West Africa | - Part 12

Ecobank’s Ivory Coast Unit Is Said to Plan IPO to Fund Expansion

ABIDJAN (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ecobank Transnational Inc.’s Ivory Coast unit plans to raise 45 billion CFA francs ($79 million) in an initial public offering on West Africa’s regional stock exchange, according to two people familiar with the matter. The share sale will begin by October, pending approval by the regulator, Regional Council for Public Savings and Financial Markets, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information hasn’t been made public. The listing…

Nigeria Holds Key Rate at 14% as It Seeks Currency Stability

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s central bank left its main lending rate unchanged for a sixth consecutive meeting as it seeks to hold on to gains it’s made in inflation and exchange-rate stability. The Monetary Policy Committee held the key policy rate at 14 percent, Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele told reporters on Tuesday in the capital, Abuja. That was in line with the forecast of all but two of 19 economists in a Bloomberg survey. While inflation in…

Interest Rate Cut May Fuel Rally That Made Ghana Stocks World’s Best

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ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ghana’s central bank has likely given the world’s best-performing stocks this quarter a boost. It cut its key interest rate for a third straight meeting on Monday and has now reduced borrowing costs this year by 4.5 percentage points to the lowest level since early 2015. That eases funding costs for companies and boosts the appeal of their shares, according to IC Securities Limited, the country’s biggest broker. “Investors are…

Ghana Cuts Key Rate to Lowest Since 2015 as Inflation Slows

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ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa)- Ghana’s central bank reduced its key interest rate for a third straight meeting as consumer prices rose at the slowest rate in four years and the currency strengthened. The Bank of Ghana cut the rate to 21 percent from 22.5 percent, Governor Ernest Addison told reporters Monday in Accra, the capital. That’s the lowest rate since early 2015. The median of nine economists’ estimates was for a cut to 21.5 percent. Bank surveys on…

Weak Naira, Inflation Leave Nigeria Little Room to Cut Rates

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – A weak naira and stubborn inflation may prevent Nigeria’s central bank from following South Africa and Ghana in cutting interest rates. Only two of 19 economists in a Bloomberg survey predicted the Monetary Policy Committee will reduce borrowing costs on Tuesday. The rest said the key rate will stay at a record high of 14 percent, where it’s been for a year. Governor Godwin Emefiele, who is scheduled to announce the…

Nigeria Oil Thieves Keep a Lid on Output Even as Bombs Abate

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Agbada 2 flow station should have been buzzing with activity, pumping crude to one of Nigeria’s largest export terminals. Instead it was idle in the muggy, mid-morning heat as Wilcox Emmanuel, the facility’s manager, shrugged in resignation about the thieves who’d shut him down. As much as 30 percent of the oil sent by pipelines through the swampy Niger River delta is stolen, consultant Wood Mackenzie Ltd. estimates. That’s…

Ghana President Says IMF Program Will Be Concluded Next Year

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ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ghana’s government said it is committed to meeting the obligations of an International Monetary Fund program and is working with the Washington-based lender to complete its 2018 budget. The West African nation is in the third-year of a $918 million credit-facility program that it agreed to with the IMF in April 2015 after its currency plunged and public debt ballooned. While the program was scheduled to be concluded in April…

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