West Africa | - Part 26

Nigerian Central Bank Keeps Key Policy Rate Unchanged at 14%

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria left its benchmark interest rate unchanged for a fourth consecutive meeting to balance lifting the economy out of its worst slump in 25 years with fighting inflation that’s at almost double the government’s target. The Monetary Policy Committee held the key policy rate at 14 percent, Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele told reporters in the capital, Abuja, on Tuesday. That was in line with the forecast of all 17 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. While inflation in Africa’s…

Nigerian central bank head urges cooperation on monetary, fiscal policy

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s monetary and fiscal authorities must cooperate on their policies to help Africa’s largest economy to develop, the central bank governor said, according to his spokesman. Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele made the comments at a two-day retreat for members of the bank’s Monetary Policy Committee and the ministers for finance, budget, and investment. The closed-door meeting, which takes place about three times a year, ended on Saturday. OPEC…

Banks in stand-off with Etisalat Nigeria over problem loan

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigerian banks have opposed a proposal by Etisalat Nigeria to convert part of a $1.2 billion loan from dollars into naira and want Abu Dhabi telecoms group Etisalat and its other shareholders to recapitalise it instead, a source said. A banker with knowledge of the negotiations told Reuters that the seven-year syndicated loan, on which Etisalat Nigeria missed a payment, has a dollar portion of $235 million which the…

Africa’s Ecobank targets strong customer growth from mobile banking

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Africa’s Ecobank expects its new digital banking platform to help to boost its customer base across the continent to 100 million from 13 million by 2020, it said after announcing that it had signed up 1.5 million personal accounts through the mobile app. Ecobank has operations in nearly 40 African nations, some of which have been pressured by the commodity price slide and unfavourable currency swings that have prompted the…

GT Bank to reduce loan growth to focus on bond investment

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s Guaranty Trust Bank (GT Bank) plans to reduce loan growth this year to focus on the increased profit to be had from maintaining domestic bond investment levels, its chief executive said on Wednesday. Nigeria’s government aims to fund half of this year’s forecast budget deficit of 2.36 trillion naira ($7.73 billion)through the domestic debt market and has been selling bonds at yields of about 16 percent. GT Bank’s loan…

Nigeria’s inflation slows after fifteen months in February

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Inflation in February accelerated at a slower pace to 17.87% YoY (January: 18.72% YoY; Consensus Estimate: 17.32% YoY), with prices pulling back after fifteen months of consecutive increase. Whilst the rise in food prices remained strong in February at 18.53% YoY, the “All Items Less Farm Produce Index” ( a proxy for core inflation) provided the buffer for the headline CPI, moderating for the third consecutive month to 16.01%…

Nampak Shares Drop as Funds Trapped in Nigeria, Angola Increase

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nampak Limited fell after Africa’s biggest beverage-can maker said cash stranded in Nigeria and Angola rose in the five months through February as it continues to battle to get money out of the countries. The stock fell as much as 2.3 percent to 15.99 rand before trading 0.7 percent lower at 10:30 a.m. in Johannesburg, extending its decline this year to 12 percent and giving the company a market value of 11 billion…

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