Author: Albert Savana

Cairo, August 29, 2025 – The main Chinese agency, China Chengxin International Credit Rating (CCXI), has just confirmed Afreximbank’s AAA/Stable rating. This recognition comes as the Bank is going through a pivotal moment, marked by both a change in governance and an increasingly clear divide between Asian and Western rating agencies. In April, Afreximbank raised...

The consolidated revenue of Mutandis industrial group, specialized in household consumer goods, recorded a 7% decrease in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, announced the leaders of this company based in Casablanca. This revenue stood at 902 million dirhams ($99.220 million) compared to 965 million dirhams ($106.150 million) at...

Five years after the overthrow of Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (August 2020) and the consolidation of power by Colonel Assimi Goïta, the Malian economy presents a paradoxical picture: real resilience despite repeated political, security, and climate shocks, but a potential still hampered by regulatory uncertainty, high domestic financing costs, and mining dependence. The years 2022-2024 have...

By signing a $12 billion agreement on Thursday, August 21, 2025 with Botswana’s president, Duma Boko, Qatar crosses a new threshold in its international projection. Behind the polished facade of economic diversification, the operation, led by Al Mansour Holding under the guidance of Sheikh Mansour Bin Jabor Bin Jassim Al Thani, an influential member of...

“Carbon: Africa asserts its right to collect its own contributions” In an exclusive interview with us, Ahmed Araita Ali, Secretary General of the Africa Sovereign Carbon Registry Foundation, reacts to a recent press article reporting on letters that were allegedly sent by major international professional organizations of maritime transporters to the presidents of Djibouti and Gabon. This information, reported on July 29 by TradeWinds, a professional media outlet in the sector, conveys the concerns of international maritime transporters regarding the recent establishment of their own sovereign carbon contribution initiatives by Djibouti and then by Gabon, in accordance with the “Polluter…

Announced on August 1st from the Grand Théâtre de Dakar in a meticulously staged setting, the Economic and Social Recovery Plan “Jubbanti Koom” emerges as the founding act of the economic doctrine of the Diomaye-Sonko government. Designed for the decade, anchored in the presidential Vision 2050, this program aims to lift Senegal out of dependence and short-term management through strategic, rigorous, and assertive planning. The context allows for no naivety. Fifteen months after an unprecedented and conflictual change in power, the State inherits a deteriorated situation: persistent twin deficits, public debt estimated at nearly 77% of GDP (even higher if…

Benin and Nigeria are embarking on a new era of enhanced economic cooperation, focused on cross-border trade, security, and customs regulation. Cotonou, August 2, 2025 – In a joint statement issued following a bilateral meeting held in Cotonou, the governments of Benin and Nigeria announced an agreement to revitalize their commercial cooperation, with a particular focus on facilitating trade at the Sèmè-Kraké border post. This move marks a major turning point in the economic relations between the two West African neighbors, which have long been marked by tensions stemming from Nigeria’s unilateral closure of borders in 2019. Objective: Facilitate trade…

For his very first official visit to the African continent, the new president of BADEA, His Excellency Abdullah Al Musaibeeh, chose Kenya. A highly symbolic visit, marked by the signing of a strategic agreement with Shelter Afrique Development Bank (ShafDB) on July 29, 2025, at the institution’s headquarters in Nairobi. Alongside Thierno-Habib Hann, CEO of ShafDB, the president of BADEA sealed a major concessional financing agreement, part of Shelter Afrique’s capital increase program. This commitment will enable eligible member states to strengthen their capital subscriptions and support financing for affordable housing and climate-resilient urban infrastructure. This strategic partnership aims for…

In a candid interview with Alain Foka, Tidjane Thiam, former CEO of Credit Suisse and declared candidate in the Ivorian presidential election, dismisses any comparison with Alassane Ouattara. “Comparing our paths is pure ignorance,” he says, visibly exasperated by the recurring parallels between the two men. “He is an international civil servant at the IMF....

The West African Development Bank (BIDC), a regional development financing institution based in Lomé, closed the 2024 fiscal year with an increase in performance. Its net profit stands at 6,430 million units of account (UC), equivalent to 8,545 million dollars or 5,165 billion FCFA, marking a 13% increase compared to the 5,700 million UC achieved...

The Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) updated its official list of approved payment institutions in the UMOA area on June 25, 2025. This new version includes three new approvals, notably marking the entry of Togo and Guinea-Bissau among the countries now with regulated fintechs operating under BCEAO approval. The new approved institutions are: – INTOUCH Guinea-Bissau – SAMIR Money Senegal SA – INTOUCH Togo With these approvals, the INTOUCH group confirms its regional expansion, now present in Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, and Togo. On the other hand, SAMIR Money, a Senegalese actor, becomes the fifth approved institution…

As global economic power shifts, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth funds are emerging as leading driving forces, combining strategic returns, economic diplomacy, and targeted deployment across the African continent.  In recent years, Abu Dhabi has developed a centralised but diversified investment strategy, with sovereign wealth funds managing over USD 1.7 trillion in assets. Moving beyond oil, these funds focus on technology, infrastructure and value chains, with Africa as a key area of expansion. Rather than short-term speculation, they follow a long-term approach, using Mubadala, ADIA and ADQ to build influence through targeted, strategic investments.  The year 2024 marked a turning point.…

1 USD = 9.16690 MAD. Wafa Assurance has made a strong start to the 2025 financial year, reporting a consolidated turnover of MAD 4.35 billion in the first quarter—a 6.2% increase compared to the same period in 2024. This performance reflects balanced growth across both Life and Non-Life segments, underpinned by strengthened positions in international markets. Non-Life: Growth Boosted...

