Morocco’s legal cannabis sector continues to expand five years after legalization, supported by rising private investment. Family-owned Cannablanca plans to launch a pharmaceutical cannabis processing unit in 2026 with a $16 million investment. Authorities continue to support local value creation through regulatory protection and industrial zoning. In Morocco, family-owned company...

Orezone agreed to acquire Hecla Quebec for up to C$593 million to diversify away from Burkina Faso. The deal gives Orezone full ownership of the Casa Berardi mine and a pipeline of Canadian exploration assets. Canadian peers including Iamgold have accelerated diversification as Burkina Faso tightens control over its gold sector. Orezone Gold announced earlier this week the acquisition of...

Moniepoint, Opay, Kuda, and others gain national status with tighter oversight A naira 5 billion minimum capital requirement now applies to national operators Nigeria’s fintech market is valued at $1.13 billion and projected to reach $4.24 billion The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has upgraded the licenses of several financial technology companies and microfinance banks to...

KRA and KPA announced measures to decongest Mombasa Port, cut dwell times, and speed clearances. Long-stay cargo will be evacuated; Pre-Arrival Processing expanded; RECTS upgraded with multi-vendor seals. The reforms target faster clearance, higher revenue, and competitiveness, backed by KPA’s 40M tons, 2M TEUs, and strong efficiency benchmarks. The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), in...

The updated deal expands routes between West Africa, the UAE, and London New destinations include Banjul, Dakar, Freetown, and Monrovia The partnership aligns with stronger Nigeria-UAE economic ties Emirates and Nigeria’s Air Peace have announced an update to their interline agreement signed in February 2025. The partnership allows passengers to travel on a single ticket with simplified...

XSML Capital closed African Rivers Fund IV at $142m, above its $135m target The fund aims to finance about 50 small and medium-sized businesses Investments focus on Eastern Africa, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo XSML Capital said on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, that it had completed the final close of its fourth investment vehicle, African Rivers Fund IV (ARF IV),...

Global LNG exports rose 8.3% year on year in December to 40.5 million tons Angola, Nigeria, Mauritania, and Senegal were among contributors to the increase The US and Canada remained the main drivers of global export growth Four African countries were among the exporters that contributed to the month-on-month rise in global liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments in December 2025, according...

Chevron confirms a new hydrocarbon discovery in Nigeria’s shallow offshore Niger Delta The Awodi-07 well identified oil and gas reservoirs, with volumes yet to be disclosed The find comes as Nigeria targets 2 million b/d of oil production by 2027 U.S. Chevron said it has made a new hydrocarbon discovery in Nigeria through its partnership with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company...

WAEMU public debt market has become the main source of local-currency sovereign financing Rapid growth in issuance is exposing limits in market depth and secondary market liquidity Authorities call for broader investor base, stronger discipline, and deeper secondary trading Discussions at the 8th Public Securities Market Meetings in Lomé on January 27 pointed to an operational WAEMU...

ECOWAS has provided CFA400 million to support refugee assistance in Togo. The funding targets the Savanes and Kara regions through the ANPC. The program has been extended until the end of March 2026. Togo has secured CFA400 million in funding from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to support assistance for refugees in the country. The program is being implemented by...