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Senate approves $21bn borrowing as Nigeria pushes ahead with 2025 spending

Nigeriaโ€™s Senate has endorsed President Bola Tinubuโ€™s external and domestic borrowing plan totaling over $21 billion for the 2025โ€“2026 fiscal period.

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Nigeria joins Egypt in holding interest rate as price pressures persist

Nigeriaโ€™s decision comes despite a recent easing in headline inflation. According to official data, consumer price growth slowed to 22.2% in June โ€” the third straight monthly decline and the lowest level recorded this year.

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Trade overtakes agriculture as Nigeriaโ€™s largest GDP contributor in Q1

The shift reflects changes introduced in the rebasing exercise, which now captures more informal activity previously underrepresented in official estimates.

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World Bank backs Mozambiqueโ€™s $6.4bn hydropower project with loans, risk guarantees

As a country still recovering from debt distress and natural disasters, the project offers Mozambique a chance to attract long-term investment and drive industrialisation through more reliable power.

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Ethiopiaโ€™s $2.7bn coffee boom at risk as Trump tariff nears

A US tariff on processed coffee threatens Ethiopia’s push to move up the value chain, even as the country posts record export earnings, targets new markets across Asia and the Middle East.

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Ghana central bank dismisses dollar squeeze, urges traders to stay calm

The BoGโ€™s assurances come as the countryโ€™s foreign reserves surged to $11 billion in June, from $10.6 billion in May โ€” representing four months and 24 days of import cover.

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Canada eyes investment pact as Ethiopia opens $169bn economy

Ethiopia is in talks with Canada, as part of its push to open up its economy, aimed at creating a better foreign investment platform that will allow investors to take local disputes to international frontier.

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Nigeria’s FirstHoldCo shares drop 4.1% after Otudeko $128m stock exit

Shares of FirstHoldCo Plc, the parent company of Nigeriaโ€™s oldest bank, FirstBank, fell by 4.1% on Friday after former major shareholder Oba Otudeko offloaded his stake in a landmark transaction valued at โ‚ฆ195.7 billion ($127.9 million).

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Ecobank Nigeria redeems half of $300m Eurobond amid loan recovery push

The bond, issued in February 2021 and listed on the London Stock Exchange, had been trading near par at $99.00 as of July 11โ€”an indicator of investor confidence in the bankโ€™s ability to meet its financial obligations.

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Egypt enforces new VAT hikes on alcohol, tobacco amid IMF pressure

The IMF, which expanded Egyptโ€™s original loan package to $8 billion last year, has made it clear that raising more revenue is a key priority.

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Kenyaโ€™s largest Bank to open Dubai office before December

Equityโ€™s push into the Middle East mirrors a broader trend among major African banks seeking expansion into the region. Since the beginning of 2024, at least four major lenders from the continent have either begun operations there or announced plans to expand.

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Nigeriaโ€™s GTCO joins Lafarge, BUA Cement as share price crosses โ‚ฆ100

Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) has crossed the โ‚ฆ100 share price mark โ€” a first for any Nigerian banking stock โ€” placing it alongside industrial giants like BUA Cement and Lafarge Africa.

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Nigeriaโ€™s inflation slows further to 22.22% in June, lowest in 2025

On a year-on-year basis, annual inflation fell sharply by 11.97% in June, down from 34.19% in the corresponding month of the last year, reflecting the impact of a high base year and a significant fall in food inflation.

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South Africa’s economy at risk as Trump tariff threatens 100,000 jobs

The projection comes at a time when South Africa is grappling with one of the worldโ€™s highest unemployment rates. Official figures show joblessness at 32.9% in the first quarter of the year, and at 43.1% under the expanded definition.

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Investors back Senegalโ€™s $644m domestic bond sale amid credit downgrades

Despite growing concerns around Senegalโ€™s debt burden, the latest issuance was oversubscribed by over 21%, with the finance ministry attributing the interest to renewed investor confidence in the countryโ€™s economic trajectory.

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Kenya expands investment schemes market as fund assets hit $3.8bn

According to the regulator, the latest approvals come amid strong investor confidence and rising appetite for diversified investment options, including offshore and foreign currency-denominated funds.

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Dangote bets on fertiliser expansion to end Africaโ€™s imports within 40 months

Aliko Dangote is making a high-stakes bet on fertiliser to help Africa reclaim control of its food systems, with an ambitious target of no imports for 40 months.

