<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TE3RFSDQENJTFFYC6SW6PIPCBE-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-529685" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TE3RFSDQENJTFFYC6SW6PIPCBE-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TE3RFSDQENJTFFYC6SW6PIPCBE-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TE3RFSDQENJTFFYC6SW6PIPCBE-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TE3RFSDQENJTFFYC6SW6PIPCBE-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TE3RFSDQENJTFFYC6SW6PIPCBE-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TE3RFSDQENJTFFYC6SW6PIPCBE-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters building is seen ahead of the IMF/World Bank spring meetings in Washington, U.S., April 8, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



KAMPALA, Sept 12 (Reuters) &#8211; The start of commercial crude oil production in Uganda is expected to propel economic growth into double digits in the next financial year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.



Uganda&#8217;s economy would race to 10.8% growth in the 2025/2026 fiscal year which starts in July, up from a projection of 6.2% in the previous period, the IMF said in a report published late on Wednesday.



&#8220;Growth is expected to strengthen, boosted by the start of oil production, which will make (a) lasting improvement (to) the fiscal and current account balances,&#8221; the IMF said in the report.



After nearly 20 years of delay, the east African country is finally expected to commence production and export of crude oil next year from fields in its west.



Commercial reserves were discovered in 2006 but a range of factors including disputes with oil firms over development strategy and lack of requisite infrastructure had delayed production.



At peak Uganda is seen pumping 240,000 barrels of oil per day from its reserves, which are estimated at 6.5 billion barrels.



The IMF said Uganda&#8217;s foreign exchange (FX) reserves had continued to decline, and urged intervention by the central bank including a &#8220;reduction in government imports, along with stepped up FX purchases and greater exchange rate flexibility.&#8221;



The country&#8217;s FX reserves fell to $3.2 billion in June, down from $3.7 billion in December 2023, because of the high cost of servicing debt, the government&#8217;s inability to secure cheap credit, and limited hard currency purchases, the IMF said.



(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Hereward Holland and Lincoln Feast.)

FILE PHOTO: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters building is seen ahead of the IMF/World Bank spring meetings in Washington

Crude oil production to thrust Uganda’s economic growth into double digits – IMF

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="548" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/7BCG6QNXMJLJZG2Q5Z4UAZGMHE-820x548.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-529650" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/7BCG6QNXMJLJZG2Q5Z4UAZGMHE-820x548.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/7BCG6QNXMJLJZG2Q5Z4UAZGMHE-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/7BCG6QNXMJLJZG2Q5Z4UAZGMHE-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/7BCG6QNXMJLJZG2Q5Z4UAZGMHE-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/7BCG6QNXMJLJZG2Q5Z4UAZGMHE-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/7BCG6QNXMJLJZG2Q5Z4UAZGMHE-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield attends a United Nations Security Council meeting about the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, at the U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 4, 2024. REUTERS/David &#8216;Dee&#8217; Delgado/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



UNITED NATIONS, Sept 12 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The United States supports creating two permanent United Nations Security Council seats for African states and one seat to be rotated among small island developing states, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield will announce on Thursday.



The move comes as the U.S. seeks to repair ties with Africa, where many are unhappy about Washington&#8217;s support for Israel&#8217;s war in Gaza, and deepen relations with Pacific Islands nations important to countering Chinese influence in the region.



Thomas-Greenfield told Reuters she hopes the announcement will &#8220;move this agenda forward in a way that we can achieve Security Council reform at some point in the future,&#8221; describing it as part of U.S. President Joe Biden&#8217;s legacy.



The push for two permanent African seats and a rotating seat for small island developing states is in addition to Washington&#8217;s long-held support for India, Japan and Germany to also get permanent seats on the council.



Developing nations have long demanded permanent seats on the Security Council, the most powerful body in the United Nations. But years of talks on reform have proved fruitless and it is unclear whether U.S. support could fuel action.



Ahead of making the announcement at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Thursday, Thomas-Greenfield clarified to Reuters that Washington does not support expanding veto power beyond the five countries that hold it.



The Security Council is charged with maintaining international peace and security and has the power to impose sanctions and arms embargos and authorize the use of force.



When the U.N. was founded in 1945, the Security Council had 11 members. This increased in 1965 to 15 members, made up of 10 elected states serving two-year terms and five permanent veto-wielding nations: Russia, China, France, the U.S. and Britain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-legitimacy-problem">LEGITIMACY PROBLEM</h2>



U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres backs Security Council reform.



&#8220;You have a Security Council that corresponds exactly to the situation after the Second World War &#8230; that has a problem of legitimacy, and that has a problem of effectiveness, and it needs to be reformed,&#8221; Guterres told Reuters on Wednesday.



Any changes to the Security Council membership is done by amending the founding U.N. Charter. This needs the approval and ratification by two-thirds of the General Assembly, including the Security Council&#8217;s current five veto powers.



The 193-member U.N. General Assembly has annually discussed reform of the Security Council for more than a decade. But momentum has grown in recent years as geopolitical rivalries have deadlocked the council on several issues, particularly after permanent veto-wielding member Russia invaded Ukraine.



&#8220;Much of the conversation around Security Council reform has been just that: a conversation,&#8221; Thomas-Greenfield will say on Thursday, according to prepared remarks reviewed by Reuters of her announcement that Washington supports moving to negotiations on a draft text to amend the U.N. Charter to expand the council.



Thomas-Greenfield told Reuters she could not say how long it might take to get the General Assembly to vote on such a resolution.



Each year the General Assembly elects five new members from different geographical groups for two-year terms on the Security Council. Africa currently has three seats rotated among states.



&#8220;The problem is, these non-permanent seats don&#8217;t enable African countries to deliver the full benefit of their knowledge and voices to the work of the council &#8230; to consistently lead on the challenges that affect all of us &#8211; and disproportionately affect Africans,&#8221; Thomas-Greenfield will say.



