Core Viewpoint - The Colombian Restaurant Association warns that proposed tax increases on alcoholic beverages could negatively impact the formal restaurant industry, particularly affecting small and medium-sized enterprises [1] Group 1: Tax Implications - The Ministry of Finance plans to raise the financial transaction tax from 0.4% to 0.5%, which will directly increase operational costs for businesses [1] - The new tax measures are expected to further compress profit margins for companies in the restaurant sector, which is already facing challenges from rising operational costs and a slowdown in consumer spending [1] Group 2: Industry Impact - The association highlights that the tax increases could weaken the competitiveness of the restaurant industry and encourage informal operations [1] - There is a call for the government to carefully consider the significant role of the restaurant industry and assess the long-term sustainability impacts of the tax measures [1]

Core Viewpoint - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has confirmed that Ghana's central bank's "gold for reserves" program has incurred losses amounting to $214 million, which is 0.2% of the country's GDP, primarily due to trading losses and costs associated with the gold purchasing agency [1][2] Group 1: Financial Impact - The losses from the gold trading program are attributed to transaction losses and the costs incurred by the gold purchasing agency [1] - As of September 2025, the gold purchasing agency has not received the expected $279 million from the national budget, leading it to operate mainly as an intermediary for gold procurement services [1] Group 2: Operational Mechanism - The gold purchasing agency acquires unrefined gold from miners at international market prices, sometimes at a premium, but the actual selling price upon export is typically 3%-5% lower than the international market price due to refining, testing, and transportation costs [2] - The central bank is deeply involved in the gold procurement process by integrating commercial bank funds and directly creating base money to purchase gold from the agency [2] Group 3: Strategic Challenges - The program is an extension of the central bank's domestic gold procurement initiative launched in 2021, aimed at enhancing foreign exchange reserves through local gold purchases [2] - The current pricing mechanism flaws expose the central bank to ongoing loss risks, highlighting challenges in fiscal management and institutional design in Ghana's resource monetization efforts [2]

ARAB NEWS 12月15日报道，沙特工矿部大臣班达尔在参加第三届"沙特制造"展会时称，目前带 有"沙特制造"的产品已达1.9万种，并销往180个国家，"沙特制造"计划已涵盖了3700家沙特当地注册公 司。 班达尔表示，在出口本国产品的过程中，沙特出口发展局（Saudi Export Development Authority） 的作用尤为重要。目前，该局已签署了108项出口协议，并对433家进口商完成注册，以及向9家出口公 司颁发许可证。其中，出口公司的对外贸易已覆盖21个国家，贸易值达3.9亿里亚尔。 （原标题：已有1.9万种"沙特制造"产品销往180个国家） ...

Core Viewpoint - Côte d'Ivoire, as the world's third-largest and Africa's largest natural rubber producer, plans to enhance rubber productivity by adding 500,000 hectares of rubber plantations over the next decade to meet increasing international market demand and support the government's vision for developing biomass energy and related industries [1] Group 1: Market Demand - The global natural rubber market is projected to reach $48.5 billion by 2025, with an expected annual growth rate of 4.58% until 2030 according to Mordor Intelligence [1] Group 2: Government Initiatives - The Côte d'Ivoire government, through the Rubber Planting Revitalization Producers Association (APRHE-CI), is taking steps to expand rubber cultivation to align with both market demand and its broader economic development goals [1]

Core Insights - Ghana is projected to rank fourth in Africa for debt owed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by the end of 2025 [1] - The IMF has granted Ghana a total of 2.85 billion Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), equivalent to approximately 4.13 billion USD [1] - Ghana recently received 365 million USD from the IMF, marking the fifth disbursement under the IMF rescue program signed in 2022 [1] Debt Situation - Egypt holds the highest amount of unpaid loans to the IMF among African countries, with a total estimated at 6.58 billion SDRs [1] - Côte d'Ivoire and Kenya follow, with 3.63 billion SDRs and 2.95 billion SDRs respectively [1] - As of the third quarter of 2025, Ghana's public debt increased by 71.6 billion Cedi, reaching a total of 684.6 billion Cedi (approximately 55.1 billion USD) by September 2025 [1]

