🇪🇬 Egypt to Lead UN-Backed Borrowers' Platform as African Debt Burden Hits $11.7 Trillion

Egypt's Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk will chair a newly formed Borrowers' Platform, convened on the margins of the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington on 15 April 2026, backed by UNCTAD as secretariat and drawing in developing country finance ministers and central bank governors. The platform emerges from a Forum on Debt launched in Seville in July 2025, after the United States, EU members, and Britain blocked a proposal to shift global debt rulemaking from the G20 and Paris Club framework into the UN. Developing countries' cumulative external debt reached $11.7 trillion in 2024, while borrowing costs for African countries rose 91% between 2020 and 2024.

Official development assistance to sub-Saharan Africa fell 26% in 2025, according to NGO One, compounding pressure on African public finances. Egypt also currently holds the chair of the UN tax convention.

#Egypt

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@africaintel

🇪🇹 Amnesty International Flags Forced Evictions, Arrests, and Justice Delays in Ethiopia

Amnesty International has raised concerns over forced evictions, arbitrary arrests, and prolonged delays in the delivery of justice in Ethiopia, according to a report published on April 23, 2025. The organization documented cases affecting civilians across the country, citing failures by Ethiopian authorities to uphold due process and protect residents from displacement.

The report adds to a broader pattern of human rights concerns in Ethiopia following years of internal conflict, including the Tigray war that ended with a peace agreement in November 2022.

#Ethiopia

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@africaintel

🇳🇬 Six suspected coup plotters plead not guilty to treason in Nigeria

Six defendants, including retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana and a serving police inspector, appeared at the Federal High Court in Abuja on 22 April and pleaded not guilty to charges of treason, terrorism, and money laundering filed by Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi. The court remanded all six in the custody of the Department of State Services and scheduled bail hearings for 27 April. A seventh suspect, former petroleum minister and ex-Bayelsa governor Timipre Sylva, was named in court documents as a conspirator still at large.

The alleged plot first surfaced when Nigeria abruptly cancelled its 65th Independence Day military parade on 1 October 2025. In January 2026, the military announced that 16 officers would face a separate military court over the same alleged conspiracy, with the civilian and retired personnel directed to the Federal High Court.

#Nigeria

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@africaintel

🇬🇭 Ghana directs Newmont, AngloGold, Zijin to shift mining ops to local firms by December

Ghana's mining regulator has given international companies Newmont, AngloGold Ashanti and Chinese-owned Zijin until December 2026 to transfer mining operations to local contractors or face sanctions, according to five sources with direct knowledge and documents seen by Reuters.

The directive represents a push by Ghanaian authorities to increase local participation in the country's mining sector, which is dominated by international operators.

#Ghana

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@africaintel

🇳🇪🇲🇱🇷🇺 Two hostages captured in Niger freed by Russia's Africa Corps in Mali

Two men held hostage in Mali have been freed after almost two years in captivity, Russia's army announced on Tuesday. One of the freed hostages is Russian national Oleg Greta, who was reportedly captured in Niger before being held in Mali.

Russia's Africa Corps, the military formation operating across the Sahel region, carried out the release operation in Mali.

#Mali

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@africaintel

🇨🇩 US pressure seen as key block to M23 advance on DRC mineral heartland

Analysts and the International Crisis Group say US diplomatic pressure on M23 and its Rwandan backers has curbed expansionist plans at key moments, reducing the likelihood of a rebel push south toward Katanga in the near term. M23 briefly captured Uvira, a strategic port city on Lake Tanganyika, in December 2025, displacing around 200,000 people, before the Congolese army said it had retaken the city in January. Fighting continues across North and South Kivu in areas including Masisi, Rutshuru, and Walikale territories.

Katanga produces roughly 50% of the world's cobalt supply and accounts for minerals and metals that represent up to 98% of the DRC's total exports and 40% of its GDP. The Trump administration has been expanding efforts to secure critical minerals agreements with Kinshasa as part of a broader push to challenge Chinese dominance in African supply chains.

#DRC

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@africaintel

🇸🇸 Equity Bank, Ecobank among foreign lenders holding positions in South Sudan despite deepening risks

East African banks operating in South Sudan, including Equity Bank and Ecobank, are not signalling full exits from the country despite ongoing conflict and economic instability, according to The Africa Report. Most major lenders recorded profit rebounds in 2024, with banks instead focusing on fostering economic recovery through non-oil revenue growth.

South Sudan has faced prolonged instability, currency pressures, and oil-dependent economic fragility, factors that have historically deterred foreign financial institutions from deepening commitments in the country.

