The Editorial Team |

IMF Says Zimbabwe Needs Aid Urgently to Ease Humanitarian Crisis

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) — The International Monetary Fund has warned that Zimbabwe needs urgent aid as the coronavirus exacerbates the impact a food shortage following the worst drought in nearly four decades. The southern African nation needs hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid in the coming months to fend off a humanitarian crisis that’s likely to leave more than half of the population hungry, the Washington-based institution said. “The outbreak has…

Poorer Countries Are Least Prepared for Pandemic Lockdowns

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — As countries around the globe try to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, nowhere is the task more challenging and the risk greater than in the developing world. From Southeast Asia to South America, governments are struggling to enforce severe China-style lockdowns. They lack the resources to deploy the testing-heavy, tech-driven measures used by wealthier countries like Singapore and South Korea, which have had more success in keeping…

U.K.’s Johnson Is Still Ill and Isolating With Coronavirus Fever

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LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson still has a high temperature and remains in isolation, one week after testing positive for coronavirus. Johnson made the announcement in a video posted on Twitter on Friday, saying that even after seven days, “alas I still have one of the symptoms, a minor symptom: I still have a temperature. In accordance with government advice I must continue my self-isolation.” With deaths still rising…

Rand’s Record-Busting Slump May Not Be Over, Options Suggest

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) — The rand hasn’t hit rock bottom yet. Even after falling to its weakest level on record against the dollar this week, South Africa’s currency has a better chance of extending the decline in the coming months than rallying to stronger levels predicted by analysts in a Bloomberg survey, options pricing suggests. The rand is on track for a 5.8% drop against the dollar this week, the worst performance among emerging-market currencies….

Borderless Virus Confronts World Where 2 Billion Toil in Shadows

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — How do governments control activity in an economy they never really controlled in the first place? That’s an urgent question being asked for those who run the $35 trillion developing world as the coronavirus takes hold. From the slums of Manila to remote villages in Colombia, some 2 billion people ply their trades in a barely-regulated and untaxed informal economy. The effort to contain the spread of a disease that’s so far infected around…

Helios Has $350 Million Primed for Expansion After Virus Eases

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(Bloomberg) — Helios Towers Ltd.’s plans to expand following last year’s London share sale may have been waylaid by the coronavirus outbreak, but the Africa-focused company has $350 million primed and ready for when dealmaking can resume. The telecommunications firm raised funds in an initial public offering in October, with the proceeds earmarked to fund an entry into new African markets and add to a portfolio of almost 7,000 towers. “It’s not that talks stalled…

Nigeria Says It Needs Radical Reforms After Oil Plunge (1)

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — Nigeria is faced with an economic challenge that is unprecedented in its history and will need radical reforms to overcome it, the presidency said. “What we will need to do is something that is bold, radical and one that our people can understand and buy into,” Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said in an emailed statement. The government will pursue mass housing, increase agricultural production, ensure improved local productivity through…

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