仪式上，戈伊塔向部队授予旗帜及装备，称其为"战略性多国部队"，旨在协同应对跨境安全威胁。 马里国防部长表示部队将遵循地区"团结、互助、尊严"的价值观行动。联盟任命布基纳法索军官达乌达 ·特拉奥雷准将担任指挥官，体现三国间领导权平衡。 此次联合部队组建紧随三国于2025年1月退出西非国家经济共同体（ECOWAS）的决定。相关国家 认为需构建自主安全合作机制以应对区域严峻安全形势。分析指出，此举表明军事安全合作已成为萨赫 勒国家联盟当前优先推进方向。 （原标题：萨赫勒国家联盟正式启动联合安全部队） 据"非洲简报"12月22日报道，萨赫勒国家联盟（AES）于马里首都巴马科举行联合安全部队（FU- AES）启动仪式。马里总统阿西米·戈伊塔及成员国国防部长等出席仪式，标志着马里、布基纳法索、 尼日尔三国军事一体化进入新阶段。 ...

该电视台被定位为应对虚假信息、塑造萨赫勒地区共同叙事的战略平台。其成立正值三国正式退出 西非国家经济共同体满一年之际，联盟正加速构建包括安全、经济在内的平行体系。近期，AES已启动 5000人规模的联合部队，并设立资本金达5000亿西非法郎（约9亿美元）的投资发展银行。同时，联盟 致力于通过媒体渠道直接向约7800万民众传递信息，以应对外部"片面叙事"。分析认为，此举凸显信息 管控已成为该联盟与防务、财政同等重要的战略支柱。 随着AES在政治、安全、经济及传媒领域推进协同，该联盟正试图以统一姿态，在地区格局变动中 确立自主发展路径。 据"非洲简报"12月24日报道，萨赫勒国家联盟（AES）领导人近日在巴马科峰会期间正式启动联合 区域电视台。马里、布基纳法索和尼日尔三国元首共同出席开播仪式，标志着该联盟在推进政治与信息 主权整合方面迈出新一步。 （原标题：萨赫勒国家联盟启动联合电视台 深化主权整合进程） ...

阿拉比亚电视台12月11日报道，沙特工矿部最新报告显示，2025年10月工矿部共发布95张新的工业 许可证，相关投资额超24亿里亚尔，预计提供超900个就业机会。同时当月有81家新工厂投产，总投资 额达13亿里亚尔，预计新增岗位超1900个。 （原标题：沙特有81家工厂在10月投产） ...

波黑"自由波斯尼亚"网12月23日报道。波黑塞族共和国政府今日发债3300万马克，较原计划超发 1300万马克。近7天共累计发债约1亿马克。（驻波黑使馆经商处） （原标题：波黑塞族共和国政府近日内发债约1亿马克） ...

监管委员会指出，为应对大量小型发电设施的建设，并实现成本均衡分摊，监管委员会首次在塞族共和 国范围内，为接入配电电网的小型发电站所属配电系统用户设定了电价标准。这意味着塞族共和国内今 后接入配电网络的小型太阳能电站及其他发电设施，均需支付相应的配电电网费用。 声明强调，本次调整仅涉及电网费用变动，并未对能源价格(即普通的用电价格)进行调整。(驻波黑使馆 经商处) 监管委员会在电价制定程序中，部分批准了塞族共和国主要电力分销商提出的电网费上调申请。对于家 庭用户而言，这意味着电费总额将因此上涨10%，工商业用电户的电费总额则上涨6%，自2026年2月1 日起生效。 波黑媒体BiznisInfo12月22日报道。波黑塞族共和国能源监管委员会今日举行例行会议，审议通过了 《关于确定塞族共和国配电系统用户配电电网费用标准的决定》。 ...