She will also say that small island developing states deserve a rotating elected seat because they offer &#8220;critical insights on a range of international peace and security issues: including, notably, the impact of climate change.&#8221;



(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Don Durfee and Tom Hogue)

FILE PHOTO: UN Security Council meeting in New York

US supports two permanent UN Security Council seats for Africa

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="540" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/S5LZY64NRJN3PBETOPLEHJD2FY-2-1-820x540.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-529340" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/S5LZY64NRJN3PBETOPLEHJD2FY-2-1-820x540.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/S5LZY64NRJN3PBETOPLEHJD2FY-2-1-300x198.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/S5LZY64NRJN3PBETOPLEHJD2FY-2-1-137x90.jpg 137w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/S5LZY64NRJN3PBETOPLEHJD2FY-2-1-768x506.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/S5LZY64NRJN3PBETOPLEHJD2FY-2-1-1536x1011.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/S5LZY64NRJN3PBETOPLEHJD2FY-2-1-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: South Africa&#8217;s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, speaks during the launch of the new Sandvik Khomanani manufacturing site at Khomanani in Kempton Park, Johannesburg, South Africa, September 9, 2022. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Sept 11 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;South African President Cyril Ramaphosa&#8217;s office said he would sign into law a disputed education bill, prompting the first sign of real friction in his unity government when the second-biggest party said the move jeopardised the coalition deal.



Ramaphosa&#8217;s spokesperson called for restraint in response to the statement from the Democratic Alliance on Wednesday, saying there was no need to threaten the stability of government over a bill.



The DA entered into a coalition with Ramaphosa&#8217;s African National Congress and other smaller parties, despite strong ideological differences between them, after the ANC lost its parliamentary majority in a May election



The passing of the legislation would violate the agreements and understandings that formed the basis of the government of national unity, DA leader John Steenhuisen said in a statement.



&#8220;The DA regards this issue in the most serious light, and I will convey to the President the destructive implications it holds for the future of the GNU,&#8221; he said.



Steenhuisen did not spell out what the implications would be. He is due to address journalists in Cape Town on Thursday to outline what he sees as the DA&#8217;s role in the unity government.



Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said that disagreements over legislation were to be expected, and that the parties in government would be meeting on Wednesday evening to discuss a dispute resolution mechanism.



&#8220;There shouldn&#8217;t be any concern that each time there&#8217;s a dispute, the entire governance framework of this country will be under threat,&#8221; Magwenya told reporters in Cape Town.



&#8220;The president is not concerned about the GNU (government of national unity) collapsing,&#8221; he added.



The disputed bill makes several changes to basic education laws in South Africa. The clause that has caused the most controversy would strengthen government oversight over schools&#8217; language and admission policies, touching on a sensitive debate about racial integration.



The ANC says some children are still excluded from schools based on language, which has been used as a proxy for race, and that the legislation will help prevent that.



The DA has defended the right of school governing bodies to determine their language policies, citing the&nbsp;importance of mother-tongue education.



Although the bill does not name any specific language or group, some of its strongest opposition has come from South Africa&#8217;s white Afrikaans-speaking community, with interest group AfriForum saying it threatens the survival of Afrikaans schools.



The DA&#8217;s statement followed a presidency statement saying that Ramaphosa would sign into law the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) bill on Friday in a ceremony at the Union Buildings, the seat of government in the capital Pretoria.



(Reporting by Nellie Peyton; Additional reporting by Tannur Anders; Editing by Alexander Winning, Ros Russell and Mark Porter)

FILE PHOTO: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attends the launch of the new Sandvik Khomanani manufacturing site

South Africa’s coalition government sees first real friction over education bill

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2048" height="1333" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-154793123-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-481529" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-154793123-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-154793123-300x195.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-154793123-820x534.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-154793123-138x90.jpg 138w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-154793123-768x500.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-154793123-1536x1000.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A visitor descends stairs outside the offices of Anglo American Plc in the Marshalltown district of Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012. Anglo American Plc Chief Executive Officer Cynthia Carroll , the first woman, external hire and non-South African to hold the job, will quit after Anglo lost $14 billion in value in the more than five years she was in charge. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



Sept 11 (Reuters) &#8211; Miner Anglo American on Wednesday said one of its subsidiaries has raised 7.2 billion rand ($403.21 million) from the sale of about a 5.3% stake in Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) as part of a share sale program that launched a day earlier.



Anglo American South Africa Proprietary Limited sold 13.9 million Amplats shares for $28.84 per share, the miner said.



An accelerated bookbuild offering of about 13 million shares of Amplats was launched on Tuesday, ahead of the South African unit&#8217;s demerger expected next year.



&#8220;The placing is intended to broaden the free float of Anglo American Platinum, reduce the number of shares distributed to Anglo American shareholders upon demerger and thereby reduce flowback following the demerger,&#8221; Anglo American said.



Amplats CEO Craig Miller had said in July that the company was planning a secondary listing in London.



($1 = 17.8824 rand)



(Reporting by Aatrayee Chatterjee and Yamini Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas and Mrigank Dhaniwala)

Anglo American Plc’s South African Headquarters As CEO Cynthia Carroll Quits

Anglo American nets over $400 mln from platinum unit share sale amid demerger plans

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="728" height="448" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/VZR7ERWAWBPMBAR7E4PB4GBYGY.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-421144" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/VZR7ERWAWBPMBAR7E4PB4GBYGY.jpg 728w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/VZR7ERWAWBPMBAR7E4PB4GBYGY-300x185.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/VZR7ERWAWBPMBAR7E4PB4GBYGY-146x90.jpg 146w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Kenya Airways planes are seen through a window as the Jomo Kenyatta international airport reopens after flights were suspended following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Nairobi, Kenya August 1, 2020. REUTERS/Njeri Mwangi/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Sept 11 (Reuters) &#8211; Workers at Kenya&#8217;s main international airport began a strike on Wednesday, blowing plastic trumpets and scuffling with police in a protest against an Indian company that caused flight cancellations and delays for hundreds of passengers.



