African markets and business updates

Rugby Africa ( www.RugbyAfrique.com ), the continental governing body for rugby union in Africa, is pleased to announce the appointment of former NBA Africa executive Aïcha Diop as Chief of Staff to the President. In this strategic leadership role, Aïcha Diop will work and support Herbert Mensah, President of Rugby Africa, Executive Board Member of World Rugby, and Chairman of World Rugby Regions—the body uniting the presidents of all six continental rugby associations: Rugby Europe, Asia Rugby…

The Board of Trustees of Al-Sumait Prize for African Development, chaired by His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Sabah, announced that Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo (CIMMYT) won the 2025 Al-Sumait Prize in the field of food security which recognizes organizations whose work has produced transformative, life-saving impact in Africa. This distinction celebrates CIMMYT’s decades of science-driven contributions to food security, agricultural resilience…

Opportunity Africa today launched #NotWaiting on Africa Day, a pan-African campaign calling on Africans across the continent and the diaspora to spotlight the people, ideas, businesses and innovations already shaping Africa's future. The campaign is rooted in a simple conviction: if Africans begin to see themselves differently, the world will too. Across the continent, entrepreneurs are building globally competitive companies, creators are influencing global culture, communities are driving local innovation…

The ICG reiterates its concerns over the continued conflict in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the impediment that the conflict poses to regional stability and prosperity. The ICG also restates its support for the ongoing international peace efforts facilitated by Qatar, the US, African Union-appointed mediator Faure Gnassingbé, President of the Council of Ministers of the Togolese Republic, the Panel of Facilitators and regional partners.…

Leaders of the Republic of Croatia, the Swiss Confederation, the Republic of Singapore, and Palestine have sent messages of congratulations to the people and Government of Eritrea on the occasion of the 35th Independence Day anniversary. In their messages, President Zoran Milanovic of the Republic of Croatia, President Guy Parmelin of the Swiss Confederation, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam of the Republic of Singapore…

During the Interministerial Meeting on Polio in the Horn of Africa and Yemen, held on the sidelines of the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly (WHA79) on 20 May 2026, countries reaffirmed their commitment to ending variant poliovirus transmission through stronger cross-border coordination, strengthened surveillance and synchronized action. The meeting was jointly convened by the WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) and the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO)…

President of the Republic of Seychelles, Dr Patrick Herminie, concluded his series of visits on La Digue with a stop at the La Passe main Police and Fire Station, where concerns over staff accommodation and working conditions were raised by officers and firefighters serving on the island. Present to welcome the President were Minister for Homeland Security and Civil Affairs, Mr James Camille, Commissioner of Police, Mr Godfra Hermitte, and Principal Secretary for Homeland Security, Ms Sheryl Vengadasamy.…

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is urgently scaling up its emergency response in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), working with the Government, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners to help contain the Ebola outbreak before a health emergency transforms into a broader humanitarian catastrophe. The risk of the disease spreading further is exacerbated by persistent insecurity, displacement, and cross-border movement.…

The acting Head of the ECOWAS Peace Support Operations Division, Dr Sani Adamu led an Operational Readiness Inspection Team to the Ghana Company 4 (GHANCOY 4) at the Presidency in Guinea-Bissau on the 20th of May, 2026 The visit was part of a broader inspection of the ECOWAS Stabilization Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ESSMGB), aimed at assessing the operational readiness, effectiveness and sustainability of the Mission. The inspection team also visited the Nigerian and Senegalese contingents.…

As countries across the African region intensify preparedness and response measures against the ongoing outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, the World Health Organization convened a high-level briefing for Member States and partners following the declaration of the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the WHO Director-General. The 90-minute virtual session brought together more than 1…