Category: Africa

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Oando Reports Profit-After-Tax Up 10% to ₦241.3 billion as Upstream Production Rises 32% in FY 2025

Source: APO


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Oando PLC (www.OandoPLC.com), Africa’s leading indigenous energy solutions provider, has published its unaudited results for the full year ended 31 December 2025. The company announced a 32% year-on-year increase in production by its upstream business, averaging 32,482 boepd. This growth was driven by a 36% increase in crude oil production to 11,269 bopd, a 24% increase in gas production to 19,982 boepd, and a 715% increase in NGL production to 1,231 bpd.

The Group attributed the production growth to the full-year consolidation of the NAOC JV interest, improved operational uptime resulting from the reactivation of previously constrained wells, and targeted infrastructure upgrades across operated assets.

Oando reported a 10% increase in profit after tax to ₦241.3 billion compared to ₦220.1 billion in 2024, supported by higher upstream production, impairment reversals, and favourable tax adjustments. However, revenue declined 21% to ₦3.21 trillion from ₦4.09trillion in 2024, while gross profit decreased 82% year-on-year to ₦27.8 billion, down from ₦155.9 billion in 2024. These declines in earnings reflect the Company’s change in revenue mix as it scaled back high-turnover, lower-margin refined-product trading in favour of higher-margin crude and gas trading opportunities, as well as the impact of non-cash items.

Commenting on the full year-end 2025 unaudited results, Group Chief Executive, Oando PLC, Wale Tinubu, CON, said, “2025 was a year of relentless execution as we successfully transitioned from the integration of the NAOC Joint Venture into operational delivery.

Over the year under review, we reinforced asset integrity, strengthened security across our operating areas, and materially improved uptime, delivering a 32% year-on-year increase in total production. Operated Joint Venture production averaged approximately 80,545 boepd, translating to 32,482 boepd net to Oando, alongside a 30% increase in crude oil liftings and a 59% increase in gas sales volumes.

Building on this foundation, we launched our development drilling programme with the successful completion and start-up of the Obiafu-44 gas-condensate well. This well represents the first execution milestone within a phased 36-well development programme, designed to restore field deliverability, unlock incremental production and advance the Group’s medium-term growth objectives.”

Within its trading business, the Group recorded a 42% increase year-on-year in crude oil cargos traded, rising to 26 crude oil cargos (29.4 MMbbl) compared to 21 cargos (20.7 MMbbl) traded in 2024. During the period, Oando deliberately paused premium motor spirit (PMS) trading in response to structural changes in Nigeria’s domestic downstream landscape. While this rebalancing resulted in a short-term reduction in reported earnings, it aligns with the Group’s longer-term focus on margin quality and capital efficiency.

“In our downstream trading business, we responded decisively to evolving market dynamics by deliberately rebalancing our portfolio away from gasoline importation toward higher-margin crude and gas opportunities. We expanded global exports and leveraged structured offtake and pre-export financing arrangements to support liquidity, cash-flow resilience, and effective production monetization for our clients,”  added Tinubu.

The period under review showcases the Company’s transition from asset integration following the acquisition to a decisive assumption of operatorship, evidenced by strong upstream performance. Capital expenditure increased significantly from 2024, with higher investment in upstream development, facility integrity, and infrastructure optimisation. This investment is strategic; production growth and increased revenue depend on these foundational capabilities being in place, and more importantly, it is evidence that the company is postured correctly for the future.

In line with its group-wide optimisation strategy, the Company realised $17.7 million in cost savings across key operating inputs through disciplined contract optimisation. During the period, retained earnings returned to a positive position, reflecting non-cash intra-group balance sheet realignments associated with ongoing capital restructuring. Collectively, these developments enhance the Company’s financial resilience and position it to deliver sustainable, long-term value as it enters its next phase of growth.

Looking ahead, Tinubu remarked “With operational control firmly embedded and the foundations for growth clearly established, our focus is on the diligent execution of our development programme to accelerate production growth, strengthen cash generation and enhance long-term value creation. As we enter 2026, we will continue to allocate capital prudently, deepen operational resilience and build on the momentum achieved.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Oando PLC.

