Mugabe Refusal to Quit Is Said to Stall Zimbabwe Transition

Mugabe Refusal to Quit Is Said to Stall Zimbabwe Transition

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s refusal to publicly resign is stalling plans by the military to swiftly install a transitional government after seizing power on Wednesday, two people familiar with the situation said. The military wants Mugabe, who’s under house arrest, to agree to step aside so it can claim its action isn’t a coup and head off tension with the Southern African Development Community, which includes Zimbabwe and South Africa,…

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Ivory Coast May Legalize Cocoa Farming in Some Protected Forests

Ivory Coast May Legalize Cocoa Farming in Some Protected Forests

ABIDJAN (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa producer, plans to legalize farming on almost 5 million acres of protected reserves to help balance the rebuilding of forests with an output of its most important export. The government wants to reclassify protected forests that have been destroyed by more than three-quarters because of unauthorized farming — most of it cocoa — into “protected agroforest” areas, according to a Forestry Ministry document obtained by…

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In Topsy-Turvy Zimbabwe, Stocks to Fall on Confidence Return

In Topsy-Turvy Zimbabwe, Stocks to Fall on Confidence Return

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – If investors want a sign that confidence is returning to Zimbabwe following the armed forces’ seizure of power from President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday morning, they should look for stocks to fall. In Zimbabwe’s dysfunctional market, the deeper the economy has sunk, the more equities have soared. The nation’s main gauge is up 322 percent in the past year in dollars, the best performance globally, even as a cash shortage choked businesses and…

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Bitcoin’s Rivals Multiply Amid Battle for Crypto Dominance

Bitcoin’s Rivals Multiply Amid Battle for Crypto Dominance

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – It’s getting tougher and tougher to keep track of all the different versions of bitcoin. New iterations of the cryptocurrency are multiplying as disagreements over bitcoin’s design persist and opportunities for making a quick buck prove hard to pass up. The biggest offshoot, called bitcoin cash, appeared in August after a so-called hard fork in the bitcoin blockchain. That spinoff, currently valued at $18 billion, was followed by a less successful…

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Congo’s Electoral Body Says Vote Schedule Depends on Funding

Congo’s Electoral Body Says Vote Schedule Depends on Funding

KINSHASA (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Democratic Republic of Congo’s international partners must provide urgent financial support for the country’s electoral process so that delayed polls can take place next December, the head of the electoral authority said. “What I will advise our partners is either they want to finance it and we kick this off, or they don’t want to finance it,” Independent Electoral Commission President Corneille Nangaa said in an interview Tuesday…

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Nigeria to Meet New York Investors to Sell Longest-Dated Bonds

Nigeria to Meet New York Investors to Sell Longest-Dated Bonds

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria is set to meet global debt investors this week as it looks to sell its longest-maturity Eurobond yet. The government mandated Citigroup Inc. and Standard Chartered Plc to arrange a 10- and 30-year transaction, according to a person familiar with the matter, who isn’t authorized to speak publicly. Nigerian officials will hold conference calls today, before meeting investors in London on Thursday and in New York on Friday,…

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Zimbabwe Equities Are Almost More Bitcoin Than Bitcoin: Gadfly

Zimbabwe Equities Are Almost More Bitcoin Than Bitcoin: Gadfly

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – The political turmoil isn’t a prelude to a buying opportunity. Look before you leap. Zimbabwe’s political shake-up isn’t exactly the first step on the road to investment. A jump of 390 percent year-to-date in the benchmark Zimbabwe Industrial Index, which has a market capitalization of $14.5 billion and excludes mining companies, looks fabulous news for frontier funds invested in what used to be called Africa’s bread-basket. It’s held on to those…

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