What’s trending: Top business & economy news across Africa on November 25, 2016

South Africa: Ratings agency Fitch has affirmed South Africa’s investment grade credit rating at one notch above sub-investment on Friday, but changed the outlook to negative from stable. Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan told Talk Radio 702 the country would have to limit “political noises” and focus on expanding the economy to avoid being downgraded to junk.

On the other hand S&P’s downgraded the country’s power utility Eskom further into junk territory.

Nigeria’s central bank has given access to about 7,792 requests for foreign exchange valued at over $867 million to manufacturers and other strategic actors in the Nigerian economy, to ease forex scarcity. Forex scarcity in the system had pushed the naira to 473 per dollar. The country’s finance minister is reported to have hinted at the possibility of tax relief measures to cushion manufacturers under current economic conditions.

Mali’s government plans to take stakes in the country’s two gold refineries by 2018, the minister of industrial development told state radio on Friday, in a move to increase revenues from production in Africa’s third-largest gold producer.

Gabon: Royal Dutch Shell is in advanced discussions with a party interested in purchasing its onshore operations in Gabon, a company spokesman said on Friday.

Kenya is expected to keep interest rates stable on Nov. 28 ahead of an expected rate rise in the United States while cautiously dealing with the impact of new banking regulations, a Reuters poll found on Friday.

Morocco: A Belgian conglomerate will construct Africa’s first automated container terminal in Africa at Tangier MedPort, according to last week’s announcement by APM Terminals — the Dutch company charged by the Moroccan government of overseeing large sections of the coastal area’s trade capacity development.

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