Africa’s largest initial public offering has demonstrated the continent’s capacity to mobilise domestic capital for industrial development; but also exposed the regulatory and market infrastructure barriers preventing African investors from participating seamlessly across borders. The $1.6 billion initial public offering (IPO) of Nigeria’s Dangote Petroleum Refinery was presented as an opportunity for investors across Africa to acquire a stake in one of the continent’s most significant industrial assets. Yet the offering’s registration as a public issue in Nigeria, rather than across multiple African markets, left prospective investors in other countries navigating separate regulatory requirements and limited subscription channels. The disconnect…
Author: Nne Bright Nwankwo
At the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Nigeria placed African representation, energy access, technology, development finance, regional integration and natural-resource value creation within a single argument: Africa’s future will depend not only on the resources it possesses, but on its capacity to shape the systems through which those resources become economic and strategic power. At the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Nigeria presented a proposition that extends beyond the traditional language of diplomacy. Delivered by Vice President Kashim Shettima on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on 24 September 2026, Nigeria’s address connected the reform of global institutions with the…
The United States is moving to strengthen its position in Africa’s digital infrastructure market with a nearly $100 million loan to Africell, as Washington seeks to challenge the expanding role of China’s Huawei in the continent’s telecommunications networks. The financing, to be provided through the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM), will enable Africell to invest in mobile network technology from American and allied suppliers. The move represents another step in Washington’s broader effort to promote non-Chinese technology in strategic infrastructure markets overseas. For Africa, however, the significance extends beyond a contest between two technology powers. The financing highlights how telecommunications networks,…
Nigeria should raise its economic ambition and target a $2 trillion economy, rather than settle for the Federal Government’s existing $1 trillion objective, Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) President and CEO Samaila Zubairu has said, arguing that Nigeria’s demographic growth requires a far more aggressive expansion of productive capacity, infrastructure and investment. Speaking at the Africa’s Greatest Investment Opportunity forum in Lagos, Zubairu said Nigeria’s population could approach 360 million by 2050, making faster economic expansion essential to create jobs, infrastructure and productive opportunities at sufficient scale. He argued that the country has already undertaken the difficult work of economic stabilisation…
Nigeria’s economy expanded by 4.43% year-on-year in real terms in the second quarter of 2026, accelerating from 3.89% in the first quarter and 4.23% in the corresponding period of 2025, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The result points to strengthening economic activity across both oil and non-oil sectors, although growth remains below the pace required to deliver Nigeria’s longer-term development ambitions. The latest figures mark another step in Nigeria’s gradual post-reform recovery. Real GDP growth reached 3.87% in 2025, up from 3.38% in 2024, indicating that the economy has maintained a positive trajectory even as businesses and…
MTN Group is exploring banking licences in selected African markets as the telecommunications giant seeks to deepen its fintech business and eventually lend directly from its own balance sheet, while simultaneously expanding into AI-enabled data-centre infrastructure in Nigeria and South Africa. The strategy signals a broader transformation of MTN from a telecommunications operator into a diversified digital-services and infrastructure group. From Mobile Money to Full Financial Services MTN’s immediate focus is lending. The group currently offers loans through partnerships with banks, but Chief Executive Officer Ralph Mupita said the company is assessing markets where it has large customer bases and…
Nigeria is seeking more than $40 billion in fresh investment to unlock a new wave of deepwater oil and gas projects, as the government seeks to revive developments that have been delayed by high costs, regulatory uncertainty and an investment environment that has struggled to attract sufficient upstream capital. The push comes as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration introduces a new fiscal framework designed to make deepwater developments more commercially attractive and revive projects that have remained stalled for years. The reform is expected to support as much as $50 billion in potential investment, with major projects such as Shell’s…
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has again lowered its forecast for global oil demand growth in 2026, signalling a softer consumption outlook and adding another layer of uncertainty to an already closely watched crude market. The revision comes as changing economic conditions, energy-market disruptions and evolving consumption patterns reshape expectations for oil producers and investors. Another Downward Revision Signals a More Cautious Demand Outlook OPEC’s latest adjustment underscores the difficulty of forecasting global oil consumption in an environment marked by uneven economic growth and heightened geopolitical uncertainty. The organisation’s demand outlook is closely watched by governments, producers,…
Kenya’s Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) is preparing to launch East Africa’s first exchange-traded fund (ETF) focused on artificial intelligence (AI), marking a significant step in the evolution of the region’s capital markets as exchanges seek to align investment products with emerging global technology trends. The proposed fund, expected before the end of 2026, would provide local investors with exposure to leading global AI companies while broadening the diversity of investment products available on the Kenyan market. Expanding Local Access to the Global AI Economy According to NSE Chief Executive Frank Mwiti, the proposed ETF will track a basket of companies…
CBZ Holdings Limited reaffirmed its position as Zimbabwe’s leading infrastructure financing partner at the Africa Infrastructure & Energy Conference (AIEC) in London, where Group Chief Executive Officer Lawrence Nyazema presented a compelling investment case for Zimbabwe and outlined practical mechanisms for mobilising private capital into strategic infrastructure projects. Speaking during the conference’s high-level plenary programme, Mr Nyazema highlighted Zimbabwe’s significant infrastructure opportunities across transport, energy, mining and digital infrastructure, while positioning CBZ Holdings as a trusted financial partner with the expertise to originate, structure and execute complex infrastructure transactions. His presentation aligned with the conference theme, “Mobilising Private Capital for…