Author: James Wambua

• Sustainable minigrids industry players are set to strengthen collaboration under a new pact aimed at fast-tracking the rollout of sustainable energy systems across Africa.
• Plan will see UNDP and the Africa Minigrid Developers Association (AMDA) enhance rollout of the Africa Minigrid Program (AMP), a $50M technical assistance programme that seeks to tackle energy poverty.
• Under the deal, players will benefit from technical support, capacity building, data and digital innovation, policy advocacy, and resource mobilization.

Across Africa, the deployment of solar minigrids has been instrumental in providing electricity to millions of people, especially those in rural areas and far away from the main power grids. However, the capacity of the minigrids industry as well as resources to increase coverage at scale remains a big challenge in many economies.

A new agreement backed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Africa Minigrid Developers Association (AMDA) seeks to tackle this challenge …

• Marriott unveils plans to add more than 50 hotels and 9,000 rooms by the end of 2027. 
• Hilton seeks to triple its African portfolio to more than 160 hotels, opening over 100 new hotels in the coming years and creating approximately 18,000 jobs.
• Job creation, tourism, and the quest for regional connectivity fueling investments.

At the recent Future Hospitality Summit Africa in Cape Town, two of the world’s largest hotel chains—Marriott International and Hilton Worldwide— have unveiled bold, transformative plans to expand across Africa’s rapidly evolving hospitality industry.

With combined targets of over 150 new properties and more than 27,000 rooms across multiple African countries by 2027, the announcements signal not only a rising tide of foreign investment in African tourism but also a growing confidence in the continent’s economic resurgence, travel demand, and urbanization.

This strategic pivot positions Africa as the next frontier in global tourism and luxury accommodation, …

• Eswatini is turning the new challenge into a trade opportunity by capacitating local firms to cultivate fresh export pathways to the 27-member EU bloc.
• Backed by ITC, new approach is tailored to address key constraints to competitiveness by supporting trade policy, market access, and institutional capacity.
• Eswatini’s exports to the EU hit $106.4 million in 2024 comprising mainly farm produce shipped under the SADC-EU Economic Partnership Agreement.

With increasing uncertainty across Africa due to roiling negative impact of US tariffs, economies are scouting for new export routes at the speed of need. For Eswatini, a country that US President Donald Trump slapped with 10 per cent tariffs on exports to the world’s biggest economy, the European Union (EU) appears to be an attractive alternative in an increasingly competitive market.

In a statement released by the International Trade Centre (ITC), Eswatini is turning the new challenge into a trade opportunity by …

• Africa’s digital trade economy remains hampered by infrastructure bottlenecks, fragmented logistics, and procurement inefficiencies despite its huge potential.
• Experts say to tap its potential, there is need to shift from scattered digital projects to comprehensive ecosystems that support the full trade cycle.
• One of the tools that look promising is Matta, a transformative platform aimed at enabling sustainable industrial economies across the continent.

A quiet shift is reshaping Africa’s digital trade economy; an ecosystem which analysts project is valued up to $180 billion. Fueled by the power of digital platforms and backed by continental policy frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the continent is on the cusp of unlocking a projected $180 billion digital economy this year.

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), global trade reached an unprecedented $33 trillion in 2024. Within this surge, developing …

• African children in poor remote zones continue to die from measles, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, and whooping cough vaccination due to poor infrastructure.
• Additionally, poor funding structures, wars and insecurity, and low literacy levels on the benefits of vaccines continue to hurt efforts to eliminate these diseases.
• Latest data shows only 16 countries in Africa reported over 90% coverage of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, and measles.

Over 500,000 African children continue to lose their lives diseases that have virtually been eradicated in other parts of the world through vaccination programmes. Recent data from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) shows that measles, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, and whooping cough claims the lives of half a million people across the continent because economies still grapple with poor infrastructure, making it near impossible to reach far flung communities.

