African markets and business updates

The United States is widening its engagement with Africa’s energy sector, combining government-backed finance, technology partnerships and private-sector investment across markets from Mozambique and Nigeria to Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Josh Volz, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe, Eurasia, Africa and the Middle East at the U.S. Department of Energy, will bring that agenda to African Energy Week 2026 in Cape Town from October 12-16. Volz returns to AEW as Washington’s engagement with African energy markets increasingly spans both hydrocarbons and electricity infrastructure. In April, the U.S.…

The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development has approved $390m in financing for energy, mining, transport and climate-smart agriculture projects in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.

Anglo-Swiss commodity trading and mining giant Glencore has signed a five-year offtake and pre-financing agreement with Guinea’s state-owned Nimba Mining Company (NMC), reinforcing the strong global appetite for the West African nation’s bauxite and broader mineral resources. The deal comes amid rising international demand for aluminum, driven primarily by growth across the automotive, packaging, and solar energy sectors. Under the terms of the agreement, Glencore will provide $300 million in upfront financing to support NMC’s operations.…

Senior leadership of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) visited the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF)-led Sector Two, strengthening command-level engagement and gaining first-hand insight into the operational environment, ongoing activities and priorities within the Sector. The AUSSOM Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC), Ambassador El Hadji Ibrahima Diene, accompanied by the AUSSOM Force Commander, Lieutenant General Sam Kavuma, visited Sector Two Headquarters, where they were received by the Sector Commander, Brigadier Joel Maiyo.…

Strengthening institutional governance, promoting professionalism, and ensuring that public bodies effectively manage the workforce entrusted with executing state mandates depends heavily on continuous human resource training. Regular orientation and skill-building for public servants also enhance compliance with established regulations, guidelines, and national standards, while strengthening administrative systems for improved service delivery.…

Reliable access to water is critical to sustaining troops in operational areas, directly supporting their welfare, health and ability to maintain mission readiness in demanding environments. Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Engineers have rehabilitated Sangailu Dam, restoring a critical water source serving personnel deployed at Sangailu Forward Operating Base (FOB) and significantly easing water supply challenges at the facility. The rehabilitation works were undertaken by the Combat Engineer Brigade through 12 Engineers Battalion between 14 August and 25 September 2026.…

Less than two years after overhauling its licensing architecture, Liberia has attracted supermajors, ratified eight production sharing contracts (PSCs) and resolved a high-profile institutional dispute that threatened to undermine investor confidence. Behind that momentum sits a regulatory strategy built around transparency, flexibility and legal certainty. Evidence seems to suggest the country’s state-owned LPRA has solved the problems that stalled exploration for more than a decade, and recent reforms, commercial success and institutional developments are proving Liberia is marketing governance as a competitive advantage.…

On 25 September 2026, Mr. Chulvat Narinthrangura, Director-General of the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), and Associate Professor Dr. Kongsak Thiangtum, President of Kasetsart University, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Capacity Building in Agriculture and Fisheries in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The signing ceremony took place at TICA and was witnessed by representatives from the Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs, and Kasetsart University.…

Nationals residing in the Swiss cities of Geneva, Basel and Lausanne have conducted various activities, including public seminars and conferences, aimed at strengthening their organizational capacity and contributions to national development programs. At the seminar conducted in Geneva, Mr. Habtom Zeray, Chargé d’Affaires at the Eritrean Embassy in Switzerland and Eritrea’s Permanent Representative to the UN Human Rights Council and other international organizations in Geneva, gave a briefing on the objective situation in the homeland, as well as regional and global developments. Mr.…

A senior Eritrean delegation comprising Mr. Hagos Gebrehiwet, Head of Economic Affairs, and Mr. Nesredin Mohammed Saleh, Minister of Trade and Industry, held talks today, 1 October, in Cairo with Dr. Badr Abdellaty, Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Expatriates, and Lieutenant General Kamel El-Wazir, Minister of Transport. During the meeting with Dr. Badr Abdellaty, the two sides reviewed progress in implementing the agreement previously reached and discussed the next steps, areas of bilateral cooperation, and regional matters of mutual interest.…