Pitch meeting

Kenya’s Maraga: ‘I am the pioneer’ of anti-corruption

Kenya’s former Supreme Court Chief Justice takes next year’s election to the global stage in Washington and New York.

Energy Crunch

Kenya to double Ethiopian power imports as domestic grid pressures mount

Nairobi prepares to increase cross-border electricity flows to 400MW under an existing 25-year pact to bolster thin domestic reserves with cheaper regional hydropower.

going public

Kenya’s Quickmart owners set to sell stake in NSE float

Kenya’s second-largest supermarket chain, Quickmart, is set to float a 50% stake on the Nairobi Securities Exchange as its primary private-equity backer prepares for a partial exit.

Northern promise

Nigeria: 10 things about Atiku’s in-law Ibrahim-Imam leading his 2027 campaign

Nigeria’s former vice president and presidential candidate of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has unveiled a ‘lean’ campaign team for his 2027 presidential bid, naming veteran Borno politician Kashim Ibrahim-Imam as director general.

easy does it

Nigeria surprises markets with steep rate cut as factories struggle

Nigeria’s central bank slashed its benchmark interest rate by 350 basis points to 23%, shifting toward monetary easing as inflation cools and businesses demand relief from crushing borrowing costs.

MINERAL COLD-WAR

US plays catch-up with China in race for Nigeria’s critical minerals

While Washington lays diplomatic groundwork for access to Nigeria’s critical minerals, Chinese firms have already secured a billion-dollar head start on the ground.

Making up

Could Thabo Mbeki break the US-South Africa impasse?  

US ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III says if former South African President Thabo Mbeki were involved in talks with the US, the recently escalated impasse between the two countries would already have been resolved. His statement isn’t likely to ease tensions.

costly control

Price, power and dividends: Inside Kenya’s disputed Vodacom-Safaricom sale

Kenya’s contested Safaricom sale reveals how urgent short-term cash needs eclipsed long-term value, domestic ownership and constitutional scrutiny.

Fake news

South Africa: No treason charges yet against white lobbyists as Trump imposes visa sanctions

As US President Donald Trump ramps up punitive measures against South Africa, investigators are still mulling a treason case against the white right-wing groups lobbying him about this with misrepresentations.