Ghana in Talks to Consolidate $1.2 Billion Energy Utility Debt

Ghana in Talks to Consolidate $1.2 Billion Energy Utility Debt

ACCRA, Ghana, Capital Markets in Africa: Ghana is in talks with domestic and foreign banks to consolidate its energy sector utilities’ $1.2 billion debts, Finance Minister Seth Terkper said. The state won’t be responsible for the debt, which will be accounted for by the energy companies, Terkper said in an interview in the capital, Accra. Ghana’s Chief Director at the Petroleum Ministry, Thomas Akabzaa, said Tuesday the country will sell $2 billion of bonds to clear $1.5 billion in debt…

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Oil Climbs to 10-Month High as Falling U.S. Supplies Trim Glut

Oil Climbs to 10-Month High as Falling U.S. Supplies Trim Glut

LAGOS, Nigeria, Capital Markets in Africa: Oil advanced to the highest level in more than 10 months as weekly U.S. industry data showed crude stockpiles declined, reducing a glut. Futures rose 1.3 percent in New York after climbing 3.6 percent the previous two sessions to close above $50 a barrel Tuesday for the first time since July. Inventories fell by 3.57 million barrels last week, the American Petroleum Institute was said to report. Repair work on a…

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Market Watch | Emerging Markets Climb for Fifth Day on Higher Oil, China Data

Market Watch | Emerging Markets Climb for Fifth Day on Higher Oil, China Data

LAGOS, Nigeria, Capital Markets in Africa: Emerging-market stocks rose for a fifth day with currencies as crude oil extended gains above $50 a barrel and Chinese trade data bolstered confidence the world’s second-biggest economy was stabilizing. Equity valuations rose to a one-year high as commodity producers led shares to the longest winning streak in two months. South Africa’s rand, Brazil’s real and Russia’s ruble helped lift a gauge of currencies to a one-month high. Chinese stocks in Hong Kong…

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Centum of Kenya Profit Surges 25% on Equity Investment Gains

Centum of Kenya Profit Surges 25% on Equity Investment Gains

NAIROBI, Kenya, Capital Markets in Africa: Centum Investment Co., Kenya’s biggest publicly traded investor, said full-year profit grew 25 percent, driven by gains on the country’s stock market. Net income jumped to 9.95 billion shillings ($98.3 million) in the 12 months through March from 7.94 billion shillings a year earlier, the company said Wednesday in a statement published in the Nairobi-based Business Daily newspaper. Investment and other income increased to 24.2 billion shillings from 11.8…

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Infrastructure | Chinese Companies to Build Hydro Plant in Energy-Starved Congo

Infrastructure | Chinese Companies to Build Hydro Plant in Energy-Starved Congo

CONGO, Capital Markets in Africa: Sinohydro Corp. and China Railway Group Ltd. have agreed to finance a 240 megawatt, $660 million hydro-power plant in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Katanga province, ending six years of talks around the project. The Chinese companies have agreed with Congo’s government to develop the Busanga project in the copper- and cobalt-rich region, Moise Ekanga, executive secretary of the Office for the Coordination and Monitoring of the Sino-Congolese Program, said by phone from Kinshasa, the capital….

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Ghana to Sell $1 Billion Eurobond Despite Concern Over Costs

Ghana to Sell $1 Billion Eurobond Despite Concern Over Costs

ACCRA, Ghana, Capital Markets in Africa: Ghana will sell $1 billion Eurobonds this year despite concerns about rising borrowing costs. The West African nation will offer the debt in either July or September, Minister of Finance Seth Terkper said in an interview in the capital, Accra. The country hired three transaction advisers and remains open to other funding options, Terkper said. A failure to issue a Eurobond would leave a $750 million hole in the 2016 budget with an…

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Zimbabwe Threatens to Scrap Bank Licenses Over Export Rules

Zimbabwe Threatens to Scrap Bank Licenses Over Export Rules

HARARE, Zimbabwe, Capital Markets in Africa: Zimbabwe’s central bank threatened to cancel the licenses of banks and foreign-currency dealers found to have violated new exchange-control regulations aimed at easing a dollar shortage. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe last week sent a directive changing the way banks and other authorized foreign-currency dealers are required to handle export earnings, adding measures aimed at encouraging companies to export their products through an incentive payment, according to a copy of the circular obtained…

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