The US Capitol complex was shut down temporarily for about an hour on Monday as a precautionary measure after a small fire broke out nearby, highlighting the security concerns that are being raised days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

The security concerns and the lockdown follows the January 6 attack on the US Capital by supporters of the outgoing US President, Donald Trump, after his encouragement and inciting comments, calling the Presidential election a fraud without any proof of evidence.

READ: President Trump says he won’t attend Joe Biden’s inauguration

Some of them even called for the death of the US Vice President, Mike Pence for presiding over the certification of Joe Biden’s November election victory.

While making the disclosure in a statement, the Capitol Police said that the lockdown has been lifted and the nearby fire contained.

The Acting Chief of the Capitol Police had said that the complex which comprises of the Capitol, its grounds and several buildings were shut down as a precautionary measure.

READ: US Supreme court dismisses Texas bid to overturn presidential election results

The US Secret Service in a tweet post on its official Twitter handle said, “Out of an abundance of caution the U.S. Capitol complex was temporarily shutdown. There is no threat to the public.’’

The city’s fire department in its tweet post said that firefighters put out a fire outside near the Capitol complex.

The fire department said, “There were no injuries. This accounts for smoke that many have seen.”

READ: Huawei accuses the United States of hacking

What you should know

• President-elect, Joe Biden is expected to be sworn in at the US Capitol on Wednesday amid an unprecedented cordon of security, with strict physical distancing measures in place due to threats of violent attacks in Washington and the rising cases of coronavirus infections.
• Donald Trump, who is just fresh from a historic second impeachment from the congress had said he would not attend, although his deputy, Vice President Mike Pence, had given an indication that he would attend.

Champion Breweries stocks have gained 32.35% since the open of trade last week Monday, as investors scamper for the shares of the company at the back of expected takeover by Heineken Brouwerijen B.V.

The share price of the company’s stocks on the NSE, from 11-18 January 2021, increased by 32.35%.

Read Also: U.S leading stocks suffer biggest daily plunge since October 28, 2020

This move is attributable to the recent rush for the shares of the company by investors, following a recent purchase of the shares of the mid-cap company by Heineken’s Special entity.

What you should know

• Nairametrics reported that Raysun Nigeria Limited, a Special Purpose Entity (SPE) wholly-owned by Heineken Brouwerijen B.V., acquired 1,903,609,538 additional shares of the brewery company, worth N4.95 billion on 7 January 2021, at a price of N2.60 per share.
• The acquisition took Heineken’s total stake in Champion Breweries to 6,633,043,538 or 84.72% (indirectly).

Read Also: MTN, SEPLAT, ARDOVA, rally Nigerian stocks up

• According to data from the NSE, Champion Breweries shares cleared at N1.35 per share today on the floor of the exchange with 29,291 units worth N43,350.68 crossing hands in 4 deals.
• At the current price of N1.35, the shares of the company have gained more than 56.98% since the open of trade this year, 4 January 2021. This is 95.65% higher than the shares’ 52 weeks low price of N0.69 per share.
• The current share price of Champions Breweries is the highest in 52 weeks at N1.35 per share.

East African venture advisory firm, Kinyungu Ventures has published a white paper Chasing Outliers: Why Context Matters for Early Stage Investing in Africa that has found that there continues to be a wide misalignment between traditional venture capital models and the African market. The team behind the report is now calling for a broadening of approaches to institutional investment on the continent. Speaking with 100 Pan-African founders, investors, and LPs across 15 African countries, the research suggests investors should prioritize investing structures and practices that reflect the realities of operating in Africa. This includes adopting more flexible investing structures with longer time horizons.

According to the paper, there are multiple mismatches between key characteristics of Silicon Valley VC and African markets, which influence how startups and funds maneuver as well as what results they expect and produce. Findings show that African markets are large, but also fragmented, and its consumers have limited purchasing power. Furthermore, consumers on the continent are difficult to acquire and retain, yet the sheer size of the African market also presents a real opportunity for profit once the environment is clearly understood. The paper’s key recommendations for funds include:

• Adopting more focused investment strategies, such as investing in b2b companies or cross-subsidizing a portfolio with less risky, steady return assets.
• Considering non-unicorn investing models geared at more resilient companies, with returns distributed more widely across the portfolio
• Using flexible structures such as debt or PCVs to accommodate market-level changes, where feasible
• Allowing a longer time horizon for returns, understanding that growth could be slow and difficult to achieve for many companies

Kinyungu Ventures catalyzes resilient businesses for local intergenerational prosperity. The East African-centric investor focuses on entrepreneurship in East Africa, startups, seed funding, debt financing, impact investing and angel investing.

Speaking on the launch of the white paper, Tony Chen, Managing Director of Kinyungu Ventures and co-publisher of the report says, “Capital in Africa is scarce and pursuing a “growth at all costs” strategy where capital pools are shallow presents huge risks for companies. We’ve also found that many great businesses don’t fit the typical VC profile, but have tremendous unfulfilled potential”.

Tayo Akinyemi, lead researcher and writer of the report added: “In our conversations with numerous investors and founders, it is clear that nuances in variables such as consumer behavior, cultural norms, and business practices impact startups significantly and being on the ground is crucial for success. While African markets aren’t always able to provide the outsized returns that Silicon Valley typically looks for in high-growth companies, a more focused strategy here could unlock real gems, as has been proven by some of the startup successes the continent has seen over the years.”