Author: The Exchange

• Afreximbank posts strong net earnings of $215 million, a 21% increase year-on-year from $178 million in the prior period.
• Net interest income increased by 4.53% to $411.2 million compared to Q1 2024, attributable to growth in interest earning assets.
• Fee income from guarantees and letters of credit growth by 47% and 36% respectively during the quarter.

The African Export-Import Bank, widely referred as Afreximbank has reported a 21 per cent increase in its net earnings to $215 million for the first three months of 2025. According to an update on May 22, the lender said its performance for the period ended March 31, 2025, met expectations with solid profitability, strengthened liquidity and a resilient capital base.

“Our Q1 2025 results, which were in line with expectations, reflected a strong and resilient financial performance, notwithstanding continued macroeconomic challenges. With solid profitability growth, a strengthened liquidity position, and a well-capitalised balance sheet, …

• Among the hardest hit countries by US tariffs are Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Botswana, Angola, Algeria, and South Africa.
• Across Africa, at least 22 nations are facing up to a whopping 50 per cent US tariffs for almost all their products.
• AfDB boss warns 47 out of Africa’s 54 nations stand to suffer direct blows from US tariffs, potentially shrinking export earnings and draining vital forex.

As the clang of new US tariffs reverberates across global markets, Africa finds itself bracing for a storm not of its own making. In an era where trade walls are rising instead of falling, African economies—many still finding their footing in a post-pandemic world—may soon feel the weight of protectionist policies emanating from Washington.

Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, African Development Bank (AfDB) President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina painted a sobering picture: 47 out of Africa’s 54 nations stand to suffer direct blows from the …

• Kenya’s tea exports fell sharply by 20 per cent to 157,514 tonnes in the first quarter of 2025 owing to a prolonged dry spell in growing areas.
• Statistics show that between January and March, Kenya earned $356M from tea exports—down from $446M.
• Kenya’s tea has always found a steady market in Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Russia, Sudan and Chad.

Kenya’s tea sector, long a pillar of the country’s export economy, is feeling the sting of unpredictable weather patterns. According to the latest data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), revenue from Kenya’s tea exports fell sharply by 20 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, a downturn attributed to lower shipment volumes following a prolonged dry spell in tea growing areas.

Between January and March, Kenya earned KES46.07 billion (about $356 million) from tea exports—down from $446 million recorded during the same period in the …

• Live metrics show X (formerly Twitter) has become unreachable on major internet providers in #Tanzania.
• Blackout came shortly after claim that President Samia Suluhu Hassan had died—posted via a hacked account linked to the Tanzania Police Force (TANPOL).
• Earlier, President Suluhu warned activists from Kenya telling them not to “meddle” in her country’s affairs.

On May 20th, 2025, Tanzania’s digital sphere was abruptly silenced — again — for the second time in under 10 months, authorities in the East African country blocked access to X (formerly Twitter), as the ground heats up ahead of the general elections scheduled in October later this year.

According to global internet watchdog, NetBlocks, “Live metrics show X (formerly Twitter) has become unreachable on major internet providers in #Tanzania; the incident comes as a compromised police account posts claims the president has died, angering the country’s leadership.”

The claim that President Samia Hassan had died …

• Burkina-Ghana border post suffers from poor management, weak agency coordination, and widespread non-compliance.
• Burkina Faso’s exit from ECOWAS continues to negatively impact future trade policies, border protocols, and regional cooperation. 
• For decades, Burkina Faso has depended good relations with Ghana to access the sea, so it can ship its minerals and cotton to overseas markets.

A new study has unveiled a number of reforms to rev up opportunities that cross-border investors eyeing Burkina-Ghana trade corridor can bank on to grow. For years, landlocked Burkina Faso has depended establishing good relations with Ghana in order to access the sea, so it can ship its minerals and cotton to overseas markets.

