Features

(Bloomberg) — The Democratic Republic of Congo’s prime minister formed a new government, marking a shift in the balance of power from former President Joseph Kabila to his successor, Felix Tshisekedi, three years after elections. The slate of ministers was announced Monday on national television by Tshisekedi’s spokesman, Kasongo Mwema Yamba Yamba. The president began advocating for a new so-called “sacred union” coalition last year after his policy reforms were blocked by Kabila allies who…

ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) — Twitter Inc. is planning to hire its first product and engineering team in Africa, an effort to expand its workforce in emerging markets where the social-media company hopes to attract new users. Kayvon Beykpour, Twitter’s head of product, announced the plans in a blog post, calling the effort an “exciting” part of the company’s growth strategy. “To truly serve the public conversation, we must be more immersed in the rich…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — African nations aim to double funding for climate change adaptation projects to $25 billion over five years as they look to foster a green recovery from the economic damage wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. The continent most vulnerable to environmental shifts has already secured $12.5 billion from the African Development Bank for a newly launched Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program and expects to secure the balance at the next two…

NEW YORK (Capital Markets in Africa) — The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission obtained an asset freeze to halt an alleged $690 million Ponzi scheme operated by a Los Angeles actor who lied about having deals to sell films to Netflix Inc. and HBO. Zachary Horwitz and his company, 1inMM Capital LLC, claimed he was raising money to buy movies that he intended to resell, the SEC said in a Tuesday statement. In reality, he had…

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) — South Africa should prioritize economic growth-enhancing reforms to enlarge its tax base, create jobs in the private sector that reduce the reliance on social welfare and ease the strain on public finances, a local commerce group said. A business confidence index compiled by the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry fell to 94 in March from 94.3 the previous month, according to an emailed statement Wednesday. While the…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — Oil rebounded, mirroring a broader rally in commodities, ahead of talks on reviving the Iranian nuclear accord. West Texas Intermediate rose 2.3%, with most other commodities also climbing. Crude had plunged on Monday amid a resurgence in Covid infections in Europe and an imminent increase in OPEC+ supplies, which could swell further with an agreement with Iran. Multiparty negotiations take place in Vienna later on Tuesday, though the chances of a breakthrough are seen by analysts…