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O Afreximbank anuncia os oito (8) finalistas do seu programa emblemático, Programa de Aceleradores [Accelerator Program]

Source: Africa Press Organisation – Portuguese –

  • Oito (8) startups visionárias seleccionadas para promover os objectivos de comércio e industrialização intracontinentais de África
  • Os finalistas são elegíveis, sujeitos a critérios de selecção, a receber até 250.000 USD em investimento de capital, orientação especializada e acesso exclusivo ao mercado

O Banco Africano de Exportação e Importação (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) tem o prazer de anunciar a selecção dos oito (8) finalistas do primeiro grupo do seu programa pioneiro, Programa de Aceleradores do Afreximbank [Afreximbank Accelerator Program]. Esta iniciativa dinâmica de três (3) meses, que terá início em Março de 2026, foi concebida para capacitar as startups mais promissoras de África que estão a impulsionar a inovação no comércio intra-africano.

Os finalistas foram cuidadosamente seleccionados entre um grupo altamente competitivo de mais de 1600 candidaturas, demonstrando o talento empreendedor mais promissor do continente. O rigoroso processo incluiu avaliações detalhadas dos negócios, entrevistas e sessões de apresentação, supervisionadas por um painel de especialistas em comércio do Afreximbank, juntamente com especialistas externos líderes do ecossistema de capital de risco e inovação.

Os finalistas seleccionados incorporam a missão do Afreximbank de impulsionar um progresso mensurável no comércio intra-africano e global africano. Representando inovações em sectores como a agricultura, o comércio electrónico, o acesso ao mercado, as soluções de tecnologia financeira, a melhoria da cadeia de abastecimento e a indústria transformadora, estas startups estão preparadas para enfrentar desafios comerciais críticos que afectam tanto os mercados continentais como os da diáspora, promovendo simultaneamente o comércio intra-africano e a industrialização.

A diversidade geográfica das candidaturas, provenientes de toda África, da diáspora e da CARICOM, demonstra o amplo alcance do programa e é uma prova do compromisso do Afreximbank com a integração no âmbito da Zona de Comércio Livre Continental Africana (ZCLCA) Ao priorizar soluções desde a Fase Inicial até à Série A – maturidade e aplicando uma avaliação robusta em três (3) fases que combina conhecimentos especializados, avaliação prática dos negócios e critérios de inovação estratégica, o programa visa não só acelerar o crescimento das startups como promover igualmente um ecossistema sustentável para o desenvolvimento impulsionado pelo comércio em toda África.

O Programa de Aceleradores do Afreximbank [Afreximbank Accelerator Program] proporcionará aos finalistas um pacote abrangente de apoio, incluindo:

  • Investimento de Capital: Financiamento em Capital – sujeito a critérios de selecção – de até 250.000 USD através do braço de investimento de capital de impacto do Afreximbank, o Fundo para o Desenvolvimento das Exportações em África (FEDA), permitindo uma rápida expansão e crescimento operacional.
  • Mentoria: Acesso a especialistas experientes, bem como a líderes do sector, para aperfeiçoar estratégias de negócio e acelerar a entrada no mercado. Estes incluem investidores de renome, especialistas em comércio e líderes do sector empenhados em promover a integração económica de África no âmbito da Zona de Comércio Livre Continental Africana (ZCLCA)
  • Acesso ao Mercado: Ligação ao ecossistema comercial pan-africano do Afreximbank, incluindo programas de facilitação do comércio, vias regulamentares, bem como oportunidades exclusivas para alavancar a extensa rede do Afreximbank de partes interessadas governamentais, intervenientes do sector privado e parceiros multilaterais para garantir parcerias e financiamento.

