Thursday, June 19

Investing

Zanzibar blue economy lauded at UN conference in Nice, France. Photo/France24
  • As the world intensifies its search for sustainable solutions to global hunger and ecological fragility, Tanzania’s blue economy vision could offer a model for how ocean resources can be leveraged for both prosperity and resilience.
  • The focus on aquatic foods at the UN Ocean Conference not only repositions Tanzania on the global sustainability map but also signals a shift in how developing nations can harness marine ecosystems for inclusive economic recovery. 

The push to boost blue economy has seen Tanzania prioritize aquatic foods as a key solution to ending hunger at the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France. In its presentation during a panel discusssion titled “Promoting the Role of Sustainable Food from the Ocean for Poverty Eradication and Food Security,” Tanzania, represented by the Minister for Blue Economy and Fisheries of Zanzibar, Shaaban Ali Othman, made a case for positioning aquatic foods as the engine for economic …

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Africa's hospitality industry
  • 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, …

US investors U.S Investors Angola
  • US investors are now eyeing new frontiers—ranging from gas monetization and mineral development to solar and green hydrogen investments in Angola.
  • Luanda has unveiled over $60 billion in oil and gas investment prospects through its National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency.
  • These investments span exploration, development, gas processing, refining and midstream infrastructure.

Angola is charting a bold new course in its energy diplomacy—one that could redefine its economic trajectory and deepen its global alliances. Recently, Angola’s Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, Diamantino Azevedo, and U.S. Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, reaffirmed their nations’ shared vision for a dynamic, future-focused energy partnership at a meeting in Washington, D.C.

Flanked by Angola’s Ambassador to the U.S., Agostinho Van-Dúnem, the talks signaled a strategic pivot from traditional oil and gas cooperation toward a broader agenda encompassing critical minerals and renewable energy.

With American companies already entrenched in Angola’s offshore energy investment, …

creative industry film industry
  • The boost to creative industry is part of the Afreximbank’s Creative Africa Nexus Programme (CANEX), which seeks to enhance growth and impact of the entertainment sector in the continent.
  • Funding will be critical in promoting the production and distribution of high-quality films and TV series around the world, furthering Africa’s cultural appeal and influence.
  • It will also help catalyse attracting and directing global capital into Africa’s film and TV production industry.

The push to develop the nascent creative industry in Africa has received a timely boost with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) unveiling a $1 billion fund to position the growing segment in the global arena.

In an update, the Afreximbank has unveiled Africa Film Fund, an initiative that is part of the lender’s Creative Africa Nexus Programme (CANEX), which seeks to enhance growth and impact of the creative industry across the continent.

“Film is a cornerstone of the Creative …

food security Africa
  • The strategy focuses on transforming food security systems in a holistic way—from soil to shelf—targeting the most vulnerable countries.
  • AU Plan envisages turning agriculture into a catalyst for prosperity, sustainability, and resilience across the continent.
  • Blueprint is supported by the newly signed Kampala Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), which is a goal under African Union Agenda 2063 plan.

In yet another push to realize food security for the continent’s 1.4 billion population, the African Union (AU) has officially launched the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) Strategy and Action Plan 2026–2035, committing to a set of goals to boost food production.

This ambitious blueprint, which was unveiled during a high-level conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, seeks to mobilize up to $100 billion in investments, positioning agriculture not just as a tool for food security, but as a catalyst for prosperity, sustainability, and resilience across Africa.

Backed by …

Why Africa waits while Asia Builds
  • In a stinging critique, Doanh Chau, President of Vietnam Gas says Kenya and Africa is not short on talent or resources—it is suffering from a chronic failure in leadership, vision, and execution.
  • He says Kenya and Africa’s woes stem from unreliable electricity to misplaced infrastructure priorities and a governance culture geared more toward optics than results.
  • Doanh Chau: “Leaders talk big, but systems don’t move,”. For Chau, African leaders should stop performing for the next donor visit or global conference and start building strong institutions that work for their people.

A hard look at Kenya, and Africa by extension

In a sharply worded critique following high-level meetings in China, Doanh Chau, President of Vietnam Gas, offers an unflinching examination of Kenya’s leadership and, by extension, the broader challenges facing Africa. His central point? Africa is not short on talent or resources—it is suffering from a chronic failure in leadership, …

Luxury hospitality industry in Kenya
  • Kenya’s hospitality industry stands at an inflection point. It has the wind in its sails—growing demand, strategic geography, and rising investor confidence.
  • However, headwinds persist: policy inefficiencies, infrastructure gaps, visa challenges, and market saturation in some urban segments pose a big threat.
  • Still, with a coordinated effort between the public and private sectors, Kenya is poised to redefine luxury travel in Africa.

Kenya’s luxury hospitality industry is undergoing a remarkable transformation. Buoyed by a 35 per cent surge in international visitor arrivals, an expanding middle class, and a stable macroeconomic environment, the East African country is fast emerging as a magnet for premium travel experiences.

According to hospitality industry experts, this is no coincidence. Kenya’s unique offering—a compelling mix of untamed natural beauty, iconic wildlife safaris, a robust airline hub, and pro-investment policies—is proving irresistible to both travellers and investors.

As global tourism rebounds post the COVID-19 pandemic, Kenya’s hospitality …

Focus Africa 2025 Forum
  • FOCUS Africa 2025 forum in Cairo aims at showcasing bankable projects capable of attracting capital.
  • With a market of 1.4 billion people and a combined GDP of over $3.1 trillion, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)—presents huge opportunities.
  • Afreximbank chief notes that globalisation, as we know it, is under life support.

Policymakers on trade across Africa have met in Cairo, Egypt, for the FOCUS Africa 2025 conference, in yet another push by the continent to enhance trade between countries.

The two-day meeting, 15-16 April, 2025, has seen leaders from various economies exchange views on how to address several investment challenges while unlocking high-impact trade opportunities in the continent.

Some of the key focus areas in the meeting organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation (MoPEDIC) of Egypt and the Group of African Ambassadors in …

Coca-Cola
  • Coca-Cola’s new production line uses artificial intelligence (AI) to proactively identify and resolve issues before they cause stoppages.
  • New plant has the capacity of producing 19,200 bottles per hour in pack sizes ranging from 300ml to two litres.
  • This increase in production will facilitate the export of beverages to neighbouring markets including landlocked Zambia.

Coca-Cola is set to enhance its Soft drinks production capacity in Malawi with the investment of a new $14.9 million bottling plant. In the company’s market update, the new investment seeks to set up a state-of-the-art production line in the Southern African country’s capital Lilongwe.

According to Coca-Cola Beverages Africa Proprietary Limited (CCBA) CEO Sunil Gupta, “This investment in Malawi reaffirms the Coca-Cola system’s local approach, we produce locally, distribute locally and, where possible, source locally. Our value chain includes a significant number of businesses, many of them small and medium enterprises (SMEs).”

“This investment goes …