Western Union has opened its first “concept store” in Morocco in partnership with Cash Plus. Located in Errahma, near Casablanca, this store offers a new experience for customers sending and receiving international funds. This opening is part of Western Union’s global “Evolve 2025” strategy, aimed at providing dedicated locations for smoother and more accessible money transfers. Mohamed Touhami el Ouazzani, Western Union’s Regional Vice President for Africa, expressed his satisfaction: “Morocco is a key market for our growth in Africa. We are delighted to collaborate with Cash Plus to improve accessibility and financial inclusion.” In 2023, Morocco received approximately $12…

The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), a Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) company, and the International Finance Corporation  (IFC) has announced that the Fonds Commun de Titrisation de Créances (FCTC) Sonatel bond – backed by the EAIF and IFC as anchor investors – has listed on the Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM), the West African Economic...

In the intersection of destinies between Rwanda and Senegal, a meeting is currently taking place in Dakar, illustrating the diversity and richness of the paths of African sovereignty. On one side, President Kagame, a visionary modernizer, embodying a form of enlightened dirigisme that propelled Rwanda onto the path of indigenous development. On the other side,...

The merger between Sanlam and Allianz, which received some favorable opinions from the Regional Insurance Control Commission (CRCA) of the Inter-African Insurance Markets Conference (CIMA) on February 17, 2024, is currently underway. Sanlam-Allianz CEO, Heinie Werth, oversees the pan-African insurance company from Cape Town, with Burkinabé Delphine Traoré heading the General Insurance division of the...

With the upcoming BRVM Days set to unfold on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) on May 7th and 8th, excitement is brewing for a pivotal convergence of financial minds from West Africa and South Africa.” This event promises to be a cornerstone moment for dialogue, exchange, and collaboration between two distinct regions, each with its...

The new administration set to take office after South Africa’s general election on May 29 will inherit a challenging array of structural issues that threaten the nation’s economic growth and credit standing, Moody’s said on a 2th May report. These problems include stimulating years of lackluster economic performance, addressing persistent power shortages, and tackling high...

Ecobank Group has announced a significant milestone, reporting a net revenue exceeding $2 billion for the first time since 2015. This achievement underscores the early success of the bank’s Growth, Transformation, and Returns (GTR) strategy. Key financial indicators reflect the robust performance of the bank: Return on Tangible Equity (ROTE) stands at 24.9%, Cost-to-Income ratio...

Convicted in 2018 for robbing an agency of the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) during the post-electoral crisis of 2011, which led to the death of 3,000 people, former Ivorian President, aged 78, has openly opposed this conviction. This happened at a rally in Agboville, 70 km north of Abidjan, organized by his...

AVCA launches the 2023 African Private Capital Activity Report London – 2nd April 2024 – AVCA – The African Private Capital Association – today announced the release of the 2023 African Private Capital Activity Report, the anticipated annual report providing insight into dealmaking, fundraising, exits and the key trends shaping Africa’s private capital landscape. In...

As a logical follow-up to the recent development of its gas strategy (Gas Master Plan), Mauritania has just launched – through Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière (SNIM) – a limited international consultation for the feasibility study of its offshore gas pipeline network. This thus comes opportunely in view of the “first gas” of phase 1 of Grand Tortue/Ahmeyin (GTA)  planned for 2023, the imminence of the signature of the final investment decision (FID) of the phase 2 of scheduled by end of 2022, as well as the promises of development of the gigantic offshore gas field BirAllah whose initial reserves…

In Algiers, French President Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by his Minister of Defense, Sébastien Lecornu, and 89 businessmen and intellectuals including the historian Benjamin Stora, did not escape the quarrel over memories and, for to resume its polemical expression, of the “memorial rent”. The tenant of the Elysée who had qualified in 2017, while passing through Algiers, when he was a presidential candidate, French colonization as a “crime against humanity”, has since returned to the red lines defended by the official history of France. “Gratitude yes, repentance no,” he will say in essence. “I often hear that, on the question of…

Nuclear energy was discussed during the audience granted on August 18, 2022 by Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute to his compatriot Enobot Agboraw, newly appointed Executive Secretary of the African Nuclear Energy Commission. Appointed only at the beginning of June 2022 by the President of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, after a selective process, the Cameroonian executive wants to give reality to an African nuclear energy program which is currently limited to regular declarations of intent in a context where, it must be emphasized, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), is losing ground. With…

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A coverage rate of 66% … which denotes the immaturity of the market or the low appetite of investors for securities deemed yet safe because issued by the State and indexed to the dollar.

The race for the “big five” metals of the energy transition is well underway but could quickly reproduce the drama of Kivu, a rich province of the RFC, today at the mercy of traffickers and armed gangs. These 5 most sought-after metals are copper, of which the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) precisely holds 80%...

It was his fifth presidential bid. The election of the last chance for this veteran, soft leftist, imprisoned for nine years, several times minister, prime minister but never president. This time, Raina Odinga, 77, head of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya (Coalition for Unity) coalition, is very close to the holy grail he had...

With his visit to Rwanda, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended a diplomatic tour on Thursday marking the return of the United States to the game of influence on the African continent. This last stage was undoubtedly the most closely scrutinized by the international community and the most delicate for the American diplomat who,...