Too Soon to Call South Africa Rate-Hike Cycle End, Kganyago Says

Too Soon to Call South Africa Rate-Hike Cycle End, Kganyago Says

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s central bank can’t yet call the end of its interest rate-increase cycle, even as the risks to inflation have eased since the Monetary Policy Committee’s January meeting, Governor Lesetja Kganyagosaid. “It’s too early for me to make the call as to whether we are still on the tightening cycle or not,” Kganyago said in an interview with Bloomberg Television’s Jonathan Ferro. “We can’t say that” the increased cycle is…

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China’s Sinopec nears deal to buy Chevron’s South African assets

China’s Sinopec nears deal to buy Chevron’s South African assets

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – China’s Sinopec is nearing a deal to buy Chevron’s South African oil assets for up to $1 billion to secure its first major refinery on the continent, several people familiar with the matter said. China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, or Sinopec, Asia’s largest oil refiner, was the last bidder remaining, and close to a deal with Chevron after an auction that spanned more than a year for its refinery,…

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Sonatrach, ENI get 34 bids for Algerian solar power plant

ALGIERS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Algerian state energy firm Sonatrach and Italy’s ENI have bids from 34 international firms to build a 10 megawatt solar power plant at Bir Rebaa North (BRN) in eastern Algeria, a Sonatrach source said. Major oil and gas producer Algeria is looking to expand into solar energy as it tries to meet growing domestic energy demand and officials say the North African country will soon launch a major project…

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Zimbabwe prints $102 million in bond notes, half its limit

Zimbabwe prints $102 million in bond notes, half its limit

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Zimbabwe’s central bank has printed half of the ‘bond notes’ quasi-currency it intends to issue under a $200 million scheme, a state newspaper reported on Friday, as the country grapples with a biting shortage of U.S. dollars. The notes are intended to be pegged to the U.S. currency but fears have been raised that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) would print more than planned, undermining their value. Long…

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Uganda Current-Account Gap to Widen on Projects, World Bank Says

Uganda Current-Account Gap to Widen on Projects, World Bank Says

KAMPALA (Capital Markets in Africa)- Uganda’s current-account gap could widen to between 8 percent and 10 percent of national output annually over the next two years as imports for infrastructure and oil-related projects grow, the World Bank said. The shortfall on the current account, the broadest measure of trade in goods and services, in the East African nation on the cusp of becoming an oil producer came in at 5.9 percent of gross domestic product…

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Barclays Africa Debt Sale Misses Target as Banks Issue More

Barclays Africa Debt Sale Misses Target as Banks Issue More

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Barclays Africa Group Limited sold less than half its target in a bond auction as a wall of debt issuance by South African banks and the impending exit of its U.K. parent, Barclays Plc, damped demand. Barclays Africa offered 1.5 billion rand ($113 million) of notes on Monday but raised only 642 million rand within price guidance, according to Deon Raju, head of treasury at the Johannesburg-based lender. The debt…

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Google to Ramp Up Africa Investment With Fiber, Cheaper Phones

Google to Ramp Up Africa Investment With Fiber, Cheaper Phones

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Google Inc. is scaling up investment in Africa by laying fiber optic cable, easing access to cheaper Android phones and training a workforce in digital skills as the U.S. technology giant seeks to expand on the continent. “We laid about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of fiber in Uganda and we are busy doing about 1,000 kilometers in Ghana,’’ Google’s South Africa head Luke McKend said in a phone interview. “We…

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