🇲🇱🇲🇦 Mali Backs Morocco's Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara

Mali has endorsed Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara, with Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop announcing the position on Friday. Mali becomes the latest African country to back Rabat's proposal to end a 50-year conflict with the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks full independence for the territory.

Morocco has intensified diplomatic efforts to build African and international support for its autonomy framework, including lobbying in Washington where it has sought to brand the Polisario Front as a destabilising actor in the region.

#Mali
#Morocco
#WesternSahara

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@africaintel

🇬🇭 Moody's Revises Ghana's Credit Outlook to Positive

Credit ratings agency Moody's revised Ghana's outlook to positive from stable on Friday, citing improvement in the country's domestic financing conditions. The revision reflects growing confidence in Ghana's fiscal trajectory following a period of severe economic stress that had forced the country into a debt restructuring programme.

Ghana completed a historic external debt restructuring in 2024 after defaulting on its international obligations in late 2022. The Moody's revision marks a further step in the country's recovery under an IMF-supported programme.

#Ghana

🔸 Source

@africaintel

🇳🇬 Nigeria Concludes ₦4.65 Trillion Bank Recapitalisation Programme

Nigeria's Central Bank has concluded a two-year bank recapitalisation programme in which 33 banks raised a combined ₦4.65 trillion ($3.38bn) in new capital by the March 31, 2026 deadline. The CBN said 72.55% of capital was sourced domestically and 27.45% from international markets. Governor Olayemi Cardoso said the programme has reinforced the resilience of the financial system and positioned it to support economic growth.

The initiative, launched in March 2024, introduced differentiated capital requirements based on licence categories, with banks holding international licences required to raise ₦500bn. A limited number of institutions remain subject to ongoing regulatory and judicial processes.

#Nigeria

🔸 Source

@africaintel

🇿🇦 Phala Phala Report Triggers Fresh Impeachment Calls Against South Africa's Ramaphosa

A declassified report by South Africa's Independent Police Investigative Directorate on the mishandling of a theft of a large amount of US dollars from President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm has renewed calls from opposition figures for impeachment proceedings against the president. The report details how the case was handled outside normal police channels following the 2020 incident.

The Phala Phala scandal has resurfaced periodically since it first became public in 2022. Ramaphosa has consistently denied wrongdoing, and previous parliamentary processes found insufficient grounds for impeachment.

#SouthAfrica

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@africaintel

🇸🇿 Eswatini Court Rules Trump Deportees Have Right to Legal Representation

A court in Eswatini has ruled that five migrants deported from the United States to the southern African kingdom in July have the right to legal counsel, after they were denied access to a lawyer upon their transfer to a Swazi jail. The ruling marks the first legal challenge involving migrants sent to Africa under the Trump administration's deportation programme.

The five individuals were among the first migrants the Trump administration transferred to a third-country detention facility outside the United States. Eswatini, a small landlocked monarchy, agreed to accept the deportees under an arrangement with Washington.

#Eswatini
#USA

🔸 Source

@africaintel

🇩🇯 Djibouti's Guelleh Wins Sixth Term With 97.8% of Vote as Opposition Boycotts Poll

Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh, 78, has secured a sixth consecutive term in office after winning 97.8% of the vote, according to state broadcaster Radio Television Djibouti. The result extends his rule to 27 years over the small but strategically located East African nation, which hosts military bases for the United States, France, China, and other powers.

The main opposition candidates boycotted the election, and the poll drew no credible challenger to Guelleh, who has governed Djibouti since 1999.

#Djibouti

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@africaintel

🇱🇾 Libya Signs First Unified State Budget in More Than 13 Years

Libya's House of Representatives and the High Council of State have approved the country's first unified state budget in over 13 years, the country's central bank announced on Saturday. The agreement marks a significant step toward fiscal consolidation in a nation that has operated with parallel administrations and competing financial institutions since the 2011 civil war.

The approval by both rival legislative bodies signals a rare moment of institutional convergence in a country long divided between eastern and western factions.

#Libya

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@africaintel

🇳🇬 Nigeria Convicts 386 Islamist Militants Following Mass Trials in Abuja

Nigeria convicted 386 Islamist militants following mass trials held over four days in the capital Abuja, Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi announced on Friday. Judges handed down sentences ranging from five years to life imprisonment for individuals linked to groups including Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province.

