A stronger Congolese franc has reduced the local value of external financing, creating a $836 million budget gap in the DRC’s 2026 fiscal framework. World Bank and AfDB project financing, capped in foreign currency, faces execution pressure as exchange-rate appreciation limits flexibility. The planned $750m Eurobond is increasingly seen as a liquidity and risk-management...

Gabon’s banking penetration rate reached 25.06% as of Dec. 31, 2023, according to the BEAC. BCEG signed a partnership with Bamboo Microfinance on Jan. 23, 2026 to expand banking access outside major cities. Gabon posts the highest banking penetration rate in the CEMAC region, well above the regional average of 11.68%. The Banque pour le commerce et l’entrepreneuriat du...

Sahel Capital provided a $2.4 million working-capital loan to Kuapa Kokoo Limited on Jan. 26, 2026. The financing flowed through SEFAA, Sahel Capital’s agribusiness debt fund active in 13 Sub-Saharan countries. Cocoa contributes about 6% of Ghana’s GDP and supports nearly 30% of the rural population. Sahel Capital, a private investor specializing in Sub-Saharan...

The Dugbe project could produce 2.27 million ounces of gold over 14 years, according to a 2022 feasibility study. The acquisition values Pasofino Gold at C$141.6 million ($103 million) in an all-cash deal. Dugbe’s estimated construction cost stands at $397 million, with a final investment decision still pending. Mansa Resources, a subsidiary of Hummingbird Resources,...

Ivory Coast ranks as the world’s third-largest latex producer, with 722,502 hectares of rubber plantations. The rubber producers’ federation estimates annual potential supply of more than 1.65 million cubic metres of rubberwood. Cambodia imported $338.8 million of timber and wood products in 2024, according to Trade Map data. Ivory Coast has begun exploring a...

Zijin Gold agrees C$5.5 billion acquisition of Canada’s Allied Gold Deal expands Zijin’s African footprint into Mali and Côte d’Ivoire Allied Gold assets could produce up to 800,000 ounces annually by 2029 Zijin Gold International, a subsidiary of China’s Zijin Mining, has agreed to acquire Canadian miner Allied Gold in a deal valued at about C$5.5 billion ($4 billion). Announced...

Senegal, Morocco to hold joint cooperation commission in Rabat Talks cover trade, economy, culture; dozens of agreements under discussion Meeting follows trade growth, amid sensitivities over detained Senegalese fans Senegal and Morocco will hold the 15th session of their Joint Cooperation Commission in Rabat on Jan. 26-27, 2026, Senegal’s Government Information and Communication Office...

Mark Cables completes 200 MW thermal power plant in Burkina Faso €180 million project aims to stabilise grid, cut electricity imports Part of broader push to boost generation amid low electrification rates Mark Cables, a Dubai-based industrial group, announced on Monday, Jan. 26, that it had completed a 200-megawatt (MW) thermal power plant in Burkina Faso. The project cost an estimated...

Fitch Solutions estimates that Africa could account for about 7% of global rare earth production by 2034. The projection is largely based on the current pipeline of projects under development across the continent, which currently has no rare earth mines in production. The global race for rare earths intensified sharply in 2025, against a backdrop of announced export restrictions by China, which...

Ghana launches 2,000-unit housing project for Armed Forces Project is first phase of 10,000-unit plan over five years Initiative targets housing deficit amid rising construction costs Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has launched a project to build 2,000 housing units for the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana News Agency reported on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. The project marks the first...