South Africa Inflation Stays Firmly Within Target Band in August

South Africa Inflation Stays Firmly Within Target Band in August

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s inflation rate stayed firmly within the central bank’s target band in August, strengthening the case for more policy easing on Thursday. Inflation quickened to 4.8 percent from 4.6 percent in July, Pretoria-based Statistics South Africa said Wednesday in a report on its website. The median estimate of 22 economists in a Bloomberg survey was for 4.9 percent. Prices rose 0.1 percent in the month. The higher inflation is unlikely to…

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Kenya’s Top Court Slams Electoral Body Over Botched Election

Kenya’s Top Court Slams Electoral Body Over Botched Election

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Kenya’s top court delivered a stinging rebuke of the nation’s electoral commission, identifying a litany of failures in its handling of last month’s botched presidential elections and describing its explanations for the failure of its systems as unacceptable. The Supreme Court ruled the Aug. 8 election unlawful on Sept. 1, and ordered a rerun. A five-judge bench on Wednesday delivered the court’s detailed judgment, which upheld the main opposition’s complaints that President Uhuru…

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Nigeria Central Bank’s Acting as Piggy Bank, MPC Member Says

Nigeria Central Bank’s Acting as Piggy Bank, MPC Member Says

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) Nigeria’s central bank is acting like a “piggy bank” with its funding of the government, according to a member of the Monetary Policy Committee who said he struggles to understand the regulator’s economic rationale. Monetary data showed a “sharp rise” in the Central Bank of Nigeria’s financing of the government deficit this year, Doyin Salami said after the MPC’s July 24-25 meeting, according to a central bank statement published Tuesday. The regulator’s…

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Tanzania Needs Clear Rules Amid Economic Transition, Ndulu Says

Tanzania Needs Clear Rules Amid Economic Transition, Ndulu Says

DAR ES SALAAM (Capital Markets in Africa) Tanzania needs to provide clear rules to businesses as it improves governance and makes better use of its natural resources, the governor of the central bank said. President John Magufuli’s government has embarked on an industrialization drive that will need the public sector and business to work better together to achieve inclusive growth, Bank of Tanzania Governor Benno Ndulu said Tuesday at a book launch in the commercial capital, Dar es…

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The Reason Why South Africa’s Central Bank May Cut Again This Week

The Reason Why South Africa’s Central Bank May Cut Again This Week

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – If South Africa’s central bank cuts interest rates again this week, just don’t accuse it of doing so for the sake of “socioeconomic well-being.” The institution has been fighting off a bid by the nation’s anti-graft ombudsman to change its mandate away from targeting inflation to focusing on the financial health and quality of life of its citizens. But officials might be about to deliver their second rate reduction this…

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South Africa Minister Wants Assurance on KPMG Analysis of Oil Sale

South Africa Minister Wants Assurance on KPMG Analysis of Oil Sale

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s probe into the sale of 10 million barrels of its crude oil reserves may be delayed after Energy Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said she has some concerns because a key financial analysis in the investigation was conducted by KPMG LLP. Kubayi said she wants assurances from the country’s Central Energy Fund about the report after KPMG’s local unit became embroiled in a corruption scandal revolving around members of the…

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Oil Riches On Line as African Maritime Boundary Ruling Looms

Oil Riches On Line as African Maritime Boundary Ruling Looms

ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Petrodollars are at stake when the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea rules this Saturday on the maritime boundary between Ghana and Ivory Coast. The ruling will impact on an offshore area holding an estimated 2 billion barrels of oil and 1.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, according to Teneo Intelligence. Here’s what you need to know ahead of this ruling: Why A Ruling Now? Ghana…

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