The IMF forecasts Zambia’s real GDP growth at 5.8% in 2026, up from an estimated 5.2% in 2025. The IMF approves a $190 million disbursement, bringing total financing under the program to $1.7 billion. Public debt remains sustainable but high-risk, while debt-to-GDP is expected to fall to 90.7% in 2025. The International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, that...

The Port of Mombasa handled 45.45 million tonnes in 2025, up 10.9% year on year. Transit traffic rose 19.5% to 15.88 million tonnes, while container volumes climbed 5.5% to 2.11 million TEUs. Kenya Ports Authority expanded capacity and digital systems as regional competition with Dar es Salaam intensified. In 2025, the Port of Mombasa handled a total throughput of 45.45 million tonnes. The...

Madagascar launched the ASAN’AI program to train 1,300 people for digital customer relations and BPO jobs. Authorities aim to train tens of thousands of young people in digital skills by 2028 through multiple national and international initiatives. Internet penetration remained low at 20.4% at the end of 2025, raising concerns about access and inclusion. Africa’s digital transformation...

Lucara Diamond closed a C$165 million ($121 million) equity financing to support the expansion of its Karowe diamond mine in Botswana. The underground expansion, now expected to start production in 2028, could extend Karowe’s mine life to 2038 with output estimated at 4.5 million carats. Lucara plans to secure additional funding through cash flow, equity, and debt, including a potential...

Tanzania invested $9 million in irrigation equipment to accelerate nationwide irrigation projects. The government plans to drill 500 irrigation wells across 178 districts in fiscal year 2025/2026. Authorities aim to more than double irrigated land to 1.67 million hectares by 2028, despite far larger untapped potential. On January 29, Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture handed over...

Niger’s telecom regulator launched a real-time monitoring platform to strengthen technical, economic, and regulatory oversight of mobile networks. Mobile penetration edged down to 59.73% in early 2025, while internet penetration jumped to 40% in one quarter. Authorities aim to use the platform to improve service quality, market transparency, and public revenue collection. The Niger...

Liberia is preparing a national agricultural traceability system to comply with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) due to fully apply in late 2026. EU agri-food imports from Liberia more than tripled in five years, reaching €118 million in 2024, with cocoa accounting for nearly 61% of the value. Authorities warn that failure to comply with EUDR could block more than 30% of Liberian...

Senegal has inaugurated a vegetable oil refinery with a capacity of 600 tons per day. The CFA60bn project aims to cut imports and strengthen food security. The plant is expected to support local peanut processing amid sector tensions. Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye inaugurated a new edible vegetable oil refinery on January 27 at the port area of Sendou, in the Rufisque...

IGAD, with World Bank support through EARDIP, held a three-day workshop to validate a PPP framework for expanding digital infrastructure and services. Launched in June 2023, EARDIP aims to build a unified digital market by boosting cross-border broadband, data flows, and trade. The World Bank notes Sub-Saharan African countries must invest 2–8% of GDP annually through 2030 to close...

The year 2025 stands out as a turning point for the WAEMU public debt market. Not because it marked a rupture, but because it exposed the balances, tensions, and paradoxes of a market that has reached quantitative maturity while still seeking greater qualitative depth. Behind record issuance volumes, the market delivered a series of signals that were sometimes counterintuitive, often instructive,...