpayers' resources and a distraction away from important issues. The court system should not be involved in climate policy debates. In addition to Honolulu's lawsuit, 11 states as well as dozens of counties and cities have filed suits either seeking damages for the adaptation efforts they have undertaken or claiming that the oil industry has deceived consumers about its products and their effects on climate changes. As a result of this, our residents are facing the devastating effects of increasing storms and flooding, as well as rising costs for protecting our city's infrastructure. Hoboken has filed a lawsuit for "climate accountability", which was added last year to a similar suit by the state. 'GAME CHANGER' Locally led accountability suits have been made possible by scientific advancements that, according to their supporters, provide insight into the cause of a specific weather event - including its source - as well as whether climate change was responsible. This "attribution" science is "a game changer for climate change", said Delta Merner. She leads the Science Hub for Climate Litigation, an organization of think tanks, at the Union of Concerned Scientists. She said that advances in the last five years have helped researchers better understand how climate change is affecting human health, ecosystems, crop yields, and more. Merner stated that the lawsuits were a powerful tool to help local communities. The new suits are seeking a precedent which could transform how corporate responsibility is addressed for climate change. Merner stated that "these cases show the direct harm felt by local communities." We're localizing a climate approach that translates well to global issues. It helps us understand the costs of climate changes on local communities. The legal strategy is still complex. A state judge dismissed a New York City lawsuit claiming that major oil companies misled residents about climate change. This was just days after the Supreme Court ruling. A Maryland circuit judge dismissed a Baltimore case similar to this one last year. Mark Miller, senior attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation who filed a brief before the Supreme Court on the Honolulu Case, said that "Lawsuits such as this increase energy costs for Americans, when the majority of reasonable Americans are aware of the ongoing national power grid crises." According to him and others, the issues in question are not the province of local authorities but rather the federal government. "The energy grid crises, and whether local or state governments can worsen that crisis through lawsuits such as this one, or if this is a federal policy-area reserved for the federal government... rises to a level of national importance." 'LEGAL DUTIES TO PROTECT Many local officials believe that the financial and other costs of climate changes are high, and will only get worse. A heat wave in 2021 in the Pacific Northwest led to hundreds of deaths, both in Oregon and Washington. Multnomah County officials, including Portland, declared a climate crisis. Roger Worthington, an lawyer with Worthington & Caron, said: "This heat dome incident caused death and injury. It stretched county resources and had a huge impact on productivity, infrastructure, and productivity. Basically, electrical wires melted." Worthington has now led a lawsuit for the county, accusing oil companies, industry groups and consultancies, as well as a local gas company, of being responsible for the heat wave. Worthington stated that "Multnomah County is legally obligated to protect the people of its county and their property." The lawsuit seeks civil damages of $50,000,000 plus future damages of $1.5 billion, as well as an estimated $50 billion for upgrading infrastructure and health services. Worthington stated that the county views the case as one of fairness.
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European EV Group calls on EU to adhere to CO2 targets 2025
A European industry group that represents automakers, charging companies, and battery manufacturers said Monday the EU should not waive fines for automakers who miss their targets but instead stick to its CO2 emission regulations until 2025 and offer incentives to purchase EVs. E-Mobility Europe stated that new research by the British firm New Automotive showed the 2025 emissions rules for cars would lead to a nearly 65% increase in the sales of fully-electric vehicles in the European Union in this year. Without these rules, sales should have increased 33%. The group stated that a number new EVs under 25,000 Euros ($25,660), including the Renault R5, Fiat Grand Panda and Hyundai Inster, should be available this year. E-Mobility Europe Secretary General Chris Heron said the EU could use the money raised from tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles or funds from the coronavirus outbreak to provide incentives for consumers. Heron stated that "with targets in place there will be an enormous push to sell electric vehicles this year." If Europe's governments join in, we could end up having a year without fines. According to the EU's CO2 emissions targets for 2025, more than a fifth of automakers sales must be electric. However, EVs accounted only for 13.6% new car sales in 2020. The European auto industry estimated that it could be fined 15 billion Euros if they fail to meet these targets. They have asked the European Commission for a waiver of those fines. E-Mobility Europe, formerly known as Avere, is a membership that spans across the entire EV ecosystem. It includes Tesla, Chinese battery manufacturer CATL, and Dutch fast-charging firm Fastned. Fastned CEO Michiel Langezaal estimates that charging companies have so far invested 10 billion euro in infrastructure. Investors will be reluctant to provide funds if the EU abandons its goals. Langezaal stated that it is important to maintain the targets to ensure that the entire industry makes the transition. Otherwise, the infrastructure will not be built.
