Africa briefs

S&P affirms South Africa ratingS&P Global Ratings affirmed South Africa’s sub-investment grade credit rating and kept its stable outlook on Friday, warning the country’s improved economic growth. Africa’s most industrialised economy has barely grown in the past decade with fiscal missteps and government corruption contributing to weak business and consumer confidence.Investor sentiment has picked up after President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged to clean up the graft and misgovernance that critics say bedeviled the administration of his predecessor Jacob Zuma, who was forced from office in February by the ruling African National Congress (ANC).-Nampa/ReutersKenya to regulate fintech-fuelled lending Kenya built a reputation as a pioneer of financial inclusion through its early adoption of a mobile money system that enables people to transfer cash and make payments on cellphones without a bank account.Now, a proliferation of lenders are using the same technology to extend credit to the banked and unbanked alike, saddling borrowers with high interest rates and leaving regulators scrambling to keep up.This week, the finance ministry published a draft bill on financial regulation which covers digital lenders for the first time. A key aim is to ensure that providers treat retail customers fairly, it said.-Nampa/ReutersSouth Africa seen nudging up maize output estimateThe estimate for South Africa’s 2018 maize harvest is expected to be raised slightly due to favourable weather conditions, with seasonal dry weather allowing for harvesting operations to get underway.The government’s Crop Estimates Committee (CEC), which will provide its fourth 2018 production forecast crop on Tuesday, is seen pegging it at 12.9 million tonnes, up 0.6% from the 12.826 million tonnes it forecast in April, according to a Reuters’ poll of four traders and industry watchers.-Nampa/ReutersBotswana court backs regulator's push for lower mobile call ratesBotswana’s telecoms regulator said on Friday its order that mobile phone companies cut fees they charge rivals to use their network by 41% has been endorsed by a local court.The ruling comes after Mascom, the country’s biggest telecoms company, filed a court application last July seeking to have the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority’s (BOCRA) directive declared illegal, improper and irrational.Mascom is one of three companies offering mobile phone services in Botswana, alongside Botswana Telecommunications Corp and Orange Botswana.-Nampa/ReutersIvory Coast needs over US$1b for reforestation strategyIvory Coast will call upon donors as well as timber and cocoa companies to help finance a reforestation strategy it estimates will cost 616 billion CFA francs (US$1 billion) over 10 years, the water and forests minister said on Friday.The West African nation has lost an average of 400 000 hectares of tropical forest annually since 1990. It is seeking to extend forest cover to 20% of its national territory by 2030, from 11% currently.-Nampa/Reuters

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