African markets and business updates

As global technology ecosystems become more interconnected, major conferences are evolving into far more than showcases for innovation. They are strategic meeting points where capital, policy and talent intersect, shaping the future of entire regions. In this shifting landscape, Web Summit Qatar has rapidly emerged as a critical crossroads, positioning Doha as a gateway between Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Since its launch, the event has grown at a remarkable pace. The inaugural edition in 2024 attracted 15…

In the months following his re-election, US President Donald Trump repeatedly claimed that trade wars were easy to win. Since his return to the White House, he has aggressively pursued tariffs, which he viewed not only as "the most beautiful word" but also as an all-purpose tool to reduce US trade and current-account deficits, boost inbound foreign direct investment, and revive the declining US manufacturing base. In so doing, he overturned decades of US trade policy to advance his "America First" agenda…

Artificial intelligence is transforming nearly every sector, from healthcare and finance to agriculture and education. Yet behind every AI model, chatbot and algorithm lies a less visible reality: data centres that consume vast amounts of electricity, water and materials. As AI workloads scale at unprecedented speed, the question is no longer whether data centres will grow, but how they will grow. This is where the idea of green AI data centres enters the conversation.…

After more than three months of investigation, the Nigerian government announced that several military officers arrested in October will be charged with an alleged coup plot to topple President Bola Tinubu's government. Sixteen officers, ranging in rank from captain to brigadier general, were arrested last year, accused of "acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations".…

Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking will host the second edition of its African Markets Conference from 22 to 24 February 2026 in Cape Town, bringing together global institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds and African policymakers with a shared objective: accelerating the flow of capital into the continent's most critical growth sectors. Building on the inaugural conference in 2025, which sought to reframe perceptions of Africa from risk to resilience…

Mauritius faces a new challenge after US President Donald Trump's sudden reversal on the treaty transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago's 60-plus islands from the UK to Mauritius. Calling the agreement 'an act of great stupidity' on his Truth Social platform last month, Trump appeared to execute a sharp U-turn, having previously endorsed the early 2025 deal alongside secretary of state Marco Rubio, who is yet to comment on Trump's recent remarks.…

South Africa this week became the 54 th member of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), unlocking access to a new $8bn country programme to boost trade and industrialisation. The move gives Afreximbank full continental coverage for the first time and entitles South Africa to a seat on the board. The $8bn financial support package comes at a good time for South Africa, which is currently battling trade headwinds, particularly with the US, one of its top trade partners.…

US President Donald Trump has signed a one-year extension to the flagship African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in a move that will be welcomed by African exporters but which leaves the long-term future of US-Africa trade clouded in uncertainty. The act - which has provided African manufacturers in eligible countries with tariff-free access to the US market for over a quarter of a century - has been extended to December 31, 2026, with retroactive effect from September 30, 2025…

Africa's conversation about artificial intelligence is too often framed as a race to catch up with the rest of the world. Yet the more pressing question is not how quickly AI is adopted, but whose intelligence is being built, who controls it and who ultimately benefits from it. The recent announcement of a partnership between Ghana's Ministry of Education and Google to develop AI solutions for local languages brings this tension into sharp focus. On the surface…

Kenya and France are about to sign off on a landmark defence treaty as Paris seeks to deepen its influence in anglophone Africa and Nairobi attempts to diversify its defence partners. In October last year, Kenya and France signed a "defence cooperation agreement," which established a "structured framework for enhanced collaboration between the two nations in key areas, including intelligence sharing, maritime security, peacekeeping, training, and humanitarian assistance.…