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Finance
Top stories
Kenya has overhauled how it charges banks for operating licences, replacing a 32-year-old flat-fee model with a new structure tied to each institution’s gross annual revenue
Nigerian equities have overtaken South Korea’s to hand investors the highest dollar-based returns of any market this year
Kenya’s new Finance Act 2026 is reigniting fresh debate across the region. The law raises the excise duty on imported sugar by more than 300%. Exporters say levy will significantly increase accessing one of East Africa’s largest sugar markets.
Ethiopia’s Customs Commission has introduced a directive formalising small-scale cross-border trade with Kenya, capping monthly transactions at $1,000 under simplified customs procedures for licensed border-resident traders.
Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority has approved two new unit trust schemes and additional sub-funds under four existing schemes, expanding the range of regulated investment products available to Kenyan savers.
Kenya’s government is looking to tap into the more than Ksh1 trillion ($7.7 billion) Kenyans have saved in Saccos to help finance the country’s next wave of infrastructure projects.
Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has reached financial close on a $753 million railway project that will rehabilitate a cross-border rail line linking Angola to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ghana has fully settled a $700 million Eurobond obligation ahead of its scheduled deadline, marking one of the country’s largest single debt payments since it began restructuring its external bonds.
Ghana’s inflation rate has risen for a third consecutive month, nearly doubling from its May reading on the back of higher transport costs, rents, and school fees.
Nigeria’s central bank has revoked the operating licences of 46 microfinance banks, the latest in a series of regulatory actions targeting weak players in the country’s financial system.
In June alone, the apex bank sold $200 million to commercial banks to meet urgent import demand. Since January, it has injected roughly $3 billion into the FX market. The bank argues the steps are necessary to stabilise the local currency, and boost system liquidity.
In Africa, tax and revenue systems are now being built using the latest fintech tools. These systems are designed to address one of the biggest problems that every developing country faces: how do you formalise the grey economy?
The World Bank has pledged $1.25 billion to Nigeria’s 2026–2032 development plan, backing a private-sector-led jobs strategy as the country pursues structural economic reform.
Vodacom has acquired the Kenyan government’s majority stake in Safaricom, reducing state ownership to 20 percent in a deal cleared by courts days before closing.
Ivory Coast raised $1.3bn via a 15-year Eurobond at 5.39%, drawing $6.3bn in orders, as the IMF cleared an $832.8m disbursement and Fitch held a BB rating.
Awash, Abay, Bunna, and Addis Bank are registering millions of shares with Ethiopia’s ECMA, as the Ethiopian Securities Exchange moves from regulatory setup to active capital formation.
Ugandan manufacturers are protesting Kenya’s decision to raise excise duty on imported sugar by more than 300%, warning that the move could cripple one of Uganda’s biggest export industries and reverse years of East African trade integration.
Kenya has signed a Ksh22.1 billion ($171.31 million) financing agreement with Japan to support local vehicle assembly, reduce energy losses, and fund the government’s reform agenda.
Ethiopia has struck a new preliminary agreement with key bondholders to restructure its defaulted $1 billion international bond, bringing the Horn of Africa country closer to resolving a debt crisis that has stretched on for years.
Nigeria is moving to raise fresh funds from international debt markets, with the government opening a competitive search for banks and advisers to manage a new Eurobond.
