Chinese investment in Africa surges 254% to $33.5 billion in first half of 2026

Chinese investment announcements in Africa under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) surged 254% year-on-year to $33.5 billion in the first half of 2026, making the continent the largest regional destination for Chinese BRI investment during the period.

The figures come from a joint analysis by the University of Queensland and Fudan Unive...

Côte d’Ivoire raises 66 billion CFA francs as investor demand more than doubles target

Côte d’Ivoire raised 66 billion CFA francs ($119 million) on the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) public securities market on Aug. 18, exceeding its initial target of 60 billion CFA francs.

Investor demand was more than twice the amount sought, with bids reaching 130.29 billion CFA francs. That translated into...

Côte d’Ivoire: Illegal gold mining drains billions from the economy

Illegal gold mining continues to pose a major economic, environmental and security challenge for Côte d’Ivoire, with authorities estimating that around 142 tonnes of gold leave official channels each year.

The value of this illicit gold production is estimated at about 4,600 billion CFA francs, according to figures cited by I...

Côte d’Ivoire’s rubber industry reaches new record, but value addition remains the next challenge

Côte d’Ivoire’s natural rubber industry reached a new production record in 2025, reinforcing the country’s position as Africa’s leading producer and one of the world’s largest suppliers.

The country produced 1.85 million tonnes of natural rubber in 2025, up 9.9% from the previous year, according to fig...

Critical minerals give SADC a chance to turn resource wealth into industrial power

Southern Africa is facing a strategic opportunity to turn its vast critical-mineral resources into a foundation for industrial growth, but doing so will require the region to move beyond the export of raw materials.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has placed critical-mineral beneficiation at the centre of its industrial...

Robust International secures $20 million to expand cashew processing in Côte d’Ivoire

Singapore-based agribusiness group Robust International has secured a $20 million debt facility to expand its cashew processing operations in Côte d’Ivoire, less than a year after opening its first processing plant in the country.

The financing was arranged by Symbiotics, with a payment default guarantee of up to $23 million...

WAEMU: Four states raise CFA 174.5 billion amid strong investor demand

The governments of Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, Benin and Senegal raised a combined CFA 174.5 billion ($299 million) on the West African regional government securities market between Aug. 10 and Aug. 14, 2026.

The four auctions attracted bids worth CFA 332.65 billion, more than twice the initial funding requirement of CFA 160 billion, re...

Olam Agri acquires ASAF, expanding rubber processing capacity in Côte d’Ivoire

Olam Agri has completed the acquisition of Asia Africa Rubber Industry S.A. (ASAF), a move that will add 176,000 metric tonnes to the company’s annual natural rubber processing capacity in Côte d’Ivoire.

The acquisition, completed through Olam Agri subsidiary Panasia International FZCO, is expected to nearly double Olam...

Genser Energy secures €456 million to expand its energy investments in West Africa

US-based energy company Genser Energy has secured €456 million, equivalent to about CFA 299 billion, to accelerate the development of its energy infrastructure across West Africa.

The financing, secured from RMB, Absa and Standard Bank, will support the company’s regional expansion and the completion of several ongoing energy...

China pushes for wider use of the yuan in Africa

China is stepping up efforts to expand the use of the yuan in Africa as trade and financial ties deepen, giving African companies and governments more options to settle transactions directly in the Chinese currency rather than relying on the U.S. dollar. China-Africa trade reached a record $348 billion in 2025, up nearly 18% from the previous ye...

Climate: ECOWAS turns to regional carbon market to address $294 billion financing gap

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is stepping up efforts to establish a regional carbon market platform as the region faces an estimated $294 billion in climate financing needs.

Representatives from member states, regional and international institutions, development partners and technical experts met in Abuja for a t...

Côte d’Ivoire confirms its position as the world’s leading raw cashew producer

Côte d’Ivoire has maintained its position as the world’s leading producer and exporter of raw cashew nuts, underscoring the growing importance of the crop to the country’s economy.

Ivory Coast’s cashew production exceeded 1.5 million metric tons in 2025, accounting for more than 25% of global output, accordi...