Finance | - Part 123

Biggest Gem Found in a Century Finally Sells for $53 Million

GABORONE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Size isn’t everything in the diamond market, especially for the biggest gem found in more than a century and which took more than a year to sell. Lucara Diamond Corporation finally sold the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona diamond for $53 million, or $47,777 a carat, on Monday to Graff Diamonds, Vancouver-based Lucara said in a statement. While it’s significantly bigger than the 813-carat Constellation stone Lucara found at the same time, that stone sold for a…

South Africa $7.5 Billion Pensions Bid `Untrue,’ Gigaba Says

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JOHANNESBUGH (Capital Markets in Africa) – A Bloomberg News report that South Africa’s National Treasury is seeking as much as 100 billion rand ($7.5 billion) from the government workers’ pension fund to finance struggling state companies is untrue, Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba said. The Public Investment Corp., which manages the fund and has about 1.86 trillion rand in assets, has been asked by the Treasury to buy its entire 12 billion-rand stake in Telkom SA SOC Ltd. to pay…

Zimbabwe Cabinet Stalling $400 Million Rail Recap, Minister Says

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HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Zimbabwe’s cabinet hasn’t approved a $400 million deal with Transnet SOC Limited to recapitalize National Railways of Zimbabwe because it’s concerned about the government taking on more debt, Transport Minister Joram Gumbo said. Zimbabwe awarded the contract to the South African ports and rail operator in August in a joint venture with the Diaspora Infrastructure Development Group after issuing a tender to recapitalize state-owned NRZ. The Zimbabwean operator, which is plagued by…

Biggest Cocoa Growers Seek Larger Slice of Chocolate Profits

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ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – The world’s biggest cocoa-growing nations in West Africa are targeting a larger slice of chocolate-making profits as most of the benefits of producing beans accrue outside their economies, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo said. Farmers in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the two countries which account for more than 60 percent of global cocoa output, earned the equivalent of 5.5 percent of a value chain that was worth more than $100 billion in 2015,…

Nigeria States Seen Issuing Sukuk Bonds Next Year

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Some Nigerian states are working toward issuing sukuk bonds within a year as more investors are attracted to Islamic finance in Africa’s biggest oil-producing country, transaction advisers say. Nigeria’s federal government has put 100 billion naira ($282 million) in sukuk bonds on sale at 16.47 percent from Sept. 14 to Sept. 20 in its first ever such offering. The proceeds of the sale would be used for road construction…

Visa-Free Access to Cape Verde for EU May Boost Growth to 7%

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Cape Verde will exempt European Union citizens from needing visas to visit the West African archipelago as it strives to boost tourism, which is vital to its economy, according to the prime minister. Visa-free access for EU passport holders should begin in 2018, Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva said by phone from Praia, the capital. The exemption is part of a raft of proposals that includes privatizing the ailing…

Zambia Seeking Bids for New Mobile Provider to Take on MTN

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LUZAKA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Zambia is seeking bidders for a fourth mobile-network license to take on operators including market leader MTN Group Ltd. in the southern African country, Transport and Communications Minister Brian Mushimba said. The ministry last week gave the go-ahead to the telecommunications regulator to start the process, he said in a recorded response to questions on Monday. The new carrier could be in place over the next six to 12 months and the…

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