Simon Urban: Congo’s Denis Sassou Nguesso is Shaping Africa’s Most Stable Nation into a Global Influencer
Stability Amidst Chaos in Africa While discussions on Africa policy happen in Washington committee rooms and European nations preach governance standards they struggle to uphold, Denis Sassou N’Guesso, the President of the Republic of Congo, is engaged in a more traditional form of leadership: governing. Stability Is the Story In a period marked by coups […]
South Africa’s Ambassador to the US Faces Criticism from All Sides
The Afrikaner community in South Africa is expressing discontent over the appointment of Roelf Meyer as the new ambassador to the US. They’ve labeled him a “turncoat,” while some on the left claim he’s too rigid in dealing with existing “white power structures.” President Cyril Ramaphosa has stated that Meyer is “more than qualified” to […]
South Africa’s Second-Largest Party Chooses Geordin Hill-Lewis as Its Leader
Democratic Alliance Elects Cape Town Mayor as New Leader South Africa’s Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest political party, has chosen a mayor from Cape Town to guide its efforts toward the national elections in 2029. This move aims to capture votes from the struggling African National Congress (ANC). Jordyn Hill-Lewis, at 39, represents a new […]
Africa’s major bank plans to leave the UK, dealing with a nearly $1 billion impact.
The bank has indicated that it might withdraw from its UK operations, specifically Aldermore and its motor finance division, MotoNovo. This decision comes after the bank’s provisions for compensation claims surged to £750 million (around $957 million). This situation follows an inquiry by the Financial Conduct Authority into a widespread failure across the industry to […]
South Africa’s G20 Summit, Boycotted by the U.S., Set to Start This Weekend
This weekend marks the first time the South African government will host the G20 summit, but the event will be missing one of its key players: the United States. Other notable absentees include leaders from China, Argentina, Russia, and Mexico. On November 22 and 23, representatives from the G20 nations will convene in Johannesburg for […]
Egypt, Kenya, and Nigeria lead Africa’s top 100 bank ranking for 2025.
Overview of African Banking Performance Egypt has shown remarkable resilience in recent international banking developments. The list of Africa’s top 100 banks includes 17 from Egypt, leading the pack compared to Kenya and Nigeria, each contributing 10 banks. The latest report for 2025 reveals that the total Tier 1 capital among these leading banks reached […]
Brazil and South Africa’s currencies rise as Trump softens his stance on the trade war.
Currency Trends in Emerging Markets (Bloomberg) — The currencies from Brazil, South Africa, and Mexico did well against other emerging market currencies on Monday. This positive shift came as trade worries subsided, and trading activity in the U.S. bond market was light due to a holiday. During the Americas session, both the Brazilian real and […]
South Africa’s envoy to France discovered deceased at the base of a tower in a Paris hotel
The South African French ambassador was found deceased on Tuesday near the Hyatt Regency Hotel, which is a prominent high-rise located to the west of Paris, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. Ambassador Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa had been reported missing by his wife on Monday evening after she received a distressing text message from […]
China’s changing role as Africa’s debt collector presents a valuable opportunity for the US.
China’s Changing Role in Africa and America’s Opportunity For two decades, China’s approach to Africa was straightforward: flood the continent with unclear and often problematic loans aimed at building infrastructure like roads, ports, and power plants, all to secure its influence and access to natural resources. But that phase of easy lending is dwindling, and […]
South Africa’s Ramaphosa Commends Zimbabwe’s Violent ‘Land Reform’ and Eviction of White Farmers
Ramaphosa’s Speech on Zimbabwe’s Land Reform On August 29, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered a speech where he lauded the controversial “land reform” policy in Zimbabwe. This policy has been linked to violence against white farmers, the expulsion of about one million black farm workers, and significant food shortages affecting millions. During his address […]