Nigeria’s Former Ruling Party in Opposition Coalition Talks

Nigeria’s Former Ruling Party in Opposition Coalition Talks

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s former ruling party is in talks with other opposition groups to build a new coalition to try to prevent its main rival, the All Progressives Congress led by President Muhammadu Buhari, from winning a second term in the West African nation’s next vote in 2019. “We’re talking to more than 16 political parties to see how we can come and work together,” Ahmed Makarfi, chairman of the People’s Democratic Party,…

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Nigeria Oil Thieves Keep a Lid on Output Even as Bombs Abate

Nigeria Oil Thieves Keep a Lid on Output Even as Bombs Abate

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Agbada 2 flow station should have been buzzing with activity, pumping crude to one of Nigeria’s largest export terminals. Instead it was idle in the muggy, mid-morning heat as Wilcox Emmanuel, the facility’s manager, shrugged in resignation about the thieves who’d shut him down. As much as 30 percent of the oil sent by pipelines through the swampy Niger River delta is stolen, consultant Wood Mackenzie Ltd. estimates. That’s…

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IMF Wants Full Mozambique Debt Audit as Bondholders Slam Default

IMF Wants Full Mozambique Debt Audit as Bondholders Slam Default

MAPUTO (Capital Markets in Africa) – The International Monetary Fund said Mozambique must publish the full audit of hidden debt before it will consider resuming lending, as bondholders criticized the government’s latest default on its Eurobonds. The IMF welcomed the release last month of a summary of the Kroll LCC audit, saying it constituted an “important step toward greater transparency,” spokesman William Murray said at a briefing in Washington Thursday. The fund will consider re-engaging with Mozambique once the…

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South Africa Cuts Key Rate for the First Time in Five Years

South Africa Cuts Key Rate for the First Time in Five Years

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s central bank cut borrowing costs for the first time in five years as inflation eases and after the country slipped into a recession. The Monetary Policy Committee reduced its key rate by 25 basis points to 6.75 per cent, Governor Lesetja Kganyago told reporters Thursday in the capital, Pretoria, citing concern about the nation’s growth outlook. Only three of 23 economists in a Bloomberg survey predicted a reduction. The cut is the…

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Market Watch: Egyptian Major Equity Indices End in Red, Market Cap up EGP1bn

Market Watch: Egyptian Major Equity Indices End in Red, Market Cap up EGP1bn

Cairo (Capital Markets in Africa): The benchmark EGX30 index of the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) fell at Wednesday’s close by 0.08% or 10.4 points to the level of 13,707.13 points. Similarly, the EGX70, EGX100, and EGX50 indices declined by 0.25%, 0.10%, and 0.23%, respectively. The market capitalization increased by EGP 1 billion to EGP 708.99 billion. Trading volume reached 276.79 million shares exchanged at EGP 804.6 million through 23,200 transactions. Foreign and Arab traders were net…

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South Africa Proposes Restriction on Renewal of Mining Rights

South Africa Proposes Restriction on Renewal of Mining Rights

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South African Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane proposed a restriction on granting and renewing mining rights that are needed by producers to operate in the country. Zwane has issued a request for submissions on the proposal, “having regard to the national interest and the need to promote the sustainable development of the nation’s national resources,” he said in a government gazette published Wednesday. The minister’s move raises the stakes in his dispute…

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South Africa’s Inflation Rate Falls to a 19-Month Low in June

South Africa’s Inflation Rate Falls to a 19-Month Low in June

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s inflation rate fell to its lowest in 19 months in June, creating room for the central bank to shift toward looser monetary policy. Inflation slowed to 5.1 percent from 5.4 percent in May, Pretoria-based Statistics South Africa said Wednesday in a report on its website. That’s the lowest rate since November 2015. The median of 21 economists’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg was for 5.2 percent. Prices increased 0.2 percent in…

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