Economic News |

South Africa’s central bank keeps repo rate steady at 5.75 pct

Pretoria, South Africa (Capital Markets in Africa): – South Africa’s Reserve Bank left interest rates unchanged as expected on Thursday but warned the deteriorating inflation outlook meant the stance cannot be “maintained indefinitely”. The bank has kept its benchmark rate steady at 5.75 percent since July last year as Africa’s most advanced economy struggles with power shortages being the biggest risk as state utility Eskom fails to cope with demand. But rising electricity and oil prices…

Cameroon cocoa exports up 24 pct y/y in April

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Younde, (Capital Markets in Africa):- Cameroon cocoa exports jumped 24 percent to 181,893 tonnes year-on-year by end-April since the start of the 2014/15 season on Aug. 1, data from the sector’s regulator showed on Tuesday. Statistics from the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB) showed that Africa’s fourth biggest grower shipped 4,384 tonnes of cocoa beans in April, down from 10,810 tonnes in March. But exports rose slightly, compared with 3,043 tonnes exported during the same…

South Africa’s SacOil exits Nigeria JV on weaker oil prices

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Johannesburg, South Africa (Capital Markets in Africa) :- South Africa’s SacOil Holdings has ended its joint venture with Nigeria’s Nigdel United Oil Company and abandoned its oil licence in that country as softer oil prices forced the firm to cut costs. Global oil prices have dropped by about 40 percent over the last year on oversupply concerns, forcing many companies to avoid risky exploration. Some oil companies are also forming alliances to ride out the…

Nigeria’s central bank holds interest rate at 13 pct

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Abuja, Nigeria (Capital Markets in Africa):- Nigeria’s central bank held its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 13 percent on Tuesday, stressing the need to preserve foreign exchange reserves that have been depleted in recent months to support a weakening naira. At the last policy meeting before president-elect Muhammadu Buhari takes office in Africa’s largest oil producer on May 29, central bank governor Godwin Emefiele said it was not possible for the regulator to intervene on…

Burundi’s Political Crisis Is Credit Negative

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Bujumbura, Burundi (Capital Markets in Africa):-Last Friday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that more than 105,000 people had fled Burundi (unrated) to neighbouring countries to escape political violence after three weeks of demonstrations and a failed coup last Wednesday. The worsening political situation in Burundi threatens to disrupt economic activity and administrative stability, weaken the political will and capacity to implement much-needed structural reform, and jeopardise multilateral and bilateral donor support. Additionally,…

Chad to receive $1.1 billion debt relief – finance minister

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DAKAR, April 28 (Reuters) – Chad will receive $1.1 billion in debt relief after completion of the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), its finance minister said on Tuesday. Kordje Bedoumra said in an interview that the oil-producing central African nation – one of the poorest countries on earth – had cut its growth forecast for this year to 5 percent, from 7 percent in 2014,…

Mali sees growth slipping to 5 pct range in 2015: finance minister

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BAMAKO (Reuters) – Mali’s economic growth will slow this year after reaching 7.2 percent in 2014 due to increased cotton production, although it should still top 5 percent, the finance minister said on Thursday. The West African nation, one of the region’s leading cotton producers, saw raw cotton output jump to 550,000 tonnes in 2014 from 440,000 the previous year after the government increased input subsidies and lowered the price of fertilizers. “It’s this increase…

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