Standard Bank Group, Africa’s largest banking group by assets, is considering taking a stake in Nigerian fintech OPay ahead of the payments company’s potential public listing, according to a report by Business Insider Africa. The potential investment would mark a significant convergence between Africa’s traditional banking sector and one of its most prominent digital financial platforms, as established financial institutions increasingly seek strategic exposure to fintech growth. OPay Emerges as Strategic Asset for Traditional Banks OPay has evolved from its early origins as a ride-hailing platform into a major digital payments and financial-services business, with Nigeria remaining its largest market.…
Author: David UC Grant
The disruption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is exposing a vulnerability that extends beyond the Middle East: Africa possesses some of the world’s most important energy and mineral resources and sits astride critical maritime corridors, yet remains heavily dependent on external powers for the security, infrastructure and systems that govern those routes. As global trade adapts to a more fragmented maritime environment, Africa has an opportunity to move from being primarily a supplier of commodities and a transit geography to becoming an active participant in the governance, financing and development of the corridors that increasingly underpin global economic…
Nigeria is considering changes to its domestic crude supply and pricing framework aimed at improving access to feedstock for local refineries, including the 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote Refinery, as the government seeks to strengthen domestic refining and reduce reliance on imported petroleum products. The proposed reforms could also improve commercial links between crude producers and a growing network of Nigerian refiners. Reforms Target Cost and Logistics Bottlenecks The proposed changes are being considered as part of a regulator-led review of Nigeria’s domestic crude supply obligation, which requires producers to make crude available to domestic refiners before exporting. The Crude Oil Refinery-owners Association…
Near-record food inventories, advances in agricultural technology and the emergence of major export powers such as Brazil and Russia are giving the global food system a stronger buffer against the potential impact of a powerful El Niño, even as drought, fertiliser shortages and geopolitical disruptions continue to threaten production. The resilience marks a significant change from previous severe El Niño episodes, particularly those of 1997–98 and 2015–16, when weather-related crop losses contributed to food shortages, higher prices and economic pressure across major producing and importing regions. Higher Productivity Has Strengthened the Global Food Buffer Global agricultural production has outpaced consumption…
Kampala, Uganda – The Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) will host its third High-Level Roundtable Event on Critical Minerals Development in Africa on September 21, 2026, in Manhattan, New York. Held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly under the theme: “From Resources to Wealth: Continental Cooperation for Mineral Value Addition” this high-level event will be Chaired by His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria reflecting Nigeria’s chairmanship of the AMSG. Once again, the gathering will convene African Heads of State, ministerial representatives, multilateral institutions, and global private sector executives. As the global economy…
Africa has the potential to mobilise an additional US$469 billion in tax revenue annually without increasing tax rates, according to the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Chief Economist and Vice President, Prof. Kevin Chika Urama, who argues that strengthening the social contract between governments and citizens is the continent’s most significant untapped fiscal opportunity. The remarks, made during an AFNIS Executive Dialogue, reposition domestic resource mobilisation as a governance and public service challenge rather than a taxation issue, offering a compelling roadmap for financing Africa’s infrastructure, industrialisation and development priorities. Improving Governance Rather Than Raising Taxes Prof. Urama challenged the conventional…
Africa’s mineral wealth has never been in doubt. From lithium and cobalt to copper, graphite, manganese, rare earths, gold, and tin, the continent sits atop some of the world’s most strategically important resources. These minerals will power the global energy transition, support advanced manufacturing, underpin digital infrastructure, and shape the geopolitics of the twenty-first century. Yet, despite its extraordinary geological abundance, Africa continues to occupy the lowest rung of the global value chain. For Engr. Abubakar Sadiq Omar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Steron Mining, this outcome is neither inevitable nor sustainable. The challenge facing Africa is not…
Fitch Ratings, one of the world’s leading credit rating agencies, participated in the Africa Infrastructure & Energy Conference (AIEC) hosted by Financial Markets Indaba, with Christiane Kuti, Senior Director and Head of EMEA Energy Infrastructure Analysis, providing investors, governments and project sponsors with valuable insights into the role of independent credit analysis in mobilising long-term capital for infrastructure and energy projects across Africa. During the conference, Christiane Kuti outlined Fitch Ratings’ analytical approach to assessing infrastructure and project finance transactions, demonstrating how robust credit analysis enhances transparency, supports investor confidence and strengthens the bankability of projects seeking access to international debt…
Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA Holdings) presented its long-term investment strategy and infrastructure development programme at the Africa Infrastructure & Energy Conference (AIEC), hosted by Financial Markets Indaba. The presentation highlighted Zimbabwe’s evolving energy landscape, ongoing sector reforms and a diversified portfolio of bankable investment opportunities aimed at expanding generation capacity, strengthening transmission infrastructure and supporting the country’s long-term economic growth. Addressing international investors, development finance institutions, commercial banks and infrastructure developers, ZESA outlined the significant progress made within Zimbabwe’s electricity sector, including improvements in cost-reflective tariffs, strengthened revenue collection systems, smart metering, regional power market participation and implementation of the…
For decades, the conversation around Africa’s mineral wealth has been dominated by a familiar question: how can producing countries capture more value from the resources they extract? The answers have often centred on beneficiation, local processing, refining, and manufacturing. These priorities remain important. Across the continent, governments are increasingly seeking to move beyond the export of raw materials and toward more integrated participation in global value chains.Yet according to Mehdi Ali, Managing Partner of Woodcross Capital and Director of Woodcross Resources, the debate risks becoming too narrow if it focuses exclusively on processing capacity.In his view, the ultimate objective is…