Ao longo do programa, os finalistas participarão em módulos de aprendizagem virtual, workshops práticos e sessões presenciais organizadas nos centros regionais, como Abuja, Nairobi e na sede do Afreximbank em Cairo. Esta experiência de imersão culminará com um “Dia de Demonstração” de alto nível, onde as startups apresentarão as suas soluções inovadoras a um público influente de investidores globais, decisores políticos e líderes da indústria.

O Sr. Haytham Elmaayergi, Vice-Presidente Executivo para a Banca Comercial Global do Afreximbank, comentou: “O Programa de Aceleradores do Afreximbank [Afreximbank Accelerator Program] reflecte a nossa crença no poder da inovação para transformar o comércio intra-africano e sublinha igualmente o importante papel que a inovação da África Global desempenha na concretização da promessa da ZCLCA. Este grupo inaugural representa o futuro das empresas africanas, e estamos orgulhosos em investir nelas, desde a visão até a escala, para promover as soluções necessárias para desbloquear o comércio em toda África, na diáspora e nas Caraíbas.”

O Programa de Aceleradores do Afreximbank [Afreximbank Accelerator Program] exemplifica o compromisso do Banco em promover soluções locais que abordem desafios comerciais críticos e desbloqueiem o potencial económico de África no âmbito da ZCLCA.

Para ver a lista completa dos oito (8) finalistas e os detalhes do programa, visite: https://apo-opa.co/3ZPTXSQ

Distribuído pelo Grupo APO para Afreximbank.

Contacto para a Imprensa:
Vincent Musumba
Gestor de Comunicações e Eventos (Relações com a Imprensa)
Correio Electrónico: press@afreximbank.com

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Sobre o Afreximbank:
O Banco Africano de Exportação e Importação (Afreximbank) é uma instituição financeira multilateral pan-africana com mandato para financiar e promover o comércio intra e extra-africano. Há mais de 30 anos que o Banco utiliza estruturas inovadoras para oferecer soluções de financiamento que apoiam a transformação da estrutura do comércio africano, acelerando a industrialização e o comércio intra-regional, impulsionando assim a expansão económica em África. Apoiante firme do Acordo de Comércio Livre Continental Africano (ACLCA), o Afreximbank lançou um Sistema Pan-Africano de Pagamento e Liquidação (PAPSS) que foi adoptado pela União Africana (UA) como plataforma de pagamento e liquidação para sustentar a implementação da ZCLCA. Em colaboração com o Secretariado da ZCLCA e a UA, o Banco criou um Fundo de Ajustamento de 10 mil milhões de dólares para apoiar os países que participam de forma efectiva na ZCLCA. No final de Dezembro de 2024, o total de activos e contingências do Afreximbank ascendia a mais de 40,1 mil milhões de dólares e os seus fundos de accionistas a 7,2 mil milhões de dólares. O Afreximbank tem notações de grau de investimento atribuídas pela GCR (escala internacional) (A), Moody’s (Baa2), China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd (CCXI) (AAA), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-). O Afreximbank evoluiu para uma entidade de grupo que inclui o Banco, a sua subsidiária de fundo de impacto de acções, denominada Fundo para o Desenvolvimento das Exportações em África (FEDA), e a sua subsidiária de gestão de seguros, AfrexInsure (em conjunto, “o Grupo”). O Banco tem a sua sede em Cairo, Egipto.

Para mais informações, visite: www.Afreximbank.com.

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Afreximbank annonce les 8 finalistes de son programme phare, « Accelerator »

Source: Africa Press Organisation – French

  • Huit startups visionnaires sélectionnées pour faire avancer les objectifs du commerce intra-continental et de l’industrialisation de l’Afrique
  • Les finalistes, sous réserve des critères de sélection, peuvent recevoir jusqu’à 250 000 $ US en investissement en actions, bénéficier d’un mentorat d’experts et d’un accès exclusif au marché.

La Banque Africaine d’Import-Export (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) est heureuse d’annoncer la sélection des huit finalistes de la première promotion de son programme pionnier dénommé Afreximbank Accelerator Program. Cette initiative dynamique de trois mois, qui démarre en mars 2026, vise à autonomiser les startups africaines les plus prometteuses et qui se distinguent dans la stimulation de l’innovation dans le commerce intra-africain.

