Business and Finance

A new scramble for Africa is underway — not with warships or colonial flags, but with battery supply chains, green-transition targets and high-level trade delegations. Governments and corporations are hunting lithium, cobalt, graphite, manganese, platinum-group metals and rare earth elements that power electric vehicles, wind turbines and digital infrastructure. The race promises opportunity for African states; it also risks renewing old patterns of extraction without local benefit or environmental safeguards. The global…

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah's two sons have rejected as "a blatant lie" allegations by Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) leader Panduleni Itula that they are involved in Namibia's oil industry, issuing a forceful denial on Friday and accusing the opposition of politically motivated smears. Itula earlier linked Ndeli and Nande Ndaitwah — identified by the IPC as members of the country's first family — to the petroleum sector through their private business interests. The opposition leader said the family was…

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s two sons have rejected as “blatant lies” an accusation by Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) leader Panduleni Itula that they are involved in the oil industry, saying the claims are politically motivated and threaten their safety and rights. Itula, whose party has positioned itself as a vocal critic of the ruling establishment, publicly linked Ndeli and Nande Ndaitwah to the petroleum sector through their private business interests. He said Ndeli’s company, Vaneli Foods, which was once…

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana warned in his 2026 Budget speech that poorly run municipalities face the prospect of having national funds reduced if they fail to "clean up their act," signalling a shift by the national government from "oversight" to "active structural intervention" to stabilise local government finances. Godongwana told Parliament the move is aimed at improving the financial health of municipalities, many of which have long struggled with rising debt, weak revenue collection, and uneven service delivery.…

Malawi has struck a landmark mineral marketing agreement with U.S.-based Traxys North America to sell graphite from the Kasiya rutile-graphite project in Lilongwe, officials said Friday, a deal that both countries view as strategically significant amid growing global demand for critical minerals. Malawian authorities hailed the arrangement as a potential boost to the country’s export earnings and industrial profile. The U.S. government classifies both rutile and graphite as essential minerals, and they are widely sought for…

Tragedy Strikes in Plateau State: Carbon Monoxide Leak Claims Lives of Miners At least 33 miners have been reported dead in Plateau State following a suspected carbon monoxide leak at a lead and zinc mine operated by Solid Unity Nigeria Ltd. The incident has raised serious questions about safety protocols within Nigeria's mining industry. The toxic gas is believed to have accumulated in poorly ventilated tunnels, leading to a catastrophic collapse of workers who were near the end of their night shift. More than 20…

IMF Conditions Leave President Chapo Facing Political Costs and Economic Uncertainty President Daniel Chapo's bid to secure a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan — a linchpin he hoped would catalyze foreign investment and stabilise the country's ailing economy — has stalled after the IMF board set strict preconditions. The fund has demanded major fiscal reforms and a devaluation of the local currency as prerequisites for any agreement, a package that analysts say will be politically fraught for Chapo's ruling Frelimo…

Ghana to Evacuate Traders After Deadly Attack in Burkina Faso The Ghanaian government has announced urgent plans to evacuate traders injured in a recent attack in northern Burkina Faso. The victims were part of a group of 18 Ghanaians who had crossed into the Sahelian state for routine business, marking a grim escalation in violence affecting the region. "They were ambushed in a village while transacting business. Armed insurgents and terrorist groups attacked them, and unfortunately, we lost a number of our compatriots,"…

Members of parliament are pressing for a formal review of the benefits granted to former presidents after media reports said founding president Sam Nujoma had amassed assets worth more than N$100 million, including a state-funded mansion. The controversy has reopened questions about the scope and oversight of the 2004 Former Presidents' Pension and Other Benefits Act and about the line between public support and private enrichment. The 2004 law guarantees former heads of state a pension and a suite of state-funded…

Ghana to Propose UN Resolution Declaring Slave Trade as Crime Against Humanity President John Mahama has announced that Ghana will submit a resolution to the United Nations General Assembly designating the African slave trade as "the most serious crime against humanity." This bold move comes at a pivotal time, as discussions surrounding historical injustices and reparations gain momentum on the international stage. Speaking at the conclusion of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Mahama emphasized that the UN…