Finance | - Part 18

Lafarge Africa raises 60 bln naira in bond issues

LAGOS, Capital Markets in Africa: Lafarge Africa said on Thursday it has raised 60 billion naira ($184 million) by issuing three and five-year bonds through book building. The local unit of the world’s biggest cement maker, LafargeHolcim, issued a three-year bond at 14.25 percent to raise 26.38 billion naira and sold a five-year bond at 14.75 percent to fetch 33.62 billion naira, it said in a statement. The cement and clinker mixer said in April…

Obama’s Africa Power Plan Falls Short, Leaving Continent in Dark

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LAGOS, Capital Markets in Africa: President Barack Obama’s signature initiative for Africa — a $9.7 billion plan to double electricity access in the world’s poorest continent — has fallen well short of its goals, so far producing less than 5 percent of the new power generation it promised. Obama announced Power Africa three years ago with an ambitious goal: to add 10,000 megawatts of power and supply electricity to 20 million households within five years. As…

As Commodity Slump Batters Africa, Investors Turn to Technology

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LAGOS, Capital Markets in Africa: The titans of Silicon Valley are undeterred by the economic slump afflicting much of Africa. Facebook Inc., Google, Oracle Corp. and Uber Technologies Inc. are at the leading edge of turning the world’s frontier markets digital. As the commodity crash buffets the continent’s biggest economies, the interest and investments couldn’t come at a better time. Almost half of foreign direct investment projects in Africa last year were in technology, telecommunications, financial services…

Old Mutual Said to Mull Wealth Unit Sale, Dropping IPO, on Costs

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JOHANNESBURG, Capital Markets in Africa: Old Mutual Plc, Africa’s largest insurer, may drop plans for a listing of its U.K. wealth management unit because of escalating costs from an upgrade of its investment platform, according to a person familiar with the matter. While managers at Old Mutual Wealth want to proceed with an initial public offering, executives at the group level are leaning towards options including a sale of the unit, the person said, asking not…

Guinea Weighs Mine Tax-Incentive Review Over Investor Abuse

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GUINEA, Capital Markets in Africa: Guinea’s government is considering reviewing tax breaks given to mining companies because foreign investors may be abusing the incentives, Budget Minister Mohamed Lamine Doumbouya said. The West African nation, which has the world’s largest bauxite deposits, waived more than 2 trillion Guinean francs ($220 million) of income over the past five years because of exemptions on mining-equipment and building-material imports, Doumbouya said in an interview. While the mining industry is expanding at an…

Fastjet Drops Airbus Jets for Embraer While Planning HQ Move

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LAGOS, Capital Markets in Africa: Africa-focused discount airline Fastjet Plc will switch to a fleet of Embraer SA regional jets from larger Airbus Group SE planes as new Chief Executive Officer Nico Bezuidenhout seeks to stem losses by better matching capacity to demand. The fledgling carrier also plans to move its headquarters to Johannesburg from London to pare expenses and bring the company closer to its key markets, Bezuidenhout, who took over as CEO last month, said in an interview in the South African city, the…

Egypt Edges Closer to IMF $12 Billion Loan Approval

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CAIRO, Capital Markets in Africa: Egypt will request a meeting of the International Monetary Fund’s executive board within days after meeting the requirements for a $12 billion loan, the lender’s largest ever in the region. “We are making very good progress on getting the required $5 billion to $6 billion” stipulated by the IMF before the board reviews the loan, Egypt’s Deputy Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk told reporters at a two-day Euromoney conference that began on Monday in…

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