Dozens of workers at Nairobi&#8217;s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport chanted &#8220;Adani must go&#8221; in reference to a proposed deal for the Adani Group to lease it for 30 years in exchange for $1.85 billion investment in expansion.



Outside the terminals, passengers sat on curbs and luggage trolleys waiting for updates on flights as departure and arrival boards were shut off.



&#8220;It&#8217;s very poor,&#8221; said one passenger, Ahmed Abdulrahman, recounting a six-hour wait.



&#8220;Nobody is coming out to tell us anything, whether we should leave or look for a hotel or something. I have a little child here waiting hungrily,&#8221; added Warda Omar, standing next to her child.



TV footage showed one police officer hitting a protester with a baton. By midday, lines were moving again, as police conducted security checks instead of airport staff.



It was unclear how many workers were taking part in the strike, which has been declared indefinite, or how much disruption had been caused.



Major regional carriers Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and RwandAir reported flight cancellations and delays.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-job-losses">JOB LOSSES</h2>



The Kenya Aviation Workers Union argues that a deal with Adani would lead to job losses and bring in non-Kenyan workers.



Kenya&#8217;s government has said the airport is operating above capacity and needs modernising but that it is not for sale. It says no decision has been made on what it calls a proposed public-private partnership to upgrade the site.



The Kenya Airports Authority, which is responsible for managing the airport, said minimal operations at Jomo Kenyatta had resumed by 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) and it was engaging with relevant parties to normalise the situation.



The strike spread to workers at regional airports in the cities of Kisumu and Mombasa, the Nation newspaper reported.



Kenya&#8217;s high court on Monday temporarily blocked the Adani proposal, in which it would build a new runway and upgrade the passenger terminal, to allow time for a judicial review.



(Reporting by Hereward Holland, Humphrey Malalo and Edwin Waita; editing by Elaine Hardcastle and Andrew Cawthorne)

VZR7ERWAWBPMBAR7E4PB4GBYGY

Protest against India’s Adani causes chaos at Kenya’s main airport

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="461" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108031541-1725948491431-gettyimages-2170168255-Illustration_Huawei_Foldable_Phone_Booking-820x461.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-529070" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108031541-1725948491431-gettyimages-2170168255-Illustration_Huawei_Foldable_Phone_Booking-820x461.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108031541-1725948491431-gettyimages-2170168255-Illustration_Huawei_Foldable_Phone_Booking-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108031541-1725948491431-gettyimages-2170168255-Illustration_Huawei_Foldable_Phone_Booking-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108031541-1725948491431-gettyimages-2170168255-Illustration_Huawei_Foldable_Phone_Booking-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108031541-1725948491431-gettyimages-2170168255-Illustration_Huawei_Foldable_Phone_Booking-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108031541-1725948491431-gettyimages-2170168255-Illustration_Huawei_Foldable_Phone_Booking.jpeg 1858w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Illustration of a user browsing booking information for Huawei’s new foldable mobile phone in Suqian, Jiangsu province, China, Sept 8, 2024.  Cfoto | Future Publishing | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



As Huawei tries to upstage Apple’s new iPhone with the launch of its own ‘trifold phone’ on Tuesday, its chip capabilities remain a weakness, despite recent breakthroughs, according to one analyst. 



Speaking to CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Tuesday, Martin Yang, senior analyst of emerging technologies at Oppenheimer &amp; Co., said Huawei’s chip remains two or three years behind the cutting edge.&nbsp;



The gap on technology for their systems-on-chip, or SoCs, that merge central processing with cellular connectivity,&nbsp;is “widening because [Huawei] still doesn’t have access to any below 7 nanometer processes,” said Yang.&nbsp;In chip manufacturing, a nanometer denotes the size of transistors on a processor.



The smaller the size of a transistor, the more can be fit on a chip, increasing its level of advancement.&nbsp;



Huawei had made a smashing breakthrough last year when it released its Mate 60 smartphone, which included an advanced 7-nanometer chip originating from China. 



The speed in which Chinese firms were able to reach this benchmark surpassed what many analysts thought possible under U.S. trade restrictions that limited China’s access to advanced semiconductor tech. 



On the back of this success, Huawei has been able to take back market share from Apple in China, the largest smartphone market in the world.&nbsp;



However, unlike with the Mate 50, Huawei has not announced a big chip breakthrough for its latest phone launch.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Meanwhile, Apple is now on its second generation of 3 nanometer processes, and are already showing a 10% to 15% performance boost on this year’s phone compared to last year’s first generation 3 nanometer process, according to Yang.&nbsp;



“I think the chip will not be a big focus area or big marketing point for Huawei’s upcoming phone this week,” Yang said.&nbsp;



Instead, the company will likely try to downplay this chip disadvantage in the coming launch week and instead try to highlight that its phone is the first trifold phone on the market, he added.&nbsp;



Huawei has been accepting preorders for the foldable phone, the Mate XT, since Sept. 7. According to its website, the phone had already received more than 3.5 million preorders as of Tuesday. 



However, the Mate 60 RS, which Huawei released last year similarly had respectable reservations numbers, but failed to transfer them to actual sales, according to Yang. 



“I wouldn’t expect real world shipments in the [3 million range],” he said.



Speaking to CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia,” on Tuesday, Navkendar Singh, of the International Data Corporation, said that while Huawei has dominated in sales of foldable smartphones, the market remains niche due to consumer concerns about price and functionality.

