African markets and business updates

National authorities responsible for fisheries and for the implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), from across 22 African coastal countries, commit to strengthen cooperation for improved implementation of CITES through national fisheries legal frameworks.…

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki said Monday that he had neither ordered prosecutors to stop cases involving apartheid-era crimes nor struck secret deals to shield former security officers from justice.

As the most-visited country in Africa and the next host of the FIFA World Cup, Morocco is in the midst of an unprecedented era of infrastructure and hospitality development, setting a timely stage for Morocco Showcase to highlight the country’s maturation as a prime destination for global capital investment. Morrocco’s tourism development agency Société Marocaine d'Ingénierie Touristique (SMIT) is the institutional investment partner for the 3rd Annual edition of the event in Casablanca. The Tourism Ministry plans to add 60 000 hotel beds before the 2030 World Cup.…

The Cameroonian government has endorsed a new partnership between a local cocoa cooperative and a Liechtenstein-based company to promote organic cocoa production, strengthen access to international markets and improve farmers' earnings. The agreement was signed on Monday, October 19, 2026, between the Ayos-based Unité Moderne de Production de Cacao d’Excellence (UMO.PRO.CAO.E.SCOOPS) and Protect First AG, under the government's CACAO BIO 1000 program. The signing ceremony, chaired by Trade Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, brought together the cooperative's Executive Council President, Mveng Ateba Sébastien, and Protect First AG's Chief Executive Officer, Ralf Van Deest.…

Cameroon is encouraging rural women in Ndian Division, South-West Region, to organize their businesses into cooperatives and common initiative groups. The initiative, led by the Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts (MINPMEESA) and the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and the Family (MINPROFF), aims to help women structure their economic activities, pool resources and develop income-generating opportunities. The initiative was presented on October 15, 2026, during International Rural Women's Day celebrations in Mundemba.…

“My experience of his character over the years has been defined by his honesty, sincerity, fairness and strong moral principles,” Mr Otedola said.

Access Bank Cameroon reported total assets of CFA465.105 billion at September 30, 2026, down from CFA501.418 billion a month earlier. The CFA36.313 billion decline, equivalent to 7.2%, was driven mainly by a sharp reduction in interbank positions and investment holdings, while fixed assets increased significantly. Lending to customers remained almost unchanged, according to the bank's published monthly financial statements. The September decline erased half of the CFA72.469 billion increase recorded between the end of May and the end of August. Despite the latest contraction, the bank's balance sheet remained CFA36.156 billion, or 8.4%, above its level at the end of May.…

Health and environment policymakers and experts from Africa, Asia and Latin America are stepping up efforts to phase out mercury-containing dental filling materials and make oral health care safer and more sustainable. The more than 75 experts from the three regions are gathering in Senegal from 19 to 22 October for an event combining an African sub-regional workshop with the global closing meeting of the GEF-7 Phasing Down Dental Amalgam Project. The meeting comes one year after the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-6) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, held in 2025, at which Parties decided to phase out dental amalgam by 2034.…

A self-proclaimed Kenyan preacher and his associates were on Monday found guilty of murdering 191 people, mostly children, in an infamous starvation cult.

Eritrea participated in the Africa Commerce and Industry Summit 2026, held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 14 to 16 October under the theme “Driving Africa’s Next Era of Trade”. The summit, organized by the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce, brought together over 5,000 delegates from more than 50 countries, including producers, exhibitors, investors and chamber of commerce representatives. Discussions focused on trade, investment and innovation through leadership and networking. At the summit, Mr.…