Absa CEO Ramos to Retire After Steering Split From Barclays

Absa CEO Ramos to Retire After Steering Split From Barclays

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa)) – Absa Group Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Maria Ramos will step down after overseeing the split from Barclays Plc, an alliance blamed for the loss of retail market share at South Africa’s third-largest bank. The stock rallied the most among its Johannesburg-based peers on Tuesday in the wake of Ramos’s pending exit. Absa, once the nation’s largest mortgage lender, fell behind after Britain’s Barclays acquired control in 2005. Now that the U.K. bank has sold…

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New Nemesis Threatens South Africa’s Ruling ANC Before Vote

New Nemesis Threatens South Africa’s Ruling ANC Before Vote

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Just when South Africa’s ruling party thought it was on the way to rebuilding its image before this year’s election, along came Angelo Agrizzi. A former executive at services company Bosasa, Agrizzi has captivated the nation with televised testimony at a judicial panel probing graft during Jacob Zuma’s presidency about how the firm won state contracts worth billions of rand by bribing top African National Congress officials. He also said the…

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Zimbabwe Attacks Said to Be Organized in Defiance of Mnangagwa

Zimbabwe Attacks Said to Be Organized in Defiance of Mnangagwa

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa is being defied by members of his ruling party who are orchestrating a violent crackdown after demonstrations this month, government and military officials said. Door-to-door raids in urban townships by police and men in military uniform are continuing more than a week after a three-day strike was called following a more than doubling of fuel prices, the people said on the condition of anonymity. Abuses range from…

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Senegal Raises Stake of State Oil Company Under New Code

Senegal Raises Stake of State Oil Company Under New Code

DAKAR (Capital Markets in Africa)  – Senegal’s National Assembly approved a new oil code as a string of major discoveries off its coast are expected to make the West African nation an oil exporter in coming years. The code increases the stake of state-run oil company Petrosen to as much 30 percent in new projects, Oil Ministry spokesman Barthelemy Sene said by text message in response to questions Monday. It will apply fixed percentages for…

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Nigeria Opposition Leader Calls Top Judge Suspension Illegal

Nigeria Opposition Leader Calls Top Judge Suspension Illegal

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa)  – Nigeria’s main opposition figure, Atiku Abubakar, said President Muhammadu Buhari breached the constitution by suspending the nation’s top judge just weeks before a general election in Africa’s biggest oil producer. The president’s move on Jan. 25 to temporarily replace Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen, citing allegations of a false asset declaration, has triggered a political crisis because the Supreme Court would probably have to rule on any challenges to the fairness of the vote….

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South African Pensioners Protest Against Eskom-Related Loss

South African Pensioners Protest Against Eskom-Related Loss

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa)  – South Africa’s Public Investment Corp. was reckless with pensioners’ funds when it invested about 90 billion rand ($6.6 billion) in bonds of state-owned utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., according to the Association for Monitoring and Advocacy of Government Pensions. Other poor decisions by Africa’s biggest money manager included the provision of financial support to business ventures of media tycoon Iqbal Surve, AMAGP representative Albert van Driel told a commission of inquiry in…

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Nigeria’s Election Chaos May Be Boosting Appeal of Egypt Assets

Nigeria’s Election Chaos May Be Boosting Appeal of Egypt Assets

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa)  – The fortunes of Egypt and Nigeria’s local-currency bonds have diverged. Foreign inflows into Egyptian Treasury bills has narrowed the yield gap with Nigerian assets to below a percentage point for the first time in almost a year. That’s partly because the North African nation hasn’t been making headlines, which is in sharp contrast to Nigeria, where assets missed out on a rally this year because of political chaos ahead of general elections…

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