Author: Albert Savana

The latest report on the Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), jointly published by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence and covering the period 2020-2024, confirms the growing importance of African hubs in the global reconfiguration of logistics chains. The evaluation, based on the analysis of 403 ports across more than 175,000 ship calls...

The profit of Bank OF Africa (BOA) Mali, a member of the Moroccan banking group BMCE Bank, increased by 29% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, announced the leaders of this banking institution based in Bamako. This profit reached 6.206 billion CFA francs (11.170 million dollars) compared to...

“In the second quarter of 2025, industrial turnover in Senegal increased by 24% compared to the same period in 2024, according to data from the National Agency of Statistics and Demography (ANSD) based in Dakar. According to the ANSD, this increase is due to “the improvement in turnover of extractive industries (+69.5%) and to a...

The first half of 2025 marks a turning point for Oragroup, the parent company of the eponymous bank. Based on financial statements in SYSCOHADA standards (formerly PCB), the banking group based in Lomé recorded a net profit of 18.3 billion FCFA, compared to a loss of 11.7 billion a year earlier, representing a spectacular improvement...

The situation of expenses and resources of the Moroccan Treasury in the first half of 2025 shows a budget deficit, excluding the proceeds from the sale of state holdings, of 31 billion dirhams (3.410 billion dollars), instead of 29.2 billion dirhams (3.212 billion dollars) a year earlier, according to data from Bank Al-Maghrib (BAM), the...

Exclusive interview with Ababacar S. DIAW, Managing Director of SGI IMPAXIS Securities, (Arranger & Lead Manager) As the State of Senegal relies on an unprecedented Public Offering of 300 billion CFA francs, SGI Impaxis Securities is at the forefront. For its Managing Director, Ababacar S. Diaw, this loan goes beyond simply raising funds: it embodies a strong signal of confidence in the national economy and a showcase of Impaxis’s technical and strategic expertise. “The APE launched by Senegal is an act of trust and faith in the Senegalese economy.” Impaxis Securities is the arranger and lead manager of this operation.…

In the plush corridors of the presidential palace in Nouakchott, she is one of the voices that matter. Coumba Bâ, a trained doctor and seasoned politician, holds a unique position in the entourage of Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani: that of minister advisor and special envoy to the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF). In this role, she embodies a discreet but decisive figure, carrying personal messages from the head of state to his African counterparts. Originally from Monguel, in Gorgol, she belongs to an aristocratic Fulani lineage. Her respected teacher father instilled in her a love for…

Kinshasa, September 21, 2025 – The Regulatory and Control Authority for the Markets of Strategic Mineral Substances (ARECOMS) announced, through its Decision No. 004/ARECOMS/2025 of September 20, 2025, a new series of major measures concerning cobalt, a strategic resource of which the Democratic Republic of Congo is the world’s largest producer. The temporary suspension of...

Bloomfield Investment Corporation confirmed in 2025 the long and short-term ratings assigned a year earlier to Société Générale Côte d’Ivoire, a subsidiary of the French banking group. The long-term rating remains at AAA with a stable outlook, while the short-term rating stays at A1, also with a stable outlook. This evaluation is valid from July...

The labor market in Morocco recorded a creation of 5,000 jobs between the second quarter of 2024 and the same period of 2025, after a loss of 82,000 jobs a year earlier, according to data from Bank Al-Maghrib (BAM), the Moroccan Central Bank based in Rabat. “Except for agriculture, which saw a decrease of 108,000...

The trade deficit of Tunisia widened by 2.715 billion dinars (923.202 million dollars) at the end of the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS) based in Tunis. This deficit stood at -14.640 billion dinars compared to -11.924 billion dinars...

Kinshasa, September 16, 2025 – Rawbank, a leading bank in the Democratic Republic of Congo, formalizes its commitment alongside the Congolese Government within the framework of the COPA-TRANSFORME program, a project co-financed by the International Development Association (IDA) aimed at structuring and strengthening the ecosystem of micro, small and medium enterprises, with a particular focus on those led by women. As a financial partner of the program, Rawbank provides its expertise, banking solutions, and network of branches to: This initiative is fully aligned with Rawbank’s corporate social responsibility strategy, which prioritizes economic inclusion and women’s empowerment. “COPA-TRANSFORME is an opportunity…

The price of cashew nuts, a raw material exported by the countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), recorded a sharp increase of 172.1% at the end of July 2025 compared to a year earlier, according to data from the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) based in Dakar. It should...

At the end of the first half of 2025, the net profit before tax of the Tunisian Insurance and Reinsurance Company (STAR), established since 1958, recorded a 45% increase compared to the same period in the 2024 fiscal year, announced the executives of this insurance company based in the Business City of Kheireddine, a locality...

