African markets and business updates

The first surgeries of Mercy Ships’ ( ) 10-month field service in Ghana have begun on board the Global Mercy™ , marking the international charity’s return to the country after 19 years. The surgeries represent a new chapter in the longstanding relationship between Mercy Ships and the Government of Ghana, which began in 1991. The Global Mercy , the world’s largest purpose-built civilian hospital ship, will remain in the Port of Tema until June 2027. During this time, the ship will provide specialized surgical care to patients while supporting the education and mentoring of Ghanaian healthcare professionals.…

The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) ( ) and Awqaf (Mauritius) Foundation (AMF) successfully concluded the International Waqf Conference held in Port Louis, Mauritius, from 3 to 5 September 2026. Organized under the theme “Reviving Waqf for Community Empowerment: Building Strong Waqf Foundations through Strategic Management, Good Governance and Sustainable Investment,” the conference provided a high-level platform to explore how waqf can be revitalized as a heritage institution and transformed into a modern driver of socio-economic development.…

Ghanaian entrepreneur Patricia Poku-Diaby is taking on a cocoa industry long dominated by multinationals, building local processing capacity with backing from Afreximbank as Ghana seeks to capture more of the value generated by its most important cash crop.

Some believe that the continent could harness AI and robots to accelerate its move into higher-value textile manufacturing.

Nationals in the UK, Sweden, France and Austria have commemorated the 65th anniversary of the beginning of the armed struggle for independence with patriotic zeal. At the commemorative events in London and Manchester on 6 September, Mr. Hadgu Okbalidet, chairman of the PFDJ, provided a briefing on the historical background of Bahti Meskerem and called on nationals to safeguard the independence achieved through arduous struggle and immense sacrifice and pass it on to future generations. Mr.…

The National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students branch in the Southern Region has presented the Denden Award to 77 outstanding students, including 34 female students, who attained a GPA of 3.0 or above in the national school-leaving examination for the 2025/2026 academic year. The award ceremony, held for the fifth time, took place on 8 September in Dekemhare. Mr. Filmon Mesfun, head of the union branch in Dekemhare sub-zone, said that 84% of the awardees had previously received the Indomaso Award for attaining high scores in the eighth-grade national examination. Mr.…

Foreign Minister leads delegation to Conakry as 17 compatriots are laid to rest after Dar-es-Salam landslide Conakry, Guinea-Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr. Mohamed Rahman Swaray, headed a government delegation to a national funeral ceremony in Conakry on 4 September 2026, honouring 17 Sierra Leonean nationals among 36 confirmed fatalities from the Dar-es-Salam landfill collapse. This tragedy devastated a border community nearly two weeks prior. The funeral service was held at the Turkish Mosque in Bambéto district, followed by interment at Martyrs Cemetery. The delegation comprised Mr.…

Health Committee calls for probe into drug theft, extortion at Iganga, Bugiri Hospitals The House Committee on Health has asked the Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) of Iganga and Bugiri districts to investigate allegations of theft of medicines, extortion and mismanagement of funds in government hospitals there. The committee gave the instructions during its oversight visit to health facilities in Eastern Uganda on Tuesday, 08 September 2026. At Iganga General Hospital, MPs uncovered serious gaps in the management and accountability of government medicines, raising suspicion that weak record-keeping could be facilitating theft and diversion.…

CDA Hines joined the Minister of Health Honourable ‘M’amokete Ntšekhe, World Vision Lesotho National Director Dr James Chifwelu, and senior government and development partners to launch the Faith and Community Initiative (FCI) in Lesotho. FCI transforms U.S. foreign assistance into a strategic investment, strengthens health systems, and delivers integrated HIV and Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services through local solutions. In its first year alone, the United States will provide Lesotho with $7 million — $5 million for HIV programming and $2 million for MCH services — delivered through a network of faith-based partners led by World Vision.…

With Zambia having received the delivery of the first US-funded HIV prevention medicine Lenacapavir, UNAIDS is now working in close partnership with the Zambian government, communities, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and the US government to ensure that this new HIV prevention option reaches the people who need it the most to prevent new HIV infections in the country. The rollout of Lenacapavir offers Zambia an opportunity to accelerate prevention and protect hard-won gains in the country’s HIV response.…