108031541-1725948491431-gettyimages-2170168255-Illustration_Huawei_Foldable_Phone_Booking

In Huawei’s battle against Apple, chips are still a weakness, says analyst

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TJORLERHRFO4NIRPMFSZ32CFMA.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-529012" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TJORLERHRFO4NIRPMFSZ32CFMA.jpg 800w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TJORLERHRFO4NIRPMFSZ32CFMA-300x205.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TJORLERHRFO4NIRPMFSZ32CFMA-132x90.jpg 132w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TJORLERHRFO4NIRPMFSZ32CFMA-768x525.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: An oil pump jack outside Almetyevsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, June 4, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



LONDON, Sept 10 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;OPEC on Tuesday cut its forecast for global oil demand growth in 2024 reflecting data received so far this year and also trimmed its expectation for next year, marking the producer group&#8217;s second consecutive downward revision.



The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in a monthly report said world oil demand will rise by 2.03 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2024, down from growth of 2.11 million bpd it expected last month.



There is a wider than usual split between forecasters on the strength of oil demand growth in 2024, partly due to differences over China and more broadly over the pace of the world&#8217;s transition to cleaner fuels. The reduction still leaves OPEC at the top end of industry estimates.



&#8220;Looking ahead, China&#8217;s economic growth is expected to remain well supported,&#8221; OPEC said in the report.



&#8220;However, headwinds in the real estate sector and the increasing penetration of LNG trucks and electric vehicles are likely to weigh on diesel and gasoline demand going forward.&#8221;



OPEC also cut its 2025 global demand growth estimate to 1.74 million bpd from 1.78 million bpd.



(Reporting by Alex Lawler; editing by Jason Neely)

FILE PHOTO: An oil pump jack outside Almetyevsk, Russia

OPEC again lowers 2024, 2025 global oil demand growth view

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2048" height="1366" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/YCD2FHWTRZP6DDDGNUZALMARSY-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424765" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/YCD2FHWTRZP6DDDGNUZALMARSY-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/YCD2FHWTRZP6DDDGNUZALMARSY-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/YCD2FHWTRZP6DDDGNUZALMARSY-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/YCD2FHWTRZP6DDDGNUZALMARSY-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/YCD2FHWTRZP6DDDGNUZALMARSY-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/YCD2FHWTRZP6DDDGNUZALMARSY-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: A small toy figure and gold imitation are seen in front of the AngloGold Ashanti logo in this illustration taken November 19, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



Sept 10 (Reuters) &#8211; AngloGold Ashanti will buy Egypt-focused smaller rival Centamin in a $2.5 billion stock and cash deal, the companies said on Tuesday, as the U.S.-listed global miner expands its operations in Africa.



Shares in Centamin jumped about 24% to 148.10 pence in early trade, their highest level since October 2020. Shares in Centamin&#8217;s London-listed peer Hochschild rose about 4%.



Under the terms of the deal, Centamin shareholders will receive 0.06983 new AngloGold shares for each Centamin share and $0.125 in cash.



The implied 163 pence ($2.14) per share offer represents a premium of 36.7% to Centamin&#8217;s Monday closing price of 120 pence, the companies said in a statement.



The acquisition coincides with a flurry of deal activity in the gold mining sector over the past couple of years, with the world&#8217;s top gold producer Newmont buying Australia&#8217;s Newcrest Mining for $16.8 billion in late 2023.



In May, miner BHP Group walked away from its $49 billion plan to take over rival Anglo American after its last-ditch request for more time was rejected by the London-listed firm, ending its six-week pursuit for now.



Following the completion of the Centamin deal, it is expected that AngloGold shareholders will own about 83.6% and Centamin shareholders about 16.4% of AngloGold Ashanti&#8217;s enlarged issued share capital.



AngloGold Ashanti said it expects the deal to be accretive to free cash flow per share in the first full year post completion of the transaction.



Terming the deal &#8220;highly compelling&#8221;, AngloGold Ashanti Chair Jochen Tilk said the acquisition offers &#8220;enormous geological potential&#8221; that the company is well placed to develop.



Centamin&#8217;s principal asset is the Sukari gold mine, which is Egypt&#8217;s largest gold mine as well as one of the world&#8217;s largest producing mines.



Adding Sukari&#8217;s annual output of 450,000 ounces would push AngloGold&#8217;s yearly production above 3 million ounces, making it the fourth largest gold producer in the world by volume, behind Newmont, Barrick Gold and Agnico Eagle.



The Centamin acquisition also expands AngloGold&#8217;s portfolio to yet another key gold producing region. It currently has assets in nine countries &#8211; Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Australia, the U.S., Brazil, Argentina and Colombia.



The Centamin board said it intends to unanimously recommend the deal to its shareholders.



($1 = 0.7634 pounds)



(Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Nelson Banya; Editing by Sonia Cheema, Miral Fahmy, Jan Harvey and David Evans)

FILE PHOTO: Small toy figure and gold imitation are seen in front of the AngloGold Ashanti logo in this illustration

AngloGold Ashanti to buy Centamin in $2.5 billion deal

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="528" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/AXA5KIAGZVICZP4VWXIIUYZFF4-820x528.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-528940" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/AXA5KIAGZVICZP4VWXIIUYZFF4-820x528.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/AXA5KIAGZVICZP4VWXIIUYZFF4-300x193.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/AXA5KIAGZVICZP4VWXIIUYZFF4-140x90.jpg 140w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/AXA5KIAGZVICZP4VWXIIUYZFF4-768x494.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/AXA5KIAGZVICZP4VWXIIUYZFF4-1536x989.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/AXA5KIAGZVICZP4VWXIIUYZFF4-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A Kenya Airports Authority worker inspects planes during an auction after previous owners abandoned them at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Sept 10 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenya&#8217;s high court has temporarily blocked a proposed deal for India&#8217;s Adani Group to lease the country&#8217;s main airport for 30 years in exchange for expanding it, court documents showed.



In a joint application, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), the country&#8217;s main bar association, and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) told the court on Monday that the country could independently raise the $1.85 billion required to upgrade the airport in the capital Nairobi.



