Moody’s: Namibia’s credit profile balances medium-term growth prospects against rising public debt

Moody’s: Namibia’s credit profile balances medium-term growth prospects against rising public debt

London (Capital Markets in Africa) – Namibia’s Baa3 rating with a negative outlook reflects the country’s solid medium-term growth prospects and institutional strength, set against credit challenges including its rising public debt and heightened external risks, Moody’s Investors Service said in a report this week. The annual update, “Government of Namibia — Baa3 Negative Annual Credit Analysis”, is now available on www.moodys.com. Moody’s subscribers can access this report via the link at the end of…

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The dark, dangerous, and insanely profitable world of DDoS attacks

The dark, dangerous, and insanely profitable world of DDoS attacks

JOHANNESBURG – May 24, 2017 – Imagine a business model with a 95 percent profit margin. As wonderful as this sound, this business is certainly not something that most would want to get into. We’re talking, of course, about the criminal enterprise of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. This form of cyber-crime has grown exponentially over the past few years, giving CIOs and digital business leaders sleepless nights about whether they’ll be the next…

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Nigerian Banks Make Eurobond Comeback as UBA Plans Debut Deal

Nigerian Banks Make Eurobond Comeback as UBA Plans Debut Deal

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – United Bank for Africa Plc said it plans to sell a debut Eurobond, a day after local rival Zenith Bank Plc tapped the market for the first time since 2014. UBA, Nigeria’s third-biggest lender by assets, wants to sell as much as $500 million of senior unsecured debt, it said in a statement to the Nigerian Stock Exchange. It will announce plans later on Tuesday for investor meetings in Europe…

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Nigeria hopes for oil upturn after economy shrinks again

Nigeria hopes for oil upturn after economy shrinks again

LAGOS (Reuters) – Nigeria’s economy stayed in recession in the first quarter and shrank more sharply than thought at the end of last year, data showed on Tuesday, as signs of growth in the oil sector fuelled hopes of an upturn in coming months. The economy shrank by 1.5 percent in 2016 for its first annual drop in 25 years, hit by a shortage of hard currency and lower revenues from its dominant oil sector…

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Unlock the potential of African entrepreneurs to accelerate Africa

Unlock the potential of African entrepreneurs to accelerate Africa

ABIDJAN (Capital Markets in Africa) – African governments need to integrate entrepreneurship more fully into their industrialisation strategies, according to the African Economic Outlook (AEO) 2017 released Monday, May 22 at the African Development Bank Group’s 52nd Annual Meetings. In 2016, Africa’s economic growth slowed down to 2.2% from 3.4% in 2015 due to low commodity prices, weak global recovery and adverse weather conditions, which impacted on agriculture production in some regions. However, it is…

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IMF offers three-pillared prescription for African growth

IMF offers three-pillared prescription for African growth

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Countries in sub-Saharan Africa need to get their budgets in order, diversify their economies and look after their poorest people. If they do that, there is no reason why the region cannot have the strong growth needed to meet the aspirations of a young and growing population. That, at least, is the three-pillared prescription from the International Monetary Fund as expressed by one of its top Africa researchers, Celine…

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In surprise move, Egypt central bank hikes key interest rates

In surprise move, Egypt central bank hikes key interest rates

CAIRO (Capital Markets in Africa) – Egypt’s central bank raised its key interest rates by 200 basis points on Sunday, confounding the expectations of economists who saw rates unlikely to change, but in line with recent IMF statements. At a meeting of its Monetary Policy Committee, the bank hiked its overnight deposit rate to 16.75 percent from 14.75 percent and its overnight lending rate to 17.75 from 15.75 percent, it announced in a statement. This…

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