Author: The Editorial Staff

General Manager of Vitach Guinea, Kaba Boubacar discusses, with Financial Afrik, the ongoing projects of his company, and the necessity of public-private partnerships. “Major energy projects cannot be carried out without PPPs,” he said in Banjul (Gambia), on the sidelines of the 7th edition of the Financial Afrik Awards held on January 22 and 23, 2026.

The Togolese fintech company Ollo Africa announced an increase in its capital, raising its equity from 68 million CFA francs to 1 billion CFA francs (approximately 1.8 million USD). This operation reflects the entry of Togolese and American business angels into the capital alongside the founding shareholders, according to a statement released by the company on Tuesday, February 3. “This capital increase represents a turning point for Ollo Africa. It validates our approach: digitizing rotating savings and credit associations while preserving their social essence,” said Mawuna Koutonin, the CEO of the fintech. He commented on this operation as a “confidence”…

“At a time when regional financial markets are gaining depth and sophistication, IMPAXIS Securities stood out in 2025 with a series of structuring and innovative operations in the regional financial market. Sovereign and corporate borrowings, labeled operations, unprecedented securitizations: the past year marks a turning point for the management and intermediation company. Its Managing Director, Ababacar S. Diaw, looks back on the operations, the added value of Impaxis, and its prospects. 1. Strategic vision and positioning How would you describe Impaxis’ strategic orientation in the past year? First of all, allow us to thank our partners for their trust and…

The Regional Stock Exchange achieves a historic milestone. As of January 30, 2026, the capitalization of the stock market exceeds for the first time the symbolic threshold of 14,000 billion CFA francs, reaching 14,069.66 billion CFA francs. Compared to December 31, 2025, the regional financial market shows a 5.54% increase, representing almost 739 billion CFA francs of additional value created in less than a month. This performance reflects a particularly dynamic start to the year, driven by both the rise of several large capitalizations and a significant increase in market activity. Several leading stocks have contributed to this surge, including…

Banjul, Gambia — January 23, 2026. On the sidelines of the Financial Afrik Awards gala, the jury named Birahim Diouf Financialer of the Year, recognizing a career marked by rigor, continuity, and an intimate understanding of market infrastructures. The choice was made following a thorough deliberation, based on the comparative analysis of several prominent profiles, presented in Financial Afrik issue 126. Quietly, the jury selected a determining criterion: the successful transition from a settlement-delivery cycle of J+3 to J+2, a structural reform that reflects a maturation of the regional financial market and its gradual alignment with international standards. Director General…

Atlantic Microfinance For Africa (AMIFA) emerged in 2025 as one of the undisputed champions of financial inclusion on the continent, a position praised at the Financial Afrik Awards. Created in 2014 by the Banque Centrale Populaire Group, AMIFA now operates a pan-African network of 8 operational subsidiaries, with over 1,100 employees and nearly 100 branches, serving micro-entrepreneurs, SMEs, women, and youth directly. At the group level, cumulative disbursements reach around 200 billion CFA francs for more than 12,000 loans granted, with a loan portfolio estimated at 112 billion CFA francs in 2024 and a resource portfolio close to 89 billion…

Concerto, a French group specializing in economic intelligence, strategic communication, and public affairs, welcomes CAPZA as a minority investor in its capital. The investor holds approximately 30% of the capital, with no change in governance. Announced on January 29th, the operation is intended to support the trajectory of the French group founded in 2016 by François Hurstel, who has made emerging markets its main playing field. Present in Abidjan, Dakar, Nairobi, Cape Town, Casablanca, Tunis, Dubai, and Paris, the company aims to accelerate its development by consolidating its presence in existing markets while expanding into new markets, particularly in English-speaking…

Concerto, a French group specialized in economic intelligence, strategic communication and public affairs, welcomes CAPZA as a minority investor in its capital. The investor holds around 30% of the capital, with no change in governance. Announced on January 29, the operation is intended to support the trajectory of the French group founded in 2016 by François Hurstel, who has made emerging markets its main playing field. Present in Abidjan, Dakar, Nairobi, Cape Town, Casablanca, Tunis, Dubai, and Paris, the company aims to accelerate its development by consolidating its existing locations while opening up new markets, particularly in English-speaking Africa and…

The Indian group Tata continues to strengthen its presence in Morocco. After the automotive sector, engineering, and forays into strategic sectors, the conglomerate takes a new step with the establishment of Tata Consultancy Services Maroc SARL AU (TCS Maroc), a subsidiary owned 100% by Tata Consultancy Services Limited. Established on January 23, 2026, with an...

Facing the persistence of irregular migration among young people, the International Commission on Human Rights, Funds and Relief (IHRC-RFT) organized, on Thursday, January 29, 2025, in Dakar, a strategic seminar focused on the theme “Youth, migration and local opportunities: staying and building resilient futures”. The initiative is part of the national dynamic for the implementation of the National Strategy to Combat Irregular Migration (SNLMI) and aims to strengthen structural responses to a phenomenon with major human, economic and social consequences. Bringing together representatives of the State, technical and financial partners, migration experts, civil society actors and young leaders, the meeting…

Casablanca, January 26, 2026 – As part of the implementation of the new Investment Charter, a key pillar of the national strategy aimed at boosting productive investment and job creation, BANK OF AFRICA is reinforcing its historical commitment to Very Small, Small and Medium Enterprises by launching PME INVEST by BOA, a comprehensive offer dedicated...

The agency for the management and promotion of public securities in the UMOA zone, Umoa-Titres, held the 8th edition of the Public Securities Markets Meetings (REMTP) on Tuesday, January 27 and Wednesday, January 28 in Lomé. An event during which the platform for listing, trading, and transactions of public securities was officially activated.

Congo Terminal processed 1,219,164 Teus in 2025. The company has crossed the threshold of handling over 1.2 million containers per year for the first time. This achievement coincides with the construction of a new port platform at the East Pier of the port of Pointe-Noire. “Since the start of the concession in 2009, we have multiplied by 6 the volume of containers handled, going from 200,000 to over 1.2 million TEUs. We now aim to reach the threshold of 2 million containers handled by 2027 with the commissioning of the new port platform currently under construction,” explains Anthony Samzun, General…

After Abidjan in 2025, the UMOA Public Securities Market Meetings, organized by the UMOA – Securities agency, are taking place in Lomé (Togo) for their 8th edition. This regional gathering, officially launched on Tuesday, January 27, ends this Wednesday after two days of work by key market players, including national Treasuries, investors, and financial sector specialists from 8 countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). As highlighted by Georges Barcola, the Minister of Finance and Budget of Togo, these meetings are taking place in a particularly demanding macroeconomic context marked, for UEMOA member states, by a sustained…

Effective since October 4, 2025, the 1% tax on all cash payments had not been applied by the Senegalese National Electricity Company (Senelec), sparing its customers unlike other companies such as SenEau and Senegalaise des eaux. Indeed, since Wednesday, January 28, the Senegalese electricity giant has decided to implement this new tax. From now on, every electricity consumer will have to pay a stamp duty of 1% on their cash payments. This initiative is in line with the new fiscal policy adopted by the Senegalese authorities, aiming mainly to mobilize more funds. This new levy on cash payments comes at…

The transitional government of Guinea-Bissau has reached a significant milestone in its economic development with the launch of dredging works at the Port of Bissau. The launch ceremony, presided over by Mr. Ilídio Vieira Té, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, took place in the presence of Mr. Florentino Mendes Pereira, Minister of Transport, Telecommunications...

Alger, Algeria, January 26, 2026 (ECA) – The Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Mr. Claver Gatete, met today with the President of Algeria, H.E. Mr. Abdelmajid Tebboune, at the beginning of his working visit to the country, aimed at strengthening cooperation with Algeria and identifying priorities for bilateral cooperation. During their meeting, President Tebboune expressed his strong intention to strengthen cooperation with the ECA, with a particular focus on strategic priorities such as statistics, monitoring the implementation of public policies, digitization, governance, and South-South cooperation. Africa is capable of extraordinary achievements, including in the manufacturing…

The Norwegian police announced on Monday, January 26, the indictment of an oil company as well as two of its executives in Norway, in connection with an alleged corruption case linked to the oil sector in the Republic of Congo. Authorities suspect the payment of several million dollars in bribes to close associates of the...

