African markets and business updates

The leader of Morocco's opposition PPS (Party of Progress and Socialism) arrived at a polling station in Rabat on Wednesday to vote in the parliamentary election.

SCB Cameroon increased financing to customers by CFA15.66 billion in August 2026, nearly 11 times the CFA1.44 billion increase in deposits over the same month, according to calculations by Business in Cameroon based on the bank’s published monthly statement. Customer financing reached CFA504.96 billion at August 31, up 3.2% from CFA489.3 billion at the end of July. Demand, savings and term deposits, meanwhile, edged up to CFA718.64 billion. Direct loans accounted for most of the increase. They rose by CFA11.7 billion in one month, from CFA395.9 billion at the end of July to CFA407.60 billion in August.…

In a surprise move on Tuesday, the CBN, at the end of its rate-setting meeting, pared down the benchmark rate to 23 per cent from 26.5 per cent, a push Olayemi Cardoso, the bank’s governor, called “an operational reset” to improve the effectiveness of monetary policy and aid the shift to an inflation-targeting framework.

Cameroon is among 14 African countries included in a three-year partnership between Access Bank and the International Trade Centre (ITC) designed to improve small and medium-sized companies’ access to financing, markets and business skills, although the amount of funding that could reach Cameroonian businesses remains unclear. Announced on September 22, 2026, the program will first run as a pilot in Ghana from September 2026 through June 2027. The partners plan to extend it to other markets from 2027. No specific rollout date has been announced for Cameroon. The partners have also provided no national funding allocation or target for the number of Cameroonian businesses that could benefit.…

As the Ebola outbreak in the DRC reaches unprecedented levels, disease surveillance is spreading beyond the country's borders. The International Organization for Migration tracks the epidemic along major travel routes, with the help of neighbouring governments.

Uncertainty lingers over South Sudan's ability to hold elections in December, with persisting insecurity and lack of political dialogue remaining potential obstacles.

Cameroon has doubled the financial envelope awarded to councils for performance in executing public investment projects, distributing CFAF 500 million to 10 municipalities for the 2025 fiscal year, against CFAF 250 million shared by five councils at the previous edition. The 10 councils received CFAF 50 million each at the second Awards for Model Councils in the Execution of Public Investment Projects, held in Yaounde on September 22. The ceremony was chaired by Economy Minister Alamine Ousmane Mey, in the presence of Finance Minister Louis Paul Motaze.…

Shuka Minerals Plc has received certified laboratory results from drilling at Pit 2 of the Kabwe Zinc Mine, confirming multiple high-grade zinc intersections and validating previous preliminary readings. The standout results include an impressive 19.95 meters grading 29.07% zinc from 221 meters in hole KBDD03, 21.34 meters at 13.37% zinc from 206.06 meters in KBDD01, …

Access Bank Cameroon Plc is exploring financing opportunities in Cameroon’s road sector, with technical talks planned to identify projects that have completed studies and are still seeking funding. An Access Bank delegation led by Managing Director Ellis Nzo Asu met Urbain Noël Ebang Mve, Secretary General of the Ministry of Public Works, in Yaounde on September 21 to discuss possible financing mechanisms for road projects and closer cooperation between the bank and the ministry. According to information from the meeting, Access Bank expressed interest in investing in road infrastructure and sought details on the ministry’s financing requirements.…

Chadema leader, Tundu Lissu, has pleaded not guilty saying the charges were politically motivated.