Benin outages linked to regional interconnection technical constraints Imports met 83% of consumption in 2023, IEA says Government plans solar, thermal expansion to cut reliance Benin’s state-owned power companies said on Tuesday that electricity disruptions affecting the country for several weeks are due to technical limitations in regional power interconnections that are...

Global electricity demand growing fastest in 15 years, IEA says Emerging economies drive 80% of demand growth through 2030 Grid bottlenecks and underinvestment strain energy transition Global electricity demand is expanding at its fastest pace in 15 years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its Electricity 2026 report. Demand rose 3% in 2025 after increasing 4.4% in...

Kawtar Raji-Briand, a partner at the law firm Gauvin Raji, advises clients on structuring innovative financing, cross-border transactions, and legal and regulatory reform. In this interview, she provides insights into the legal framework governing investment in Western Sahara following the UN Security Council resolution adopted on October 31, 2025. Ecofin Agency: The diplomatic landscape...

Partnership focuses on 5G, cloud networks, and AI-driven operations Aims to expand digital finance and value-added services Comes as 75% of Africans remain offline, GSMA says Pan-African operator AXIAN Telecom announced on February 10 the signing of a strategic partnership agreement with Chinese technology group Huawei. The deal, concluded in January in Shanghai, is intended to modernize...

Zijin Mining, Cominière shift start date to June 2026 $1B project to produce 95,170 tons of lithium sulfate annually Launch comes amid global lithium price decline The commissioning of the Manono lithium project in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been rescheduled to June 2026, after initially being expected in the first quarter of the year. Chinese group Zijin Mining and its...

Petrosen plans $100M onshore exploration campaign starting 2026 Program aims to assess inland basins and identify viable reserves Move marks Senegal’s renewed focus on onshore drilling Senegal’s national oil company Petrosen will allocate $100 million to an onshore oil exploration campaign beginning this year, according to Chief Executive Officer Alioune Guèye in an...

Project would support up to $230M in trade finance with Standard Chartered IFC plans up to $40M in funded and unfunded risk participation Deal targets grain exports and fertilizer imports in Sub-Saharan Africa The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is preparing to support a new trade finance facility for agro-industrial trader ETC Group (ETG) through a structured arrangement...

Uber’s exit reshuffles Tanzania’s ride-hailing market, but strong urban growth and rising digital adoption keep demand expanding. Bolt and InDrive are set to gain market share, absorbing Uber’s 1,500 drivers and capturing former users. Despite tighter regulation, Tanzania’s mobility sector remains attractive, driven by congestion, smartphone growth and unmet transport...

Bilateral deal follows $3.5B debt relief agreed with official creditors France also signs €81.5M financing plan for reform program Ethiopia has been in default since December 2023 Ethiopia and France signed a bilateral debt restructuring agreement on February 11, 2026. It is the first agreement of its kind between Addis Ababa and a member of the Official Creditor Committee...

Kenya blocks Koko’s carbon credit sales, forcing shutdown, 700 layoffs and cutting off 1.5m households from clean bioethanol fuel. Model relied on selling 6m carbon credits a year; without state authorisation, its $300m Kenya investment unravelled. The government cited market-monopoly risks and carbon accounting concerns; the $179.6m World Bank guarantee is now at stake. Koko...