Author: James Wambua

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…

In Congo Basin, a new paradigm of sustainable forest management is taking shape—one that reconciles conservation imperatives with economic development through certification, community engagement, and ecotourism. While sustainable forestry lays the foundation, it is ecotourism that breathes economic life into the conservation agenda. By blending certified forestry, conservation, education, Indigenous empowerment, and ecotourism, a new model is offering a holistic strategy for managing forest landscapes sustainably. Deep in the heart of Central Africa lies the Congo Basin—a sprawling, lush expanse of rainforest often referred to as the planet’s second lung after the Amazon. In the Republic of Congo, this natural…

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…

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…

Kenya and the UK are equipping officials with policy tools aimed at improving regulatory environment to attract investment and growth. UK businesses have cited challenging operating environment as the main barrier to business operations in Kenya, along with power outages and high electricity costs. Increased efficiencies in this space would also be boost intra-African trade though increased compliance with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). A new push, Kenya-UK partnership, is paving the way for a stronger export trade framework through a specialized workshop aimed at equipping Kenyan officials with the skills to refine business regulations. As East Africa’s…

An alliance of two UK institutions—the Ghana International Bank and the British International Investment (BII)—is tailored to address trade finance needs in key African markets. The two institutions have committed $50 million in trade finance facilitation targeting industry stakeholders in Rwanda, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Benin, the DRC. The financing plan seeks to plug banking industry gaps that continue to perpetuate general lack of credit appetite for frontier markets in Africa. A UK-based African financial institution, the Ghana International Bank has entered into a $50 million trade finance agreement with British International Investment (BII) to fund organisations in…

Part of Afreximbank’s funding will go to Dongo Kundu Industrial Park within the Mombasa Special Economic Zone. Another chunk will finance the construction of Naivasha II SEZ that includes a free trade zone, an industrial park, a logistics zone and a public utility area. The Naivasha II project will also derive value from its strategic position as it sits on the gateway to East and Central Africa through the Northern Corridor Transport System that serves Uganda, South Sudan, DRC among other countries. The Afreximbank has entered into a financing agreement with Kenya to finance the development of industrial parks, special…

AIM Investment Awards & AI World Championship now set for March 7, 2025. Future Cities Awards & Global Manufacturing Awards to go on March 9, 2025. Future Finance Awards will be held on March 14, 2025 while Startup Pitch Competition are set for March 20, 2025. The AIM Congress has officially extended the application deadline for its 2025 Congress Awards, attributable to increasing responses from potential applicants across various categories globally. The decision underscores the growing prestige of the awards and the increasing number of cutting edge entries from individuals and organizations worldwide. In an update, AIM Congress said the…

Through various AfDB financing programmes across Africa, a total of 61M people have gained access to clean water since 2015. Another 33M people have benefited from improved sanitation while 46M Africans have gained access to ICT services, even as 25M people gained access to electricity. Next up for AfDB is the push to connect 300M Africans to electricity by 2030, and measure Africa’s vast green wealth as part of the continent’s GDP. The African Development Bank (AfDB) positively impacted over 515 million lives over the past 10 years, the lender’s President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has revealed. While addressing Heads of…

The AfDB projects real GDP growth to accelerate to 4.1 percent in 2025 and 4.4 percent in 2026. However, Africa’s growth remains below the 7 percent threshold required for substantial poverty reduction. The continent also continues to grapple with geopolitical tensions, structural weaknesses, climate-related disasters, and prolonged conflicts in regions such as the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. Africa’s economy is picking up, showing signs of improvement but remains vulnerable to persistent threats that could derail economic gains in the next 12 months. According to the 2025 Macroeconomic Performance and Outlook (MEO) by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the…