The Editorial Team |

Stress Sign: Black Market’s Cheaper Than Official Naira Rate

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s new currency market is showing just how severe the country’s dollar shortage is. The naira is falling to levels weaker than the black-market rate in a foreign-exchange window set up for international investors and hedge funds last month. It’s a sign of how dysfunctional currency markets have become in Africa’s largest economy as officials enforce multiple exchange rates and trading and import restrictions. Funds including Chicago-based Frontaura Capital, South Africa’s Allan…

IMF Sees `Subdued’ Growth Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Sub-Saharan Africa’s economic growth outlook is “subdued” as the region’s oil producers delay policy adjustments needed to trigger and sustain expansion momentum, the International Monetary Fund said. The area’s gross domestic product will probably expand 2.6 percent this year from 1.4 percent in 2016, the IMF said in an emailed copy of its Regional Economic Outlook. The modest recovery from the worst performance in more than two decades last year will…

Morocco’s Attijariwafa Plans Africa Expansions This Year

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RABAT (Capital Markets in Africa) – Attijariwafa Bank, Morocco’s biggest lender, is planning to complete expansions in East and West Africa this year as it focuses on consolidating its new acquisitions to spur growth. The Casablanca-based bank aims to finalize a deal to buy Rwanda’s Cie Generale de Banque, known as Cogebanque, start commercial banking operations in Chad and apply for a banking license in Ghana in 2017, General Manager Ismail Douiri said in an interview in…

AfDB Plans $1.1 Billion Loans, Grants to Drought-Hit Countries

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South Sudan (Capital Markets in Africa) – The African Development Bank is considering providing $1.1 billion of loans and grants to countries affected by drought and famine. The funding will be discussed at a meeting of the Abidjan, Ivory Coast-based lender’s board on Wednesday, Gabriel Negatu, the bank’s head for East Africa, said in an interview in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. The money will be provided to war-torn South Sudan, where a famine was declared in February, as well…

If Bond Market Could Decide, Egypt Would Be Set for Upgrade

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CAIRO (Capital Markets in Africa) – With its finances in tatters, a credit upgrade was out of the question for Egypt before it secured an IMF loan agreement. Fast-forward six months, and it’s already won promotion in the bond market. Egypt’s dollar bonds have sprung back this year, driving its borrowing costs to the lowest level since 2015. That has lifted the market perception of Egyptian risk above that of some ratings assessors. The nation’s…

Voter Fatigue May Doom Kenyan Opposition Presidential Nominee

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NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s three previous presidential election losses may hamstring his ability to generate enough public enthusiasm to mount a serious challenge to President Uhuru Kenyatta in this year’s election. Less than half of the supporters of the opposition National Super Alliance agree with the choice of Odinga, 72, and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka as its flag-bearers, the Nairobi-based Star newspaper reported Friday, citing an Ipsos poll. It’s the same ticket that…

Dangote Cement Profit Rises as Price Gains Offset Lower Volumes

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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-quarter profit rose 34 percent as a price increase offset lower volumes sold and operations on the rest of the continent helped bolster sales. Net income increased to 70.6 billion naira ($220 million) in the three months through March, compared with 52.8 billion naira a year earlier, the Lagos-based company said in a statement on Friday….

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