Features

This year’s Africa Energy Forum (aef) has been rescheduled to take place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands from 20-22 October 2020. Previously due to take place in July, the move comes in the interests of all attendees’ safety after monitoring the COVID-19 situation and its impact on global economies. The Forum, organised by EnergyNet, brings together decision-makers in Africa’s energy sector to form partnerships, identify opportunities and collectively move the industry forward. EnergyNet’s Managing Director Simon…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — Cocoa processing probably declined in the first quarter on falling chocolate demand from retail outlets shuttered across the globe because of the coronavirus outbreak, according to surveys conducted by Bloomberg. In Europe, the biggest consuming region, grinding may fall 3% from a year earlier, according to the median estimate in a survey of seven analysts, brokers and processors. Estimates ranged from a drop of 1% to as much as 11%….

NEW YORK (Capital Markets in Africa) — Global health emergencies will be a fact of life in the 21st century. So, too, will be the World Health Organization’s chronic inability to rise to the occasion. President Donald Trump is hoping that the body’s failures in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic can be corrected with punishment. The U.S. will halt payments to the WHO to hold it “accountable” for its failure to warn earlier of a public health…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — Republicans are ratcheting up efforts to paint China as the villain in the coronavirus pandemic, seeking to shift blame as President Donald Trump faces increased criticism of his handling of a crisis that has shuttered the U.S. economy. The Trump campaign on Tuesday sent out a fundraising email that accused China of “lying” about the outbreak and saying the country must be held accountable, language that is harsher than the president has…

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa)   — Do we still need cash? Humans have used all sorts of things as stores of value — rare metals, strings of shells, even jugs of whiskey. Over time the objects have become more ephemeral, from coins to paper to digital forms. Economists see great payoffs in a cashless society: lower costs for businesses and new tools to manage economies, stymie tax evasion and fight money laundering. Critics see an erosion of privacy, frightening new powers for governments…

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa)  — Volatility in stocks and bonds has ebbed to levels that could boost markets rather than fuel more turbulence, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. Price swings are getting muted as central banks and governments around the world provide unprecedented packages of stimulus to cushion the economic hit from Covid-19. That’s improving conditions in funding markets, market liquidity and deleveraging by value-at-risk sensitive investors — three key areas for volatility —…

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson still has a high temperature and remains in isolation, one week after testing positive for coronavirus. Johnson made the announcement in a video posted on Twitter on Friday, saying that even after seven days, “alas I still have one of the symptoms, a minor symptom: I still have a temperature. In accordance with government advice I must continue my self-isolation.” With deaths still rising…