Chinese infrastructure and energy investment in Africa nearly tripled in the first half of 2026, rising to $33.5 billion — the highest half-year total on record and by far the strongest performance of any region under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, a new report found. The surge was driven by ...
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Uganda hires Washington lobbyists to combat rights reputationUganda hires Washington lobbyists to combat rights reputation
Uganda hired two lobbying firms in Washington, DC as Kampala seeks to combat criticism of its rights record and make the case for ending Ebola-related restrictions. The push comes as American lawmakers question the outsized role of Chief of Defense Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba — President Yoweri Museveni’s son and a ...
Senegal’s president forms new party as political crisis continuesSenegal’s president forms new party as political crisis continues
Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye founded a new political party, deepening his split with former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and setting the stage for a reelection bid. Faye will lead the new Kiiraay party in local and legislative polls ahead of national elections in 2029, a senior party official said. ...
African startup funding dips 6% year on yearAfrican startup funding dips 6% year on year
African startup funding dipped by 6% year on year to $1.4 billion in the first six months of 2026, after the number of early-stage companies securing venture capital investment fell, data from Africa The Big Deal shows. The largest agreement for the year so far happened in June, when four-year-old ...
Trump’s $500M private investment push into AfricaTrump’s $500M private investment push into Africa
Yinka’s view For years, the case for US investment in Africa has run into the same wall: Companies and financiers argued the regulations, infrastructure, and technical capacity needed to make projects bankable simply weren’t there. The US State Department thinks it finally has the answer: The Bureau of African Affairs’ ...
Saudi airlines are the Gulf’s big Farnborough spendersSaudi airlines are the Gulf’s big Farnborough spenders
Saudi airlines were the only Gulf carriers with a big shopping list this year at Farnborough, one of the industry’s biggest airshows. Riyadh Air signed a deal for 34 Airbus and Boeing widebody jets, and budget carrier Flynas committed to 25 Airbus aircraft, while the UAE and Qatar, home to ...
Abu Dhabi developer Aldar starts $27B expansion projectAbu Dhabi developer Aldar starts $27B expansion project
Abu Dhabi is building a 100 billion dirham ($27 billion) waterfront expansion on Saadiyat Island, the biggest single addition to the district yet. The emirate has spent two decades turning the area into a cultural hub, home to offshoots of the Louvre and Guggenheim museums. Aldar, the developer behind Yas ...
How energy costs will impact Africa’s exportsHow energy costs will impact Africa’s exports
During a recent visit to Nairobi, I accompanied a colleague to a dinner bringing together some of Kenya’s largest exporters. They sold everything from tea and avocados to flowers and leather, across East Africa, Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia. What struck me was how the gathering was ...
Carlyle strikes first deal in new defense pushCarlyle strikes first deal in new defense push
The News Carlyle has acquired Secturion Systems, the first deal from the private-equity firm’s new fund focused on medium-sized companies that sell to the government. The DC-based investment firm, which has $475 billion of assets under management, has been raising up to $3 billion for a new platform that focuses ...
Blackstone, KKR invest in Kuwait pipelinesBlackstone, KKR invest in Kuwait pipelines
Kuwait agreed to a long-term lease of its oil pipeline network in a $16 billion deal with Blackstone, Brookfield, and KKR. The investors will acquire a 49% stake in a joint venture with Kuwait Oil Company, which will have a 20.5-year lease on the pipelines and lease them back to ...