Author: Nathanael Mavinga

Tom Melvin Baiki, a Congolese entrepreneur based in the United Kingdom, specializing in architecture, biomedical engineering, and digital solutions design, answers questions from Financial Afrik. Driven by a vision of digital and economic transformation of Africa, he works on developing innovative technologies capable of meeting the continent’s needs. He is the founder of VyteVyte, a participatory digital ecosystem aimed at democratizing commerce, supporting entrepreneurship, strengthening economic inclusion, and creating numerous job opportunities through collaborative economy. In this endeavor, he closely collaborates with Gabrielle ThyThy Ndaya, a Congolese entrepreneur based in the United Kingdom, recognized for her commitment to investment and…

Bikita mine, located in the Masvingo province in southeastern Zimbabwe, is pursuing a $400 million investment program to upgrade its production to higher value-added products. This program aims to support Zimbabwe’s strategy of locally processing a greater share of its mineral resources. In a company statement, Bikita Minerals stated its intention to shift from exporting concentrates to producing lithium chemical precursors, including lithium sulfate used in battery manufacturing. The first phase of the project is expected to start operating in the second quarter of 2027, with an announced annual capacity of 60,000 tonnes. The project is led by the Chinese…

The Congolese government presented, on July 3, 2026, before the National Assembly, a bill providing for the creation of the Single Window for Revenue from Conventions and Cooperation (GURCC), a structure designed to centralize the collection of revenue from collaboration agreements and cooperation projects. The stated objective is to put an end to parallel circuits...

Georges Bassalang Bolemen was officially installed as the general manager of Tradex DRC during a ceremony presided over by the chairman of the company’s board of directors, Emmanuel Patrick Mvondo, on Monday, June 29 in Kinshasa. His appointment comes as part of the development of Tradex DRC’s activities in the Congolese market for the distribution...

The Government Institutions Pension Fund of Namibia (GIPF) is strengthening its role in the country’s economic development by announcing a commitment of over 1.25 billion Namibian dollars, equivalent to nearly 75 million US dollars, towards the real estate sector. Through this investment, the fund aims to support the construction of commercial infrastructure, housing development, and urban planning. This announcement, made public on June 23, 2026, coincides with the official inauguration of the Goreangab Mall shopping center in Windhoek. With a cost of 300 million Namibian dollars (18.2 million USD), this new commercial infrastructure has benefited, in part, from financial support…

Namibian operator DemshiTelco is accelerating its regional deployment plan with an expansion program estimated between 1.5 and 2 billion Namibian dollars (approximately 81 to 108 million USD as of June 2026). The company intends to use Botswana as a springboard to expand its operations to seven Southern African countries by 2030, as indicated by its...

The Angolan national oil company, Sonangol, continues to strengthen its financial capabilities to support its activities and strategic projects. According to information reported by Reuters on June 16, 2026, the group has concluded a $2.65 billion financing agreement with a consortium of international banks. According to the financial institutions involved in the operation, the resources...

During the 6th edition of ANGOTIC 2026, a forum dedicated to digital technology and telecommunications in Angola, Angola Telecom and Telecom Namibia signed an agreement worth 118 million USD for the construction and interconnection of a submarine cable between Angola and Namibia. The project aims to strengthen regional connectivity, improve data transmission infrastructure, and support...

Trading on the Angolan debt and securities exchange (BODIVA) experienced a strong acceleration in the first quarter of 2026. According to data published by the Capital Markets Commission, the volume of transactions represented 8.34% of Angola’s gross domestic product (GDP), compared to 4.32% in the same period in 2025, confirming the gradual deepening of the...

Zambia is accelerating its energy transition with the commissioning of a 22-megawatt solar power plant, made possible through an investment of 17.5 million US dollars. This strategic project, now connected to the national grid, aims to strengthen the country’s energy security, reduce its dependence on hydroelectricity, and improve the resilience of the electrical system, in...

The reconstruction of road infrastructure has become an economic priority for Tanzania after significant damage caused by the rains linked to the El Niño climate phenomenon in 2024. In order to restore logistical corridors, secure trade exchanges, and restore access to essential services for the population, the Tanzanian government has secured a concessional loan of 65 million US dollars from the World Bank to finance the rehabilitation of damaged roads across the country. This funding, granted under the “Conditional Emergency Response” mechanism, will notably allow the Tanzanian Rural and Urban Roads Agency to restore critical infrastructure affected by the floods.…

