African markets and business updates

La Central Bank of Nigeria a procédé mardi à une baisse de son taux directeur de 50 points de base, une décision plus modérée qu’anticipé par les marchés. La croissance du Nigeria a ralenti à 3,98% au troisième trimestre, contre 4,23% précédemment, l’inflation élevée et le resserrement monétaire pesant sur l’activité. La Banque centrale du Nigeria (CBN) a surpris les marchés mardi en maintenant son taux directeur à 27%, alors que la plupart des économistes s’attendaient à une nouvelle réduction.…

When asked about the importance of Nigeria's revolutionary oil refinery pioneered by Aliko Dangote, already the world's seventh largest, Rüya Bayegan, CEO of BGN Group, stated that "I cannot see why this [Dangote's ambitions] cannot be replicated in other countries in Africa." For context, the growth of the BGN Group from a regional player into a global business is largely attributed to Bayegan. Under her guidance, BGN has emerged as an international leader in energy trading with a focus on low-carbon fuels.…

As the saying goes, the mighty baobab starts life as a tiny seed. We planted the seed for African Banker two decades ago, more in hope than expectation, since there was nothing else quite like it in the international publishing world. The continent's banking industry was very much on the periphery in global terms and was often described as being on 'life support'. It may come as a surprise to our younger readers that indeed, this description was not far from the truth.…

With its disastrous invasion of Ukraine having reached its fourth year in February, Russia has turned to African manpower to fill the gaps in its decimated armed forces. With battlefield casualties reportedly hitting tens of thousands a month, evidence has been growing that Moscow is clandestinely hiring troops in Africa - not all of whom are aware of what they are signing up for - before pitching them into the Ukrainian furnace. Ukrainian intelligence estimates that more than 1…

Today, as a thriving social business, SATO has reached 103 million people globally - approximately 44 million of whom are in Africa. The milestone not only represents the role the private sector can play in addressing global health and social challenges but also highlights the importance and impact of the sector's involvement. Everyone who makes up the 103 million total has their own story…

Solving Africa's energy challenges is often framed as a matter of generating more power, whether it be from solar panels, wind farms, hydroelectric dams, gas turbines or coal-burning power stations. But another element is vital: transmission. Without a solid transmission backbone, it is impossible to move power from where it is generated to where it is consumed. Indeed, in Africa and around the world, major electricity generation projects are often delayed by the lack of a grid connection.…

In November 2025 Hossam El-Din Mustafa, an Egyptian deputy minister of transport, announced that about 80% of the Cairo to Cape Town Highway had been completed: a transcontinental corridor that after leaving Egypt traverses Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. Egypt is primarily funding and completing the sections of the Cairo to Cape Town Highway that lie within its own territory.…

Africa's universities are at a pivotal moment in the digital age. A recent study, Harnessing AI for Higher Education in Africa , led by the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in partnership with The Education Collaborative at Ashesi University, UM6P, and AfriLabs, paints both an optimistic and sobering picture of how artificial intelligence is reshaping higher education across the continent. Drawing on feedback from nearly 3,900 stakeholder, including faculty, administrators, students, and policymakers…

Two weeks of competition wraps up in Italy this weekend as the Winter Olympics draws to a close. While the medal table is, unsurprisingly, dominated by northerly and Alpine nations, the Milan and Cortina event saw a record 15 African athletes from eight countries taking part. Several of African athletes that did make it to this year's Winter Olympics are dual nationals. Madagascan skier Mialitiana Clerc (pictured above), for example, grew up in the French Alps.…

Analysts are forecasting a boom of activity on South Africa's capital markets this year, with listings on the JSE expected to increase amid a steep rise in commodity prices and improved investor sentiment as the country's macroeconomic reforms begin to yield results. Simon Denny, the chief executive of investment bank Goldman Sachs' business in South Africa, has said that "we expect activity across the board and our pipeline has broadened across sectors...…