Equity CEO mentioned Senate supports waiving share sale; but formal full law still pending. The 2022 law, plus the central bank rule, requires banks to cede stakes to local investors. The National Assembly passed the reform; Senate review and presidential assent awaited. Equity Group Holdings CEO James Mwangi has expressed “confidence” that the lender’s Democratic Republic of...

VFD Group plans ₦50.67B rights issue at ₦10/share. Shareholders offered two new shares for every three held. Funds to boost capital, expand operations, support growth. VFD Group, a Nigerian holding company with interests in finance, real estate, technology, and media, has requested a rights issue worth more than 50.67 billion naira (over $32 million), the Nigerian Exchange...

FAO food price index rose 1.6% in July. Vegetable oils up 7.1%, meat index hit record. Cereals, dairy, sugar prices saw slight declines. Global prices for key food commodities rose in July, reversing a recent downward trend, according to data released Monday by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The FAO's global price index averaged 130.1 points in July,...

Barrick Gold’s H1 revenue up 13.5% to $4.79B. Mali mine halt caused $1.03B impairment. Record $3,099/oz prices drove gains. Toronto-based mining group Barrick Gold announced Monday, August 11, $4.79 billion in gold revenues for the first half of 2025. This marks a 13.5% increase from the same period last year, despite its operational challenges in...

• The authorities piloted digital civil registration in 19 districts on Africa CRVS Day.• Only 3 % of Somali children under five currently have a registered birth.• Officials planned to phase the national rollout, pending audits and secure integration. Somalia has taken a major step forward in its digital transformation journey with the pilot launch of a Unified Digital Civil...

• Child labor fell from 245.5 million in 2000 to 137.6 million in 2024.• ILO says the reduction rate must increase elevenfold to meet the 2030 goal.• Sub-Saharan Africa has 87 million child laborers, nearly two-thirds of the global total. The International Labour Organization (ILO) warned the world must cut child labor 11 times faster to eliminate it by 2030. The Sustainable Development...

• Court sentenced Succès Masra to 20 years in prison and a CFA1 billion fine.• Conviction followed deadly 2023 Mandakao clashes that killed 42, mostly women and children.• Defense denounced ruling as politically motivated and based on weak evidence. Chad’s former Prime Minister and opposition leader Succès Masra received a 20-year prison sentence on August 9, 2025. The court also fined...

• The UN launches a project to align vocational training in DR Congo to growing economic sectors.• DR Congo must create nearly 100,000 new jobs per month to meet youth employment needs by 2030.• The project emphasizes the green economy and digital technologies to boost local employment. The UN has launched an initiative to tackle persistent youth unemployment and the informal job market in...

• Sub-Saharan Africa hosts 52 % of the world’s mobile-money accounts, yet only 7 % of adults there borrowed via these services in 2024.• GSMA and World Bank concur that strict regulation, low credit records and gender gaps curb mobile credit despite high account penetration.• Kenya’s 2024 sandbox and Ghana’s guarantee pilot aim to lengthen tenors and raise loan sizes for...

• Moscow seeks to swap Wagner for Africa Corps, under the Russian Defense Ministry’s control.• New deal would require CAR to pay billions of CFA francs for security services.• Request comes as President Touadéra prepares for a third-term run amid political tension. Russia is pressing the Central African Republic (CAR) to replace the Wagner private military group with Africa Corps, a new...