Finance

PORT LOUIS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The seven Quantum Global Group funds that had their licenses suspended by Mauritius’s financial-services regulator followed presentations made by a high-ranking Angolan official to the Mauritian government, according to two people familiar with the matter. Quantum Global Group was founded by Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais, a Swiss-Angolan entrepreneur. Swiss newspaper Le Matin Dimanche reported Nov. 5 that about $3 billion of Angola’s wealth fund, known by the acronym…

KAMPALA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Uganda dipped into its Petroleum Fund for the first time by drawing 125.3 billion shillings ($33.9 million) to bridge its 2017-18 budget deficit, Finance Minister Matia Kasaija said. East Africa’s third-biggest economy will spend the money in the 12 months through June, Kasaija said in a report on the ministry website, leaving the fund at 422.9 billion shillings. Uganda, which is yet to start oil production, raised the money…

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Steinhoff International Holdings NV shelved a plan to pay director bonuses after lawmakers questioned whether it was appropriate to release extra funds given the retailer has lost more than 90 percent of its market value amid an accounting scandal. The owner of Conforama in France and Mattress Firm in the U.S. was planning to ask shareholders to approve payouts to board members including Chairman Heather Sonn as a reward for their work…

ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa)- Hershey Co. is spending $500 million in the hopes of producing its iconic chocolate Kisses from more sustainable cocoa. Through its so-called Cocoa for Good program, the company will invest the funds through 2030 to support four key areas: nourishing children, empowering youth, building prosperous communities and preserving natural ecosystems. The initiative’s goals include eliminating child labour and increasing shade-grown cocoa, which can be productive for as much as 15 years…