News and developments on African capital markets, includes: African securities, African stock exchanges/stock markets, African equities, African bonds, African private equity/venture capital, and African social impact investment
African countries (apart from South Africa) are set to place $7 billion of debt this year, buoyed by low interest rates and a huge global appetite. It is more than the previous 5 years combined and African capital markets are feeling the boom.
The first Eurobond issued by Rwanda, due to mature in May 2023, raised $400 million at 6.875% and the money will go to start generating hydroelectricity by December with further expansion in June 2014 and also pay for airline expansion and a convention centre.
The International Finance Corporation plans to issue a $50 million (NGN 8 billion) local-currency “Naija” bond in Nigeria to support the domestic capital markets and increase access to local-currency finance. IFC bonds are rated triple-A by Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s.
World investors and debt-rating agencies should rethink criteria for evaluating political and other risk. “Risk is up for developed markets (DM) and down for Emerging Markets (EM)” was a key message from a Thomson Reuters conference in London on 18 September.
Zambia went to the global market yesterday (13 September) with its first eurobond, a USD750 million 10-year bond priced at a 5.625%. It will be used to fund its budget and invest in infrastructure and the issue highlights “great appetite” for African credit.
Rwanda’s Savings and Credit Cooperatives (known as SACCOs) are being encouraged to take more interest in investing into the capital market including bonds and equities. They are estimated to hold deposits worth over RWF15 billion (US$24.7 million).
A new securities exchange in Lusaka, BaDEx (Bonds and Derivatives Exchange Zambia) is installing tried-and-tested bond and derivative trading software from South Africa’s STT Software, which supplies the JSE, and says it will be ready to launch operations next month, May 2012. BaDEx trading platforms will include spot and derivative trading in bonds, currency, commodities (such as derivatives on metals and silo certificates on the spot market) and a variety of other derivatives including agricultural commodities, precious metals, equity and energy.
2012 could be an active year for African bonds and particularly eurobonds, judging by the 5.5 times oversubscription for the Namibia’s debut $500 million, 10-year Eurobond. However, timing and terms of issues will be crucial in the turbulent markets.
Developing Africa’s securities exchanges is critical for the continent’s development, with capital markets standing between huge demand for capital for growth and huge demand to invest. The key issues are on the agenda of The 15th Annual African Securities Exchange Association conference (in Marrakesh, Morocco), hosted by Casablanca Stock Exchange, 12-13 December.
Ethiopia has raised Birr 7 billion ($408 million) of debt to finance the $4.8 bn Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River, and plans to issue more bonds to raise the finance domestically.