• Nearly 150 delegates from 17 countries met in Dakar to address youth job and education crises.• Two in three young people in sub-Saharan Africa hold informal or vulnerable jobs, ILO says.• Violence forced the closure of 14,000 schools in 2023, affecting 2.8 million children. From August 26 to 28 in Dakar, about 150 delegates from 17 countries gathered for the annual West Africa and Sahel...

• DRC advances talks with Monacosat to launch a national telecom satellite.• Fidelity Bank signals interest in financing the project as Kinshasa seeks partners.• The initiative aims to expand internet access, with penetration still at 30.5%. DR Congo’s government is stepping up efforts to improve connectivity nationwide. In this context, President Félix Tshisekedi met on August 30 with...

• Canyon Resources will invest $96m to start bauxite output at Minim Martap in January 2026.• Initial production is set at 1.2m tons per year, rising to 10m tons by 2032.• Cameroon will hold a 10% free stake and receive a 5% royalty on revenues. Australian mining company Canyon Resources will invest $96 million to launch bauxite production at its Minim Martap project in Cameroon...

• Singapore’s Olam commits $200m to pasta, poultry feed, and aquaculture feed plants in Ghana.• Projects expected to create about 4,000 jobs and reduce reliance on food imports.• Ghana’s pasta market is set to reach $325.4m in 2025, while poultry feed demand is growing. Singapore-based agribusiness group Olam has pledged to invest $200 million in Ghana to develop...

• TechMet launches TechMet SCM to trade critical minerals, sourcing partly from Africa.• The firm already holds stakes in Rwanda’s tin and tungsten mines and rare earths projects in South Africa and Burundi.• Africa, home to nearly 30% of global critical mineral reserves, remains central to its strategy. TechMet, an investment company backed by the US government, announced on August 28...

• Ahafo South became Africa’s top gold mine in 2024 with 798,000 ounces produced.• Newmont holds 90% of the mine, while Ghana owns a 10% stake.• Vanguard, BlackRock, and other US asset managers are the main shareholders. Ahafo South, located in Ghana, has emerged as Africa’s largest gold mine after producing 798,000 ounces of gold in 2024, a 37% increase from the previous year. The...

South Africa is advancing with plans to open its payments system to non-banks, with the first licences expected in early 2026. Fintechs and mobile money firms may gain direct access to settlement rails, lowering costs and expanding inclusion. Big banks and card schemes risk losing market share as competition shifts to account-to-account payment models. South Africa is going forward with...

Douala port faces the worst congestion in West Africa, with delays of up to nine days, surpassing Abidjan and Lekki. Structural inefficiencies, seasonal cocoa exports, and tidal challenges are worsening delays at Cameroon’s main port. Kribi port offers shorter delays, but weak inland links and higher costs limit its role as a viable alternative. Douala, Cameroon’s economic capital, is...

Zambia launches its first solar-powered clinic in a $28M Gavi project; Togo introduces the malaria vaccine to combat child mortality. Senegal confirms its first 2025 mpox case; Ghana battles a typhoid outbreak in the Oti region, and Chad fights a cholera epidemic. A safer veterinary vaccine for Rift Valley Fever is in development to protect livestock and public health in...

WEF spotlights Rawbank’s $400m Kamoa-Kakula loan as a model for ESG-aligned finance of critical minerals in the DRC. The deal mandates 60% revenue repatriation, IFC/ICMM/GISTM compliance, and local content via firms like Pacific Logistics. It backs Kamoa Copper’s 600,000-tpa goal, while WEF calls for coherent rules to de-risk investment and build value chains. In a report...