Angola Economy |

Angola Joins Long List of Oil Nations in Ditching Dollar Peg

LUANDA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Angola is poised to become the latest emerging nation to abandon its currency peg as it seeks to rescue an economy still reeling from the oil-price crash four years ago. The southern African nation, an OPEC member, said this week it would let the kwanza trade within a new band. The rate at which it’s been fixed against the dollar since April 2016 “does not reflect the truth,” according to Jose Massano, who…

Angolan Sonangol’s Fired Boss Said She Leaves $2 Billion in Reserves

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LUANDA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Isabel dos Santos, Africa’s richest woman, said Sonangol will be left with a financial reserve of $2 billion after she leaves as chair of Angola’s state-owned oil company. Her firing Wednesday marks the first time Angolan President Joao Lourenco has directly targeted the family of his predecessor, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled Africa’s second-biggest oil producer for 38 years and appointed his eldest daughter to the helm of Sonangol last year. She was relieved…

Angola New President Fires Dos Santos Daughter as Sonangol Boss

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LUANDA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Angolan President Joao Lourenco dismissed Isabel dos Santos, the daughter of former President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, as chair of state-owned oil company Sonangol. Dos Santos, Africa’s richest woman, was relieved of her post along with the entire board of Sonangol, according to a presidential statement. She will be replaced by Carlos Saturnino, who was fired from Sonangol by Dos Santos last year. Saturnino was recently appointed the secretary of…

Moody’s downgrades Angola’s ratings to B2, outlook stable

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LUANDA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Moody’s Investors Service has today downgraded the long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings of the Government of Angola to B2 from B1 and changed the outlook to stable from negative. It also affirmed Angola’s short-term issuer ratings at Not Prime. The key drivers supporting the downgrade are: 1) Lower economic strength in light of the diminished medium-term growth outlook, constrained by foreign currency shortages, high inflation, lower public sector…

Worst May Be Over as Biggest Africa Economies End Growth Rut

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The worst may be over for Africa’s two largest economies as they likely emerged from a slump in the second quarter. Official data on Tuesday will probably show South Africa’s economy expanded in the three months through June, ending its second recession in less than a decade. Nigeria’s gross domestic product probably grew from a year earlier, and came out of its worst slump in a quarter of a century. South Africa…

Angola’s President Dos Santos to Retain Hold on Power After Retiring

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LUADAN (Capital Markets in Africa) – Jose Eduardo dos Santos is set to maintain control from behind the scenes when he steps down as Angola’s president next month after almost four decades in office. Dos Santos will until at least 2018 still be leader of the Movement for the Liberation of Angola, or MPLA, the party that has ruled the southern African nation since its independence from Portugal in 1975. And, this month the government pushed a law…

IMF offers three-pillared prescription for African growth

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Countries in sub-Saharan Africa need to get their budgets in order, diversify their economies and look after their poorest people. If they do that, there is no reason why the region cannot have the strong growth needed to meet the aspirations of a young and growing population. That, at least, is the three-pillared prescription from the International Monetary Fund as expressed by one of its top Africa researchers, Celine…

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