1. In 2024, the mobile payment market in Africa reached $81 billion, with cyberattacks and fraud resulting in the loss of $5 billion, including $230 million in Kenya alone.

2. Vodafone, South Africa's largest mobile operator, will acquire a $2.1 billion stake in Safaricom, East Africa's largest telecommunications company, increasing its control to 54.9% and strengthening its financial inclusion efforts.

1. Starting January 1, 2026, Nigeria will limit ATM withdrawals to $69 per person per day, $345 per week, and $3,450 per business account to encourage the adoption of digital payments.

2. Microsoft currently has over 117 million users in Africa.

1. The riots in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, following the elections have resulted in 2,000 deaths.

2. Zimbabwe will impose a 15% withholding tax on digital services starting January 1, 2026. This tax will primarily target services provided by foreign companies without a physical presence, such as Netflix, Spotify, and Amazon Prime.

3. The top 10 African countries by political risk, from lowest to highest: Mauritius, Cape Verde, Liberia, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Seychelles, Senegal, South Africa, and Ghana.

1. Africa's largest copper smelter officially commenced production. Ivanhoe Mining's Camora-Kakula smelter will produce 500,000 tons of 99.7% pure copper anodes annually. Ivanhoe Mining is a Canadian mining company whose main businesses are the Camora-Kakula copper complex and the Kipsi zinc-copper-germanium-silver mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as platinum-palladium-nickel-rhodium-gold-copper mines in South Africa. It also explores for new sedimentary copper deposits in Angola, Kazakhstan, and Zambia.

1. South Africa averages 63 murders per day. The 2025 African Organized Crime Index shows that South Africa's crime situation is worse than war zones like Sudan, Somalia, Mali, and Niger. The Democratic Republic of Congo has the highest crime rate in Africa, while South Africa ranks second.

2. The Rwandan Stock Exchange launched a multi-currency securities market, allowing investors to issue and trade securities in multiple currencies for the first time in the country's capital market.

1. Cameroon will impose a 12.5% ​​ad valorem excise tax on imported empty gas cylinders starting in 2026 to encourage the absorption of local production capacity. Currently, local annual production capacity is approximately 600,000 cylinders, while domestic demand is estimated at 450,000 to 500,000.

1. The U.S. Embassy in Tanzania issued a new security warning: unrest may occur in Dar es Salaam in the coming weeks. In the event of unrest, avoid demonstrations. Stockpile water, food, medicine, fuel, and cash before December 5th, and confirm your updated personal security plan, including confirming your personal flights in advance.

2. Nigeria today lifted the 15% tariff on imported oil.

1. Nigerian President Bolsonaro declared a nationwide security emergency and announced the recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers, bringing the total police force to 50,000.

2. Namibia's public utility company, NamPower, launched a tender for a 120 MW solar photovoltaic project, with a deadline of January 13, 2026. Namibia's current installed solar capacity is 377.8 MW.

1. The 7th African Union-EU Summit was held in Angola. Many EU leaders landed at the Chinese-aided Angolan airport, vying for African relations after China. The EU is currently Africa's largest trading partner, with one-third of Africa's exports going to Europe.

1. The Third African Forum on Cybercrime and Electronic Evidence was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from November 25th to 27th. The forum was jointly organized by the European Union and the European Commission's Office for Cybercrime, and hosted by the Kenyan government.

2. The French Development Agency agreed to provide a €300 million loan to South Africa's state-owned logistics group Transnet, the latest sign of strengthened ties between South Africa and Europe following tensions with the United States.