Guinea holds some of the world’s richest mineral deposits, from bauxite and iron ore to gold and critical minerals essential for the global energy transition. With such resources, the country could become a cornerstone of Africa’s industrialisation. Yet recent policy decisions raise serious questions about whether Guinea is creating an enabling environment for investment, or deterring the very partners needed to turn its natural wealth into sustainable growth. In recent months, the government has taken measures widely perceived by investors as abrupt and unilateral. These include project suspensions, forced renegotiations, and the revocation of over 300 permits, typically announced…

The axe fell on Friday evening, after the markets closed: Fitch Ratings downgraded France’s sovereign rating from AA- to A+. One notch, one might say, but a change in category that sounds like an admission: Paris has moved from the club of “high quality” issuers to the soft underbelly of “upper middle quality”. In other...

At the end of the first semester of 2025, the profit of the National Telecommunications Office (ONATEL) SA decreased by 1.225 billion CFA francs (2.205 million dollars) compared to the same period in 2024, announced the leaders of this telecommunications company based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. According to the financial data in IFRS (International Financial...

At the end of a simultaneous auction of Treasury assimilable bills (BAT) of 364 days and Treasury assimilable bonds (OAT) of 3, 5 and 7 years organized on Tuesday, September 10, 2025 at the West African Monetary Union (UMOA) financial market, the Public Treasury of Burkina Faso replenished its coffers with a total amount of...

Historically, for the first time, Côte d’Ivoire is surpassed by Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Mali. The provisional total volume of public securities issuances by auction projected by the member countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UMOA) financial market for the period from September to November 2025 amounts to 1,300 billion CFA francs...

Addis Ababa, September 8, 2025 – At the opening of the second African Climate Summit (ACS2), Djiboutian President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh delivered an ambitious speech calling on Africa to “change its paradigm” in terms of development and to place energy transition at the heart of its priorities. For the head of state, carbon finance represents...

The total production of cereal crops in Senegal decreased by 24.4% at the end of the 2024-2025 agricultural season compared to the 2023-2024 agricultural season, according to data from the Directorate of Analysis, Forecasting and Agricultural Statistics (DAPSA) based in Dakar. The provisional results of the 2024-2025 agricultural season established by DAPSA indicate a production of 2,310,018 tonnes compared to 3,056,139 tonnes for the 2023-2024 agricultural season, representing a difference of 746,121 tonnes in absolute value. These cereal crops occupied less cultivated area compared to the 2023-2024 season, amounting to 1,173,356 hectares against 1,440,821 hectares, a decrease of 18.6%. DAPSA…

The World Citizenship Index (WCI) 2025 report, published by CS Global Partners, ranks Mauritius (45th worldwide) and Seychelles (47th) as the two most attractive citizenships in Africa, ahead of Cape Verde (59th). This ranking evaluates 188 countries based on criteria such as security, economy, mobility, and quality of life, confirming the progress of some African...

on August 28th by Amazon, the book Without Prejudice by Tidjane Thiam is already making waves. Becoming a bestseller in the category of “leaders’ biographies,” the book by the president of the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI) and candidate for the Ivorian presidential candidacy in October 2025 reveals unknown aspects of Ivorian politics, while...

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has endorsed the MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power forum, scheduled from December 8 to 10, 2025 at the Abdou Diouf International Conference Center (CICAD) in Diamniadio. The forum is organized by Energy Capital & Power (ECP), a platform that serves as a bridge between states and investors in the energy...

“I stand before you today, I can boast that Nigeria no longer borrows any money from local banks. We have reached our revenue target for the entire year, we achieved it in August,” says President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria. It was on September 2 at the Nigerian presidential palace in front of members during a...

The governor of the Central Bank of Ethiopia, Mamo Esmelealem Mihretu, threw in the towel on September 3. Officially, he is leaving “to pursue other passions and challenges.” Unofficially, his departure appears to be a political rebuke, given the surprising timing. Appointed in January 2023, this technocrat trained in the school of international donors held...

Lomé, September 3, 2025 – The Regional Stock Exchange (BRVM) has listed the first social bond of the Union, the “Social Bond CRRH-UEMOA 6% 2025–2040”, issued by the Regional Mortgage Refinancing Fund (CRRH-UEMOA) for an amount of 60 billion FCFA. The subscription, open from July 15 to July 30, 2025, generated strong interest from investors,...

Lomé, September 3, 2025 – The Regional Stock Exchange (BRVM) has listed the first social bond of the Union, the “Social Bond CRRH-UEMOA 6% 2025-2040”, issued by the Regional Mortgage Refinancing Fund (CRRH-UEMOA) for an amount of 60 billion FCFA. The subscription, open from July 15 to July 30, 2025, generated strong interest from investors,...

On September 2, 2025, the Ivory Coast, a regional mastodon, raised 65.999 billion CFA francs on the WAEMU Securities market, equivalent to 119 million dollars, through a simultaneous issuance of Treasury bills with a maturity of 364 days and bonds with maturities of 3, 5, and 7 years. The operation, initially launched for 60 billion,...

Abidjan, September 3, 2025 – Ivory Coast has reached a major milestone in sustainable financing by mobilizing 433 million euros (507 million dollars) through a foreign currency loan linked to sustainability criteria, a first of its kind on the continent. Supported by guarantees from the World Bank, this operation illustrates the growing focus on responsible...