Les finalistes ont été rigoureusement sélectionnés parmi plus de 1 600 candidatures, témoignant du potentiel entrepreneurial exceptionnel du continent. Le processus rigoureux comprenait des évaluations commerciales détaillées, des entretiens et des séances de pitch, supervisées par un jury de spécialistes du commerce d’Afreximbank aux côtés d’experts externes de premier plan issus de l’écosystème du capital-risque et de l’innovation.

Les finalistes sélectionnés incarnent la mission d’Afreximbank qui consiste à réaliser des progrès mesurables dans le commerce intra-africain et à l’échelle de l’Afrique mondiale. Ces startups, qui s’illustrent par leurs innovations dans des secteurs tels que l’agriculture, le commerce électronique, l’accès aux marchés, les solutions technologiques financières, l’amélioration de la chaîne d’approvisionnement et la fabrication, sont prêtes à relever les défis commerciaux majeurs affectant les marchés continentaux et de la diaspora, tout en faisant progresser le commerce intra-africain et l’industrialisation.

La diversité géographique des candidatures, provenant de toute l’Afrique, de la diaspora et de la CARICOM, témoigne de la large portée du programme mais aussi de l’engagement d’Afreximbank en faveur de l’intégration dans le cadre de la Zone de libre-échange continentale africaine (ZLECAf). En privilégiant les solutions allant de la phase d’amorçage à la série A- jusqu’à maturité et en appliquant une évaluation rigoureuse en trois étapes-combinant expertise, analyse pratique des entreprises et critères d’innovation stratégique, le programme vise non seulement à accélérer la croissance des startups, mais aussi à promouvoir un écosystème durable pour un développement axé sur le commerce en Afrique.

Le programme Afreximbank Accelerator fournira aux finalistes un accompagnement complet comprenant :

  • Investissement en actions : Financement en actions – sous réserve des critères de sélection – jusqu’à 250 000 $ US par le biais du fonds d’investissement à impact d’Afreximbank, le Fonds de développement des exportations en Afrique (FEDA), permettant une expansion rapide et une croissance opérationnelle.
  • Mentorat : Accès à des experts chevronnés, ainsi qu’à des leaders de l’industrie pour affiner les stratégies commerciales et accélérer l’entrée sur le marché. Il s’agit notamment d’investisseurs de premier plan, de spécialistes du commerce international et d’experts reconnus du secteur, tous engagés à promouvoir l’intégration économique de l’Afrique dans le cadre de la Zone de libre-échange continentale africaine (ZLECAf).
  • Accès au marché : Connexion à l’écosystème commercial panafricain d’Afreximbank, y compris les programmes de facilitation du commerce, les voies réglementaires ainsi que les opportunités exclusives de tirer parti du vaste réseau d’acteurs gouvernementaux, d’acteurs du secteur privé et de partenaires multilatéraux d’Afreximbank pour obtenir des partenariats et des financements.

Au cours du programme, les finalistes participeront à des modules d’apprentissage virtuels, à des ateliers pratiques et à des sessions en personne organisées dans des pôles régionaux tels qu’Abuja, Nairobi et le siège d’Afreximbank au Caire. Cette expérience immersive culminera avec une « Journée de démonstration » de grande envergure, où les startups présenteront leurs solutions innovantes à un public influent d’investisseurs internationaux, de décideurs politiques et de champions de l’industrie.

Haytham Elmaayergi, vice-président exécutif d’Afreximbank, en charge de la Global Trade Bank, a déclaré : « Le Programme Afreximbank Accelerator témoigne de notre conviction que l’innovation a le pouvoir de transformer le commerce intra-africain et souligne le rôle essentiel que joue l’innovation en Afrique mondiale pour concrétiser les promesses de la ZLECAf.

