African markets and business updates

More than 2,000 people have reached Djibouti, according to the International Organization for Migration, after the Houthis' capture of a key port city and an island on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in recent days alarmed Yemeni civilians, who fear a return to devastating civil war.

Cameroon’s Kribi deep-sea port has recorded one of the world’s steepest declines in container-port performance since 2020, with longer vessel turnaround times placing it near the bottom of the World Bank’s latest global ranking. Kribi ranked 395th out of 400 ports in the 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), published in June 2026 by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence. Its score fell to -216.5 points from -5 in 2020, a deterioration of 211.5 points over five years. Calculations based on the report’s statistical appendix show that Kribi posted the fifth-largest decline among the 317 ports with scores available for both 2020 and 2025.…

Nigeria’s agricultural imports fell by 8.5% year-on-year to N2.03 trillion in the first half of 2026, as the value of inbound agricultural products declined across the two quarters.

Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) Nigeria acted as Joint Issuing House on the successful issuance of the Bank of Industry’s (BOI) inaugural domestic Naira-denominated ₦274.18 billion 5-Year Fixed Rate Bond due 2031, marking the largest debt capital markets issuance by a Development Finance Institution (DFI) in Nigeria, based on publicly available market data. The transaction was […]

PayShap, South Africa’s instant-payment rail, has been available to bank customers since 2023. South Africa has already built the technology to move money in seconds. The unresolved challenge is convincing banks to let customers use it without paying extra. Interbank transfers have traditionally come with a fee, reflecting the cost of moving money between banks. PayShap, South Africa’s instant-payment rail, has been available to bank customers since 2023. Yet customers can still pay a fee at some banks for a transfer that takes seconds to complete, raising questions about whether instant payments should be priced as a premium service.…

India’s Solar Industries said its unit will ​acquire South Africa’s Omnia Holdings in an ‌all-cash deal worth about US$1.36 billion, as the explosives and ammunition maker looks to expand its global ​mining business. Solar SA Investments, an indirect wholly-owned ​subsidiary of Solar Industries, will acquire all ⁠outstanding shares of Johannesburg-listed Omnia, subject ​to regulatory and …

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group plans to sign financing agreements and letters of intent worth a combined €385.85 million, or CFA253.1 billion, in Cameroon on September 14, 2026. The package could channel funding toward public projects and businesses, although its composition will determine how much represents firm new financing. The documents are expected to be signed in Yaoundé at the end of an IsDB Group Day dedicated to Cameroon, according to information released ahead of the event. No breakdown by project, beneficiary or financial instrument has been published. The CFA253.1 billion therefore cannot yet be treated as new funding already available to the Cameroonian economy.…

“With this particular, sterling, historic offer and what I have seen in the data room, where already billions of naira have been subscribed by thousands of investors within minutes or under an hour, you are a blessing to humanity," said Mr Aig-Imoukhuede, a one-time chairman of the bourse.

The DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak has passed 7,000 cases, Congolese authorities said on Saturday, including close to 3,400 deaths. But the government also said that the spread of the disease may have peaked.

South African startup Vula Mobile, a medical referral app and online platform which hosts a network of health professionals, has passed the three million patient referral mark. Launched in July 2014, Vula allows primary healthcare workers to connect with specialists to enable faster assessment of various conditions and to optimise the way patients seek care [...] South African startup Vula Mobile, a medical referral app and online platform which hosts a network of health professionals, has passed the three million patient referral mark.…