The Congolese Football Association (FECOFA) is entering a new phase in its history with the election of Véron Mosengo-Omba as president of the executive committee. The only candidate in the running during the elective general assembly held on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 in Kinshasa, the Congolese sports leader was elected with 60 votes out of 65 voters, against 3 opposing votes and 2 blank ballots. He thus begins a four-year term at the helm of the top body of Congolese football. Following the vote, the new president expressed his desire to restructure the institution in order to sustainably revive national…

Faced with a sharp increase in energy costs on international markets, Namibia has decided to strengthen its support for the oil sector in order to limit the impact of the surge in fuel prices on the national economy. The Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, Modestus Amutse, announced on May 11, 2026, that the National Energy Fund (NEF) will mobilize around USD 79 million to cover part of the costs related to the supply of petroleum products during the months of April and May 2026. This public intervention aims to protect consumers, preserve the competitiveness of businesses, and ensure the…

By keeping its key rate at 5.75% for the quarter ending in June 2026, the Bank of Tanzania confirms a cautious monetary policy aimed at preserving the balance between inflation control and support for economic activity. This decision comes in a context marked by an expected GDP growth of 6.1% in the second quarter, after 6.2% in the first, indicating a slight slowdown in an still uncertain international environment. According to the monetary policy statement published in April, this resilience is based on several strong fundamentals. Favorable rainfall continues to support agricultural production, while accommodative fiscal policy, strong performance in…

Facing persistent inflationary pressures and uncertainties in the global economic environment, the Central Bank of Madagascar decided to maintain its key rate at 12% during its quarterly Monetary Policy Committee meeting held on May 5, 2026. Through this decision, the Banky Foiben’i Madagasikara (BFM) confirms its intention to maintain a restrictive monetary policy to preserve price stability, support the credibility of the ariary, and strengthen the resilience of the Malagasy economy. This key rate hold also sends a signal to the markets and financial partners, in a context where several African economies are still facing inflationary pressures and market volatility.…

Estimated at nearly $200 million, trade exchanges between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Turkey could increase in the coming years, against a backdrop of closer relations between the two countries. Following a meeting on April 18, 2026 between Congolese President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the two leaders expressed their willingness to strengthen their strategic partnership. The announced goal is to increase bilateral trade volume to $500 million in the medium term. Held on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, discussions between the official delegations identified several priority areas of cooperation, particularly in the…

More than 2 billion dollars will be mobilized to develop the Lion’s Den-Kafue railway line, as part of an agreement signed on April 11, 2026 between Zimbabwe and Zambia. This infrastructure project aims to enhance the fluidity of mining resource transport, while reducing logistical costs in a region heavily dependent on extractive exports. The future line will span 311 kilometers, with 217 km on the Zimbabwean side and 94 km in Zambian territory, in addition to 445 km of rehabilitation of the existing network. By improving railway connectivity between the two countries, this corridor aims to meet an economic imperative…

With an estimated investment of $1.1 billion, Zambia launched construction work on an oil refinery in Ndola on April 10, the main industrial center of the Copperbelt province, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Through this structuring project, the authorities intend to reduce their dependence on imports and ensure, by 2028, full coverage of the national demand for petroleum products. The project is led by the Zambia Petrochemical Energy Company (ZPEC), a joint venture between the Chinese group Fujian Xiang Xin Corporation and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the operational arm of the state in industrial investments.…

In a context of diversifying sources of financing and strengthening the domestic debt market, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues its strategy of mobilizing resources in foreign currencies. The aim is to support the state’s cash needs while consolidating the credibility of local financial instruments with investors. It is in this perspective that the Congolese public Treasury raised $57.4 million following an auction of Treasury bonds denominated in foreign currencies, held on April 7, 2026. According to a statement from the Ministry of Finance signed by Minister Doudou Fwamba, the operation recorded a coverage rate of…

The Namibian payment system recorded a significant performance in 2025, with a total transaction volume reaching 996 billion Namibian dollars (approximately 58.78 billion USD), according to the annual report of the Bank of Namibia. Supported by nearly 67 million transactions, this growth reflects an 11% increase in volume and a 10% increase in value year-on-year, illustrating the acceleration of financial services digitalization in the country. This dynamic is mainly based on the rise of intra-bank transactions, now close to the symbolic trillion Namibian dollar threshold. Increasingly, users prefer operations within the same bank, driven by the development of mobile applications…

Facing the rise of digital usage and the need to reduce the digital divide, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is strengthening its telecom infrastructure capacities through a new investment. The idea is to support the rapid growth of connectivity demand and extend access to digital services, especially in areas that are still underserved. It is in this dynamic that Helios Towers DRC and the National Agency for Investment Promotion (ANAPI) signed an investment agreement on April 1, 2026, worth up to $110 million. This agreement marks progress in the development of the telecommunications sector in the DRC, by supporting…

