📊 Business & Macro
- Kenya: The World Bank has frozen a $750 million loan, demanding Nairobi narrow its budget deficit before disbursement. Kenya’s Treasury faces a projected KSh901 billion shortfall for FY2025/26, with potential tax hikes and austerity measures under discussion I&M Group PLC Money254.
- South Africa: Vodacom Group reported a 33% surge in profit for the first half of 2025, driven by strong service revenue growth and expanding customer base. Earnings per share rose to 472 cents, with revenue climbing to R81.6 billion Engineering News Moneyweb.
🌍 Climate & Energy
- Guinea: French renewables developer Africa REN will begin construction in March 2026 on a $200 million solar project, comprising two 40 MW plants in Kindia and Boké. The initiative will add 80 MW to Guinea’s grid, supporting President Mamadi Doumbouya’s renewable energy push Energy Capital & Power.
🏛️ Geopolitics & Policy
- Mali: The African Union Commission has warned of Mali’s deteriorating security situation, citing jihadist blockades and fuel shortages. AU Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf called for a coherent international response, including intelligence-sharing, to counter extremist groups Al Arabiya English APAnews African Union.
- DR Congo: The UN World Food Programme reports that over 20% of Congolese face acute food insecurity, with 3 million people at emergency levels. Fighting with M23 rebels and severe funding shortfalls have forced WFP to scale back aid, raising fears of worsening hunger UN News Ecofin Agency Aljazeera.
💻 Tech & Deals
- South Africa: Mining giant Sibanye Stillwater reached a $215 million settlement with UK-based Appian Capital Advisory, ending a four-year legal dispute over a cancelled $1.2 billion acquisition of Brazilian nickel and copper mines Yahoo Finance Ecofin Agency MINING.COM.
- Kenya: EV manufacturer Roam has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube, seeking up to $20 million in its Pre-Series B round. The Swedish-Kenyan firm, already backed by over $30 million in prior funding, aims to expand electric mobility solutions across Africa Capital News HapaKenya TechCabal.
In summary: Africa’s economic and political landscape remains dynamic—Kenya grapples with fiscal austerity, South Africa’s telecoms and mining sectors show resilience, Guinea advances renewable energy, Mali faces worsening insurgency, DR Congo battles hunger amid conflict, and Kenya’s EV sector seeks fresh capital.