LSK and KHRC said the alleged 30-year lease of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), East Africa&#8217;s largest aviation hub, was unaffordable, threatened job losses, was a fiscal risk and did not offer taxpayers value for money, court documents published by the KHRC on their website showed.



The high court granted the request for leave to file a judicial review to challenge the possible lease of JKIA to Adani, LSK President Faith Odhiambo wrote on the social media platform X late on Monday.



&#8220;The court has meanwhile issued a stay prohibiting any person from implementing or acting on the privately initiated Adani proposal over JKIA pending the conclusion of the court case,&#8221; Odhiambo said.



The Adani Group did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.&nbsp;A spokesperson for the Kenya Airports Authority told Reuters: &#8220;We are not going to comment on matters in court.&#8221;



Last month, the Kenya Aviation Workers Union called for a strike over the proposed deal, saying that it would lead to job losses and bring in non-Kenyan workers.



Kenya&#8217;s government has said the airport is operating above capacity and needs modernising but that it is not for sale and that no decision has been made on whether to proceed with what it calls a proposed public-private partnership to upgrade the&nbsp;site.



It said in July that Adani&#8217;s offer was being reviewed. If a deal is agreed, the government said there would be safeguards to ensure Kenya&#8217;s national interests are protected.



(Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips, Mrigank Dhaniwala, Michael Perry and Jason Neely)

A Kenya Airports Authority worker inspects planes during an auction after previous owners abandoned them at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi

Kenyan court halts proposed Adani lease of country’s main airport

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="461" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108017785-1723066534822-GettyImages-1323542329_2-820x461.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-528909" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108017785-1723066534822-GettyImages-1323542329_2-820x461.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108017785-1723066534822-GettyImages-1323542329_2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108017785-1723066534822-GettyImages-1323542329_2-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108017785-1723066534822-GettyImages-1323542329_2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108017785-1723066534822-GettyImages-1323542329_2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108017785-1723066534822-GettyImages-1323542329_2.jpg 1858w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">oatawa | Getty</figcaption></figure>



Bitcoin jumped Monday evening and topped $57,000 after Wall Street’s rebound from its worst week of the year.



The price of the flagship cryptocurrency was last higher by 5.6% at $57,4449.00, according to Coin Metrics. Last week, bitcoin tumbled 9% for its worst weekly performance since August 2023.&nbsp;



In regular trading, Coinbase and MicroStrategy climbed 5.2% and 9.2%, respectively, on Monday. Those stocks rose as the S&amp;P 500 broke a four-day losing streak and the Nasdaq Composite gained more than 1%. The three major averages last week posted their worst weekly performance in 2024.



Bitcoin has been trading range bound for most of the year. Last week, it briefly fell below its floor of about $55,000. Analysts have warned that cryptocurrency lacks major catalysts at the moment and that in their absence, prices are likely to be sensitive to macro factors and continue to consolidate.



Seasonality is also a factor. For bitcoin, similar to other risk assets, September is a historically weak month.



“For bitcoin to experience some upside in the upcoming week, it is essential for the U.S. equity markets to find some stability or positive momentum, potentially leading to a decrease in [crypto] ETF outflows,” Bitfinex analysts said in a note Monday. “This relief in the equity markets could help alleviate selling pressure on bitcoin, providing a conducive environment for a recovery.”

108017785-1723066534822-GettyImages-1323542329_2

Bitcoin rebounds from its worst week in more than a year, jumping above $57,000

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="512" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/E3N5RWFN2JI4PNEOQDCLQKKFOU-820x512.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-428950" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/E3N5RWFN2JI4PNEOQDCLQKKFOU-820x512.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/E3N5RWFN2JI4PNEOQDCLQKKFOU-300x187.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/E3N5RWFN2JI4PNEOQDCLQKKFOU-144x90.jpg 144w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/E3N5RWFN2JI4PNEOQDCLQKKFOU-768x480.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/E3N5RWFN2JI4PNEOQDCLQKKFOU-1536x960.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/E3N5RWFN2JI4PNEOQDCLQKKFOU-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: European Union flags fly outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium September 19, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



PRETORIA, Sept 9 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The European Union on Monday pledged to give South Africa two grants worth about $35 million to accelerate its green hydrogen plans.



Green hydrogen projects use renewable energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, making fuel that can be used across industries such as transport, petrochemicals and steel.



The first EU grant, worth 140 million rand ($7.8 million), is to help struggling South African state company Transnet with infrastructure costs, supporting railways, ports, pipelines and other logistics.



The other grant, for 25 million euros ($27.6 million), will help Africa&#8217;s most industrialised economy develop its green hydrogen value chain.



Green hydrogen is seen as critical to decarbonisation efforts in South Africa and Europe.



European countries have been investing in green hydrogen projects across Africa to secure future supplies of the fuel.



&#8220;These two European Union grants will be implemented in a way so that they contribute to South Africa&#8217;s strategic objectives,&#8221; Kadri Simson, European commissioner for energy, told reporters in Pretoria, South Africa&#8217;s administrative capital.



&#8220;We think that green hydrogen provides some of the best opportunities for the country to really industrialise,&#8221; said Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, South Africa&#8217;s minister of energy and electricity.



($1 = 17.8837 rand)



($1 = 0.9060 euros)



(Reporting by Nellie Peyton; Writing by Tannur Anders; Editing by Alexander Winning)

FILE PHOTO: European Union flags fly outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels

EU gives South Africa $35 mln in grants for green hydrogen plans

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="461" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108024800-1724414538815-gettyimages-2164056363-5ah02161-820x461.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-528645" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108024800-1724414538815-gettyimages-2164056363-5ah02161-820x461.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108024800-1724414538815-gettyimages-2164056363-5ah02161-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108024800-1724414538815-gettyimages-2164056363-5ah02161-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108024800-1724414538815-gettyimages-2164056363-5ah02161-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108024800-1724414538815-gettyimages-2164056363-5ah02161-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108024800-1724414538815-gettyimages-2164056363-5ah02161.jpeg 1858w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Andrew Harnik | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



The U.S. Federal Reserve can afford to make a jumbo 50 basis points rate cut next week without spooking markets, an analyst has suggested, as opinion on the central bank’s forthcoming meeting remains hotly divided.