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Communities in the U.S. are turning to the courts as climate costs rise
Eleven U.S. States, as well as dozens of counties and cities file lawsuits Climate action lawsuits demand payment Supreme Court declines to review key case By Carey L Biron The U.S. Supreme Court now has a tacit approval of legal efforts that allow local officials to use public nuisance laws or consumer protection laws to ask major oil and gas companies for funds to cover climate change related losses and upgrades. Richard Wiles of the Center for Climate Integrity said that "the Supreme Court's ruling creates a path for communities and state to seek climate justice in state courts." The Center for Climate Integrity has supported such local options. We expect more state and local governments to go to court as a result of the Los Angeles fire and the climate damage that has affected communities all over the country. The Jan. 13 decision, which comes just days before President Trump returns to the White House offers an additional opportunity for local climate action in a time where federal attention on the issue has rapidly changed course. Trump declared an "energy crisis" as one of his first acts. This could have allowed him to bypass certain environmental regulations, and accelerate approvals for oil production. The court's decision was in response to a suit filed by officials from Honolulu in Hawaii. They claimed that oil companies knew about climate impacts but hid them for decades. This is now causing local governments problems such as flooding, eroding soil and water system concerns. The Supreme Court refused to stop the process that had been started by a lower court. This disappointed oil industry groups. In an email, Ryan Meyers, the general counsel of an industry group called American Petroleum Institute said that this coordinated campaign was a waste of taxpayers' resources and a distraction away from important issues. The court system should not be involved in climate policy debates. In addition to Honolulu's lawsuit, 11 states as well as dozens of counties and cities have filed suits either seeking damages for the adaptation efforts they have undertaken or claiming that oil companies have misled the public regarding their products and climate change. As a result of this, our residents are facing the devastating effects of increasing storms and flooding, as well as rising costs for protecting our city's infrastructure. Hoboken has filed a lawsuit for "climate accountability", which was added last year to a similar suit by the state. 'GAME CHANGER' Locally led accountability suits have been made possible by scientific advancements that, according to their supporters, provide insight into the cause of a specific weather event - including its source - as well as whether climate change was responsible. This "attribution" science is "a game changer for climate change", said Delta Merner. She leads the Science Hub for Climate Litigation, an organization of think tanks, at the Union of Concerned Scientists. She said that advances in the last five years have helped researchers better understand how climate change is affecting human health, ecosystems, crop yields, and more. Merner stated that the lawsuits were a powerful tool to help local communities. The new suits are seeking a precedent which could transform how corporate responsibility is addressed for climate change. Merner stated that "these cases show the direct harm suffered by local communities." We're localizing a climate approach that really translates into these global issues and helps us to see the tangible costs associated with climate change for local communities. The legal strategy is still complex. A state judge dismissed a New York City lawsuit claiming that major oil companies misled residents about climate change. This was just days after the Supreme Court ruling. A Maryland circuit judge dismissed a Baltimore case similar to this one last year. Mark Miller, senior attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation who filed a brief before the Supreme Court on the Honolulu Case, said that "Lawsuits such as this increase energy costs for Americans, when the majority of reasonable Americans are aware of the ongoing national power grid crises." According to him and others, the federal government is responsible for the issue at hand rather than the local authorities. "The energy grid crises, and whether local or state governments can worsen that crisis through lawsuits such as this one, or whether this policy-area is reserved for the federal government... rises to the status of a national question." 'LEGAL DUTIES TO PROTECT Many local officials believe that the financial and other costs of climate changes are high, and will only get worse. A heat wave in 2021 in the Pacific Northwest led to hundreds of deaths, both in Oregon and Washington. Multnomah County officials, including Portland, declared a climate crisis. Roger Worthington, an lawyer with Worthington & Caron, said: "This heat dome incident caused death and injury. It stretched county resources and had a huge impact on productivity, infrastructure, and infrastructure - basically electrical wires melted." Worthington has now led a lawsuit for the county, accusing oil companies, industry groups and consultancies, as well as a local gas company, of being responsible for the heat wave. Worthington stated that "Multnomah County is legally obligated to protect the people of its county and their property." The lawsuit seeks civil damages of $50,000,000 plus future damages of $1.5 billion, as well as an estimated $50 billion for upgrading infrastructure and health services. Worthington stated that the county views the case as one of fairness.
