African markets and business updates

A new XOF10 billion financing partnership between the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development and Afriland First Bank Côte d'Ivoire aims to expand access to credit for SMEs and mid-sized firms, supporting entrepreneurship, job creation and industrial growth across key sectors of the Ivorian economy.

Standard Bank Group welcomes the opportunity for its Chief Executive Officer, Sim Tshabalala, to meet with His Majesty King Misuzulu kaZwelithini in KwaZulu-Natal.

The African Development Bank Group ( ) and OCP Group signed an agreement in Rabat on 22 May 2026 for a partial credit guarantee amounting to €450 million, aimed at supporting the investment programme of the world leader in plant nutrition solutions and phosphate-based fertilisers. This operation is designed to facilitate the mobilisation of a €530 million green financing facility by Société générale and BNP Paribas.…

On May 16, US President Donald Trump announced the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, reportedly the global second-in-command of terror group Islamic State, in northeast Nigeria. But in contrast to previous operations, he was careful to praise the Nigerian allies who carried out the operation alongside US troops. "Brave American forces ⁠and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield…

Demonstrating confidence, critical thinking, and leadership, young students from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area gathered in a Pibor town for lively, sometimes fierce, but always respectful, debate on a variety of hot topics. The event hosted by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan provided an important platform for the 24 students representing various schools to make their cases for positive change. First up was gender equality…

The High Commissioner of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to the Republic of Seychelles, H.E. Dr. Zokey Ahad, met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr. Barry Faure, on Tuesday, 21 May 2026, at Maison Quéau de Quinssy. During the cordial meeting, both sides discussed existing bilateral cooperation as well as pending Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding, which the two parties expressed their shared commitment to formalise within the course of this year.…

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, Mr. Barry Faure received the newly accredited Ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, H.E. Mr. Alessandro Azais Tatistscheff on Thursday 21 May 2026 at Maison Queau de Quinssy. Minister Faure thanked the Sovereign Military Order of Malta for consistently providing humanitarian support during the years for projects which positively impact the community. The Minister also took the opportunity to thank the previous Ambassador, Mrs.…

The upcoming ARPEL Conference—organized by the Association of Oil, Gas and Renewable Energy Companies of Latin America and the Caribbean taking place on June 1- 4 in Buenos Aires will serve as a primary catalyst for building a new cross-Atlantic energy corridor. Convening regional stakeholders and energy leaders from South America and the Caribbean, the event offers a strategic platform to advance South American commercial interests in Africa, opening doors for institutional technology transfer…

The megaproject would strengthen export routes for delivering West African gas to Europe, while offering options for domestic markets.

A three-week training on advanced soil monitoring using Mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIR spectroscopy) has been launched at the FAO/IAEA Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition Laboratory of the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear techniques in Food and Agriculture , in Seibersdorf, Austria. The training, organized under the Soil Mapping for Resilient Agrifood Systems (SoilFER) programme , brings together soil scientists and laboratory specialists from five key partner countries, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras…