Author: The Editorial Staff

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria grew by 4.07% in real terms in the fourth quarter of 2025, on a year-on-year basis, according to data released on February 27, 2026 by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). This growth is driven by a widespread dynamic in the agriculture, industry, and services sectors. It is accelerating compared to the 3.98% recorded in the third quarter and also marks an improvement from the 3.76% in the same quarter of the previous year. For the entire year, the indicators are also positive: annual GDP growth stood at 3.87% in 2025, compared to…

Several capitals reacted, between Saturday, February 28 and Sunday, March 1, to the American-Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s responses. Between Dakar, Pretoria, N’djamena, Abuja, and Rabat, among others, there is concern and sometimes condemnation. The night of Saturday, February 28 marked a turning point in the contemporary history of the Middle East. The United States and Israel launched a joint and coordinated military operation against Iran, targeting nuclear installations, strategic defense systems, and the residential complex of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. On Sunday, March 1, Iranian media announced the death of the leader…

The Central Bank of Congo (BCC) and the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) signed a cooperation agreement on February 28, 2026 in Kinshasa aimed at intensifying their technical exchanges and aligning their regulatory practices. According to information from local press, this partnership establishes a framework of cooperation around priority areas for the strength of...

The board of directors of the Cameroonian subsidiary of the Gabonese BGFIBank officially approved, on February 27, 2026, the increase of the bank’s share capital from 20 to 50 billion CFA francs, equivalent to a jump from 36 to 90 million US dollars. The operation comes in the context of regulatory tightening imposed on the entire banking sector of the CEMAC (Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa). Indeed, the Banking Commission of Central Africa (COBAC), meeting on December 10, 2025 in Libreville, adopted a historic decision: raising the minimum required share capital of all approved banks in the sub-region…

Founded in 1964 in Doha, Qatar National Bank (QNB) Group has established itself as the leading financial institution in the Middle East and North Africa region with total assets of 1.390 trillion Qatari riyals – QAR (approximately 382 billion dollars) at the beginning of 2026. With a presence in 28 countries on three continents, the...

Appointed on February 23, 2026 by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and officially installed in his position two days later by Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb, Mohammed Lamine Lebbou takes the helm of the Bank of Algeria, the central bank, in a monetary, economic, and even institutional context of rare complexity. At 48 years old, and the 5th...

The Senegalese National Electricity Company (Senelec) has committed to the challenge of modernizing, streamlining, and making its financial management more transparent. Indeed, the company announced earlier this week, through a management note, an ambitious project of digitalization of its financial and accounting procedures. This initiative, in line with the company’s digitalization policy, will be led...

Cameroonian Ernest Pouhe, managing director of Attijari Securities Central Africa (ASCA), was elected president of the Association of Central African Stock Exchange Companies (ASBAC) on February 23, 2026, during a general assembly. He succeeds Gabonese Ulrich Gambigha for a two-year term. The investment banker, now at the head of the organization that brings together 26...

The Guardians of the Revolution, an Iranian paramilitary militia, announced on Saturday, February 28, that the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed. This strategic route is the world’s primary corridor for oil transportation: approximately 17 million barrels of crude oil and condensates passed through it each day in 2025. The announcement came just hours after...

The States of the West African Economic and Monetary Union are preparing to seek the market for an amount of 15,000 billion CFA francs in 2026. This unprecedented acceleration of issuances is putting pressure on the regional financial market. Faced with growing budgetary needs, national Treasuries are increasing auctions, while investors, becoming more selective, are demanding higher risk premiums. Will liquidity be there or will we witness a lasting tension on interest rates? Can the market absorb such a volume without major imbalance? Analysis and perspectives with Rivo Ratsimandresy, CEO of RDE, and Adama Wade, Publisher of Financial Afrik.

The Burkinabe government adopted, on February 26, 2026, during a Council of Ministers meeting, a decree establishing a Technical Secretariat responsible for monitoring the state’s portfolio of participations and its branches in economic entities (ST/SPPE). According to the official report, “the state’s portfolio of participations includes all financial interests held by the state and its...

Equity Invest, a Moroccan holding company controlled by Ali Bettahi, has just raised 200 million dirhams (approximately 21.8 million US dollars) on the bond market of the Casablanca Stock Exchange. This operation, structured in the form of a private bond loan, is part of a strategic capital reconfiguration logic and support for the growth of...

The Moroccan bank CIH Bank is considering an operation that could redefine its strategic positioning in the national financial markets. The group has indeed signed a memorandum of understanding with CDG Capital to explore the possible acquisition of all or a significant stake in CDG Capital Gestion and CDG Capital Bourse, two entities specialized respectively...

The German insurer Allianz is intensifying its presence in the Moroccan market through a strategy of internal reorganization and an acceleration of its activities, a sign of its desire to capitalize on the dynamism of the insurance sector in the Kingdom. This new phase is part of a broader transformation logic aimed at strengthening Allianz’s...

In this exclusive interview granted to Financial Afrik on February 12th, Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, former Prime Minister of Gabon, provides a technical opinion on the trajectory of his country, Gabon, a member country of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC). Interview by Ismael Sy, Casablanca. In several of your public statements, you speak of a governance without direction in Gabon. What exactly do you mean by that? When I speak of a governance without direction in Gabon, I am not making an abstract political judgment. I am describing an operational reality. A direction is not a slogan, nor a…

NSIA Bank Benin has signed today with Proparco, a subsidiary of the AFD group dedicated to the private sector, a portfolio risk-sharing guarantee line ARIZ worth 20 million euros, approximately 13.1 billion CFA francs. The signing took place in the presence of the French Ambassador to Benin. Thanks to this mechanism, NSIA Bank will be...

Port Louis, February 25, 2026. The Mauritius Commercial Bank Limited (MCB) announces the successful closing of its very first syndicated loan targeting banks from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and India, with a final amount raised to $450 million. Initially launched at $300 million, the financing generated strong market interest. The operation attracted 25 banks,...

Mauritania has officially announced the candidacy of its representative to take the helm of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF). At 56, Coumba Bâ, advisor to President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani and special envoy to the institution, is engaging in a high-stakes diplomatic competition. The outcome of this race will be known in November 2026, during the Francophonie Summit scheduled in Phnom Penh. But the Mauritanian candidate is not alone in the running. Rwandan Louise Mushikiwabo, the outgoing Secretary General, is aiming for a third term, while the Democratic Republic of Congo has also expressed interest in the…

New strategic step for Egis on the continent. The international group specializing in engineering and infrastructure operation, present in Africa for over 75 years, has just announced a major reorganization of its African operations, combining strategic refocusing and the emergence of an independent player supported by local teams. Six historical subsidiaries of Egis, in Cameroon,...

Libreville, February 20, 2026 – The credibility of a state or organization is no longer proclaimed: it is measured. This is the central message conveyed during the 5th edition of the Global Master Class, a pan-African initiative launched five years ago by Global Mind Consulting to structure high-level strategic reflection spaces on the transformation challenges of the continent. Organized on February 17, 2026 in Libreville, this edition, carried out in partnership with the firm Homme & Development, was held in the presence of H.E. Mr. Mark Alexandre Doumba, Minister of Digital Economy, Digitalization, and Innovation. In front of more than…

The Senegalese banking market is witnessing a new strategic move. Ivorian holding company Genesis Holding Company (GHC) has announced its acquisition of a 10% stake in FBNBank Senegal, a subsidiary of Nigerian group First Bank of Nigeria. The amount of the transaction has not been disclosed. With this operation, Genesis Holding Company becomes the first...

Present in Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Liberia, the Orange Côte d’Ivoire Group closed the 2025 fiscal year with a solid growth momentum of +10.4% YoY, despite a context marked by increased competition, a more stringent regulatory environment, and pressures on the mobile money and fixed internet markets. The Group demonstrated resilience and agility in each of its operating countries by adapting its commercial and operational strategies to local realities. This ability to adapt, supported by significant investments of 184 billion CFA francs (15.4% of revenue) to strengthen network quality and coverage, resulted in an increase in all operational indicators.…

The FINACTU Group is pleased with a particularly dynamic month of February 2026 in the context of its support activities for the National Social Security Fund for Public Servants (CNSSAP) of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Led by its president, Denis Chemillier-Gendreau, a delegation of about ten consultants traveled to Kinshasa to present to the Congolese authorities the major progress made in the strategic partnership initiated since last September, aimed at strengthening the technical and operational capacities of the CNSSAP. On this occasion, the president of FINACTU was received by Deputy Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Lihau, in the presence of his…

BOAD Market Solutions, a specialized subsidiary of the BOAD Group, is taking a new strategic step with the appointment of Ms. Adjï Sokhna M’Baye as Managing Director. This decision comes at a time of increasing use of structured financial instruments in West Africa and growing internationalization of financing needs. Created to support public and private actors in regional and international markets, BOAD Market Solutions positions itself as a platform dedicated to structuring and executing innovative financial solutions, particularly in structured finance and derivatives. The goal is to respond in a targeted and secure manner to the fundraising needs of African…

The Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, meeting in Addis Ababa, endorsed the renewal of Nardos Bekele-Thomas’s mandate, a national of Ethiopia, as Director General of AUDA-NEPAD for a new period of four years. This decision, adopted during the 39th ordinary session of the Assembly, comes at a time of...

After more than three decades of service to the State and strategic consulting, Zakaria Thiam, former wali and seasoned jurist, embarks on a new stage in his professional career with the creation of Clean Bac Consulting, a firm specialized in legal, institutional expertise, and public governance. Recognized for his mastery of major administrative and litigation cases, Zakaria Thiam has distinguished himself throughout his career by his involvement in supporting public reforms and managing complex disputes involving government and public enterprises. His experience covers both the legal, financial, and organizational dimensions of public policies, in a context marked by increasing demands…

The Republic of Congo has announced the success of the partial buyback operation of its international bond maturing in 2032, for an amount of 354 million US dollars. This transaction is part of the government’s active and prudent debt management strategy, aiming to sustainably improve the debt profile and strengthen budgetary sustainability in the medium...

The group led by Mohamed Hassan Bensalah has chosen the French subsidiary of the prestigious American investment bank, JP Morgan, to lead the advisory team for the acquisition operation. In an operation set to reshape the Moroccan banking landscape, the Holmarcom group, led by Mohamed Hassan Bensalah, is strengthening its acquisition strategy of BMCI by...

Niamey, February 16, 2026 – Vista Group Holding, a pan-African financial services group, announces that it has finalized the acquisition of 99.99% of the capital of Saham Assurances Niger, which now operates under the name Vista Assurances Niger. This operation marks a new strategic step in the development of the Group’s insurance division and is...

By Fazila Dahall, President of the Financial Afrik Awards jury It was an honor and a privilege to preside over the 7th edition of the Financial Afrik Awards, held on January 22 and 23, 2026 in Banjul, Gambia – the “Smiling Coast of Africa”, renowned not only for one of the most remarkable coastlines on the continent, but also for its stability, openness, and growing confidence as an emerging investment platform. Beyond its modest size, the influence of The Gambia continues to extend far beyond its borders, driven by a people resolutely focused on the future and by a country…