Category: AFRICA

Getting Ghana to 2026 World Cup…Ibrahim Mahama Pays first $2 million of a $5 million Pledge

Adekunle Agbetiloye,Business Insider Africa,First Published,02 May 2026 08:40 AM Multi-millionaire Ibrahim Mahama has paid the first $2 million of a $5 million pledge through his company, Engineers and Planners, to support Ghana’s push for the 2026 World Cup. Ibrahim Mahama, through Engineers and Planners, has paid the first $2 million of his $5 million pledge to support Ghana’s 2026 World Cup campaign. The payment was formally handed over to Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem on April 30, 2026, although the money had already been transferred. The fundraising drive aims…

AFRICA FINANCE IN BRIEF: Dangote IPO ambitions meet oil shocks and inflation pressure

Bunmi Bailey,Business Day,Nigeria ,First Publsihed,May 2, 2026 The final week of April showed how Africa’s financial landscape is being reshaped by a mix of structural ambition and external shocks. From Aliko Dangote’s landmark refinery, Initial Public Offer plans to coordinated regional oil strategies and rising inflation pressures, policymakers and corporates are navigating a more complex environment—balancing growth, energy security and macroeconomic stability. Africa’s capital markets are heading for a defining moment as Aliko Dangote prepares to list a stake in his oil refinery—an offering that could rank among the largest initial public offerings…

Africans Back Media, Freedom Still Questioned

Most Africans are supportive of media holding government to account and favour press freedom over government regulation, the latest Afrobarometer (www.Afrobarometer.org) Pan-Africa Profile (https://apo-opa.co/4ukNfS8) shows, according to an Afrobarometer official statement issued in Accra,Friday.   While support for a free press is a majority position in nearly all surveyed countries, substantial minorities in most countries – and a large majority in Mali – favour government control over what the media can publish. The new report, based on 45,600 interviews across 38 African countries in 2024/2025, also shows that citizen assessments of…

About Disruption at UDS Council Meeting: Prof Nkegbe Sets the Records Straight

Story: Mohammed A. Abu The Dean of Graduate Studies,Prof Paul Nkegbe at the University of Development Studies (UDS), Tamale, Northern Region, has urged the public to disregard the false claims in a widely circulated mischievous publication relating to his person and treat its full content with the contempt it deserves. Prof Nkegbe has taken serious exception to attempts being made by others to employ deliberate misinformation and disinformation so as to falsely make him the central figure around the recent reported incident of the disruption of the University’s Council meeting…

Dangote Eyes Ports, Pipelines, Data Centres in $40 Billion Growth Plan

By:staff writer,first publisshed April 9, 2026,Birr Metrics  Dangote Group has unveiled plans to invest at least40 billion US dollars over the next five years as it pursues a 100 billion US dollars turnover by 2030, targeting expansion across energy, infrastructure, and digital services in Africa. The conglomerate presented its long-term strategy, Vision 2030: Supercharging Dangote Group for Long-Term Success, to the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) board and executive team on 31 March 2026. The plan is structured in two phases spanning 2025–2028 and 2028–2030, aimed at scaling current operations and…

Coconut Shells and Africa’s Built Environment: A Circular Economy Pespective

Introduction Coconuts constitute one of Ghana’s coastal zones invaluable natural resource endowments and its full economic potential has for decades been begging for being unlocked while the country’s East Asian compatriots have since been up to their game in that respect. For decades coconut has been generally treated and still continues to treated in Ghana by many simply as a natural goodie on break open the shell- enjoy the refreshing water-albumen-throw away the husk and shell away as waste supposedly and without appreciating them as potential vital raw materials for…

When Victory Becomes Illusion: How Politicians Misjudge Their Success(By-Prof Mamudu Abunga Akudugu)

In the aftermath of Ghana’s 2016 general elections, I recall a conversation with a former schoolmate who was convinced that the New Patriotic Party’s overwhelming victory signaled the political death of the National Democratic Congress. According to him, the NDC would not return to power for at least a generation. I disagreed then, and time has since proven why. What many politicians and their supporters often misunderstand is that electoral victory, no matter how historic, is not a definitive measure of governing success. Rather, it is often a reflection of…

Stepping up the Northern Region’s Youth Drug Abuse Crusade

Queen Teiya’s Brightpath Global Foundation Takes Action Mohammed A. Abu The maiden edition of Ghana’s Northern Region Youth Drug Abuse Prevention Forum, is scheduled to be held in its administrative capital of Tamale on Thursday,16th April 2026 Held under the theme, “Drug Free Generation — Building Responsible Youth for National Development”, the event is being organised by the Brightpath Global Foundation in collaboration with Total Life Enhancement Centre Ghana (TOLECGH), Aisha Hospital, Tamale, Tamale Teaching Hospital — Mental Health Dept. Ghana Education Service, Northern Region University of Development Studies (UDS),…

Sustainable Building Materials: Why Middle Eastern Developers Are Moving Beyond Concrete

For decades, concrete has been the default choice for construction across the Middle East. It’s durable, it works in extreme heat, and robust supply chains are established. But that era is winding down. Right now, in 2026, developers are shifting away from conventional materials faster than anyone predicted, and the transition is accelerating.  The numbers are striking. The MEA was the only region in the world to record an increase in demand for green and sustainable buildings in 2025, and that momentum has carried into 2026. While global green construction is slowing,…

Heavy Portfolios in Africa’s Real Estate Market and Illiquidity…Ghana in Focus(By: Daniel Kontie)

As a real estate developer and consultant with extensive experience across major African markets, particularly Ghana, I have consistently highlighted the sector’s strong profitability. However, there is a critical dimension of real estate investment in Ghana that industry players rarely disclose. Until now, I have not addressed it directly. But today, I take a deliberate step to bring this issue to the attention of diaspora investors in particular and all new market entrants, being fully aware that such transparency may be met with resistance from fellow industry participants. Nonetheless, I…