Clover Gets $359 Million Offer in South Africa Investment Boost

Clover Gets $359 Million Offer in South Africa Investment Boost

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Clover Industries Ltd. received a buyout offer from investors led by Israel’s Central Bottling Co. that values the South African company at 4.8 billion rand ($359 million), giving a boost to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s effort to lure foreign investment to the country. The acquiring group offered 25 rand a share for the Johannesburg-based dairy and drinks producer, compared with a Friday closing price of 20 rand, Clover said in a statement on Monday….

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Gold Miners Get Their Mojo Back as Giant Deals Revive Allure

Gold Miners Get Their Mojo Back as Giant Deals Revive Allure

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – After years on the sidelines, gold producers are suddenly the mining world’s hottest topic as the industry gathers in Cape Town this week. For more than half a decade, gold miners have been stuck in the doldrums, shunned by investors following a string of missteps and bogged down by a stagnant bullion price. Then, in September, a surprise mega deal turned the industry on its head. Barrick Gold Corp.’s $5.4 billion…

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Africa’s Top Fund Manager’s Board Walkout May Stifle Investment

Africa’s Top Fund Manager’s Board Walkout May Stifle Investment

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – A deepening crisis at South Africa’s biggest money manager is threatening to cast a pall over the economy and throw into doubt potential deals, including the bailout of the nation’s largest clothing retailer. Nine Public Investment Corp. directors quit on Friday, saying the institution overseeing the pension funds of most South African civil servants has entered a “state of paralysis” following misconduct claims against some board members. Those included questionable investments in the…

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Nigeria: Economic activity to pick up in second half of 2019

Nigeria: Economic activity to pick up in second half of 2019

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Citi Research expected the Nigerian economy and the naira to remain stable in the first half of 2019. It said that most politicians and policymakers are seeking to maintain macroeconomic stability in the country amid potential political uncertainty around the national elections that are scheduled in February 2019. It estimated that real GDP growth could have slightly increased in the fourth quarter of 2018, and expected it to further…

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Kenyan Bank Sees Decade’s Biggest Merger as African Springboard

Kenyan Bank Sees Decade’s Biggest Merger as African Springboard

NAIROBI(Capital Markets in Africa) – After agreeing to Kenya’s biggest banking merger in at least a decade, Commercial Bank of Africa Ltd. and NIC Group Plc, are ready to take on regional rivals that have outsized them until now. The combined entity will have assets of 415 billion shillings ($4.1 billion) — about double what they each hold individually in the country — catapulting it past Co-operative Bank of Kenya Ltd. as the East African nation’s third-largest lender….

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IMF Board to Consider Egypt’s Fourth Loan Review on Feb. 4

IMF Board to Consider Egypt’s Fourth Loan Review on Feb. 4

CAIRO(Capital Markets in Africa) – The International Monetary Fund’s executive board will discuss Egypt’s fourth loan review on Monday, opening the door for the anticipated payout of the fifth installment of the fund’s $12 billion loan to the Arab nation. The loan was approved in November 2016 after Egypt devalued its currency and launched a sweeping program to overhaul the economy. It was a key part of the government’s efforts to restore investor confidence that had…

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Why Is Nigeria Cracking Down on Peaceful Religious Protests?

Why Is Nigeria Cracking Down on Peaceful Religious Protests?

LAGOS(Capital Markets in Africa) – The Nigerian government appears to be taking a hard line on religious opposition — though not against the usual suspects. Even as the Boko Haram insurgency persists in the north, peaceful demonstrations by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) sparked a recent round of state repression. In late October, protests in and around the capital left at least 45 IMN members dead and more than another 100 wounded after Nigerian…

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