Career banker, the new CEO of Holding Al Mada will have as her primary mission to steer the group’s investment policy towards strategic sectors of the future. Focus on the first woman at the helm of the Royal Holding. January 16, 2026 marks a major turning point in the group’s history. Following the death of Hassan Ouriagli, an emblematic figure in the national economy, the board of directors of the Al Mada holding appointed Noufissa Kessar as President and CEO, with immediate effect. Al Mada, formerly the National Investment Company (SNI), is much more than a mere financial consortium. Acting…

UMOA-Titres, the regional agency for the management and promotion of public securities in the UMOA zone, launched, on Tuesday, January 27 in Lomé, the platform for listing and trading public securities. Named UT Marché, this new tool aims to modernize and energize the secondary market for public securities in the region, and to meet the expectations of investors and regulators for a more efficient and attractive market. Officially activated jointly by the CEO of Umoa Titres, and the Governor of the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), this platform covers several issues listed by Oulimata Ndiaye DIASSE: strengthening price…

Morocco and Senegal have signed 17 cooperation agreements on the sidelines of the fifteenth session of the high-level joint commission of the Moroccan-Senegalese partnership, which opened on Monday, January 26th. This was in the presence of Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on a working visit to Rabat. According to the various parties, this step reflects the strength of bilateral relations and the willingness of both countries to expand the areas of strategic partnership to include vital sectors such as agriculture, industry, employment, education, infrastructure, and the digital economy. It is learned that this session provided an opportunity to review the…

Banjul, January 24, 2025. The Financial Afrik Awards were held on January 22 and 23 in Banjul at the magical venue of the Sir Dawda Kairaba Conference Center. More than 22 nationalities were represented among the 400 delegates who came to participate in the conference “PPP, an alternative to public debt” and the roundtable “Arab World Africa”. Bankers, government ministers, and institutional leaders exchanged ideas and proposed solutions that will be included in a report available next Monday. On the sidelines of the gala dinner, the Jury of the Financial Afrik Awards awarded 11 prizes as follows: Minister of the…

Final stretch of the Financial Afrik Awards, the gala dinner during which the jury revealed the names of the different awards of this edition, the seventh of its kind. This, after a long day rich in debates on the central theme of public-private partnerships as an alternative to public debt.

Didier Acouetey, founder of the AfricSearch Group, is participating in the 7th edition of the Financial Afrik Awards in Banjul on January 22 and 23, 2026. On the sidelines of the event, he, who has just been appointed special advisor to the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in charge of the New African Financial Architecture (NAFA), deciphers, with Financial Afrik, the issues of public-private partnerships (PPP) and the foundations of NAFA. Exclusive interview! This edition of the Financial Afrik Awards focuses on the theme of public-private partnerships as an alternative to public debt. What is your view on…

The 7th edition of the Financial Afrik Awards (#7FAA) is taking place since Thursday, January 22 in Banjul, Gambia. This pan-African reference event is themed “Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) as an alternative to public debt”. The event, whose official opening ceremony is presided over this Friday by President Adama Barrow, brings together public decision-makers, investors, leaders of financial institutions, business executives, and experts around the major challenges of financing development in Africa.

Benin has issued an inaugural international Sukuk with a 7-year maturity, with a nominal amount of $500 million US dollars. The operation, announced through a press release dated January 22, 2026, makes the country the first African state in this market. This Sukuk has a Euro coupon of 4.92% thanks to a concurrent Dollar-Euro exchange...

With a public debt approaching 130% of GDP, Senegal’s options are “limited,” and “there is no ideal solution.” This is highlighted in a report by Finance for Development Lab, an independent economic think tank, which reviews the constraints and difficult choices the government faces in managing the debt crisis, while exploring two possible paths. Published...

Banjul, Republic of The Gambia – January 22, 2026 The 7th edition of the Financial Afrik Awards (FAA) is taking place in Banjul on January 22 and 23, 2026, and will be inaugurated by His Excellency Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of The Gambia. This pan-African reference event brings together public decision-makers, investors, leaders of financial institutions, business executives, and experts to discuss the major challenges of financing development in Africa. Under the theme “Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) as an Alternative to Public Debt”, this edition takes place in a continental context marked by shrinking budget margins, rising interest rates,…

They are now listed on the BRVM since January 22, 2025, the “FCTC SONABHY 8.1% 2025-2031” bonds. The ceremony marking this first listing took place in Ouagadougou. The secondary market of the BRVM recorded a new listing on January 22, 2025. These are the “FCTC SONABHY 8.1% 2025-2031” bonds. Since that day, this security listed...

Driven by the historic surge in gold and silver, Managem has risen to the second position in terms of market capitalization on the Casablanca Stock Exchange. This performance illustrates the strong comeback of mining values in a Moroccan market undergoing significant sectoral restructuring. The Moroccan mining group Managem reached the second position in market capitalization...