Indonesia tripled its investment in local mineral processing between 2019 and 2022. In contrast, Africa attracted only 2.8% of the global foreign direct investment (FDI) for critical minerals processing from 2019 to 2023, despite holding 30% of the world's reserves. Indonesia's development of a local minerals processing industry provides valuable insights for African mining nations. A December...

Yearly, Guinea exports over 100 million tons of bauxite. However, the country has only one alumina refinery; alumina is necessary to produce aluminum. Since 2022, the government led by Mamadi Doumbouya has been pressuring mining companies to process bauxite locally. In December 2024, Guinea signed a deal with China's State Power Investment Corp (SPIC) to build a bauxite-to-alumina plant. The...

While they mainly operate during the early stages of business development, most business angels active on the continent adopt a cautious approach and engage in partnerships with other players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, such as venture capital firms and tech hubs. Around 64% of active business angels in Africa make investments of less than $25,000 per transaction, according to a...

Senegal has made great progress in economic and human development. It will be the fifth African country to leave the Least Developed Countries (LDC) category, after Botswana, Cabo Verde, Equatorial Guinea, and São Tomé and Príncipe. In December 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to remove Senegal from the LDC list after a five-year preparatory period, ending in...

As Benin’s current president, Patrice Talon, nears the end of his second and final term, potential successors are beginning to emerge. Ahead of the mid-2026 elections, some figures are already making their intentions known. Pan-African activist Kemi Seba has announced his intention to run for president in Benin’s 2026 election. With less than two years until the vote, he is among the first...

The regional bloc defended Nigeria and other member states on X (formerly Twitter) after they were accused of sponsoring terrorism. ECOWAS Communique / Communiqué de la CEDEAO pic.twitter.com/w142VgoteI — Ecowas - Cedeao (@ecowas_cedeao) December 26, 2024 Expressing “deep concern” over the allegations, ECOWAS stated, “Nigeria has supported peace and security of several countries not...

Every year, Africa loses billions of dollars due to illegal mining, which Chinese firms are heavily involved in. Many African governments have been intensifying their efforts to tackle the situation. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) recently arrested 17 Chinese nationals for illegally mining gold in South Kivu. While 14 have been released, according to a press release on December 24, this...

Over the past few years, Coris Bank has become one of West Africa's most active banks in financing mining initiatives. Its significant projects include loans for the Kiaka gold mine in Burkina Faso and the Kouroussa mine in Guinea. In Burkina Faso, Orezone Gold announced on December 23 that a loan agreement with Coris Bank was finalized for CFA35 billion (approximately $58 million) to...

Fujairah Holdings is an investment fund from Fujairah, a state in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), focused on mining. It owns shares in Asante Gold, a Canadian company that runs the Bibiani and Chirano gold mines in Ghana. Fujairah Holdings, an Emirati firm, has recently sealed a $500 million deal with Asante Gold for future gold purchases. Announced on December 19, the move involves gold...

The continent has become a key battleground for Beijing and Ankara, competing over security deals, arms sales, resource extraction, and infrastructure projects. This analysis examines the growing tensions and the stakes involved in this rivalry. As global attention focuses on the competition between the United States and China in Africa, Turkey is quietly carving out its own influence on the...