Angola raised $2.5 billion on international markets through a currency bond issuance, marking a notable return to the African sovereign debt segment. The operation, launched on March 24, 2026, exceeded the initial target of $2 billion, thanks to a demand of around $5.2 billion. Structured in two tranches, the issuance includes $1.5 billion over 7 years at a rate of 9.25%, as well as $1 billion over 11 years at a rate of 9.8%. This architecture allows Luanda to spread out its maturities and diversify its repayment profile. It also confirms that, despite a tense international financial environment, some African…

Angola has approved an investment of 166.7 million dollars for the development of the road leading to the municipality of Mussulo, in the province of Luanda. The project, which is 39 kilometers long, represents an average cost of around 4.27 million dollars per kilometer. The objective is twofold: to improve territorial continuity with this tourist area and to create better conditions for local economic activity. Under Presidential Decree No. 100/26 of March 25, the operation is part of the National Development Plan 2023-2027, which makes the modernization of transport infrastructure a lever for economic diversification. Beyond the accessibility issue, Luanda…

The Democratic Republic of Congo confirms its status as an African powerhouse in tin-bearing minerals, with export revenues estimated at $677.5 million in 2025. These performances, stemming from the so-called “3T” sector – tin, tantalum, and tungsten – reflect the strategic role of these substances in the national mining economy and on the international markets for critical metals. According to provisional statistics from the Technical Coordination and Mining Planning Unit (CTCPM), cassiterite (tin ore) stands out as the cornerstone of this dynamic. Alone, it generated $652.7 million through exports totaling 46,251.72 tonnes. Total production reached 47,787.58 tonnes, mainly driven by…

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) mobilized 543.3 billion Congolese francs in public revenues as of March 12, 2026, equivalent to approximately 241.2 million dollars at the interbank exchange rate of 2,252.19 CDF to one dollar. This level of mobilization, communicated by the Central Bank of Congo (BCC), illustrates the persistent capacity of financial authorities to fund the Treasury, in a context where many African states are seeking to strengthen their internal resources to finance their budgetary priorities without excessively increasing their debt dependence. In detail, the General Directorate of Customs and Excise (DGDA) provided the highest contribution with 227.3…

In an effort to mobilize private financing for food security, Angola has authorized the granting of a sovereign guarantee of 91.2 billion kwanzas (approximately USD 100 million) in favor of the company VC Horizonte 21, S.A. This mechanism allows the State to guarantee the repayment of private financing, in order to reassure investors and raise resources on more advantageous terms. This decision is enshrined in Presidential Decree No. 76/26 of March 9, 2026, published in the Official Gazette. The financing will be raised through the issuance of debt securities on the Muscat market, with the support of Oman Investment Bank,…

In a context marked by the desire to better regulate the commercialization of gold and fight against fraud in the gold sector, the Democratic Republic of Congo officially launched its first pilot gold refinery in Kalemie, in the east of the country, on March 11, 2026. Named DRC Gold Refinery S.A., this industrial facility is the result of a partnership between the state-owned company DRC Gold Trading S.A. and the private company Lunga Mining. The infrastructure has a processing capacity estimated between 500 and 600 kilograms of gold per month, covering the entire value chain: from purchasing ore from producers…

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), the central bank of Zimbabwe, has announced the introduction of a new series of banknotes denominated in Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG), which will be put into circulation on April 7, 2026. These new banknotes will circulate alongside those issued in April 2024, as part of a technical adjustment aimed at...

The government of Zimbabwe has announced, through its Minister of Mines, Polite Kambamura, the immediate suspension of all exports of raw minerals and lithium concentrates. The decision, made public on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, also applies to shipments already in transit. This measure marks a turning point in the country’s mining policy. Harare now intends to accelerate the local transformation of lithium, strengthen domestic value addition, and limit losses related to the export of unprocessed raw materials. Fiscal and regulatory authorities, including the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) and the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ), have been instructed to strictly…

The DRC estimates the total investment cost for the construction of the Kinsuka hydroelectric power plant, located west of the city of Kinshasa, at around $2.8 billion. This project is expected to be executed over a period of 5 years, according to the minutes of the council of ministers of February 6, 2026, projecting an annual production of nearly 7,450 gigawatt hours (GWh), in a context marked by the increasing need for electricity in the Congolese capital. Developed by the joint venture Kinsuka Power, bringing together Great Lake Energy (GLE), entrepreneur Yves Kabongo’s company, and the Forrest Group through its…