African markets and business updates

Multilateral pan-African financial institution Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has announced plans to launch a dedicated exploration development investment company within the next 12 months, aiming to close the continent’s widening mineral exploration funding gap. Speaking at African Mining Week in Cape Town on Wednesday, Franklin Edochie, Deputy Director and Head of the Metals and Mining Desk at AFC, explained that the new investment vehicle is designed to expand Africa’s mineral reserves, boost domestic production and secure mineral sovereignty. “If we don’t invest in African exploration, we risk losing control over where our resources end up,” he emphasized.…

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) ( www.Afreximbank.com ) has released its Zimbabwe Country Brief , providing a comprehensive analysis of the southern African nation's macroeconomic outlook, trade performance, financial sector development and debt sustainability profile. The brief explores Zimbabwe’s economic growth potential support by its deep regional ties and diverse natural resource endowment that is increasingly central to the global energy transition. Among the brief’s key highlights is Zimbabwe’s strong growth momentum.…

Egypt inaugurated the Al-Amriya dry port in Alexandria on October 14, 2026, following an investment of 700 million Egyptian pounds ($13.1 million). Covering 146,000 square meters, the facility is designed to ease congestion at seaports and improve freight connections between maritime, rail and road ...

In early trials, AI tools in schools speed up students' learning - but can these initiatives be scaled? Liam Taylor reports. "What is the total number of students who like football?" asks Rori, a maths tutor in Ghana. You carefully study a bar chart but, despite being a whip-smart reader of African Business , you get the answer wrong. "Oops! Looks like a mistake," says Rori cheerfully, then gives you some advice and encourages you to have another go. The tutor is a chatbot, not a human; the entire conversation is happening on WhatsApp. It is still early days, but this exchange is a glimpse of how artificial intelligence might change education in Africa.…

What practical steps can improve access to credit in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC)? That question was at the center of discussions held on October 1-2, 2026, in Bangui, Central African Republic, during the Bangui Financial Days and CEMAC Bankers’ Days. In ...

The global refined copper market is expected to record a surplus of 368,000 metric tons in 2027, according to the ICSG. US tariff uncertainty has drawn large volumes of copper into American warehouses, limiting supplies available elsewhere. Mine disruptions, tight concentrate supplies and ...

Ghana has launched Sentinel, a system designed to collect taxes on foreign digital services directly through payment channels. The existing 20% tax rate remains unchanged, but some consumers may pay more if their providers previously failed to charge the required taxes. The government ...

GCB Bank is preparing to join China's cross-border payment system, allowing transactions to be settled directly in yuan. The move follows Stanbic Bank Ghana's launch of direct yuan payments in August 2026. Ghana-China trade reached a record $14.1 billion in 2025, up 19.3% from ...

Tunisia is developing a platform that will allow government agencies to exchange information automatically and securely. The system aims to eliminate repeated document requests and simplify administrative procedures for citizens and businesses. Its success will depend on common technical standards, clear data-sharing rules ...

In north-east Nigeria, admissions for malnutrition have risen by nearly a fifth in a single year at six health centres and four hospitals supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). They went from around 17,000 cases between January and September 2025 to almost 20,000 cases over the same period this year. Young children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are the hardest hit. The increase is sharpest in Mubi, in Adamawa State, where admissions rose by nearly a quarter, from about 4,600 cases in the first nine months of 2025 to around 5,700 over the same period in 2026.…