🏢 Business
Private Sector Momentum and Trade Integration
- The Afreximbank’s Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) has generated over $170 billion in business deals since inception, reinforcing the African Continental Free Trade Area’s (AfCFTA) role in boosting intra-African commerce article.wn.com.
- Coca-Cola HBC announced a $2.6 billion acquisition of a 75% stake in Coca-Cola Drinks Africa, positioning itself as the second-largest bottling partner globally businesstimes.com.ng.
- AfCFTA revealed Africa loses $5 billion annually in foreign exchange inefficiencies, urging reforms to reduce transaction costs and improve competitiveness Ghana HomePage.
- South Africa’s removal from the FATF greylist is expected to lower banking costs and attract foreign investment IOL.
💻 Technology
AI, E-Mobility, and Digital Infrastructure Drive Growth
- Kenya-based Spiro secured $100 million to expand electric motorbike production and battery-swapping infrastructure across East and West Africa FurtherAfrica.
- Nigeria’s Moonshot 2025 summit spotlighted digital trade reforms and startup innovation, with leaders calling for AI systems that reflect African languages and contexts Africanews.
- Tanzania launched over 1,000 online courses and a 10Gbps education network, advancing higher education digitization TechAfrica News.
🌍 Geopolitics
Strategic Alliances and Regional Realignments
- South Africa and Malaysia pledged continued advocacy for Palestine, linking the Gaza crisis to apartheid-era solidarity The Star.
- African nations are asserting sovereignty amid France’s military repositioning in the Sahel, signaling a shift in post-colonial dynamics usafricanews.net.
- Gulf states have invested $53 billion in African infrastructure, mining, and agriculture since 2023, reshaping development partnerships The African Exponent.
🔐 Security
Conflict Zones and Governance Challenges
- Nigeria’s Borno State saw a rise in insurgent violence, while the RSF gained ground in Sudan’s El Fasher, intensifying regional instability ACLED.
- An American pilot was kidnapped in Niger, raising concerns over foreign national safety africansecurityanalysis.org.
- Ghana faces criticism for operating three months without a defence minister, prompting warnings over national security risks Ghana HomePage.
⚖️ Human Rights
Legal Oversight and Civic Freedoms Under Scrutiny
- The African Court marked Human Rights Day, reaffirming its commitment to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights AFCHPR.
- A panel in Banjul, The Gambia, reviewed Sudan’s rights record amid ongoing conflict African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
- Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur, delivered the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, calling for global cooperation and peace-building Nelson Mandela Foundation.