Africa's GDP Recalculation Campaign is presented to the G20 but there are many skeptics.
African countries are planning to make a new push this year at international summits for standard measures of strength economics such as the GDP in order to better recognize their vast natural resources and assets.
The African Development Bank is driving the initiative in the hopes that recalibrating the GDP will automatically improve debt metrics, and ease borrowing market pressures which have triggered dozens economic crises over the past decades.
It has been long debated how much money precious ecosystems could generate for the poorest countries. The U.N. estimates Africa to be home to one quarter of all mammal and bird species.
The AfDB says that the country has one-sixth the remaining world forests, and these, along with the mangroves, lock in planet-damaging CO2 emissions. This benefit should be accounted for when calculating GDP.
It will be discussed at all G7 and G20 meetings )... Akinwumi Adesina, AfDB president, said on the sidelines a conference in Tanzania last week that he expected others to recognize it was time to start changing the valuation of African economies.
There are questions about the impact of such a recalibration on investors and creditor, given that the jump needed to monetize the natural wealth through carbon credits is still a long way off.
"You can borrow more money but the real question is: can you pay it back? "If you cannot pay more then it will be a big problem," Kariuki ngari, CEO of Standard Chartered Kenya said on the question whether debts would be available more cheaply to Africa.
According to the AfDB, Africa's official GDP total in 2018 was $2.5 trillion. This is 2.5 times less than Africa's natural resources that year which they estimate at $6.2 trillion. Natural capital is defined as forests, fisheries and minerals like lithium which are crucial to the global energy shift.
A higher official GDP number could also lower the debt-to-GDP (debt-to-GDP) ratios that creditors and investors use as a measure of ability to repay debt.
African nations are often rated lower and have higher lending costs due to their perceived riskiness. Nigeria and Kenya, for example, issued dollar bonds last year with interest rates as high as 10%, compared to rates below 5% in advanced economies such the United States.
According to the World Bank, total external debt in sub-Saharan Africa is now $500 billion, up from $150 billion just a decade ago.
Officials haven't yet specified which countries will see the largest improvement in GDP, or how much their borrowing costs might drop if they factor in their natural wealth.
The issue will be discussed at the next meeting
This issue will likely be discussed during South Africa's G20 Presidency this year. In February, the top finance officials of the group will meet in South Africa.
A spokesperson from South Africa did NOT immediately respond to a comment request. Adesina, of the AfDB, said that the continent planned to also hammer out an agreement on the matter at a summit of the African Union in Ethiopia mid-February.
Climate change is also a factor in the debt problem. Many African economies are highly vulnerable to it.
Amina Mohamed, the deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, said that "exorbitant capital costs" mean that a continent which has the potential to become a renewable powerhouse only accounts for less than 1 percent of global solar installed capacity.
Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo and Kenya's William Ruto also advocated the change in how the African economies were calculated during the COP29 global talks on climate last year, held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The rich nations and international financial organizations did not commit to the campaign.
World Bank reports from the past two decades have shown the economic wealth, including natural resources. The World Bank's report from last year revealed that 6% global GDP was in renewable natural resources, including water, fisheries, renewable energy and other ecosystems.
Finding a way of monetising Africa's natural resources could help close the continent's multibillion-dollar financing gap. Rajiv Shah, president of Rockefeller Foundation, said that there is a "genuine need for fiscal assistance across the continent".
China, which is the largest bilateral creditor of many economies in this region, supports Africa's demand for a formula to calculate the continent's wealth.
Beijing stated at the conclusion of a summit of African leaders in September last year that "we call for a new assessment of the gross national product of African economies including the green riches of the African continent."
Zambia, having just completed its debt restructuring, is in favor of mobilizing more funds to support development.
Hakainde Hichilema, the Zambian president, said that the country urgently needs money to increase the number of electricity connections. "We don't want to waste time." (Reporting and editing by Karin Strohecker, Frances Kerry and Karin Strohecker. Additional reporting by Simon Jessop & Marc Jones.
(source: Reuters)