Agriculture |

Olam Eyes Fish Farming in Africa to Tap Growing Middle Class

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Olam International Limited, one of the world’s largest food traders, is considering expanding into fish farming in Africa to tap demand from a growing and more affluent population. The Singapore-based firm is conducting a feasibility study on farming fish in West Africa, likely in Nigeria, the continent’s most populated country, Chief Operating Officer Shekhar Anantharaman said. Olam could potentially start the venture with partner and shareholder Mitsubishi Corp., which owns fish…

Nigeria looks to food exports to boost FX income after oil shock

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria is looking to boost agricultural exports to earn more hard currency, and aims to cut imports of rice and wheat which together cost it almost $4 billion a year, Agriculture Minister Audu Ogbeh told Reuters. Nigeria emerged from recession in the second quarter as oil revenues rose, but growth was sluggish. The government has touted agriculture as a way to wean the country off its oil dependence, improving…

Africa’s Economic Future Depends on Its Farmers

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – When the economies of Nigeria and South Africa recently rebounded, it wasn’t oil or minerals that did the trick. It was agriculture. Faster and more sustainable agricultural growth is crucial not only to the continent’s economy, but also to its ability to feed and employ its surging population. Agriculture still accounts for a quarter of gross domestic product and as much as two-thirds of employment in sub-Saharan Africa. In fact, agricultural growth has the…

Zimbabwe to issue new bond notes to bolster liquidity

Posted on by The Editorial Team

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – It was announced by the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), Dr Mangudya, on 15 September 2016, that “bond notes” will be issued by the end of October, in an effort to ease the recent cash shortages in the country. Liquidity difficulties – Zimbabwe has run out of US dollars, and does not have its own currency – have meant civil servants’ salaries are in arrears, and…

Tech Innovation Will Catalyse Productivity and Growth in Africa Says PWC Report

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Capital Markets in Africa: Agriculture is currently standing on the edge of a second green revolution. This revolution will entail fundamental shifts in how the agricultural sector utilises and implements innovative technology to improve output in a sustainable manner and address the need for greater food security globally. These are some of the highlights of PwC’s latest Africa Agribusinesses Insights Survey 2016. “Currently, there is a second green revolution underway. There is…

Bamboo Finance and Louis Dreyfus Holding Launch Impact Investment Fund NISABA, Focusing on Agribusiness in Sub-Saharan Africa

Posted on by The Editorial Team

Lagos, Nigeria, Capital Markets in Africa — Bamboo Finance, a private equity firm specializing in investing in business models that benefit low-income communities in developing economies and Louis Dreyfus Holding, which owns a controlling stake in leading global agribusiness Louis Dreyfus Commodities, announced today a partnership to launch and jointly manage NISABA, a US$50 million impact investment fund project with a focus on small- and medium-sized agribusiness enterprises (SMEs) in Sub-Saharan Africa. As project sponsor, Louis Dreyfus Holding…

Nigeria agriculture minister wins African Development Bank presidency

Posted on by The Editorial Team

Abidjan (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s Agriculture Minister Akinwumi Adesina won an election on Thursday to be the new president of the African Development Bank (AfDB). After six rounds of voting that saw seven rivals from across the continent defeated, Adesina secured around 60 percent of the vote in an election held in Ivory Coast, where the AfDB is based. Adesina will take over from outgoing bank president Donald Kaberuka of Rwanda on Sept. 1…

1 2 »