African markets and business updates

Household soap became Cameroon’s ninth-largest export product in 2025, with sales of nearly CFA53 billion, placing a locally processed industrial product among a top 10 still dominated by commodities and primary processed goods. According to the recently published 2025 Report on the Competitiveness of the Cameroonian Economy by the Competitiveness Committee, household soap bars accounted for 1.7% of the country’s export revenue during the year, ahead of raw rubber. Raw cocoa beans remained Cameroon’s largest export, with 25.8% of export revenue, followed by crude oil at 22.5% and liquefied natural gas at 11.6%.…

Ecobank Cameroon posted a provisional profit of CFA22.494 billion through August 2026, already equivalent to 82.4% of the CFA27.292 billion net profit it earned in all of 2025. The performance comes alongside continued loan growth, with customer lending up about 7% since the end of last year. The figures come from the bank’s monthly financial statement as of August 31. Ecobank Cameroon is the local subsidiary of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI). The comparison follows a record year for the bank. In 2025, Ecobank Cameroon reported its highest net profit since it began operations in the country in 2001. Earnings rose 30% from CFA21.05 billion in 2024.…

At least 37 suspects arrested for alleged illegal mining were found dead in Nigerian security custody on Thursday, officials said, claiming a suspected disease outbreak was to blame.

A new World Health Organization (WHO) regional survey assessing progress on patient safety across the African Region finds uneven results, as countries work to meet the needs of a growing number of people living with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and provide them with safe, continuous care. The WHO 2025/26 regional patient safety survey, which included 44 of the Region’s 47 countries, found uneven progress in implementing the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030. Clinical processes emerged as the strongest area assessed, while information and learning systems showed the largest gap.…

Opposition leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo have condemned the death of one of their members during a demonstration in Kinshasa on September 15.

When the Dangote Petroleum Refinery IPO went live on the Nigerian Exchange on Monday, September 14, excitement among retail investors was enormous.

Kenya-based Spiro, a leader in two-wheel transportation and battery-swapping, has signed a partnership with Chinese company Yadea, the world’s leading manufacturer of electric two-wheelers, to scale accessible and sustainable electric transport across Africa. Spiro is Africa’s largest electric mobility company, operating the continent’s most extensive and fastest growing network of battery-swapping for electric two-wheel vehicles. [...]

Kenya-based Spiro, a leader in two-wheel transportation and battery-swapping, has signed a partnership with Chinese company Yadea, the world’s leading manufacturer of electric two-wheelers, to scale accessible and sustainable electric transport across Africa. Spiro is Africa’s largest electric mobility company, operating the continent’s most extensive and fastest growing network of battery-swapping for electric two-wheel vehicles. [...] Kenya-based Spiro, a leader in two-wheel transportation and battery-swapping, has signed a partnership with Chinese company Yadea, the world’s leading manufacturer of electric two-wheelers, to scale accessible and sustainable electric transport across Africa.…

In an interview with BBC World News, African Collaborations Group (ACG) ( www.ACGafrica.com ) Founder and Executive Chairman Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard set out the case for transforming Africa's sport infrastructure — arguing that the continent's sport economy potential will remain theoretical without the right infrastructure, and that the model needed is not the isolated stadium but the integrated, multi-purpose sport and entertainment district. The full interview can be listened to here: Africa's population of 1.5 billion is projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, and its sport economy is projected to reach $20 billion by 2035.…

Nigeria’s biggest Initial Public Offering (IPO) should be a big payday for the fintechs helping investors buy it, but they are charging customers ₦0. Nigeria’s biggest Initial Public Offering (IPO) should be a big payday for the fintechs helping investors buy it, but they are charging customers ₦0. Dangote Refinery opened its ₦2.15 trillion ($1.62 billion) public offering on September 14, and investment platforms including Bamboo, Cowrywise, and PiggyVest are not charging users direct transaction fees after buying the offering. These fintechs are waiving direct fees such as brokerage, stamp duty, trade alerts, and Value-Added Tax, because the bigger prize is the customer.…