Michael Yoshikami, CEO of Destination Wealth Management, said Monday that a deeper cut would demonstrate that the central bank is ready to act without signalling deeper concerns of a broader downturn.



“I would not be surprised if they jumped all the way to 50 basis points,” Yoshikami told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe.”



“That would be considered, on one hand, a very positive sign the Fed is doing what is needed to support jobs growth,” he continued. “I think the Fed at this point is ready to get out ahead of this.”



His comment follow similar remarks Friday from Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, who said the Fed should deliver a half-point interest rate cut at its next meeting, arguing that it went “too far, too fast” with its previous policy tightening.



Policymakers are widely expected to lower rates when they meet on Sept. 17-18, but the extent of the move remains unclear. A disappointing jobs print on Friday stoked fears of a slowing labor market and briefly tipped market expectations toward a larger cut, before shifting back.



Traders are now pricing in around a 75% chance of a 25 bps rate cut in September, while 25% are pricing in a 50 bps rate reduction, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch Tool. A basis point is 0.01 percentage point.



Yoshikami acknowledged that a larger cut could reinforce fears that a “recessionary ball” is coming, but he insisted that such views were overblown, noting that both unemployment and interest rates remain low by historic levels and company earnings have been strong.



He said the recent market sell-off, which saw the S&amp;P 500 notch its worst week since March 2023, was based on “massive profits” accrued last month. August saw all the major indices post gains despite a volatile start to the month, while September is traditionally a weaker trading period.



Thanos Papasavvas, founder and chief investment officer of ABP Invest, also acknowledged a “rise in concern” around a potential economic downturn.



The research firm recently adjusted its probability of a U.S. recession to a “relatively contained” 30% from a “mild” 25% in June. However, Papasavvas said that the underlying components of the economy — manufacturing and unemployment rates — were “still resilient.”



“We’re not particularly concerned that we’re heading into a U.S. recession,” Papasavvas told CNBC Monday.



The perspectives stand in stark contrast to other market watchers, such as economist George Lagarias, who told CNBC last week that a bumper rate cut could be “very dangerous.”



“I don’t see the urgency for the 50 [basis point] cut,” Forvis Mazars’ chief economist told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”



“The 50 [basis point] cut might send a wrong message to markets and the economy. It might send a message of urgency and, you know, that could be a self-fulfilling prophecy,” Lagarias added.

108024800-1724414538815-gettyimages-2164056363-5ah02161

Jumbo 50 basis points Fed rate cut should not raise alarm, analyst says

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="481" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/BUXLYABONJPIFOV4PL2HM4W7WQ-820x481.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-528628" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/BUXLYABONJPIFOV4PL2HM4W7WQ-820x481.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/BUXLYABONJPIFOV4PL2HM4W7WQ-300x176.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/BUXLYABONJPIFOV4PL2HM4W7WQ-153x90.jpg 153w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/BUXLYABONJPIFOV4PL2HM4W7WQ-768x451.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/BUXLYABONJPIFOV4PL2HM4W7WQ-1536x901.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/BUXLYABONJPIFOV4PL2HM4W7WQ-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: People are seen at the entrance of the Sun International&#8217;s Times Square Casino in South Africa&#8217;s administrative capital Pretoria, June 29, 2020. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Sept 9(Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Sun International&nbsp;SUIJ.J&nbsp;reported a 9.1% rise in first-half earnings on Monday, as record growth&nbsp;in&nbsp;the South African casino and hotel group&#8217;s betting business helped drive its income.



The owner of the Sun City resort and Maslow Sandton and Table Bay high-end hotels said adjusted headline earnings per share &#8211; its main profit measure &#8211; rose to 2.15 rand ($0.1201) in the six months to June 30, from 1.97 rand a year earlier.



Shares were trading 3.35% higher at 1014 GMT on the results.



Sunbet was the stand-out with a 71.8% rise in income to 512 million rand. Sun International, which achieved mixed results across its segments, said in a statement its urban casino income &#8211; its biggest revenue generator &#8211; was flat at 3.3 billion rand.



&#8220;The gaming industry is experiencing dynamic changes and Sun International, through Sunbet, will continue leveraging its strong brand and market presence to expand our customer base and enter new online markets across Africa,&#8221; Sun International said.



The group said expected interest rate cuts would lift its business outlook and create a more favourable operating environment in the medium to long term.



It declared an interim dividend of 1.61 rand per share.



($1 = 17.9079 rand)



(Reporting by Sfundo Parakozov; Editing by David Goodman and Alexander Smith)

People are seen at the entrance of the Sun International’s Times Square Casino ahead of its opening, in Pretoria

Sun City owner’s profit jumps on big betting gains

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-1815421853-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-510612" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-1815421853-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-1815421853-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-1815421853-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-1815421853-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-1815421853-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-1815421853-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">President of Kenya William Ruto during the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 High Level Segment meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on December 1, 2023. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Sept 9 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Kenya&#8217;s finance ministry will seek suggestions from the public on new legislation to boost revenue and tackle other challenges, Finance Minister John Mbadi said on Monday, after protesters forced the government to withdraw its financing law.



President William Ruto discarded tax hikes worth more than 346 billion shillings ($2.7 bln) in June after protests that killed more than 50 people.



The move left the heavily indebted government with a bigger budget deficit for this financial year, mounting pending bills, and a delay in funding from the International Monetary Fund.



