Ivory Coast Economy Remains ‘Solid’ Despite Challenges, PM Says

Ivory Coast Economy Remains ‘Solid’ Despite Challenges, PM Says

ABIDJAN (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ivory Coast’s economy is strong despite challenges including a slump in cocoa prices and social unrest, according to Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly. “The fundamentals of the Ivorian economy are solid, as evidenced by the growth that we’re experiencing,” Coulibaly said in an interview on state TV late Thursday. “But we’re confronted with numerous challenges.” The government of the world’s biggest cocoa producer cut this year’s budget by a 10th…

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South Africa Trade Surplus Surges to 11.4 Billion Rand in March

South Africa Trade Surplus Surges to 11.4 Billion Rand in March

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s trade surplus more than doubled in March as the exports of mining produce surged. The 11.4 billion-rand ($860 million) surplus compares with February’s revised 4.8 billion-rand surplus, the Pretoria-based South African Revenue Service said in an emailed statement Friday. The median of six economist estimates compiled by Bloomberg was for a surplus of 6.2 billion rand. Relief on the trade balance eases pressure on the current account, the broadest measure…

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Congo Nears Eskom Power-Supply Deal to Boost Copper Output

Congo Nears Eskom Power-Supply Deal to Boost Copper Output

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Democratic Republic of Congo signed a provisional agreement to import power from South Africa that could boost copper production this year by as much as 20 percent, according to the country’s chamber of mines. Congolese state-owned power company SNEL proposed importing 200 megawatts from South African utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. at meetings in Johannesburg on April 20 and April 21, said Ben Munanga, chairman of the energy commission at…

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Nigerian finance minister says country needs to tap its non-oil revenues

Nigerian finance minister says country needs to tap its non-oil revenues

ABUJA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria plans to get out of recession by boosting government revenues and cracking down on corruption, Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun said on Thursday, and will also issue more international debt to pay for infrasturcture projects. The country is in its second year of recession, brought on by lower oil prices, which have slashed government revenues, weakened the currency and caused dollar shortages frustrating business and households. World Bank chief…

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Ivory Coast slashes budget on low cocoa prices, President Says

Ivory Coast slashes budget on low cocoa prices, President Says

ABIDJAN (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ivory Coast has cut planned spending for 2017 by 10 percent due to a sharp drop in world prices of cocoa, its leading export, President Alassane Ouattara said, according to Thursday’s edition of national newspaper Le Patriote. The move is a major concession by a government that has prided itself on its stewardship of the West African country – the world’s biggest cocoa exporter – during its recovery from…

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Complexities in Financing Energy Projects in Africa

Complexities in Financing Energy Projects in Africa

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Understanding the need for financing of projects in the African Energy Sector: The power sector is a fundamental building block for economic advancement in any country. Abundant, affordable and reliable energy is the cornerstone of growth in today’s world. The great efforts undertaken by the African States to supply sustainable energy to its people have been well documented in the last number of years, along with a shift from conventional fuels…

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Zambia Seeks IMF Deal of as Much as $1.6 Billion This Month

Zambia Seeks IMF Deal of as Much as $1.6 Billion This Month

LUSAKA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Zambia, Africa’s second-largest copper producer, plans to reach an aid deal for as much as $1.6 billion with the International Monetary Fund by the end of April, Finance Minister Felix Mutati said. Bond yields fell. “At the moment we know that we can get up to $1.6 billion — if you ask me, I’d go for the maximum,” he said in an interview Monday in the capital, Lusaka. “Hopefully the program…

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