The Editorial Team |

Diageo’s Kenyan Unit Sees Improved Outlook as Earnings Climb

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – East African Breweries Ltd., the region’s biggest brewer, said it’s optimistic about the outlook for the year ahead with its main market Kenya performing better and business in Tanzania returning to growth. “Management is encouraged by trends in the second half of the year in Kenya, during which the business saw better performance in premium and mainstream beer,” the Nairobi-based company said in an emailed statement. “In Tanzania, the…

Etisalat Nigeria Owners Said to Face Write-offs After Default

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Lenders who took over Etisalat Nigeria last month after the wireless carrier defaulted on $1.2 billion in debt are being advised to take a writedown to ensure a planned sale of the company is successful, according to people familiar with the matter. Whether to write down the asset has emerged as a sticking point between the owners, who include Nigerian lenders Access Bank Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and Zenith Bank Plc, and investments…

Ghana Seeks to Rein In Runaway Spending With New Legislation

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ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ghana wants to put an end to chronic overspending by making it illegal to propose or implement a budget where the deficit is larger than 5 percent of gross domestic product, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta said. The West African nation’s government will this year ask lawmakers to amend the Public Financial Management Act to limit the budget deficit from 2018, Ofori-Atta said by phone on Thursday. The Finance Ministry will ensure…

President Mugabe’s Party Is Said to Consider Early Zimbabwe Elections

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HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa ) -Zimbabwe’s ruling party is considering calling elections early next year out of concern that President Robert Mugabe’s health is worsening and disputes among his supporters could galvanize opposition efforts to form an alliance, three officials familiar with the government’s plans said. While general elections must be held constitutionally by Aug. 21 in 2018, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front’s chances of maintaining its more than three-decade grip on power will…

MTN Drops After Return to Profit Falls Short of Expectations

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – MTN Group Ltd., Africa’s biggest mobile-network operator by sales, fell the most in more than a year after a return to first-half profit after a $1 billion regulatory fine fell short of analyst expectations. Headline earnings per share, which exclude one-time items, were probably 2.10 rand to 2.30 rand in the six months ended June 30, the Johannesburg-based company said in a statement Thursday. Analysts at Citi expected 2.60 rand a share, they…

Dangote Cement Profit Jumps as Higher Prices Lift Revenue

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Dangote Cement Plc, Africa’s largest producer of the building material and Nigeria’s biggest company, said first-half profit surged as an increase in revenue offset lower volumes and operations in the rest of the continent helped bolster sales. Net income rose 35 percent to 143.5 billion naira ($447.7 million) in the six months through June, compared with 106 billion naira a year earlier, the Lagos-based company said in a statement…

Next Leg of Emerging-Bond Rally About to Start as Rate Cuts Loom

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The bond rally across emerging markets may get fresh legs. Pressure is growing on central banks in developing nations to cut interest rates more aggressively as inflation eases and the Federal Reserve takes a gradual approach to policy change. That’s reducing the need for the high borrowing costs that deter capital outflows and protect emerging-market currencies. Looser monetary policy is a potential boon to already surging sovereign and corporate bonds in emerging…

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