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.
4. Currently, only 24% of people in Africa own a mobile phone. A $30 smartphone is a breakthrough point for solving the problem of internet access for 64% of Africans. For 20% of Africans, the cost of a smartphone represents 87% of their monthly income.
5. Guinea's Simandou iron ore mine is the world's largest high-grade iron ore deposit, with an annual production capacity of 120 million tons, supplying nearly 10% of China's iron ore imports and putting pressure on iron ore supplies from Australia and Brazil.
6. China's Hainan Mining completed its first import of 28,950 tons of spodumene concentrate from the Buguni lithium mine in southern Mali, Africa.
7. African lemons have achieved a historic bumper harvest, reaching 203.7 million boxes in 2025, a 23% increase year-on-year.
8. Nigeria launched bidding for 50 oil blocks, expecting to attract $10 billion in investment.
9. Kenya's power transmission company faces compulsory liquidation due to a $77 million lawsuit against a Spanish contractor. 10. Africa Finance Corporation secured a $524 million dual-currency Samurai Loan, as Japan strengthens its lending operations in Africa. Lenders included Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Bank of Taiwan, China Construction Bank, First Commercial Bank, Bank of Taiwan, Chiba Bank, Shizuoka Bank, and Yamanashi Central Bank.
11. BasiGo will expand its electric bus fleet in Kenya and Rwanda, aiming to increase from 100 to 1,000 vehicles by 2027. It has already completed a $42 million Series A funding round.
12. Total Energy is distributing 200,000 upgraded stoves in Rwanda, helping 800,000 rural residents improve their home energy transition.
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