The Editorial Team |

Funding Nigerian oil cash calls from debt key for economy: minister

LAGOS, Capital Markets in Africa: Nigeria must get out of paying so-called cash calls to joint ventures with oil and gas companies to stand a chance of pulling its ailing economy out of recession, Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun said on Friday. The minister said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had spent 110 billion naira ($360 million) on cash calls this month, which dwarfed the country’s 41 billion naira income from oil production over the…

S&P Downgrades Nigeria Further Into Junk as Oil Crisis Worsens

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LAGOS, Capital Markets in Africa: S&P Global Ratings downgraded Nigeria further into junk territory as Africa’s most populous nation struggles amid low oil prices and severe shortages of foreign-exchange. S&P lowered Nigeria’s rating one level to B, five levels below investment grade and in line with Kyrgyzstan and Angola. The outlook was changed from negative to stable. “Nigeria’s economy has weakened more than we expected owing to a marked contraction in oil production, a restrictive…

IMF says Mozambique president to cooperate on debt audit

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MAPUTO, Capital Markets in Africa: The president of Mozambique on Thursday pledged to work with the International Monetary Fund on the terms of an international audit of its public debt, the IMF said in a statement. President Filipe Nyusi met with IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde in Washington, where Nyusi visted to try to reassure international institutions and investors over a debt scandal involving more than $2 billion in secret loans that came to light…

Moody’s Puts 5 South African State Firms on Downgrade Review

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Johannesburg, Capital Markets in Africa: Moody’s Investors Service has placed five South African state-owned companies on review for a downgrade due to concerns about governance and the political environment. The foreign currency long-term issuer ratings of Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., the Development Bank of Southern Africa, Industrial Development Corp., the South African National Roads Agency Ltd. and the Land and Agricultural Development Bank were all placed on review for downgrade, the rating company said in separate statements Wednesday. Eskom’s rating…

Zambia’s Lungu Appoints Felix Mutati as His Finance Minister

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LUSAKA, Capital Markets in Africa: Zambian President Edgar Lungu named part of his new cabinet, nominating accountant and ex-commerce and trade minister Felix Mutati as finance minister, the presidency said. Mutati, along with the rest of the partial cabinet Lungu announced, are scheduled to be sworn in Thursday, the presidency said in an e-mailed statement on Wednesday. Mutati, 57, will need to steady an economy that’s expanding at the slowest pace since 1998, where inflation is hovering near 20…

Interest Rate Caps Boon for Big Kenyan Banks, Equity CEO Says

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NAIROBI, Capital Markets in Africa: A decision to cap Kenyan interest rates may favor the biggest banks as small lenders will struggle to raise cheap deposits to fund lending, according to Equity Group Holdings Ltd. Chief Executive Officer James Mwangi. At least 30 of Kenya’s 42 lenders may have difficulty paying the minimum for deposits as demanded by a new law on interest rates that came into effect on Sept. 14. The legislation limits borrowing costs…

Africa Finance Corp. Plans More Eurobonds for Infrastructure

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LAGOS, Capital Markets in Africa: The Africa Finance Corp., a development-finance institution that funds infrastructure on the continent, plans to sell more Eurobonds to support energy-generation and logistics projects. The Lagos, Nigeria-based lender, which has financed projects in 26 African countries, has scope to borrow more offshore in its $1.5 billion funding strategy after raising 100 million Swiss francs ($103 million) in a debut three-year Eurobond in July, said Ini Urua, senior vice president for east and…

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