The Editorial Team |

Nestle Nigeria Sees Margins Pressured as Inflation Weighs

LAGOS, Nigeria, Capital Markets in Africa: Nestle Nigeria Plc, a unit of the world’s biggest food company, will struggle to maintain profit-margin growth in 2016 as the highest inflation in nearly 11 years and a lack of foreign currency stalls the economy in Africa’s most populous country. “We haven’t seen the bottom” of the downturn, Chief Executive Officer Dharnesh Gordhon, 51, said in an interview in the commercial capital, Lagos, on Aug. 10. A shortage of…

Investment | IFC, Omidyar, Quona and Others invest in Zoona

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Johannesburg, Capital Markets in Africa: African financial technology company Zoona has successfully raised US$15mn (ZAR200mn) in a second round of financing. This Series B round is led by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and will help Zoona scale up its operations as it aims to reach 10 markets and 30 million active consumers across Africa by 2020. First round investors Accion, whose investment is managed by Quona Capital, and Omidyar…

Guaranty Trust Bank First-Half Profit Jumps 45% on Currency Gain

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LAGOS, Nigeria, Capital Markets in Africa: Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Nigeria’s largest lender by market value, said first-half profit rose 45 percent as foreign-currency gains in the wake of the naira’s devaluation compensated for a surge in bad-loan charges. Net income climbed to 77.5 billion naira ($237 million) from 53.4 billion naira year ago, Lagos-based Guaranty said in a statement on Wednesday. The lender made foreign-exchange revaluation gains of 61.2 billion naira, compared with 6.9 billion…

Egypt Expects Arab Allies to Provide Aid as Part of IMF Deal

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CAIRO, Egypt, Capital Markets in Africa: Egypt expects its oil-rich allies such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to provide funding as the country moves to finalize a $12 billion loan program with the International Monetary Fund, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said. International financial institutions will also help finance the government’s three-year program with the Washington-based lender, Ismail told Bloomberg News in Cairo on Wednesday. The IMF’s Executive Board will not consider the loan deal before…

Investment | ACA invests in leading Nigerian biscuit company

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LAGOS, Capital Markets in Africa: An investment consortium made up of African Capital Alliance (ACA), 8 Miles and Deutsche Investitions und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (DEG), has announced an investment in Beloxxi Industries Limited (‘Beloxxi’ or ‘the Company’), a market leading Nigerian biscuit manufacturing company. The consortium has invested US$80mn for a substantial minority stake to expand the capacity of Beloxxi, to address significant unmet demand and to grow its regional distribution presence. Additional details of the transaction…

Emerging Markets Extend Losses as Fed Wake-Up Call Halts Rally

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LAGOS, Nigeria, Capital Markets in Africa: Emerging-market stocks fell for a second day and currencies retreated from a 13-month high as renewed prospects for a U.S. interest-rate hike this year sapped risk appetite. Saudi Arabian shares dropped the most in almost three months and futures on Ibovespa declined on lower commodity prices. Egypt’s benchmark index slid for a second day as Commercial International Bank, which accounts for 40 percent of the gauge by weight, headed for…

Investment | DEG invests in Nigerian food producer

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LAGOS, Capital Markets in Africa: Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbh (DEG) announced an investment in the Nigerian Beloxxi Industries Ltd. (Beloxxi) with around US$10mn, with which the biscuit manufacturer plans to expand its production. Further investors are the investment companies, 8 Miles and Africa Capital Alliance, which invested an additional amount of US$70mn. The family-run company, Beloxxi, produces cream crackers in its state of the art production facility. These thin, crispy wheat crackers are becoming…

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