• INP-HB and tech firm Stellenium signed a memorandum to build sovereign cloud and data infrastructure in Côte d’Ivoire.• The project will train engineers, data scientists, and AI governance leaders to reduce reliance on foreign infrastructure.• Côte d’Ivoire aims to become a regional innovation hub across education, health, finance, and agriculture. Côte d’Ivoire is stepping up...

• Namibia is in talks with Angola to use the Angosat-2 satellite to expand telecom coverage, particularly in rural areas.• The project could support Namibia’s goal of achieving 100% telecom coverage by 2030.• Angosat-2, operational since 2023, already connects over 300,000 people across Africa and supports high-speed Internet, TV, and voice services. Namibia’s government announced on...

• The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Commission will provide a blended financing package worth up to €95 million ($110 million) to BioNTech for its mRNA vaccine factory in Kigali.• The Kigali facility, under construction since 2022, could become Africa’s first commercial mRNA vaccine manufacturing site.• The project aligns with the African Union’s goal to produce...

• The International Nickel Study Group (INSG) expects a global nickel surplus of 261,000 tons in 2026 despite production cuts in Indonesia.• African projects by First Quantum Minerals, Ivanhoe Mines, and Lifezone Metals are advancing despite weak prices.• Nickel prices have fallen 50% since 2022 to around $15,200 per ton on the London Metal Exchange. Nickel prices have been sliding...

• Madagascar faces a political crisis as President Andry Rajoelina reportedly fled the country amid mass protests and army unrest.• The crisis comes as the IMF supports key reforms through $107 million in recent funding under its Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF).• The unrest threatens to derail fiscal consolidation and energy-sector...

• Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod) owes 32.5 billion cedis ($2.7 billion) and faces production falling 40% since 2020.• Ghana uses less than 50% of its 504,780-ton cocoa processing capacity due to raw bean shortages.• Vice President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang calls for blended finance and EU partnership to boost local processing. Ghana, the world’s second-largest cocoa producer after Côte...

Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s top cocoa producer, began its 2025–2026 marketing season on October 1 with a weaker start than expected. Early port arrivals reached 48,000 tons between October 1 and 12, down 52% from the same period last season, according to exporters cited by Reuters. The sluggish pace points to a slow harvest across major cocoa-growing regions, as producers face poor road...

IMF approves $30M for Somalia under ongoing reform program Funds support post-HIPC strategy, stability, and institutional growth Somalia seeks extra $40M amid aid decline, slower GDP outlook Somalia is set to receive $30 million from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after the IMF Executive Board approved the latest reviews of the country’s reform program, according...

EU pledges €1.16B to boost Africa’s energy transition Funds target electrification, grids, and renewable storage in 17 countries Disbursement pending; pledges part of Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative In less than a month, the European Union (EU) has announced more than €1.16 billion in funding to support Africa’s energy transition and expand access to electricity. After...

Court upholds ICTSI’s $640M Durban terminal concession deal DCT2 overhaul to boost capacity, fix chronic port congestion Project seen as key to reviving South Africa’s logistics sector The KwaZulu-Natal High Court on Friday, October 10, dismissed an application by APM Terminals BV to overturn the concession of the Durban Container Terminal Pier 2 (DCT2) to International Container...