The Central African Republic became the 46th member of the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC). The partnership aims to boost investment in energy, transport, and natural resources. The country’s economy is expected to grow 2.1% in 2025, below its 3.1% population growth rate. The Central African Republic (CAR) has officially joined the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), becoming the...

The EBRD is considering a €19 million loan to Qair for a 100 MW solar project in Gafsa, Tunisia. The €84 million project will receive €3 million in EU grant support and benefit from a first-loss guarantee under the EFSD+ Hi-Bar mechanism. Qair signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with STEG in March 2025 and is expanding rapidly across Africa. The European...

IFC will provide up to $40 million to Banque Islamique du Sénégal (BIS) under a Mourabaha agreement, its first Islamic finance deal in Sub-Saharan Africa. BIS plans to triple its SME loan book to $350 million within five years, with 10% earmarked for women entrepreneurs. SMEs account for 99.8% of Senegal’s businesses but receive just 9% of bank loans, underscoring the...

Kenya will launch an online global auction platform to open the Nairobi Coffee Exchange to international buyers. The government aims to triple annual coffee production to 150,000 tons within three years. Kenya exported 53,500 tons of coffee worth $296.9 million in 2024, according to official data. Kenya plans to digitalize the Nairobi Coffee Exchange to allow international...

Citibank Nigeria raised its capital to 200 billion naira ($136 million), meeting new CBN requirements five months before the March 2026 deadline. Only 14 of Nigeria’s 36 banks have complied with the recapitalization rules so far, according to the central bank. The CBN raised capital thresholds in 2024 to strengthen the banking sector and support large-scale financing in...

The World Bank projects Tunisia’s GDP growth to rise to 2.6% in 2025 from 1.4% in 2024, driven mainly by agriculture. Growth is expected to slow to 2.4% on average in 2026–2027 due to tighter financial conditions. Tunisia’s stalled IMF talks since 2023 continue to weigh on external financing prospects. The World Bank projects Tunisia’s economy to expand by 2.6% in 2025, up...

JNIM, an al-Qaeda affiliate, has blocked Mali’s fuel imports since September, destroying convoys and crippling supply. Mali’s electricity output has plunged, with some areas receiving as little as six hours of power a day. The crisis exposes Mali’s dependence on coastal neighbors for fuel and its vulnerability to security shocks. Mali has faced a severe fuel shortage since...

Kenya’s public debt rose to 11.81 trillion shillings ($91.3 billion), or 67.8% of GDP, in June 2025, up from 63% in 2024. The government spent 1.72 trillion shillings on debt service in 2024/25, with the bulk going to domestic lenders. The Treasury plans to extend debt maturities, refinance costly bonds, and rely more on concessional borrowing to ease repayment risks. Kenya’s...

Nigeria, which holds Africa’s largest proven gas reserves of 209.26 Tcf, is urging African LNG exporters to adopt a unified strategy. Nigeria LNG (NLNG) is expanding its capacity from 22 million tonnes per year to 30 million tonnes with a $10 billion Train 7 project. Africa’s LNG capacity could rise from 70 mtpa today to 120 mtpa by 2035, according to NLNG. Nigeria urged African gas...

Cameroon’s fertilizer imports fell 12.2% in value in 2024 Government backs local production with subsidies, PPPs, and new plants New Douala facility targets 150,000-ton capacity to cut import reliance Cameroon’s fertilizer import bill fell in 2024, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS), as the government steps up efforts to boost local production and cut dependence on...