West Africa | - Part 15

Julius Berger Eyes Oil, Power Deals to Curb Nigeria Risk

LAGOS (Capita Markets in Africa) – Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, the largest construction company by market value in the West African nation, plans to acquire oil assets and expand into the power industry as it seeks to diversify its business and stay competitive after the country’s worst economic slump in decades. The Abuja-based company, which derives two-thirds of its earnings from government contracts, is also considering bidding for business in other countries in the region,…

Nigeria Rolls Out $2 Billion Brazil-Like Social-Welfare Plan

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria is rolling out its first national social-welfare program modeled partly on Brazil’s Bolsa Familia in a bid to boost a weak economy and curb poverty by giving cash to its poorest citizens and ensuring their children go to school. The government of Africa’s most-populous nation is investing 500 billion naira ($1.5 billion) in the initiative this year and is talking to the World Bank about a $500 million…

Atlas Mara Sells Stake to Revive Nigerian Ambitions

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Atlas Mara Ltd., which has dropped almost 80 percent since an initial public offering led by co-founder Bob Diamond, plans to raise more than its market value by selling a 35 percent stake to Fairfax Africa Holdings Corp. The firm expects to get $200 million from selling new stock to existing shareholders and Fairfax Africa and will also issue a fresh convertible bond to the Toronto-based investment company, the company said in…

Ivory Coast, Ghana Said to Seek $1.2 Billion Loan for Cocoa

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ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – The cocoa regulators of the world’s two biggest producers are in talks with the African Development Bank about a $1.2 billion loan that will be used to increase output and mitigate against volatile prices, according to two people familiar with the matter. Ivory Coast and Ghana want to build storage facilities for local processing and for the storing and release of stocks based on market demand, said the people, who…

African Leader Son’s Multimillion-Euro Splurge on $80,000 a Year

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Equatorial Guinea (Capital Markets in Africa) – The son of Equatorial Guinea’s president bought real estate, a Bugatti Veyron, a Cartier watch and bottles of prestigious Romanee Conti wine on his $80,000-a-year position as a government minister. French prosecutors are demanding he account in court for these and other purchases, which total more than 100 million euros ($112 million). Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, agriculture minister for more than a decade, is accused of amassing real…

Nigeria’s Half-Measures on Currency Are Only Half-Working

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – A year after Nigeria scrapped a currency peg that sent foreign investors fleeing, it’s still battling to entice them back. But trying to placate investors by introducing multiple exchange rates isn’t going to work, bond funds and Wall Street lenders including Citigroup Inc. say. To end the dollar shortage that has hamstrung West Africa’s biggest economy and oil producer, President Muhammadu Buhari and central bank Governor Godwin Emefiele will have to weaken the naira’s official rate again,…

Increase in Mali Attacks Shows Need for Regional Force, UN Says

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BAMAKO (Capital Markets in Africa) – Insecurity is spreading in Mali and across its borders as the number of militant attacks rose and new armed groups emerged over the past year, underscoring the need for military cooperation in West Africa, according to the United Nations Secretary General. Violent extremists carried out 201 attacks against the Malian security forces, UN peacekeepers and French troops since June last year, compared to 165 assaults in the previous 12…

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