NAIROBI, Aug 15 (Reuters) – The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Thursday.

EVENTS:

Nigeria’s statistics office is expected to release the latest inflation data.

GLOBAL MARKETS

Asian stocks were firm on Thursday while the dollar remained on the back foot amid lower U.S. Treasury yields after benign consumer inflation data overnight reinforced bets for the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates next month.

WORLD OIL PRICES

Oil prices rose on Thursday, supported by optimism potential U.S. interest rate cuts will boost economic activity and fuel consumption though concerns over slower global demand curbed gains.

SOUTH AFRICA MARKETS

South Africa’s rand firmed on Wednesday after U.S. inflation data strengthened expectations that rate cuts in the world’s biggest economy are near.

KENYA MARKETS

Kenya’s shilling was flat against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday, as foreign-currency inflows for a bond auction matched reduced dollar demand from manufacturers and fuel importers, traders said.

AFRICA MPOX

The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak of the viral infection in Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighbouring countries.

BURKINA FASO SECURITY

Suspected jihadists ambushed a military convoy carrying more than 1,000 civilians in Burkina Faso last week, leading to civilian deaths and injuries, the regional governor said in a statement published on Wednesday, without providing a death toll.

NIGERIA POLITICS

Nigerian lawmakers on Wednesday withdrew a proposed law that would have imposed punishments of up to 10 years in jail for actions deemed subversive following a public outcry over fears that it was an attempt to crack down on dissent following a wave of anti-government protests.

SUDAN POLITICS

A rebel group controlling Sudan’s Nuba Mountains and parts of Blue Nile state said on Wednesday that the local population was experiencing a hunger catastrophe.

KENYA SECURITY

Gunmen kidnapped two South Korean missionaries in northern Kenya, near the border of Ethiopia, on Monday evening while eight Kenyans were shot dead in a separate incident in the region, local officials said.

((Compiled by Nairobi Newsroom))