African markets and business updates

Africa's long-standing struggles with energy access are coming into sharper focus than ever at the start of 2026. Just four years remain until 2030, the deadline for achieving the continent's goal of bringing electricity to 300m people under the Mission 300 initiative championed by the World Bank and African Development Bank. "2026 is a decisive execution year," says Martijn Proos, co-head of emerging market alternative credit at investment manager Ninety One.…

Limited access to reliable water and sanitation services remains one of the most pressing developmental challenges facing African countries today. Even though some 250 million people have been connected to basic water services over the past decade, population growth and climate-driven water scarcity have eroded those gains. Across sub-Saharan Africa, about 1 in 3 people still lack access to basic drinking water services while about 2 in 3 lack access to sanitation services.…

Qatar Airways is in talks to expand its cooperation with Kenya Airways (KQ), including potentially acquiring an equity stake in the cash-strapped airline, as the Doha-based carrier seeks to expand its presence in East Africa, which it has made a strategic priority. In October last year the two airlines announced that they had begun "codesharing" on flights to 19 destinations to expand connectivity between Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.…

Why, exactly, is Africa a relatively poor continent, and what are the policies that can accelerate its growth? Thus Joe Studwell narrowed down the question that he says Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates invited him to pursue to follow up his earlier How Asia Works: " can Africa - like Asia - defeat poverty, become prosperous, raise its self-confidence and play a stronger cultural role in the world?" Following that book with a doctorate from the University of Cambridge, Studwell has earned an impressive record.…

In the hardware markets of Nairobi, Lagos and Accra, amid stacks of cement and piping, a quieter revolution is under way. It is not driven by megaproject finance, but by simple plastic toilet pans and handwashing devices designed for households beyond the reach of municipal sewerage. For a continent urbanising at record speed, the race to provide safe sanitation has become as urgent as any transport corridor or power plant. The scale of the challenge is stark. According to WHO and UNICEF, 3.…

The banking sector's long-awaited "Basel III" regulatory reforms are due to be implemented at the start of 2027 after several delays, in a move that is designed to promote global banking stability, but which critics fear could have negative implications for African banks and economies. The Basel III reforms were first developed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) in the aftermath of the global financial crisis in 2008.…

The 39 th Session of the African Union General Assembly, held from 14-15 February 2026 in Addis Ababa, has endorsed key recommendations and adopted the decisions of the 43 rd session of the Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) of the AU Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA‑NEPAD), setting the direction for the Agency's work during the acceleration phase of the Second Ten‑Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063.…

Kenyan beverages giant East African Breweries recently refinanced an existing KES 11 billion corporate bond through a medium-term note priced at 11.8%, marking the first issuance under its newly approved KES 20 billion programme . The timing mattered. Kenya's 10-year government bond yield had eased to around 13.3%, its lowest level since mid-2022, which made the economics of refinancing workable again. The offer received strong demand, driven by active participation from banks, fund managers, pension schemes…

The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) has announced a significant relaxation of the country's foreign exchange restrictions, as Addis Ababa continues to pursue a programme of economic and market liberalisation. Under changes announced on 11 February exporters will now be allowed to retain 100% of their foreign currency earnings indefinitely in designated "retention accounts", while banks will be permitted to issue payment cards linked to foreign currency accounts.…

The United States held its inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial Summit in early February, as President Trump seeks to secure stronger access to vital commodities in Africa and counter the influence of China on the continent. Attendees of the summit - which included seven African countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Zambia, and Guinea - were invited to "form a trading bloc among allies and partners…