Territory Dispute Clouds $1.1 Billion S. Africa-Morocco Deal

Territory Dispute Clouds $1.1 Billion S. Africa-Morocco Deal

RABAT (Capital Markets in Africa) – The South African government’s support for a political movement some 4,500 miles away could complicate a $1.1 billion deal. Moroccan billionaire Othman Benjelloun on Tuesday spoke out against South Africa-based Sanlam Ltd.’s acquisition of insurer Saham Finances SA, saying South Africa has chosen the wrong side in a territorial dispute. South Africa supports a group called the Polisario Front, which has been seeking self determination in the Western Sahara territory since 1991. Morocco…

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Africa Growth at 7-Year High, No Thanks to Its Major Economies

Africa Growth at 7-Year High, No Thanks to Its Major Economies

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Growth in Africa’s two largest economies may be sputtering along but that won’t stop the continent’s gross domestic product from expanding at the fastest pace since at least 2012. GDP growth for the continent is forecast to accelerate to 4 percent this year, up from an estimated 3.5 percent in 2018, making it the fastest-growing region in the world after Asia, according to the African Development Bank. And that’s…

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Nigeria to Boost Port Security as U.S. Imposes Restrictions

Nigeria to Boost Port Security as U.S. Imposes Restrictions

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria is improving the security of its waterways and harbors, the nation’s ports authority said, as the U.S. reportedly imposed restrictions on the West African country. The U.S. Coast Guard will apply conditions of entry to ships that recently visited some of Nigeria’s port terminals, Ships & Ports reported, citing the U.S. organization. The entry restrictions will begin April 12 and aim to protect the U.S. from vessels arriving from countries…

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South Africa Says It’s Got a Plan to Restore Power Stability

South Africa Says It’s Got a Plan to Restore Power Stability

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s state-owned power company has a plan to restore reliability of supply over the short to medium term and will aim to avoid any more scheduled blackouts, according to the minister responsible. The objective for Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. remains predictable power supply, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan told reporters on Wednesday. If rotating power cuts become necessary, the utility will aim to ensure that a maximum of 1,000 megawatts…

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Zimbabwean Lenders Ask Central Bank to Lift Interest-Rate Cap

Zimbabwean Lenders Ask Central Bank to Lift Interest-Rate Cap

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Zimbabwe’s lenders, which include units of Standard Bank Group Ltd. and Ecobank Ltd., appealed to the central bank to raise interest rates that have been capped at 12 percent for the past two years, saying this would increase lending in the collapsing economy. They also proposed that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe introduce an overnight rate to facilitate lending between financial institutions and the central bank, Bankers Association of Zimbabwe submissions seen by Bloomberg…

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Why Change at the Top Might Not Be Enough in Algeria: QuickTake

Why Change at the Top Might Not Be Enough in Algeria: QuickTake

ALGEIRS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Bowing to almost two months of mass protests, Algeria’s ailing, octogenarian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned. The announcement may not be enough to quell the unrest that’s being watched closely in Europe and elsewhere and that’s invoked comparisons to the Arab Spring of 2011. Algeria is not only one of Africa’s largest energy producers but has been a bulwark against Islamist militancy and undocumented migration from other parts of the…

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Ousted by Protests, Bouteflika Was Once Algeria’s Savior

Ousted by Protests, Bouteflika Was Once Algeria’s Savior

ALGEIRS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who led Algeria out of civil war to become its longest-serving president, has resigned after throngs of protesters and even his military allies told the ailing president he’d overstayed his welcome. Though Bouteflika has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, his political demise will deepen uncertainty in the North African OPECmember. His resignation late on Tuesday might not be enough to assuage demonstrators whose demands have expanded…

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