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S&P downgrades Senegal credit rating to 25-year low as public debt soars

The downgrade marks the lowest rating assigned to the western African nation since the agency began assessing the country in 2000 and the second downgrade in five months.

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Ghanaโ€™s central bank injects $1.4bn in forex to stabilize currency

The scale of the intervention, which exceeds the entire 2023 total of $1 billion and represents nearly half of last yearโ€™s sales, reflects a more aggressive approach to exchange rate management.

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Rising oil revenue shortfall seen pushing Nigeriaโ€™s debt to $118bn

The debt projection shows a sharp increase from the $98 billion reported at the end of March by the Debt Management Office and highlights the mounting fiscal risks from underperforming oil revenue.

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With Senate backing, Nigeriaโ€™s $21bn borrowing plan clears the way for full 2025 budget rollout. One headline allocation is a $3bn investment earmarked to unite national infrastructure and foster regional unity.


Nigeria’s central bank has held its benchmark interest rate steady at 27.5% for the third time this year, citing persistent inflation risks โ€” a move that mirrors Egyptโ€™s earlier decision.


Nigeriaโ€™s trade sector has overtaken crop production as the largest contributor to GDP in the first quarter of 2025, following the rebasing of national accounts from 2010 to 2019


Mozambique is set to receive major backing from the World Bank for its $6.4bn hydropower and transmission project, a key step in the countryโ€™s ambition to become a regional energy hub in southern Africa.


A proposed 10% US tariff on roasted, ground, and packaged coffee, temporarily paused but expected in August, is challenging Ethiopiaโ€™s push to grow export earnings through value-added coffee products.


The Bank of Ghana on Monday dismissed claims of a foreign exchange shortage, assuring traders and importers that there is enough supply of dollars to meet demand.


Canada is pursuing an investment treaty with Ethiopia as the East African nation opens its $169bn economy, aiming to attract foreign capital and provide legal protection for Canadian investors.


First HoldCo shares dipped 4.1% on Friday after Oba Otudeko sold his $128m stake, ending a boardroom battle with Femi Otedola, who now leads the group. Investors await the companyโ€™s next chapter.


Ecobank Nigeria has redeemed half of its $300m Eurobond due February 2026, nearly seven months ahead of schedule, supported by an aggressive loan recovery drive and improved liquidity.


Egypt has enforced new tax increases on alcohol, tobacco and crude oil as it looks to boost government revenue and meet conditions tied to its $8 billion loan deal with the International Monetary Fund.


Equity Group Holdings Plc, Kenyaโ€™s largest bank by assets, plans to open its first office in the UAE before December 2025, as it eyes growing capital flows and trade links between Africa and the Middle East.


GTCO becomes the first Nigerian bank to cross the โ‚ฆ100 share price mark, joining BUA Cement and Lafarge Africa in the high-value league.


Nigeriaโ€™s headline inflation slowed for the third consecutive month in June, falling to 22.2%, marking the lowest level in 2025, data from the National Bureau of Statistics said on Wednesday.


South Africaโ€™s central bank has warned that up to 100,000 jobs across major sectors could be lost if the US presses ahead with its 30% import tariff on South African goods starting August 1.


Senegal has raised $644 million in its second bond sale of 2025, surpassing its initial target by 21% even as S&P Global downgraded the countryโ€™s sovereign credit score to Bโˆ’ with a negative outlook.


Kenyaโ€™s Capital Markets Authority (CMA) has approved the establishment of new collective investment schemes and 10 sub-funds by three major asset managers, as total assets crossed the $3.8bn mark.


Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, has unveiled plans to double fertiliser production and end the continentโ€™s reliance on imports within 40 months.


S&P Global on Monday downgraded Senegalโ€™s long-term foreign credit rating from โ€˜Bโ€™ to โ€˜Bโˆ’โ€™, and reaffirmed a negative outlook, citing soaring debt and mounting pressure on public finances.


Ghanaโ€™s central bank has continued its aggressive intervention in the FX market, injecting $1.4bn in Q1 2025 as part of efforts to stabilise the cedi, according to a recent report by IMF.


Nigeriaโ€™s public debt stock could exceed $117.6 billion by the end of 2025, driven by higher domestic and external borrowing as the country grapples with weak crude oil production and subdued global prices, according to Afrinvest.