The mass trial process has drawn scrutiny from rights groups who have raised concerns about due process, while Nigerian authorities say the proceedings are necessary to clear a large backlog of terrorism cases.

#Nigeria

🔸 Source

@africaintel

🇨🇩 DRC Raises $1.25 Billion in Debut Eurobond Issue, Drawing $5.2 Billion in Orders

The Democratic Republic of Congo has raised $1.25 billion in its first-ever eurobond issuance, marking the first debut sovereign eurobond by an African country since 2019. The transaction was structured in two tranches: a five-year tranche maturing in 2032 at a yield of 8.75% and a ten-year tranche maturing in 2037 at 9.5%. Orders exceeded $5.2 billion, representing an oversubscription of more than four times, with participation from over 110 investors globally.

Finance Minister Doudou Likunde said proceeds will be directed toward infrastructure, energy, and social development, and described the issuance as an important step in diversifying national financing sources. The bond is expected to be listed on the London Stock Exchange.

#DRC #Congo

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@africaintel

🇧🇯 Benin Finance Minister Wadagni Poised for Presidential Election Win

Benin's long-serving Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni is expected to win Sunday's presidential election, bolstered by strong economic growth and the absence of a credible opposition challenger. The vote takes place against a backdrop of rising jihadist activity in the country's northern regions, where militant groups linked to conflicts in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger have expanded their presence.

Wadagni has been a central figure in Benin's economic management under outgoing President Patrice Talon, overseeing a period of sustained GDP growth that has strengthened his standing among voters.

#Benin

🔸 Source

@africaintel

🇲🇦 Morocco and EU Launch Digital Dialogue, Sign AI Cooperation Deals at GITEX Marrakech

The European Union and Morocco have signed a series of agreements to deepen cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and start-up support, launching the EU-Morocco Digital Dialogue at the GITEX conference in Marrakech. Four European supercomputing centres will partner with Morocco's Mohammed VI University, home to Africa's most powerful supercomputer. Work on the Medusa Optical Fibre Cable, connecting Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, and Tunisia with several southern European countries, is also ongoing.

EU Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunnen described Morocco as an African leader in digital transformation, while Morocco's Minister for Digital Transition Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni said both sides are working to establish a third voice in global AI, distinct from US and Chinese models.

#Morocco #EU

🔸 Source

@africaintel

🇳🇬 Nigeria Concludes ₦4.65 Trillion Bank Recapitalisation Programme

Nigeria's Central Bank has concluded its banking sector recapitalisation programme, with 33 banks raising a combined ₦4.65 trillion, equivalent to approximately $3.38 billion, in new capital by the March 31, 2026 deadline. The CBN said 72.55% of the capital was sourced domestically and 27.45% from international markets. CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso said the programme has reinforced the resilience of the financial system and positioned it to support economic growth.

The programme, launched in March 2024, introduced differentiated capital requirements based on banks' operational scope, with internationally licensed banks required to raise 500 billion naira. A limited number of institutions remain subject to ongoing regulatory and judicial processes.

#Nigeria

🔸 Source

@africaintel

🇸🇩 Three Years of War in Sudan Have Destroyed Water and Health Infrastructure, WHO Warns

Three years of armed conflict in Sudan have shattered essential services including water supply and healthcare, plunging the country into what the World Health Organisation describes as the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. The WHO's Sudan representative delivered the assessment in Geneva, citing the devastating impact of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces that erupted in April 2023.

The conflict has displaced millions of people internally and across borders, while access for humanitarian workers remains severely constrained across large parts of the country.

#Sudan

🔸 Source

@africaintel

🇿🇦 South Africa: Fresh Impeachment Calls Against Ramaphosa After Declassified Phala Phala Police Report

A newly declassified report by South Africa's Independent Police Investigative Directorate on the handling of a large-scale theft of US dollars from President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm has triggered renewed calls for impeachment proceedings against the president. The report details what critics describe as a hush-hush response to the incident by law enforcement authorities linked to the presidency.

