GABORONE, Botswana — Dangote Petroleum Refinery plans to use Botswana’s stock exchange to offer up to $500 million of refinery-linked shares to investors in Botswana and participating Southern African markets, giving the country a central role in the refinery’s continent-wide share sale. Access Bank Botswana will issue Botswana Depository Receipts (BDRs) linked to shares in the Nigerian refinery. The receipts are proposed for listing on the Botswana Stock Exchange, with tradi

The International Monetary Fund has raised its 2026 economic growth forecast for Sub-Saharan Africa to 4.5%, citing stronger-than-expected economic performance despite difficult global conditions, while warning that inflation, high debt-servicing costs and declining development assistance continue to weigh on the region. The latest projection is higher than the 4.3% growth forecast issued by the IMF in April. Growth is expected to strengthen further to about 5% in 2027, altho

Madagascar has opened a safeguard investigation into imports of sugar confectionery, chocolate, and cocoa-based products, examining whether rising imports are causing serious harm to domestic producers. The probe could lead to temporary trade measures if authorities determine that local industry is being injured.

Dangote Refinery has extended its IPO to October 27, giving investors across Africa more time to participate in a share sale that could raise up to $2.1 billion. The offering is also testing whether the continent can turn retail investor interest into deeper capital markets and funding for major industrial projects.

South African jurist Navi Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for advancing peace and international law, recognising a career spanning the defence of anti-apartheid activists, landmark genocide rulings and leadership of the UN human rights office.

Apart from climate change and artificial intelligence, the world has a third momentous issue which needs to be addressed urgently. The debt crisis has crept up stealthily, but inexorably. The scale is enormous: developing countries’ aggregate external sovereign debt reached $12.3 trillion in 2025. Their borrowings are supposed to finance social and economic upliftment, infrastructure and climate resilience. Yet for many countries, financing intended to develop capacity ends

Photo by the African Union PORT LOUIS, Mauritius — The Africa Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA) was formally launched in Mauritius on Wednesday as an African Union initiative developed through the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). AfCRA will provide ratings for sovereign governments, sub-sovereign entities, corporations and other public and private institutions across Africa. According to the African Union, the agency will incorporate African data, expertise and economic conte

Uganda has cleared the Dangote Refinery IPO for distribution, giving eligible Ugandan investors a regulated route to participate in Africa’s largest share sale.

Authorities trace relatives, medical staff and airline passengers after a Kenyan citizen returned from Congo through Uganda.

African Union leaders meeting in Egypt called for faster implementation of the continent’s free-trade agreement, greater investment in manufacturing and infrastructure, and stronger coordination as conflicts and political disputes complicate efforts to build a more integrated African economy.

NAIROBI/LAMU —Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote has broken ground on a planned $16 billion oil refinery in Kenya, setting in motion one of the largest industrial investments ever proposed for East Africa and potentially reshaping the region’s fuel supply chain. The refinery, planned for the port city of Lamu, is designed to process about 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Dangote Group expects the facility to serve markets across East Africa, where countries remain heav

SpaceX joined diplomats, lenders and companies at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations event, where Uganda presented a $1.2 billion pipeline of proposed projects.

NEW YORK – The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a landmark resolution designating November 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage, following sustained advocacy by Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio. The resolution marks a significant step in global efforts to protect girls from child, early and forced marriage. Attention now turns to implementation, including national legislation, enforcement and community-l