African markets and business updates

Standard Bank has acted as joint financial advisor and transaction sponsor to CANAL+ on its secondary inward listing on the JSE, bringing one of the world's leading media and entertainment groups to South Africa's premier exchange and broadening investor access to global growth opportunities.

The Sawa and Higher Education Institutions branch of the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students has provided three months of vocational training to over 400 students of the College of Business and Social Science and the College of Engineering and Technology. The training included 236 students, including 123 female students, from the College of Business and Social Science, and 180 students, including 93 female students, from the College of Engineering and Technology. Accordingly…

The World Bank Group (WBG) Board of Executive Directors today endorsed a new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Uganda, a 10-year strategy (2026-2035) designed to accelerate a private sector-led economic transformation and expand opportunities for the country’s rapidly growing population. The CPF, developed in collaboration with the Government of Uganda and in consultation with other stakeholders, aligns with the country’s Vision 2040 and the Fourth National Development Plan.…

Following a transformative decade at the helm of Afreximbank ( www.Afreximbank.com ), Professor Benedict Okey Oramah, GCON, former President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), has received a number of distinguished appointments and recognitions reflecting his continuing impact and the broad demand for his expertise across finance, health, and pan-African development.…

Africa Finance Corporation ( www.AfricaFC.com ), the continent’s leading infrastructure solutions provider, has successfully raised a record US$2 billion syndicated loan, underscoring strong global investor support for AFC’s rapid buildout of integrated infrastructure and industrial platforms shaping Africa’s next phase of economic growth. The transaction was initially launched at US$1.6 billion before being upsized to US$2 billion. Participation from banks across Asia Pacific (35%), Europe (35%)…

The fifth edition of the Libya Energy & Economic Summit (LEES) 2027 returns to Tripoli on January 23–25. Positioned as Libya’s landmark energy event, LEES serves as the country’s premier international platform for investment, technical collaboration and private sector engagement across oil, gas, power and renewables. LEES 2027 builds directly on the outcomes of LEES 2026, which marked Libya’s shift from post-recovery stabilization to execution-led development.…

Refugees in Eastern and Southern Africa remain in exile for a median period of almost 16 years, according to new analysis by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, underscoring the urgent need to expand solutions. The analysis, based on UNHCR’s registration data between 2001 and 2025, shows that displacement in the region is rarely short-term. At the end of 2025, 6.4 million refugees and asylum-seekers were recorded in UNHCR’s registration system across the region. Many had escaped war…

Deputy Minister for Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, has disclosed that government has already released 85 percent of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s approved 2026 budget to accelerate food production, strengthen agro-industrialisation and improve food security across the country. Speaking at the launch of the Ghana National Pact for Agriculture and Economic Transformation, Food Security and Employment (AGRICONNECT Compact) in Accra, Mr.…

Kenya has opted to purchase cheaper energy from neighbouring Ethiopia - a decision which has proved controversial in both countries.

In Lolmolong village, in Samburu County in northern Kenya, Neshoo Leaungokiok laboured through the night, far from the nearest health facility. With no transport available and a six-hour journey on foot to reach care, she had no choice but to give birth at home, assisted only by a traditional birth attendant. In this remote part of Kenya, long distances, difficult terrain and insecurity continue to limit access to skilled care during childbirth, placing mothers and newborns at significant risk. But this time…