&#8220;We are barely managing. This is not where we wanted to be, but we are here,&#8221; Mbadi told a budget preparation meeting. He was appointed from the opposition last month as Ruto sought to stabilise his government.



The minister initially said he would revive some tax hikes in the abandoned finance bill, before rowing back after a public outcry and threat of more protests.



&#8220;I will be issuing a circular tomorrow, inviting the public&#8217;s participation to submit proposals on some legislative reforms to improve our current economic situation,&#8221; he said.



Kenyans will have until Sept. 20 to submit views.



Mbadi said the country had no choice but to keep servicing its debt, which stands at above the optimum level recommended by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, after years&nbsp;of borrowing driven by&nbsp;infrastructure construction.



&#8220;We have no two ways about it. There is no debt restructuring in this country. We will not accept it. We will not do it. We will manage our debts and pay and remain afloat,&#8221; he said.



Once the situation improves, the government will consider tax cuts in the medium term, Mbadi said, including reducing the value added tax on goods and services to 14% from 16%, and slashing the corporate income tax by 500 basis points to 25%.



($1 = 128.2500 Kenyan shillings)



(Reporting by Duncan Miriri; editing by George Obulutsa and Andrew Cawthorne)

COP28 In Dubai High Level Segment

Kenya asks public for help with economic fix laws after protests

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="461" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108030594-1725652477107-gettyimages-2170574271-bb2_4502_cdgy76wl-820x461.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-528528" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108030594-1725652477107-gettyimages-2170574271-bb2_4502_cdgy76wl-820x461.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108030594-1725652477107-gettyimages-2170574271-bb2_4502_cdgy76wl-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108030594-1725652477107-gettyimages-2170574271-bb2_4502_cdgy76wl-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108030594-1725652477107-gettyimages-2170574271-bb2_4502_cdgy76wl-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108030594-1725652477107-gettyimages-2170574271-bb2_4502_cdgy76wl-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108030594-1725652477107-gettyimages-2170574271-bb2_4502_cdgy76wl.jpeg 1858w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen speaks listens to a presentation during a tour at the IRS Processing Facility on September 06, 2024 in Austin, Texas.  Brandon Bell | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



Treasury Secretary&nbsp;Janet Yellen&nbsp;sought to reassure the public on Saturday that the U.S. economy remains strong, despite a string of weak job reports that have rattled investors and weighed on the stock market. “We’re seeing less frenzy in terms of hiring and job openings, but we’re not seeing meaningful layoffs,” Yellen said at the&nbsp;Texas Tribune Festival&nbsp;in Austin. “I’m attentive to downside risk now on the employment side, but what I think we’re seeing, and hope we will continue to see, is a good, solid economy.”



Yellen said job growth has slowed compared to the “hiring frenzy” when the U.S. reopened after the Covid-19 pandemic, but the economy is “deep into a recovery” and “basically operating at full employment.”



The treasury secretary’s comments come a day after the&nbsp;Bureau of Labor Statistics&nbsp;reported another month of cooler-than-expected jobs data.



Nonfarm payrolls, a measure of U.S. job creation, increased by 142,000 in August, lower than the Dow Jones forecast of 161,000. The miss renewed worries about a slowing labor market, with the S&amp;P 500 falling Friday to finish out the&nbsp;worst week since March 2023.



The unemployment rate, however, edged lower to 4.2% and job growth in August was higher than July. The stock market&nbsp;sold off steeply early last month, after the weak July report touched off renewed fears of a recession in the U.S.



Yellen on Saturday tried to calm jitters about the state of the economy: “I don’t see red lights flashing.”



The jobs data has raised worries about whether the Federal Reserve can clinch a so-called “soft landing,” raising interest rates to bring inflation under control and then executing cuts before the economy enters a recession. The Fed is widely expected to lower interest rates this month.



Yellen said the U.S. is on that path: “It really has been amazing to be able to get inflation down as meaningfully as we have. This is what most people would call the soft landing,” she said.

108030594-1725652477107-gettyimages-2170574271-bb2_4502_cdgy76wl

Yellen says U.S. economy remains solid, on path to ‘soft landing’ with no meaningful layoffs

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="462" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108030350-1725631014939-Untitled-1-820x462.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-527832" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108030350-1725631014939-Untitled-1-820x462.webp 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108030350-1725631014939-Untitled-1-300x169.webp 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108030350-1725631014939-Untitled-1-160x90.webp 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108030350-1725631014939-Untitled-1-768x432.webp 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/108030350-1725631014939-Untitled-1.webp 1480w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Combination showing Elon Musk (L), Gautam Adani (C), and Jensen Huang (R) | Reuters
</figcaption></figure>



A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/inside-wealth-newsletter/">Sign up</a>&nbsp;to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.



On Sept. 29, 1916, newspapers across the country announced a wealth milestone once thought to be unreachable: the world’s first billionaire.



“Standard (Oil) at $2,014 makes its head a billionaire,” blared The New York Times headline, adding that Standard Oil’s soaring share price “makes John D. Rockefeller, founder and largest shareholder, almost certainly a billionaire.”



