Angola Prosecutor Seeks Seven-Year Jail Term for Ex-Leader’s Son

Angola Prosecutor Seeks Seven-Year Jail Term for Ex-Leader’s Son

ANGOLA (Capital Markets in Africa) — Prosecutors are demanding a jail term of at least seven years for Jose Filomeno dos Santos, the son of Angola’s former president, who is accused of taking part in an illegal $500 million transfer before his father stepped down in 2017, state-owned news agency Angop said. Jose Filomeno, also known as Zenu, is the most high-profile figure linked to the previous regime to stand trial for corruption. The 42-year-old…

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Zimbabwe Security Forces Sideline State With Economy Action

Zimbabwe Security Forces Sideline State With Economy Action

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) — Zimbabwe’s security force leaders sidelined the nation’s economic chiefs and forced the government to close the stock exchange and halt most mobile-money transactions, people familiar with the situation said. The June 26 order that sought to stabilize the nation’s currency came after pressure from the Joint Operations Command and was made without notifying the central bank, which regulates the mobile-money industry through which almost all of Zimbabwe’s commerce takes…

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Eskom Looks to $58 Million Sukuk as It Widens Funding Search

Eskom Looks to $58 Million Sukuk as It Widens Funding Search

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) — South Africa’s indebted power utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd.plans to issue a 1 billion rand ($58 million) Sukuk bond as it tries to diversify funding sources to reduce borrowing costs. Eskom has appointed a lead arranger “to work towards establishing timelines for the issue,” spokesman Sikonathi Mantshantsha said in an emailed response to questions on Monday. The utility has about 450 billion rand in debt and no current plans…

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South Africa Outlook Hinges on Virus and Restrictions, SARB Says

South Africa Outlook Hinges on Virus and Restrictions, SARB Says

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) — South Africa’s near-term economic outlook is highly dependent on the development of the coronavirus pandemic and the extent of restrictions on business activity to limit the spread, the Reserve Bank said. The government implemented a strict lockdown to curb the virus on March 27. For five weeks, almost all activity, except essential services, were shuttered and most citizens were only allowed to leave their homes only to buy food,…

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Africa Still Needs $44 Billion in Virus Funds to Be Financed

Africa Still Needs $44 Billion in Virus Funds to Be Financed

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — Of the more than $110 billion in additional funding that sub-Saharan Africa will need this year to fight the coronavirus pandemic, $44 billion has not been financed yet even after several countries have taken up emergency loans and debt-service relief initiatives, according to the International Monetary Fund. The funding needs persist despite the IMF approving debt-service relief for 21 sub-Saharan African countries for an initial six-month phase ending mid-October…

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Kenyan Economy to Shrink For First Time in 27 Years, IMF Says

Kenyan Economy to Shrink For First Time in 27 Years, IMF Says

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) — Kenya’s economy will contract for the first time in almost three decades, according to the International Monetary Fund. The lender now sees gross domestic product shrinking by 0.3% in 2020, compared with an April projection of 1% growth, according to a regional economic outlook update published Monday. That will be the first annual contraction since 1993. The economy will expand 4% next year, the IMF said, down from 6.1% projected two…

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Sasol’s Mozambique Pipeline Sale to Receive Binding Bids in July

Sasol’s Mozambique Pipeline Sale to Receive Binding Bids in July

MAPUTO (Capital Markets in Africa) — Sasol Ltd. expects binding bids within weeks for its stake in a natural gas pipeline running from Mozambique to South Africa, as the company accelerates asset sales to pay off debt, according to people familiar with the process. The bidding round underway for the Rompco 865-kilometer (537-mile) gas pipeline stake concludes in late July, according to two of the people who asked not to be identified because the information…

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