Author: Giza Mdoe

Digital development is attracting new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Africa. This as overall FDI into Africa is on the decline according to data from UNCTAD. African governments bet on digital infrastructure to attract FDI. Africa’s digital frontier is attracting new foreign investment even though overall Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has taken a dip. Digital start ups, especially mobile money ventures are the leading private sector investment while governments shoulder larger ventures like deployment of space technologies. Notably, while Foreign Direct Investment has declined, but not so in digital infrastructure and fintech startups segments, the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) notes…

Zanzibar legislators project 7.5% economic growth.  President Mwinyi advocates private sector participation. Zanzibar recent talks with Brazil, US expected to bare fruits. Zanzibar has set it’s economic growth target for the financial year 2026/27 on tourism expansion, Finance and Planning Minister Dr. Juma Malik Akili has said. The island projects new arrivals to increase by 9.3 percent and to surpassing one million visitors. According to the minister, the spice islands expect overall stronger economic growth in 2026 based on the positive performance reported in the just ended financial year 2025/26. Speaking to press at the start of the week, Dr. Akili commended…

UAE has cemented its spot as the main refining, and export terminal for DRC gold. Statistics show that while Rwanda gold exports skyrocket, DRC South Kivu, a mineral rich zone is fast going dark.  To counter illicit mineral export flows, DRC has launched domestic refining. The freewheeling city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is allegedly the main trade terminal for ‘dirty gold and blood diamonds’ extracted from the jungles of the mineral rich Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). “DRC mined gold and diamonds (mined in rebel controlled areas) are flowing through UAE trading networks, with Russia’s Africa…

Tanzania has just passed mining tax exemption law binding the country to reinvest 10% of mining revenue to exploration even as authorities seek to attract new investors. Tanzania has passed mining Tax Exemption laws effectively mandating authorities in the East African country to allocate 10% of all mining revenue for new exploration through the Mineral Research Fund. This legislation is however giving rise to question whether the move will develop the sector or it only serves to give international companies leeway into the country’s mining sector and enrich a few government leaders. Analysts content that the 10% reinvestment law specifically…

South Africa-based Standard Bank has been authorized to operate new RMB clearing bank. Initiative is part of Beijing’s strategy to enhance trade between Africa and China. Analysts say new RMB clearing bank is not a de-dollarisation move. The People’s Bank of China has authorised Standard Bank and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to operate jointly as the “Renminbi Clearing Bank of Africa.” For now, the authorization covers 19 countries and it is the very first time that African businesses and financial institutions get direct access to China’s capital markets without requiring the dollar as an intermediary. The move makes…

Singapore’s President tells Dar es Salaam that raw mineral wealth must be leveraged to build technological capacity, not shipped raw during his historic visit to the EA country. Up to 15 Singaporean firms strike deals across Tanzania as business leaders pledged to turn “good political relations into real commercial outcomes.” Zanzibar’s deep-water port ambition and Singapore’s logistics expertise likely to find common ground following visit. Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam made history this week as the first Singaporean Head of State to visit Tanzania, a three-day diplomatic mission that reopened the aperture on Southeast Asia-East Africa economic relations and set the…

Maersk to increase shipping costs for China to EAC ports amid global turmoil.  Increased shipping charges will spark inflation across the region.  Development projects may stall as contractors re-evaluate project costs. Global shipping titan Maersk has announced a significant increase in container costs for cargo moving from China and Hong Kong to East African ports, rising wide spread trader panic across the region. Short of giving a reason why, the carrier has announced that as of June 15, cargo bound for Dar es Salaam will face higher charges. Surcharge for a 20-foot container has been increased from $750 to $1,000.…

Kenya becomes the first African nation to obtain an EU data adequacy pact under a €102m EU–Kenya Digital Partnership, expected to boost digital trade, investment and tech sector jobs. A Kenya–Benelux Chamber of Commerce will connect European investors to Kenyan markets, alongside support for regional transport infrastructure linking Mombasa to the DRC. President Ruto urged European manufacturers to shift from raw material extraction to local value addition, arguing Africa must be seen as central to solving global food, energy and demographic challenges. Kenya and Belgium have agreed on a host of major economic bilateral pacts including a Data Adequacy pact,…

Ghana offers free seedlings nationwide to shore up tree planting in the latest push to tackle climate chnage. Ghana reports $260 million earned in 2025 from forestry. UNEP commends climate financing commitments, calls for decisive action. Ghana has introduced a free seedlings disbursement initiative across the country in a renewed drive to curb deforestation and restore affected areas, offering a blueprint that could be rolled out in the rest of the continent. Forestry and forest products offer huge green investment opportunities for Africa but also threaten energy transition ambitions, and finding the balance is a tough call for policymakers. According…

Global actors race to fund Africa’s digital connectivity as the new investment frontier.  Blue-Raman undersea cable to lower internet prices across EAC. Improved connectivity bridges Africa’s to next phase of development. The European Union has committed $42.8 million to extend Google’s Blue-Raman undersea cable into East Africa, Kenya’s President William Ruto has announced. Speaking following talks with European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen in Brussels, Kenya’s President William Ruto said the extension of Google’s Blue-Raman the cable will improve internet connectivity, reduce bandwidth costs and strengthen the EAC  digital economy. Ruto said the cable extension will connect Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia…