Naspers Is Said to Eye Fintech Deals in $1 Billion India Push

Naspers Is Said to Eye Fintech Deals in $1 Billion India Push

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Naspers Ltd. wants to spend about $1 billion in India this year as it scours the globe for investments that can replicate its blockbuster bet on China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd., a person familiar with the matter said. Africa’s largest company by market value is in talks to inject around $200 million into business loan provider Capital Float and payments security firm Wimbo as a first step, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions,…

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Record Cocaine Busts Mark West Africa’s Comeback as Transit Hub

Record Cocaine Busts Mark West Africa’s Comeback as Transit Hub

GUINEA-BISSAU (Capital Markets in Africa) – Record cocaine busts in Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde have fueled fears of a resurgence of drug trafficking in West Africa that’s likely to benefit Islamist militant groups in the region. Authorities in the two former Portuguese colonies have intercepted as much as 10.4 metric tons of cocaine this year, more than the total amount captured on the entire continent between 2013 and 2016, according to the latest data available…

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Guinea-Bissau Ruling Party Wins Most Seats in Legislature

Guinea-Bissau Ruling Party Wins Most Seats in Legislature

GUINEA-BISSAU (Capital Markets in Africa) – Guinea-Bissau’s divided ruling party won most seats in a long-delayed legislative vote on March 10, paving the way for a coalition that could ease political tensions in the West African nation. The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, known as the PAIGC and formed as a movement to fight Portuguese colonizers in the 1960s, won 47 of the 102 seats in the National Popular Assembly, according…

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Ethiopia to Send 737’s Black Boxes to Europe in Snub to U.S.

Ethiopia to Send 737’s Black Boxes to Europe in Snub to U.S.

ADDIS ABABA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ethiopia will ask European air-safety experts to analyze black boxes from a crashed Boeing Co. jet in a sign U.S. authorities aren’t trusted to determine the cause of the disaster after ruling that the model is safe to fly. The government hasn’t yet decided exactly where to send the data and voice recorders, though a European body will be approached, Ethiopian Airlines, which operated the crashed 737 Max jet, said Wednesday….

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Jumia Files for New York IPO as African Unicorn Seeks Funds

Jumia Files for New York IPO as African Unicorn Seeks Funds

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – African online retailer Jumia Technologies AG started a plan to sell shares in New York as the fast-growing Nigerian firm seeks to take advantage of rising internet access and increasing smartphone use on the continent. The company is seeking a public listing to raise funds and boost awareness, according to a filing on Tuesday. Bloomberg News reported last month that an IPO would value Jumia at about $1.5 billion, while largest shareholder MTN Group Ltd. is looking…

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Nigerian Oil Region Crisis Threatens Buhari’s Economic Plans

Nigerian Oil Region Crisis Threatens Buhari’s Economic Plans

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Fresh from his comfortable re-election, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari faces a huge hurdle to keep his vow to end the economy’s addiction to oil: win a lasting peace in the crude-rich Niger River delta. The 76-year-old former military ruler will have to score a breakthrough that’s eluded previous governments in an area where armed groups and thieves pose a constant threat to the flow of crude. To carry out his plans…

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Zimbabwe Eases Grip on New Currency in Bid to End Dollar Squeeze

Zimbabwe Eases Grip on New Currency in Bid to End Dollar Squeeze

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – For investors who doubted Zimbabwe would let market forces determine the price of its new currency, there’s some evidence it’s doing just that. The southern African nation’s central bank has allowed the currency, known as RTGS, to slide to 2.6481 per dollar this week, taking its depreciation since trading started on Feb. 22 to 5.6 percent. That marks a change from the previous fortnight, when it was stuck at almost exactly…

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