Bloomberg Ivory Coast is close to completing a deal with the local unit of France’s Eranove SA for the construction of a thermal-power plant that could expand the country’s generation capacity by almost a fifth, according to two people familiar with the matter. The 300 billion CFA franc ($530 million) gas-fired facility will be owned by Cie Ivoirienne de Production ...

Bloomberg European officials aren’t letting a first-quarter slowdown undermine their confidence in the economy, but an upcoming round of numbers may test their view that the winter blues will pass. Descriptions by various European Central Bank policy makers have ranged from solid to robust and strong when asked about the recent performance. Even after Germany, the euro area’s economic engine, ...

Bloomberg BT Group Plc, still reeling from an outlook for falling profits delivered last week, is counting on a slew of new consumer offerings to lift investor sentiment. The UK’s former phone monopoly is pulling the trigger on its unique ability to offer packages of mobile and landline services, two years after the 12.5 billion-pound ($16.9 billion) acquisition of mobile ...