#SouthSudan

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@africaintel

🇩🇿🇲🇦 Sahrawi Refugees in Algeria Hold to Independence Dream as UN Backs Morocco Autonomy Plan

Over 170,000 Sahrawi refugees living in five camps near Tindouf, southern Algeria, continue to reject Morocco's autonomy proposal for Western Sahara, according to AFP reporting from the Aousserd camp. The UN Security Council voted last October, with US backing, in favour of Morocco's plan, describing it as the most feasible outcome. Morocco, which entered Western Sahara in 1976, proposes autonomous status for the territory under its sovereignty, while the Polisario Front demands a self-determination referendum. US and Spanish media reported two rounds of covert talks involving Morocco, the Polisario, Algeria, and Mauritania were held in Spain in February 2026.

Further closed-door talks at the Security Council are scheduled for Thursday. The Polisario Front marked the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in April 2026, with refugees in the camps expressing continued opposition to the autonomy plan.

#WesternSahara

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@africaintel

🇿🇲🇿🇦 South African Court Orders Zambia to Return Body of Former President Lungu

A South African court has ordered the Zambian government to return the body of former president Edgar Lungu hours after Zambia announced it had taken formal possession of the remains. The order requires the body to be held until the matter returns to court on 21 May. The Zambian government had said late on Wednesday that Lungu's remains were transferred to the state after his family was unable to proceed with their appeals case. Funeral home Two Mountains Burial Services in Pretoria has since said it will no longer accept the body. Lungu family spokesman Makebi Zulu disputed that the appeals process had lapsed.

Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, died aged 68 at a clinic in Pretoria of an undisclosed illness. His family had opposed a state funeral following a long-running feud between Lungu and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema, with the family stating Lungu did not want Hichilema present at his funeral or near his body.

#Zambia

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@africaintel

🇳🇬 Dangote Plans $40bn Multi-Exchange IPO for Oil Refinery

Aliko Dangote has announced plans to list approximately 10% of the Dangote Oil Refinery in a $40bn IPO across multiple African exchanges. The proposed listing is part of the group's Vision 2030 programme, which targets $100bn in annual revenue, and aims to raise funds to expand the Lagos refinery's capacity from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million, quadruple fertiliser production, and establish potash, phosphate, and copper-refining operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. Frank Mwiti, CEO of the Nairobi Securities Exchange, confirmed last week that he met Dangote at his Lagos facilities to discuss how African exchanges could support the offering.

Dangote had previously signalled plans to float 5% of the refinery on the Nigerian Stock Exchange by end of 2026, but the latest proposals involve a broader multi-exchange structure. The refinery, one of Nigeria's most significant industrial projects, began production in 2024.

#Nigeria

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@africaintel

🌍 African finance ministers press IMF and World Bank for debt relief and fairer lending terms

At the 2026 IMF–World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, African finance ministers presented a coordinated push on three fronts: faster and more predictable debt restructuring under the G20 Common Framework, a shift toward platform-based blended finance to unlock Africa's estimated $4trn in domestic capital pools, and formal recognition of the African Continental Free Trade Area within IMF and World Bank credit assessment frameworks. The African Caucus, chaired by Seedy Keita, called for stricter comparability of treatment across all creditor classes including private lenders. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva cited near-term financing needs of up to $50bn, while World Bank President Ajay Banga highlighted $20–25bn in rapid-response capacity.

Four out of five African governments now spend more on debt servicing than on health or education, with nearly one in five dollars of public revenue absorbed by debt payments in 2025. Ghana's Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson presented the country's recent economic recovery as evidence that IMF programme discipline can coexist with a return to growth, alongside country-specific cases including Mozambique, Gabon, Egypt, and Senegal.

#Africa

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@africaintel

🇹🇿 Tanzania election violence inquiry finds 518 dead, including 197 shot

A commission of inquiry chaired by Mohamed Chande Othman has found that 518 people died from unnatural causes during protests that followed Tanzania's 29 October 2024 general election, including 197 who were shot dead. Of the total, 490 were male, 21 were children and 16 were security officers. More than 2,000 people were injured. Othman said the actual toll could be higher as some victims were buried without official notification. The commission did not attribute responsibility for the deaths and recommended further investigations.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan, declared winner of the disputed vote with 98% of ballots, said the government would establish a criminal investigation body to examine offences linked to the unrest. The main opposition party Chadema dismissed the report as a cover-up and an attempt to whitewash what it described as the regime's crimes.

#Tanzania

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@africaintel

🇱🇾 UN Warns Libya at Critical Crossroads as Political Divisions Deepen

UN Special Representative Hanna Serwaa Tetteh briefed the Security Council on April 23, warning that Libya faces a critical political, economic, and security juncture. She cited parallel institutions operating outside agreed frameworks, unaccountable oil revenue spending, and stalled elections as key threats to stability. Libya's UN Ambassador Taher Al-Sunni called for a consensual constitutional framework to restore institutional legitimacy through elections.

The UN also flagged growing humanitarian pressures, with the Sudan Regional Response Plan — covering nearly 600,000 Sudanese refugees including those in Libya — requiring over $115 million in funding for 2026.

