NAIROBI, Feb 5 (Reuters) – The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Wednesday.

EVENTS:

*Kenya’s central bank to announce its latest benchmark lending rate decision.

GLOBAL MARKETS

Asian stock markets tried to steady on Wednesday amid hopes U.S. tariffs would not be as painful for the global economy as feared just a day ago, though Wall Street futures took a knock from a sharp drop in Alphabet shares as earnings disappointed.

WORLD OIL PRICES

Oil prices were little changed on Wednesday after volatile trading in the previous session as investors shrugged off the impact of China’s tariffs on U.S. energy imports though President Donald Trump’s renewed push to eliminate Iranian crude exports provided some support.

SOUTH AFRICA MARKETS

South Africa’s rand edged higher on Tuesday as markets digested U.S. President Donald Trump’s changing tariff stance.

NIGERIA LABOUR

Nigeria’s largest labour union has suspended a planned nationwide protest against a 50% hike in telecommunications tariffs and will negotiate with the government to resolve the dispute within two weeks, both sides said on Tuesday.

KENYA MARKETS

Kenya’s shilling gained slightly against the dollar on Tuesday, data from the London Stock Exchange Group showed.

MAURITIUS CENTRAL BANK RATE

The Bank of Mauritius said on Tuesday that its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) had decided to raise its key interest rate by 50 basis points to 4.50%.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO SECURITY

The U.N. Human Rights Council will hold a special meeting to discuss the situation in the eastern Congo city of Goma after it was seized by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, a U.N. statement said.

IVORY COAST TAX

Ivory Coast collected around 4.2 trillion CFA francs ($6.65 billion) in taxes in 2024, up 13.7% from 2023, according to a document of the tax authority seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

((Compiled by Nairobi Newsroom))