Nigeria | - Part 11

Nigerian lawmakers to probe national grid firm over $2 bln of foreign loans

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s lower house of parliament will investigate $2 billion of foreign loans which the state-owned national electricity grid operator may have raised without official approval, lawmakers said on Wednesday. The investigation could be a blow to efforts to improve Nigeria’s creaking power infrastructure, which is often blamed for hobbling growth in Africa’s largest economy. Nigeria privatized most of its power sector in 2013 but retained control of the dilapidated…

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…

Nigeria’s SEC to Investigate Oando for Possible Insider Dealing

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission ordered an insider-trading investigation into Oando Plc and suspended dealing in the energy company’s shares. A comprehensive review of Lagos-based Oando also found discrepancies in its shareholding structure and related-party transactions that were not done “at arm’s length,” the regulator said in an emailed statement on Wednesday. Alero Balogun, a spokeswoman for Oando, said she couldn’t immediately comment on the allegations when contacted by…

Nigeria Inflation Little Changed in September as Food Costs Rise

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigerian inflation was little changed in September as food prices continued to rise, limiting the scope for the central bank to ease policy before the end of the year. The inflation rate in Africa’s most-populous nation decreased to 15.98 percent from 16.01 percent in August, the Abuja-based National Bureau of Statistics said in an e-mailed report on Tuesday. That was in line with the median of 13 economists’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Prices rose…

Nigerian Bank Just Sold Most Expensive Emerging-Market Bond

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s Fidelity Bank Plc sold the highest-yielding Eurobond from emerging markets this year, joining a rush for issuance before higher U.S. interest rates push up borrowing costs. The mid-sized Lagos-based lender issued $400 million of five-year securities with a 10.75 percent yield on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified. The deal initially had guidance of about 11 percent, said the person. Fidelity is the…

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…

Flour Mills of Nigeria Seeks $306 Million to Cut Funding Costs

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, the country’s biggest miller by market value, plans to raise 110 billion naira ($306 million) in equity and debt as it seeks to reduce costs and boost operations in the West African nation. The company plans to raise as much as 40 billion naira by rights issue and 70 billion naira through “medium-term notes,’’ according to a statement Monday on the website of the Nigerian…

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