More than a century after the first U.S. billionaire (in measurable dollar terms), the question of who will be first to reach the trillionaire mark continues to fascinate. At least a half-dozen companies have done it, most recently&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/BRK.B/">Berkshire Hathaway</a>, which&nbsp;<a href="https://link.cnbc.com/click/36628680.16541/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY25iYy5jb20vMjAyNC8wOC8yOC9idWZmZXR0cy1iZXJrc2hpcmUtaGF0aGF3YXktaGl0cy0xLXRyaWxsaW9uLW1hcmtldC12YWx1ZS1maXJzdC11cy1jb21wYW55LW91dHNpZGUtb2YtdGVjaC10by1kby1zby5odG1sP19fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXIlN0NpbnNpZGV3ZWFsdGglN0MyMDI0MDkwNQ/5b69019824c17c709e62ad3cBf363f153" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">topped $1 trillion</a>&nbsp;just before&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/warren-buffett/">Warren Buffett</a>’s&nbsp;<a href="https://link.cnbc.com/click/36628680.16541/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY25iYy5jb20vMjAyNC8wOC8zMC93YXJyZW4tYnVmZmV0dC1sZWFkcy1iZXJrc2hpcmUtaGF0aGF3YXktdG8tbmV3LWhlaWdodHMtYXQtYWdlLTk0Lmh0bWw_X19zb3VyY2U9bmV3c2xldHRlciU3Q2luc2lkZXdlYWx0aCU3QzIwMjQwOTA1/5b69019824c17c709e62ad3cB7aa032b6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">94th birthday</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/NVDA/">Nvidia</a>&nbsp;is now at $2.6 trillion, having hit the 13-figure club last year.



And what about individuals? According to a new report from&nbsp;<a href="https://informaconnect.com/academy/companies-entering-trillion-dollar-club-in-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Informa Connect Academy</a>, which predicts trillionaire status based on average annual growth rate in wealth,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/TSLA/">Tesla</a>&nbsp;CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/elon-musk/">Elon Musk</a>&nbsp;will likely be the first trillionaire.



Musk is currently the world’s richest person, with $251 billion, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bloomberg Billionaires Index</a>. Connect Academy forecasts Musk will become a trillionaire sometime in 2027, assuming that his wealth continues to grow at an annual average rate of 110%.



The second to reach trillionaire status, according to the report, will be India’s Gautam Adani, founder of the Adani Group conglomerate. If Adani maintains his recent annual growth rate of 123%, the report says he will be a trillionaire in 2028.



Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, who has seen his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/24/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huangs-net-worth-swells-by-87-billion-in-5-years.html">wealth skyrocket</a>&nbsp;from $3 billion to more than $90 billion in five years, would become a trillionaire by 2028, according to the report. His wealth would have to continue growing at an average annual rate of 112%. Nvidia’s stock is already up about 115% this year, after more than tripling last year.



Fourth on the list is Indonesia’s Prajogo Pangestu, founder of the Indonesian energy and mining conglomerate Barito Pacific. The report predicts Pangestu could reach trillionaire status by 2028.



Rounding out the top five would be&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/MC-FR/">LVMH</a>&nbsp;CEO Bernard Arnault, who is currently the world’s third-richest person, with just under $200 billion. The report has the luxury king becoming a trillionaire sometime in 2030, along with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/META/">Meta</a>&nbsp;CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/mark-zuckerberg/">Mark Zuckerberg</a>.



Some top billionaires who seem like strong candidates to quickly reach the four-comma club don’t make the top 10. Jeff Bezos, currently the world’s second-richest person, with $200 billion, according to Bloomberg, is listed at No. 12, and wouldn’t become a trillionaire until 2036. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/GOOG/">Google</a>&nbsp;founders, are also slated to wait 12 years to become trillionaires — although artificial intelligence may accelerate their rise.



Granted, wealth-watchers have been predicting the first trillionaire for years. And the stocks of Tesla, Nvidia and LVMH may not go up as fast in the next five years as they did in the past five.



Yet more than 100 years after the first billionaire, the first trillionaire could well be crowned in the next decade.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="687" height="497" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/image.png" alt="" class="wp-image-527834" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/image.png 687w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/image-300x217.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/image-124x90.png 124w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 687px) 100vw, 687px" /></figure>



<iframe title="Top 10 people most likely to become trillionaires" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-t9WKd" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/t9WKd/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0px; border: none; min-width: 100% !important; height: 452px;" height="475" data-external="1"></iframe>

Combination showing Elon Musk (L), Gautam Adani (C), and Jensen Huang (R)

Top 10 people most likely to reach trillionaire status

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="544" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-1146813154-820x544.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-527542" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-1146813154-820x544.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-1146813154-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-1146813154-136x90.jpg 136w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-1146813154-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-1146813154-1536x1020.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-1146813154-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Ralph Mupita, chief executive officer of MTN Group Ltd., poses for a photograph following an interview in London, U.K., on Wednesday, May 29, 2019. Asked in a Bloomberg Television interview whether the U.S. government has put pressure on MTN Group to stop using Huawei as a supplier, Chief Executive Officer Rob Shuter said: &#8220;Not at all.&#8221; Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Sept 6 (Reuters) &#8211; The board of Africa&#8217;s biggest mobile network operator MTN Group said on Friday it was in full support of its group CEO Ralph Mupita after an independent report found no evidence to support anonymous allegations of improper conduct against him.



South Africa&#8217;s Sunday Times newspaper reported on Sunday that a number of group executives it did not identify had threatened to quit after complaining Mupita had allegedly showed favouritism to a female executive and lacked accountability.



The board held a special meeting on Wednesday to deliberate on a report by an independent law firm tasked to verify allegations contained in an anonymous complaint against members of the MTN executive, the operator said in a statement on Friday.



&#8220;The independent report stated that attempts to engage with the complainant were unsuccessful and found that there was no evidence of improper conduct by those cited in the complaint,&#8221; the company said.



&#8220;In its deliberations, the board accepted the report finding and is of the view that the matter has been addressed and is now closed.&#8221;



The board further expressed &#8220;its full support&#8221; for Mupita and the MTN strategy, the company added.



Mupita is leading the Johannesburg-based mobile operator at a time when it is grappling with currency devaluations in its biggest market Nigeria, leading to a half-year loss before tax of 9 billion rand ($508 million).



Under the operator&#8217;s Ambition 2025 strategy, Mupita has also made a big bet on financial services, fibre and data as these services enjoy growing demand from data-hungry consumers and businesses.



($1 = 17.7132 rand)



(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Jan Harvey)

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