(Posted 22nd May 2025)
CCA MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
Spirit Resources to Invest C$4m in Star Diamond Corporation
Jean Boulle Group
Star Diamond Corporation (the “Company”) (TSX: DIAM) is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with Spirit Resources s.a.r.l. (“Spirit”) to provide funding to the Company by way of a private placement (the “Private Placement”) of units (“Units”) for gross proceeds of Cdn. $4,000,000 and an interim Cdn. $800,000 unsecured loan. The proceeds of the Private Placement and loan will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes, including to advance a prefeasibility study with respect to the Fort à la Corne diamond…Read more>>
Citi and Standard Bank Successfully Arranged New Eurobond Issue and Tender Offer For The Republic Of Kenya
Africa.com
Citi and Standard Bank acting as Joint Lead Managers (“JLMs”), have successfully arranged a new Eurobond issue and Tender Offer for the Republic of Kenya through the National Treasury & Economic Planning. The new issue is valued at US$1.5Bn, with a US$579m buyback of Kenya’s Eurobond 2027....Read more>>
IHS Towers Agrees to Sell Rwanda Operations to Paradigm Tower Ventures
Business Wire
IHS Holding Limited (NYSE: IHS) (“IHS Towers”), one of the largest independent owners, operators and developers of shared communications infrastructure in the world by tower count, has agreed to sell 100% of IHS Rwanda Limited (“IHS Rwanda”) including its approximately 1,465 sites1 to Paradigm Tower Ventures. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including government and regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the second half of 2025….Read more>>
U.S.-AFRICA RELATIONS
The ‘America First’ Case for U.S. Engagement in Africa
Foreign Policy
The Trump administration’s first 100 days in power signaled a sharp and dramatic reorientation of the U.S. relationship with Africa. Public health forecasting models estimate that the administration’s grave cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief will result in 26 million additional HIV infections, 15 million preventable AIDS deaths, and 14 million more children orphaned by AIDS by 2040, with more than 60 percent of these impacts concentrated in only six African countries….Read more>>
US Shifting Africa Strategy to ‘Trade, Not Aid’, Envoy Says
Reuters
U.S. envoys in Africa will be rated on commercial deals struck, not aid spent, a senior State Department official said, touting it as the new strategy for U.S. support on the continent. President Donald Trump’s administration wants to eliminate trade deficits, opens new tab and drive mutual prosperity, African Affairs senior bureau official Troy Fitrell said, according to remarks shared on Thursday….Read more>>
South Africa Has No Plan to Replace US HIV funds Yet, Minister Says
Reuters
South Africa’s Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said on Thursday that the government had not secured any new funding yet for HIV after the U.S. cut aid, and denied reports that its HIV programme was badly affected. The United States’ global HIV initiative, PEPFAR, was paying for about 17% of South Africa’s HIV budget until President Donald Trump slashed aid shortly after taking office….Read more>>
New Advisory Group on Surveillance to Boost Africa’s Health Security
Africa CDC
Improvements in the forecasting, monitoring, identification, and reporting of diseases are expected to take hold following the establishment of the Continental Surveillance Advisory Group (CSAG), aimed at bolstering Africa’s disease surveillance capabilities. This was among the key outcomes of a meeting hosted from 23 to 25 April 2025 by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), which brought together surveillance directors from 47 African Union Member States….Read more>>
INFRASTRUCTURE
African Development Bank Group and Private Infrastructure Development Group Team Up to Scale-up Domestic Capital Mobilization Across Africa.
AfDB
The African Development Bank Group and the Private Infrastructure Development Group have agreed to work together to unlock long-term local currency capital for energy, infrastructure, industrialization, housing and other productive sectors across Africa. The agreement was signed on 14 May at the Bank’s headquarters in Abidjan by Solomon Quaynor, African Development Bank Vice-President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialisation, and Philippe Valahu, Chief Executive Officer, Private Infrastructure Development Group….Read more>>
South Africa Courts Investors with R940 Billion Infrastructure Drive
IOL
Deputy President Paul Mashatile has announced government plans to spend more than R940 billion on infrastructure over the next three years. Mashatile announced this on Wednesday during a Roundtable Breakfast Dialogue hosted by MEDEF International in Paris. According to a statement issued by the Presidency, MEDEF is France’s largest business federation, representing more than 750,000 companies ranging from small and medium-sized enterprises to large multinationals….Read more>>
AGRIBUSINESS
Digital Solutions in Agriculture Drive Meaningful Livelihood Improvements for African Smallholder Farmers
The Brookings Institution
Africa’s agricultural sector faces compounding pressures, with climate change, degraded soil, and rapid population growth straining its ability to provide sufficient food. Today, 282 million Africans go hungry every day, a situation projected to worsen as climate-related challenges intensify.1 By 2030, nearly 118 million people in Africa could face droughts, floods, and extreme temperatures, further heightening food insecurity and underscoring the urgent need for agricultural innovation….Read more>>
ICT
The Rise in Digital Technology in Africa is Driving AI Skills Acquisition
Marketing Edge
The swift expansion of Africa’s technology landscape is creating a surging demand for artificial intelligence and cybersecurity skills. Organisations are re-evaluating their strategies for attracting, retaining, and developing talent to align with the demands of the AI era. The tech skills in Africa are evolving rapidly as many companies find it challenging to keep pace….Read more>>
FINANCE
Flutterwave CEO Seeks Stronger Intra-continental Trade
Leadership
Africa’s ability to compete on the global stage hinges on its willingness to break down internal barriers and trade as a united front, Flutterwave CEO, Olugbenga Agboola affirmed. Agboola, who disclosed this at the Semafor World Economic Summit in Washington, D.C, stressed that fragmentation within Africa is one of the continent’s greatest economic vulnerabilities and a hurdle it can no longer afford….Read more>>
No quick FX: African Banks Fight Against Foreign Currency Challenges
Euromoney
Foreign currency shortages and volatile exchange rates have choked trade flows across Africa, but digital platforms, local currency settlement and tailored strategies are helping banks meet the challenges. It has been a difficult few years for African currencies. The pandemic sharply reduced countries’ hard currency earnings from trade and tourism. Inflation hit food and fuel import prices. Soaring interest rates pushed up dollar debt servicing costs, just as capital outflows weakened local currencies. Dozens of countries have watched their currencies reach record lows against the dollar….Read more>>
Egypt Launches Regional Forum to Accelerate Climate Finance in Africa
Daily News
Egypt launched the “Africa Grows Green for Climate Finance” forum on Tuesday in the New Administrative Capital, bringing together senior government officials, financial institutions, and international organizations to advance climate finance across Africa amid growing calls for more equitable funding mechanisms….Read more>>
