Zimbabwe says to slash budget deficit despite looming elections

Zimbabwe says to slash budget deficit despite looming elections

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Zimbabwe plans to cut its budget deficit by half next year to 4 percent of GDP, the national Treasury said, an ambitious goal at a time when the country is expected to hold a presidential vote that veteran President Robert Mugabe is set to contest. The southern African country has over the last four years failed to cut its deficit despite promises to do so, mainly due to high…

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Ghana to Cut 2017 Spending as It Struggles to Raise Revenue

Ghana to Cut 2017 Spending as It Struggles to Raise Revenue

ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ghana plans to cut spending this year as weak revenue collections are the “Achilles’ heel” in getting its accounts to balance, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta said. “We are trying to contain expenditures as much as we can,” Ofori-Atta said at a conference Monday in the capital, Accra. In July, the West African nation trimmed the budget-deficit forecast to this year 6.3 percent of gross domestic product from 6.5 percent. Constant overspending prompted…

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Investors Flock to Nigeria Eurobonds, But Won’t Touch the Naira

Investors Flock to Nigeria Eurobonds, But Won’t Touch the Naira

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s oversubscribed Eurobond on Wednesday showed that investors will flock to the country’s dollar assets. But when it comes to naira ones, they’re staying well away. Nigeria got around $3 billion of orders for its $500 million of notes, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified. High demand for the deal, a tap of an existing $1 billion bond due in 2032, allowed bookrunners…

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Nigeria not sure yet how much to borrow from World Bank

Nigeria not sure yet how much to borrow from World Bank

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria has not decided yet how much it wants to borrow from the World Bank, its budget minister said on Wednesday, to help pay for record spending of $24 billion this year. Diplomats and officials told Reuters last week the oil producer plans to present the required economic reform proposals to the World Bank this month to borrow at least $1 billion. “The figure will depend on the (2017)…

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