Kenya President Vows Unity as He Begins Disputed Second Term

Kenya President Vows Unity as He Begins Disputed Second Term

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta vowed to unite his country as he was sworn in for a second term amid opposition protests, capping months of electoral uncertainty that unnerved investors in East Africa’s biggest economy. Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who has vowed not to recognize Kenyatta’s victory in an October election rerun, boycotted Tuesday’s ceremony in the capital, Nairobi and said he’ll be sworn-in as Kenya’s leader by supporters next month. Police fired…

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It’s Hot Money, Not FDI, That’s Bringing Dollars Into Nigeria

It’s Hot Money, Not FDI, That’s Bringing Dollars Into Nigeria

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Investors haven’t pumped this much hot money into Nigeria in three years. Portfolio investment more than tripled in the third quarter from a year earlier to $2.8 billion, according to the country’s National Bureau of Statistics. Foreign direct investment fell 65 percent year-on-year to $118 million, the lowest level since the fourth quarter of 2013. Debt traders have mostly piled into short-term securities, attracted by yields of almost 20…

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South Africa Looks for Extra $1.8 Billion of Spending Cuts

South Africa Looks for Extra $1.8 Billion of Spending Cuts

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa will look to cut spending by a further 25 billion rand ($1.8 billion) over the next three years as the nation tries to avert another downgrade of its rand debt to junk. President Jacob Zuma on Monday asked the Presidential Fiscal Committee, led by Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, to finalize the plans for expenditure reductions for the 2019 fiscal year that starts in April. This is in addition to the…

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Mercedes Plans More Drone Deliveries After 100 Perfect Flights

Mercedes Plans More Drone Deliveries After 100 Perfect Flights

  LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) – Mercedes-Benz, conducting the biggest test using drones to ship everyday items like ground coffee and cellphones, said the mini aircraft completed 100 drop-offs to strategically placed vans in Zurich with a perfect safety record and more deliveries are planned for next year. About 50 individual customers placed orders with Swiss online shopping platform Siroop, choosing “airmail deals” from selected items from retailer Black & Blaze Coffee Roasting Co. for same-day delivery. The drones…

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Bad Brexit Scenario Mars All-Bank Pass in BOE’s Stress Tests

Bad Brexit Scenario Mars All-Bank Pass in BOE’s Stress Tests

  LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) – British banks may have unanimously passed Bank of England stress tests, but that clean bill of health came with concern about a messy Brexit, courtesy of Governor Mark Carney. The central bank told lenders to add another 6 billion pounds ($8 billion) to their capital buffers and may increase their requirements again next year because it’s worried that the combination of a no-deal Brexit without a transition period and a global…

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Fitch Rates Nigeria’s U.S.$3 Billion Eurobond ‘B+’

Fitch Rates Nigeria’s U.S.$3 Billion Eurobond ‘B+’

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — One of the leading rating agencies, Fitch Ratings has assigned Nigeria’s $1.5 billion 6.500% senior unsecured notes due 28 November 2027 and the $1.5 billion 7.625% senior unsecured notes due 28 November 2047 a final rating of ‘B+’. According to a statement yesterday, the final rating replaced the expected rating of ‘B+ (EXP)’ that Fitch had assigned to the issue on November 15, 2017. It explained that the expected…

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Namibian Ruling Party Elects Geingob as Leader Before 2019 Vote

Namibian Ruling Party Elects Geingob as Leader Before 2019 Vote

  WINDHOEK (Capital Markets in Africa) – Namibian President Hage Geingob was elected leader of the southwestern African nation’s ruling party, positioning him to seek a second term in 2019 elections. The South West African People’s Organization also elected Deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as vice president at its congress that ended Monday, the state-owned Namibia Broadcasting Corp. said on Twitter. The Swapo party has been in power since 1990 when the country, which also borders Angola, Zambia and…

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