United

Morocco
Brussels embarks on risky financial endeavour in Western Sahara

To include the disputed territory in its free trade agreement with Morocco, the EU has pledged to pay out benefits to the Sahrawi people. The details of the deal, which remain ambiguous in many respects, have yet to be finalised.

Ivory Coast
Main global cocoa buyers refuse poor-quality beans

Three weeks into the largest sales campaign of Ivory Coast's 2025-26 cocoa harvest, the main international traders have turned up their noses at the beans, due to their poor quality.

DRC
Emmanuel Macron seeks crisis resolution role with Great Lakes conference

Paris has invited no fewer than seven African leaders to its humanitarian conference on the crisis in eastern DRC. Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame are both expected in the French capital.

The New Guard
Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya

Every Wednesday, Africa Intelligence spotlights a new generation of movers and shakers in business and politics.

CongoOumar Semega, the ambitious oil trader

EthiopiaKal Kassa, the bitcoin prophet

KenyaAlamin Siwa Somo, the aspiring senator

Algeria
Negotiations for a tête-à-tête between Tebboune and Macron

The French and Algerian presidents, still officially on bad terms, could meet in the coming weeks, on the sidelines of the summit bringing together the twenty biggest world powers.

Niger
US grants Tchiani's junta a sizeable favour

The US State Department recently gave the green light for the delivery of spare parts for aircraft used by the Nigerien army. These had been under embargo since the coup d'état of 26 July 2023.

Sudan
General Burhan lays out his conditions before Washington

The head of the Sudanese Armed Forces has agreed to be part of the diplomatic initiative put forward by the United States, but not at any cost. He outlined his expectations to Donald Trump's Africa adviser, Massad Boulos.

Morocco
Veolia sounds out Moroccan and Chinese firms SOMAGEC and SEPCO for desalination plant

At the same time as the horse trading underway in Rabat over the price of a cubic metre of desalinated water, Veolia has begun talks with two companies for the civil engineering work on the plant.

Algeria
The hushed tones of Paris and Algiers in New York

In addition to maintaining relations between the two countries' foreign intelligence services, albeit reduced to a bare minimum, the French and Algerian diplomatic services remain in contact. With no ambassadors on either side of the Mediterranean, they communicate via the UN.

Zimbabwe
Mzi Khumalo's legal wrangles hang over the future of US group Namib Minerals

The South African tycoon's company, Metallon Corp, is in receivership and has not seen any of the proceeds from the sale of its Zimbabwean gold mining sites. These sites have now been taken over by Namib Minerals, a Nasdaq-listed company also co-owned by Mzi Khumalo.

Libya
Initiative launched at UN to penalise those who mismanaged frozen Libyan assets

A Libyan committee recognised by the House of Representatives has asked the United Nations to audit funds frozen abroad since 2011. It accuses several countries, including Belgium, of mismanagement of these assets and calls for the establishment of a mechanism to preserve them.

South Africa
Pretoria to choose new US ambassador

Cyril Ramaphosa is considering choosing a close adviser to represent South Africa in Washington, despite reservations from those around him about this candidate's lack of diplomatic experience.

Ghana
John Dramani Mahama to head security delegation in London

John Dramani Mahama is expected in London to take part in the Future Resilience Forum, accompanied in particular by his special envoy to the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).