However, red tape has always hampered the movement of goods, and labour along the border. The situation worsened even further with the start of insurgency in Burkina Fase about a decade ago. Ever since, traders – especially women – have to …

• WHO Africa region office will be led by Tanzanian Professor Janabi if the 157th session of the WHO Executive Board, which takes place from 28 to 29 May 2025 in Geneva, endorses his nomination.
• Other candidates seeking the post were Dr N’da Konan Michel Yao (proposed by Cote d’Ivoire), Dr Mohamed Lamine Dramé (proposed by Guinea), and Professor Moustafa Mijiyawa (proposed by Togo).’
• “Professor Janabi will take the reins at an unprecedented time for the African Region, and WHO as a whole,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

WHO Africa region office is set to have a new head with the nomination of Tanzanian Professor Mohamed Yakub Janabi, who is poised to take over the post following the death of Regional Director-elect, Dr Faustine Ndugulile in November last year.

Prof Janabi was elected at a Special Session by Member States of the WHO African Region convened in Geneva. Other …

• Mattei Plan seeks to mobilize investments to tackle hunger, scale up agricultural output, and reduce the drivers of forced migration by investing in climate-aligned infrastructure.
• Central to Mattei Plan is the $170 billion Rome Process/Mattei Plan Financing Facility (RPFF), a multi-donor special fund designed to support infrastructure projects aligned with climate goals.
• The deal also seeks to inject up to €400 million into private equity funds over the next five years.

Italy is increasingly positioning itself as an important player in Africa’s development journey with the rollout of the Mattei Plan—a bold initiative aimed at catalyzing economic transformation across the continent.

Named after Enrico Mattei, the visionary founder of Italy’s national oil company ENI who championed equitable North-South cooperation, the Mattei Plan represents a reimagined partnership model that prioritizes shared prosperity, sustainable development, and strategic collaboration.

At the heart of this initiative is the African Development Bank (AfDB), which Italy …

• In Paris forum, energy chiefs seek an “integrated development of energy systems” on Africa’s resource wealth that balances affordability, sustainability and sovereignty.
• This push comes even as consensus grows that Africa’s energy mix must be as diverse as its development challenges.
• Captains of industry note that governments must move faster, cut through bureaucracy, and treat natural gas not as a waiting game, but as the bridge to affordable, inclusive, and sustainable energy systems.

The question of how to better harness Africa’s resource sustainably has seen industry chiefs from the continent suggest plans that could help different needs at the speed of need. “We don’t have the luxury of time,” declared Energean CEO Mathios Rigas, throwing down a gauntlet to African leaders, investors, and energy players at the closing session of the Invest in African Energy Forum.

Rigas wasn’t merely issuing a plea; he was unveiling a blueprint. A proven model …

• The success of Africa’s LNG sector hinges on strategic infrastructure development, inclusive local participation, and access to capital.
• In a Paris forum, captains of industry agree that building infrastructure for domestic gas use must come first.
• Beyond capital and infrastructure, the long-term viability of Africa’s LNG sector rests on developing local talent and operational capacity.

At the Invest in African Energy (IAE) Forum held in Paris, global energy leaders noted that Africa’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector hinges on strategic infrastructure development, inclusive local participation, and access to risk-tolerant capital. With global demand for natural gas on the rise, African nations are being called upon to unlock their gas potential by overcoming key structural and economic challenges.

Mobilizing investment to monetize Africa’s LNG sector

In a panel discussion focused on monetizing African gas—sponsored by energy firm Perenco—industry voices cited the need for robust financing mechanisms to bridge …

• Many of Kenyan women working in Saudi Arabia said their employers call them highly derogatory and racist names, including “hayawana” (animal), “khaddama” (servant) and “sharmouta” (prostitute).
• Kenyan woman: “Because of my dark complexion, I was always called a Black animal. The children would also come to my face to point and laugh, saying how I am a monkey.”
• Amnesty International details instances where women were sexually assaulted, and in some cases raped, by their male Saudi employers.

Kenyan women hired as domestic workers in Saudi Arabia endure grueling, abusive and discriminatory working conditions, which often amount to forced labour and human trafficking, Amnesty International said in a new report. The report highlights how employers subjected the women to extreme exploitation in private homes, often fueled by racism, and how domestic workers continue to be excluded from Saudi Arabia’s labor law and other limited reforms.

Locked in, left out: the hidden …