Business and Finance

Namibia’s plan to revive a flag carrier revives familiar risks — and questions The government of Namibia has moved from intention to action in its plan to relaunch a national airline, confirming a new state-owned entity — Namibia Air Pty Limited — and the appointment of an interim board. Works and transport minister Veikko Nekundi says market analysis, traffic forecasting and a business model are under way, and that the carrier could be operational in the next financial year. Opposition parties have urged caution, warning…

G20 in Johannesburg: A test of multilateralism as Africa’s priorities meet fracturing diplomacy The historic 2025 G20 Summit in Johannesburg (November 22–23) arrives with symbolic weight — the first time the grouping meets on African soil — and with urgent expectations. Under South Africa’s presidency theme, “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability,” hosts have signalled a push to center issues that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries: debt sustainability, climate finance, and rising inequality. Yet the…

Aliko Dangote signs US$1 billion investment deal with Zimbabwe Aliko Dangote, widely regarded as Africa’s richest man, has signed a landmark US$1 billion investment agreement with the government of Zimbabwe, officials said, marking a significant vote of confidence in the country's economy under President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Deal scope and sectors According to the terms announced after a meeting between Dangote and President Mnangagwa, Dangote’s conglomerate will channel funds into cement manufacturing, power generation…

South Africa tightens its inflation anchor — a test of credibility for monetary and fiscal policy South Africa’s National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank have agreed on a new inflation objective: a 3% target with a one percentage point tolerance band. That shifts the nominal anchor to 3% (effectively a 2–4% acceptable range), and — according to reporting — is part of a fragile compromise between the Government of National Unity and the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement after three failed attempts to pass the…

Simandou Iron Ore Project: A New Era for Guinea In a significant development for West Africa's economic landscape, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Guinea's military leader, Mamadou Doumbouya, have officially inaugurated the Simandou Iron Ore Project in Conakry. This historic project, often heralded as one of the largest mineral development initiatives globally, promises not only to reshape Guinea's economy but also to significantly influence the international iron ore market. A Long-Awaited Vision Decades in the making,…

G20 in Johannesburg: A test of multilateralism as the Global South takes the stage The 2025 G20 summit in Johannesburg will be historic: the first time the grouping meets on African soil. Under South Africa’s presidency and the banner "Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability," Pretoria aims to pivot the world’s premier economic forum toward issues that disproportionately affect the Global South — debt distress, climate resilience, and stark global wealth gaps. But the summit opens under an unusual cloud. President Donald…

TotalEnergies’ $4.5 billion demand tests Mozambique’s post-conflict recovery When the French energy giant TotalEnergies pressed Mozambican authorities this month to cover U.S.$4.5 billion in “costs of closure” as a precondition for returning to its troubled northern operations, it handed a politically combustible problem to a country still wrestling with violence, displacement and fragile state finances. The demand — disclosed in a letter to the presidency and reported by Mozambican sources — bundles several company…

Remembering the Ogoni Nine: A Struggle for Justice in the Niger Delta The echoes of anguish from the Niger Delta reverberate once again as we mark the 30th anniversary of the execution of the Ogoni Nine. These nine gallant voices were silenced on November 10, 1995, after courageously leading protests against the environmental devastation wrought by oil giant Shell and the Nigerian government. As activists continue to demand justice, this anniversary serves as a poignant reminder of the ongoing battle for human rights and…

Healthcare Crisis Deepens in Nigeria Amid Ongoing Doctors' Strike As Nigeria grapples with a healthcare crisis, the ongoing strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has entered its tenth day, leaving countless patients stranded and desperate for care. Over 11,000 resident doctors are participating in this industrial action, which has effectively paralyzed medical services across the country. The line between life and death has become uncomfortably thin as hospitals reduce their operations due to the…

After years of silence, Mozambique’s gas dream restarts — but who will pick up the tab? When French energy major TotalEnergies announced it had lifted the force majeure on its liquefied natural gas project off Mozambique’s northern coast, the message was outwardly simple: long-dormant gas operations in the Rovuma Basin are ready to resume. The subtext, however, is far murkier. The four-and-a-half-year pause — driven by an insurgency that convulsed Cabo Delgado — has transformed what was a marquee energy project into a…