South Africa's rand weakened on Thursday after President Cyril Ramaphosa defended his decision to appoint a minister of electricity to try to end crippling power cuts.
KENYA MARKETS
The Kenyan shilling eased against the dollar on Thursday as foreign-currency demand from the oil sector outstripped dollar inflows from tea exporters and remittances, traders said.
NIGERIA FOREX
Foreign exchange shortages faced by local Nigerian companies may threaten bank liquidity, while a devaluation of the naira precipitated by these shortages would weaken banks' capital, ratings agency Moody's said in a note on Thursday.
GHANA DEBT
Substantive discussions with Ghana's external bondholders are due to start in the next few weeks, the country's Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta told parliament on Thursday.
GUINEA SECURITY
At least two people were shot dead and scores wounded or detained at an anti-government protest in Guinea's capital Conakry that started late on Wednesday and continued into Thursday, an opposition coalition said.
NIGERIA CORRUPTION
The United States will repatriate to Nigeria nearly $1 million, which were embezzled by the former governor of an oil-producing state, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.
CONGO MINING
Congo's state auditor has demanded an additional $17 billion of investments from a 2008 infrastructure-for-minerals deal with Chinese investors that is currently being renegotiated, documents seen by Reuters on Thursday showed.
SENEGAL POLITICS
Police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko on Thursday after he left court in the capital Dakar where hearings are underway in a libel case against him.
IVORY COAST COCOA
Ivory Coast's Cocoa and Coffee Council (CCC) regulator said on Thursday that some domestic exporters risked defaulting on their cocoa export contracts as they struggle to source beans from the main harvest which ends in March.
ETHIOPIA CHURCH
The influential Ethiopian Orthodox Church said late on Wednesday it had reached an agreement with a breakaway synod from the Oromiya region following deadly violence that killed dozens and led to partial internet shutdowns.
RWANDA RATES
Rwanda's central bank on Thursday raised its key interest rate to 7.0%, up from 6.5%.
NIGERIA CASH
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday gave approval to the central bank to extend the deadline to turn in old banknotes by another 60 days after cash shortages stoked anger ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections next week.
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