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Date: July 16, 2025
📈 Business & Macro
🇯🇵 JICA to Issue $160 Million Bonds for Africa
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will issue approximately $160 million in bonds to fund development initiatives across Africa including education, infrastructure, and other priority projects.
⚡ Climate & Energy
🇰🇪 Kenya: Extension for Oil Asset Plan
Tullow Oil, in partnership with Gulf Energy, has been granted additional time to submit a development plan for recently acquired Kenyan oil fields, advancing the final stages of their asset acquisition.
🇷🇼 Rwanda: High-Grade Lithium Discovered
UK-based Aterian, in collaboration with Rio Tinto, announced the discovery of high-grade lithium deposits in Rwanda—a significant finding for Africa’s critical mineral sector.
🏛️ Geopolitics & Policy
🇬🇦 Gabon Rejoins Commonwealth
Following its presidential election in April, Gabon has regained full Commonwealth membership. The nation was partially suspended in 2023 after a military coup.
🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire: Ouattara Meets Macron Amid Election Tensions
President Alassane Ouattara is meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris today, amid growing international concern over Côte d’Ivoire’s upcoming elections and the exclusion of key opposition figures.
🌍 US Deportation Program in Eswatini
As part of a Trump-era third-country deportation program, the United States has deployed five men to Eswatini—a move critics describe as contentious.
🚀 Tech & Deals
🇰🇪 Kenya–Qatar Airways Strategic Partnership
Qatar Airways and Kenya Airways have agreed to a strategic partnership, increasing flight frequencies between the two countries and deepening aviation ties in East Africa.
🇿🇲 New $70 Million Fund for Zambian SMEs
The UK’s BII, Zambia’s National Pension Scheme Authority, and Sweden’s Swedfund have jointly raised $70 million to establish Growth Investment Partners Zambia, aimed at financing small and medium enterprises.
💰 UAE-Backed $1 Billion African Credit Fund Launching
London-headquartered Gemcorp announced plans to raise $1 billion from its Abu Dhabi office to support private credit deals in Africa. The fund, targeting investments of $20 million to $100 million across energy, agriculture, and commodities, leverages Abu Dhabi’s growing capital interest, according to CEO Asad Hajiyev – with Gemcorp having already deployed $8 billion in emerging markets.
🧭 Commentary: Overcoming Challenges to Reform the African Union
The African Union faces ongoing criticism over its handling of regional crises in the DRC, the Sudans, Cameroon, and the Sahel. While the AU is a vital platform for continental economic integration and collective global representation, reform efforts—particularly in peace, security, efficiency, and voice—have encountered delays. Transforming the AU into a more responsive and credible organization will require political determination, structural realignment, and grassroots participation to validate its mission and accountability. (Africa Center for Strategic Studies)
