South Africa, Indonesia vow to boost bilateral trade ties Cooperation to cover trade, tourism, defense, and agriculture Indonesia ranks as South Africa’s 3rd-largest Southeast Asian partner South Africa and Indonesia have committed to strengthening bilateral trade to stimulate inclusive and mutual economic growth, following an official visit by South African President Cyril...

Despite record green energy, emissions hit all-time high Fossil fuels still account for 80% of energy use UN says emissions must drop 42% by 2030 for 1.5°C goal Global carbon dioxide emissions continued rising in 2024 despite a record year for new solar and wind capacity, according to the World Energy Review 2025 published on Oct. 22 by Italian oil major Eni. The report said...

Zimbabwe’s Blanket Mine ups gold output 3% to 58,846 oz Caledonia keeps 2025 target at up to 79,500 oz Gold prices up 60%, boosting production outlook The Blanket Gold Mine in Zimbabwe produced 58,846 ounces in the first nine months of 2025, a 3% increase from the 56,815 ounces recorded in the same period of 2024, according to an operational report published on Tuesday, Oct. 21,...

90% of market dominated by unregulated, untaxed palm oil Plan includes $100M push for industrial oil palm plantations Ghana’s Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) plans to set up an inter-agency task force to curb the influx of smuggled cooking oil into the local market. The move follows a joint meeting held on Oct. 17 in Accra with the Oil Palm Development Association of...

EU-funded SOGREA aims to attract private clean energy investment Initiative supports goal to reach 78% electricity access by 2030 Sierra Leone has opened an investment window under the Salone Off-Grid Renewable Energy Acceleration (SOGREA) initiative to spur private financing for green mini-grids across the country, especially in rural areas. The announcement was made on Oct. 21. The...

Deal targets governance, trade, and human capital growth Agreement supports ECOWAS Vision 2050, AU Agenda 2063 The ECOWAS Commission and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, to strengthen cooperation and promote inclusive, sustainable, and resilient growth in West Africa. The partnership...

Pensana, VAC sign MOU for U.S. rare earth supply chain Longonjo mine in Angola to supply magnet materials under agreement U.S. seeks to cut reliance on China for critical minerals UK-based Pensana announced on Wednesday, Oct. 22, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with German permanent magnet producer Vacuumschmelze GmbH & Co. KG (VAC). The agreement aims to establish a "mine to...

Funding supports AI upgrades and MENA regional growth Platform aims to reduce inefficiencies, fraud in insurance systems Egyptian insurtech startup SehaTech announced on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, a $1.1 million seed funding round to automate health insurance systems in Egypt and the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The funding round, which brings the company's total...

Anka founders exit; platform retains brand and operations Deal aims to expand African creators’ global market access Ivorian e-commerce startup Anka, a platform dedicated to African creators, has been acquired by the U.S. company Global Shop Group, the startup's co-founder Moulaye Tabouré announced on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Global...

Mauritius tops Africa in 2025 investment risk-resilience index Only three African countries rank in global Top 100 Index measures geopolitical, economic, and climate risk factors Mauritius, Tanzania, and Botswana are Africa’s safest destinations for investors in 2025, according to a ranking released on Oct. 21, 2025, by UK-based residence and citizenship advisory firm Henley &...