Additionally, poor funding structures, wars and insecurity, coupled with low literacy levels …

• In DRC, millions of people remain at risk of anthrax outbreak, a disease that demands the hospitalization of infected patients for better outcomes.
• One case of fatality, 16 suspected cases reported as healthcare infrastructure and transportation remains in dire need.
• WHO notes that anthrax has three forms in humans, all needing prompt medical attention.

The delicate security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could get worse following reports of anthrax outbreak, which threaten to further burden humanitarian response efforts in the war zone.

With insecurity fears escalating, millions of people remain at risk of anthrax outbreak, a disease that demands the hospitalization of infected patients for better outcomes in an area where healthcare infrastructure and transportation is in dire need.

With one reported loss of live, the zone now stares at the risk of plunging into limited humanitarian response even as anthrax outbreak threatens to further cripple …

• IMF urges countries to broaden the tax base, increase tax rates where applicable, reduce arbitrary exemptions.
• Lender seeks a predictable and progressive tax code, coupled with corporate income and property tax collection.
• IMF says strengthened tax collection capacity, integrity and accountability, including through digitalization, can yield significant revenues for countries.

A weakening demand across the world markets, lower prices of key commodities and tight financial markets are set to deal a body blow to economic growth in Africa in 2025. Faced with this uncertainty, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is proposing a number of measures for policymakers including increasing taxes, labour reforms, and changes in the running of State-Owned Enterprises.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) latest projections, Sub Saharan Africa’s growth is set to ease to 3.8 per cent this year before posting 4.2 per cent expansion next year. This reflects a downward revision of 0.4 percentage point …

• Angola’s $5M boost is a turning point in Africa CDC’s continued push to rally political leadership, domestic financing, and unified continental action around the New Public Health Order and the Lusaka Agenda.
• Angola’s initiative comes in the wake of 70% decrease in foreign financing of health programmes in Africa amid declining flow of development assistance from the US.
• For decades, USAID has been a primary source of financing for various health programmes in African economies, but the funding freeze and potential cuts announced this early this year continue to threaten key systems
• Angolan President João Lourenço made the $5 million funding announcement after a meeting with Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC.

Oil-rich Angola has pledged to pay Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) a total of $5 million as part of championing homegrown health financing plan by economies across the continent.

The move, which …

• The trio’s capital boost represent 44% of the minimum funds required from oil producing countries in Africa.
• Africa Energy Bank seeks to fund oil and gas projects across economies in Africa, plugging gaps that exists through the continent’s overreliance on financiers from the West.
• Quite often, financiers from the west are reluctance to pump billions in fossil fuel projects in Africa citing environmental concerns.

The push to better finance capital intensive projects in Africa has received a boost after Nigeria, Angola and Ghana contributed their capital shares to the Africa Energy Bank. In an update on Wednesday, the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO) said the trio’s contributions represent 44 per cent of the minimum capital that is required from oil producing countries in the continent.

According to APPO Secretary General Dr. Omar Farouk, the Africa Energy Bank seeks to fund oil and gas projects across economies in Africa, helping to …

• Russia’s leading energy giants including Gazprom and Rosatom are rapidly expanding their influence across the continent.
• The African Energy industry is experiencing industry engagements—spanning oil, gas, and nuclear sectors powered by Russian firms.
• But beneath the surface of these high-profile deals lies a complex web of opportunities and challenges that will define Africa’s energy future.

The business case presented by African energy is increasingly attracting moneyed suitors. This billion-dollar opportunity has placed the continent at a pivotal moment in its energy evolution. As global powers jostle for influence, Russia is increasingly emerging as a key player, pivoting on its energy expertise to forge strategic partnerships across the continent.

According to the African Energy Chamber (AEC) Russia’s engagements—spanning oil, gas, and nuclear sectors—are reshaping the African energy industry. But beneath the surface of these high-profile deals lies a complex web of opportunities and challenges that will define Africa’s energy future.

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