African markets and business updates

After a difficult period marked by global economic uncertainty, rising interest rates and cautious investors, Africa's technology venture capital ecosystem mounted a notable recovery in 2025. Funding levels not only increased year on year, but also revealed important shifts in how capital is being deployed across the continent. According to the 2025 Africa Tech Venture Capital Report by Partech Partners, the rebound reflects a market that is evolving structurally, with investors showing greater selectivity…

Afreximbank's decision to end its credit rating relationship with Fitch marks a significant moment in the ongoing debate over how African multilaterals are assessed by global credit rating agencies. The Bank has argued that Fitch's methodology no longer aligns with the legal, structural, and strategic realities embedded in its establishment agreement, which has been signed and ratified by its member states. In a statement, the Bank said: "This decision follows a review of the relationship…

Africa's digital economy is expanding at unprecedented speed. From online retail and software services to education platforms, NGOs and government systems, an increasing share of economic activity is moving online. Yet beneath this momentum lies a persistent structural constraint: the difficulty of moving money seamlessly across markets, currencies, operators and regulatory regimes. For businesses operating across Africa, payments are rarely simple. Each country has its own banking architecture…

Africa's greatest asset is its children - the continent's demographic advantage. By 2050, one in three young people globally will be African. The future of education is African, and the reality is, the future of the global workforce is African as well. Today's choices will determine whether these demographic inevitabilities become a dividend of prosperity or lost potential. However, to unlock Africa's full talent, we must face a hard truth: foundational learning outcomes across the continent remain alarmingly low.…

US President Donald Trump has reinserted himself into the long-running tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia over the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the largest hydropower scheme in Africa. In a letter sent on 16 January to his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Trump offered the services of US mediators in resolving Cairo's bitter disagreement with Ethiopia over how to manage the waters of the River Nile. Ethiopia's construction of the GERD, which was officially completed in September 2025…

Conversations around geopolitics, debt, and global growth predominated at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos. Yet at the Africa House event, the most consequential discussion about the continent was not about how much capital Africa needs, but why so much capital continues to miss its mark. The reality was stark for all to assimilate. Africa does not suffer from a shortage of capital. It suffers from a shortage of appropriate financial architecture.…

After more than 90 minutes of tense football in this month's AFCON final between Senegal and hosts Morocco, the game descended into chaos after the referee awarded Morocco a penalty kick deep into stoppage time. Senegal, already furious after they had had a goal disallowed just a few minutes previously, stormed off the pitch and brought the match to a standstill for around 15 minutes. When play eventually resumed, Morocco's Brahim Diaz missed the spot kick…

South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, and Algeria, home to many of Africa's strongest banks share more than financial muscle. Each invested early and consistently in modernising agriculture while building manufacturing capacity around it. Their experience offers a clear lesson, sustainable financial development in Africa does not bypass agriculture; it is built on it. The productivity data is unambiguous. Egypt's maize yields average eight tonnes per hectare. South Africa follows at five tonnes…

The Africa Energy Indaba 2026 is thick with the energy narrative that finally shifts from potential to production. While the global north debates "net zero," we in Sub-Saharan Africa are navigating a "Great Reset" where carbon neutrality must coexist with the urgent need to replace charcoal stoves with something better. Africa holds 60% of the world's best solar resources , yet we attract less than 2% of global clean energy investment. In Uganda, we have made massive strides, reaching 2,052.…

A host of African leaders enjoyed the winter warmth of the Gulf in mid-January as they jetted into the United Arab Emirates for the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, Nigeria's Bola Tinubu and Mozambique's Daniel Chapo were among the heads of state to join this year's edition of the annual event. The fact that the sustainability summit in the Emirati capital has become the latest fixture on the diplomatic circuit for African leaders is not surprising…