The Phala Phala affair, which first surfaced publicly in 2022, has remained a persistent source of political controversy for Ramaphosa, with opposition parties arguing that the handling of the theft constituted a cover-up.

#SouthAfrica

🔸 Source

@africaintel

🌍 Africa's Growth Reaches 4.2% in 2025 But Remains Below Poverty-Reduction Threshold, AfDB Warns

Africa's economy grew at 4.2% in 2025, surpassing the global average of 3.1%, with 32 of 54 countries recording stronger growth than the previous year and 22 growing above 5%, according to the African Development Bank's latest Macroeconomic Performance and Outlook report. Growth is forecast to reach 4.3% in 2026 and 4.5% in 2027. However, AfDB President Sidi Ould Tah cautioned that growth remains below the 7% threshold needed to drive structural transformation and meaningfully reduce poverty.

The report flagged mounting debt vulnerabilities, with 25 African countries spending more on debt repayments than on public health, and warned that rising energy, food, and fertiliser prices linked to the war in Iran are adding pressure, particularly on the continent's poorest nations. Foreign direct investment rebounded sharply in 2024, rising more than 70% to reach $97 billion.

#Africa

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@africaintel

🇸🇩 Millions in Sudan Surviving on One Meal a Day as Food Crisis Deepens

Millions of people in Sudan are surviving on just one meal a day as the country's food crisis deepens and threatens to spread, according to a report published on Monday by a coalition of non-governmental organisations. The report warns that deteriorating conditions risk expanding beyond current crisis zones.

Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023, displacing millions and severely disrupting food production and supply chains.

#Sudan

🔸 Source

@africaintel

🇳🇬 At Least 200 Killed in Nigerian Air Force Strikes in Yobe State

At least 200 people were killed in airstrikes carried out by Nigerian military aircraft in the northeastern state of Yobe as forces hunted Boko Haram jihadists, according to local residents and witnesses. The Nigerian Air Force has not publicly addressed reports that aircraft struck a village market during the operation.

Northeast Nigeria has faced a prolonged insurgency by Boko Haram and its splinter group ISWAP for more than a decade, with military operations in the region resulting in repeated civilian casualties.

#Nigeria

🔸 Source

@africaintel

🇧🇯 Benin Counts Ballots After Presidential Election Marking Pivotal Transition

Benin began counting ballots on Sunday following a presidential election that could extend a decade of economic growth while testing the country's democratic institutions. The vote is widely seen as a critical juncture for the West African nation's political trajectory.

The election comes amid growing debate over governance and civil liberties under incumbent President Patrice Talon, who has overseen significant economic expansion since taking office in 2016.

#Benin

🔸 Source

@africaintel

🇹🇼🇸🇿 Taiwan President to Visit Eswatini, Africa's Last Remaining Diplomatic Ally

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te will travel to Eswatini next week, his office announced on Monday, in a visit to the island's sole remaining diplomatic ally on the African continent. No further details on the agenda or duration of the visit were immediately provided.

Eswatini is the last African country to maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, as most nations on the continent recognise Beijing under the One China policy.

#Eswatini
#Taiwan

🔸 Source

@africaintel

🇩🇯 Djibouti's Ismail Omar Guelleh Wins Unprecedented Sixth Term with 97.8% of Vote

Ismail Omar Guelleh, 78, has secured a sixth presidential term in Djibouti after receiving 97.8% of the vote, extending his rule to over 27 years. The election was boycotted by the main opposition candidates, who questioned the credibility of the process.

Guelleh has governed Djibouti since 1999. Rwanda's President Paul Kagame was among the first regional leaders to congratulate him, speaking with Guelleh by phone on Sunday, April 12.

#Djibouti
#Rwanda

🔸 Source

@africaintel

🇳🇬 Nearly 400 Sentenced in Nigeria for Links to Militant Islamist Groups

Nigerian judges handed down sentences ranging from five years to life imprisonment to nearly 400 individuals convicted of links to militant Islamist organisations following a series of mass trials. The verdicts represent one of the largest batches of terrorism-related sentences in the country's recent history.

Nigeria has been conducting mass prosecutions of suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP members as part of a broader effort to address the insurgency that has destabilised the northeast for over a decade.

#Nigeria

🔸 Source

@africaintel