Africa: Government, Public Sector

Nigeria's technology economy has long operated with a structural contradiction: businesses built and run from Nigeria are often incorporated offshore. Itana, Nigeria's first licensed digital free zone, aims to resolve this by adapting the country's free-zone framework to accommodate technology, finance and service businesses that don't require significant physical infrastructure.

Nigeria presented 65 investment projects worth about US$78.5 billion to investors at the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok on 14 October 2026. That figure is what the projects need, not money already committed, and a project that looks fundable in a pitch deck is not yet ready to build. Before any of these projects can lawfully break ground, it has to clear Nigeria’s environmental rules: an environmental impact assessment (EIA) under the EIA Act where the project is likely to significantly affect the environment, approval of that assessment, and the permits NESREA and state agencies enforce.

South Africa's mining sector stands at a critical juncture as the 2026 Joburg Indaba examines whether the country can translate its substantial mineral wealth and technical expertise into renewed investment. With private rail operators receiving slots, a new mining cadastre in development, and intensifying global competition for critical minerals, the question is whether administrative reforms and infrastructure improvements can deliver the predictable operating environment investors require.

The September Policy Trend Trail considers the key policy and regulatory developments that reflect Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen economic growth, financial protection, digital transformation...

A South African court ruling examines when banks may lawfully freeze customer accounts based on suspected fraud and money laundering. The case explores the balance between contractual account terms, interbank information sharing, and statutory tax recovery powers when suspicious funds move rapidly through the banking system.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the fiduciary and corporate services industries. Automation is increasingly being used across a growing number of processes - this shift is not just on the horizon, it is visible today.

The September Policy Trend Trail considers the key policy and regulatory developments that reflect Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen economic growth, financial protection, digital transformation...

Nigeria's technology economy has long operated with a structural contradiction: businesses built and run from Nigeria are often incorporated offshore. Itana, Nigeria's first licensed digital free zone, aims to resolve this by adapting the country's free-zone framework to accommodate technology, finance and service businesses that don't require significant physical infrastructure.

Nigeria's space programme stands at a crossroads as World Space Week 2026 celebrates the 'Rocket Revolution'. With institutions like NASRDA and the Centre for Space Transport and Propulsion already in place, can strategic investment, modern regulation, and public-private partnerships transform Nigeria from a consumer of space technology into a contributor to the global space economy?

The September Policy Trend Trail considers the key policy and regulatory developments that reflect Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen economic growth, financial protection, digital transformation...

Algeria's deployment of air patrol squadrons to Niger following an attempted coup marks a significant shift in regional dynamics, as Algiers pursues an assertive Sahel policy to counter Morocco's expanding influence. This strategic competition threatens to complicate US counterterrorism efforts and reshape the geopolitical landscape across West Africa's critical energy corridors.

Russia's Africa Corps successfully defended Niger's military junta from a coup attempt in August 2024, demonstrating Moscow's deepening security role in the Sahel region. This analysis examines how Russia's entrenchment as a regime protector complicates US counterterrorism objectives and critical mineral access strategies, while exposing the Alliance of Sahel States' inability to provide mutual defense without external support.