RPT-Atlas Mara says it is considering bid for Barclays' Africa unit

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LONDON, April 26 (Reuters) - Atlas Mara, theAfrican investment vehicle of former Barclays boss Bob Diamond,said on Tuesday it had held discussions with investors with aview to making a bid for Barclays African business.

Atlas said its board supported exploration of a possibleacquisition, "given the expected positive impact on acceleratingthe company's strategy to build sub-Saharan Africa's premierfinancial institution," it said in a statement, in response tomedia speculation about its interest in the business.

Atlas said that there was no certainty that a transactionwould be completed but if its discussions with fellow investorsresulted in more substantive negotiations with Barclays, Diamondand co-founder Ashish J. Thakkar will recuse themselves fromsuch discussions.

Earlier this year, Barclays said it would sell down its 62percent stake in Barclays Africa Group to focus on otherdivisions. (Reporting By Andrew MacAskill, editing by Sinead Cruise)