#Libya

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@africaintel

🇨🇩🇷🇼 US pressure forestalls further M23 advances in DRC, analysts say

US diplomatic and commercial interests are acting as a key deterrent against M23 expansion toward the DRC's mineral-rich Katanga region, analysts told African Business. The Rwanda-backed rebel group seized the strategic port city of Uvira on Lake Tanganyika in December 2025, displacing around 200,000 people, before the Congolese army said it had retaken the city in January. Fighting continues across North and South Kivu, including in Masisi, Rutshuru, and Walikale territories. Katanga produces roughly 50% of global cobalt supply and nine of the world's ten largest cobalt mines, with minerals and metals accounting for up to 98% of DRC's total exports and 40% of GDP in 2024.

The International Crisis Group assessed that US and Qatari diplomatic pressure has curbed M23 and Rwandan expansionist plans at key moments, while Tresor Chovu of the Critical Minerals Fund said ongoing US-DRC critical minerals deals mean rebels are unlikely to be permitted to advance further.

#DRC

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@africaintel

🇿🇦 South Africa Suspends Police Chief Over $21M Health Contract Scandal

President Cyril Ramaphosa placed National Police Commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola, 62, on precautionary suspension on Tuesday after Masemola was charged in court with four counts of violating the Public Finance Management Act. The charges relate to his alleged failure in oversight duties over a $21 million health services contract awarded in 2024 to businessman Vusimuzi Matlala's company Medicare24 Tshwane District. The contract was cancelled in May 2025, and a dozen senior police officers have already been formally charged over their roles in the tender. Masemola denied the charges, stating he was not guilty.

Ramaphosa cited the seriousness of the charges and appointed Lt-Gen Puleng Dimpane, the police service's chief financial officer since 2018, as acting replacement, though her appointment has drawn scrutiny as she oversaw police finances during the period the alleged corruption took place. Masemola is the third South African police chief to face a criminal investigation while in office.

#SouthAfrica

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@africaintel

🇰🇪🇺🇬🇹🇿 Dangote backs East Africa joint refinery plan targeting Nigeria-scale production

Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania are in talks to construct a multi-billion-dollar joint oil refinery in Tanga, Tanzania, the terminus of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote has committed to serve as anchor investor in the facility, which aims to match the production scale of his Lagos-based Dangote Refinery.

The proposed refinery is designed to allow East Africa to capture more downstream value from the region's expanding oil exploration sector, with EACOP itself set to transport Ugandan crude over 1,443 kilometres to the Tanzanian coast.

#Tanzania

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@africaintel

🇳🇬 Nigeria's President Tinubu grants 30% debt relief to airlines, orders fuel price talks

President Bola Tinubu has granted a 30% debt relief to airlines operating in Nigeria and ordered discussions on fuel pricing. The measures appear aimed at supporting the aviation sector amid economic pressures.

Nigeria's airlines have faced mounting operational costs, with fuel expenses and foreign exchange challenges straining the industry.

#Nigeria

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@africaintel

🇲🇿 IMF eyes June visit to Mozambique amid new programme talks

The International Monetary Fund will send a team to Mozambique in June to advance talks on a new loan programme, a spokesperson said. The country is struggling with rising debt, a shrinking economy and limited resources to fund essential public services.

#Mozambique

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@africaintel

🌍 African finance ministers push for debt restructuring reform and better lending terms at IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings

African finance ministers arrived in Washington for the 2026 IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings with a coordinated set of demands centered on three priorities: faster and more predictable debt restructuring under the G20 Common Framework, a shift toward platform-based blended finance models to unlock Africa's estimated $4trn in domestic capital pools, and recognition of the African Continental Free Trade Area as a structural reform affecting sovereign creditworthiness. The African Caucus, chaired by Seedy Keita, called for stricter enforcement of comparability of treatment across all creditor classes including private lenders. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva cited near-term financing needs of up to $50bn, while World Bank President Ajay Banga highlighted $20-25bn in rapid-response capacity.

Four out of five African governments now spend more on debt servicing than on health or education, with nearly one in five dollars of public revenue absorbed by debt payments in 2025. Country-specific cases including Mozambique, Gabon, Egypt, Senegal, and Ghana also drew attention, with Ghanaian Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson presenting the country's recent economic recovery as evidence that IMF programme discipline can coexist with a return to growth.

#Africa

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@africaintel

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe businessman Chivayo's $3.6m attempt to pay MPs exposed ahead of vote on extending Mnangagwa's rule

Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo attempted to distribute $3.6m to members of parliament as lawmakers prepare to vote on extending President Emmerson Mnangagwa's rule and postponing presidential elections. The attempt failed but drew widespread attention to the role of private money in Zimbabwe's political process.

Critics say the incident illustrates how powerful business figures are moving to bankroll political outcomes from behind the scenes as pressure mounts over the constitutional question of Mnangagwa's tenure.

#Zimbabwe

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@africaintel