Ex-Civil War Leader Wins Presidential Vote in Sierra Leone

Ex-Civil War Leader Wins Presidential Vote in Sierra Leone

FREE TOWN (Capital Markets in Africa) – Sierra Leone elected as president an opposition politician who briefly ruled the West African nation as head of a junta during the civil war in the 1990s. Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People’s Party was declared the winner on Wednesday of a tight presidential run-off by the electoral commission after receiving 51.81 percent of ballots cast against 48.19 percent for his opponent, Samura Kamara, of the All…

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Failed Bank Buyout Deal Shows Perils of Investing in Nigeria

Failed Bank Buyout Deal Shows Perils of Investing in Nigeria

  LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – It looked like a done deal between a Nigerian bank in need of funding and a U.S. private-equity firm keen to stump up the cash. But even after documents were signed it fell apart, showing how tough the African nation can be for investors. Milost Global Inc. said it penned an agreement in November to provide $1 billion of financing that would’ve given it 60 percent of Unity Bank…

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Tanzania Grants Bail to Opposition Leaders Accused of Sedition

Tanzania Grants Bail to Opposition Leaders Accused of Sedition

DAR ES SALAM (Capital Markets in Africa) – A Tanzanian court granted seven opposition officials bail after most were detained for a week on charges of sedition, incitement to violence and unlawful assembly, their political party said. Chadema Party Chairman Freeman Mbowe, Secretary-General Vincent Mashinji and four others had been remanded in custody since March 28. A seventh person, lawmaker Halima Mdee, was arrested April 1 on arrival at the airport in Dar es Salaam, the commercial…

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Netanyahu Backtracks on African Migrant Plan, Then Shifts Again

Netanyahu Backtracks on African Migrant Plan, Then Shifts Again

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backtracked on a just-announced agreement with the United Nations to let about 20,000 African migrants remain in Israel, following an outcry from coalition partners and his political base. On Monday afternoon, Netanyahu called a news conference to disclose Israel had cancelled an earlier plan to deport all 38,000 migrants to Africa, following mass demonstrations against the policy at home and criticism from abroad. Instead, he said, he…

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Hershey to Spend $500 Million Making More Sustainable Kisses

Hershey to Spend $500 Million Making More Sustainable Kisses

ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa)- Hershey Co. is spending $500 million in the hopes of producing its iconic chocolate Kisses from more sustainable cocoa. Through its so-called Cocoa for Good program, the company will invest the funds through 2030 to support four key areas: nourishing children, empowering youth, building prosperous communities and preserving natural ecosystems. The initiative’s goals include eliminating child labour and increasing shade-grown cocoa, which can be productive for as much as 15 years…

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New-Look Nigeria MPC Holds Rate at Record at First 2018 Meeting

New-Look Nigeria MPC Holds Rate at Record at First 2018 Meeting

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s newly constituted Monetary Policy Committee held the nation’s main lending rate at its first meeting this year to continue fighting inflation that’s above target. The committee that admitted five members last month unanimously decided to leave the benchmark interest rate at 14 percent, central bank Governor Godwin Emefiele announced at a press conference in the capital, Abuja on Wednesday. That was in line with predictions of all but…

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Post-Mugabe Zimbabwe Mining Rush Leaves Big Producers Behind

Post-Mugabe Zimbabwe Mining Rush Leaves Big Producers Behind

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – While Zimbabwe’s leadership change has sparked a race for the nation’s mineral riches among entrepreneurs and tiny explorers, big-name mining companies are taking a wait-and-see approach. New President Emmerson Mnangagwa has a lot to prove as he seeks to revive the economy and attract mining investment that shrivelled under his predecessor, Robert Mugabe. So far, Mnangagwa has pledged investor-friendly policy changes and partially rolled back a law requiring mining companies to be…

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