Cette première promotion représente l’avenir des entreprises africaines, et nous sommes fiers d’investir dans ces entreprises, de la conception à la mise en œuvre, afin de développer les solutions nécessaires pour libérer le commerce en Afrique, au sein de la diaspora et dans les Caraïbes ».

Le programme Afreximbank Accelerator illustre l’engagement de la Banque à promouvoir des solutions développées au niveau local qui répondent aux défis commerciaux critiques et libèrent le potentiel économique de l’Afrique dans le cadre de la ZLECAf.

Pour voir la liste complète des 8 finalistes et les détails du programme, veuillez visiter : https://apo-opa.co/3ZPTXSQ

Distribué par APO Group pour Afreximbank.

Contact Presse :
Vincent Musumba
Responsable des communications et de la gestion événementielle (Relations presse)
Courriel : press@afreximbank.com

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À propos d’Afreximbank :
La Banque Africaine d’Import-Export (Afreximbank) est une institution financière multilatérale panafricaine dédiée au financement et à la promotion du commerce intra et extra-africain. Depuis 30 ans, Afreximbank déploie des structures innovantes pour fournir des solutions de financement qui facilitent la transformation de la structure du commerce africain et accélèrent l’industrialisation et le commerce intrarégional, soutenant ainsi l’expansion économique en Afrique. Fervente défenseur de l’Accord sur la Zone de Libre-Échange Continentale Africaine (ZLECAf), Afreximbank a lancé les le Système panafricain de paiement et de règlement (PAPSS) qui a été adopté par l’Union africaine (UA) comme la plateforme de paiement et de règlement devant appuyer la mise en œuvre de la ZLECAf. En collaboration avec le Secrétariat de la ZLECAf et l’UA, la Banque a mis en place un Fonds d’ajustement de 10 milliards de dollars US pour aider les pays à participer de manière effective à la ZLECAf. À la fin de décembre 2024, le total des actifs et des garanties de la Banque s’élevait à environ 40,1 milliards de dollars US et les fonds de ses actionnaires s’établissaient à 7,2 milliards de dollars US. Afreximbank est notée A par GCR International Scale, Baa2 par Moody’s, AAA par China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd (CCXI), A- par Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR). Au fil des ans, Afreximbank est devenue un groupe constitué de la Banque, de sa filiale de financement à impact appelée Fonds de développement des exportations en Afrique (FEDA), et de sa filiale de gestion d’assurance, AfrexInsure, (les trois entités forment « le Groupe »). La Banque a son siège social au Caire, en Égypte.

Pour de plus amples informations, veuillez visiter www.Afreximbank.com

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Afreximbank announces top 8 finalists for its flagship Accelerator Program

Source: APO – Report:

  • Eight visionary startups selected to advance Africa’s intra-continental trade and industrialisation goals
  • Finalists are eligible subject to selection criteria to receive up to US$250,000 in equity investment, expert mentorship, and exclusive market access

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) is excited to announce the selection of the top 8 finalists of the first cohort for its pioneering Afreximbank Accelerator Program. This dynamic three-month initiative, that kicks off in March 2026 is designed to empower Africa’s most promising startups that are driving innovation in intra-African trade.

The finalists were carefully selected from a highly competitive pool of over 1,600 applications, showcasing the continent’s most promising entrepreneurial talent. The rigorous process included detailed business assessments, interviews, and pitch sessions, overseen by a panel of Afreximbank trade specialists alongside leading external experts from the venture capital and innovation ecosystem.

The selected finalists embody Afreximbank’s mission to drive measurable progress in intra-African and global African trade. Representing innovations in sectors such as agriculture, e-commerce, market access, financial technology solutions, supply chain enhancement and manufacturing, these startups are poised to address critical trade challenges affecting both continental and diaspora markets, while also advancing intra-African trade and industrialisation.

The geographic diversity of applications, from across Africa, the diaspora, and CARICOM demonstrates the programme’s broad reach and stands as a testament to Afreximbank’s commitment to integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). By prioritising solutions from Seed to Series A – maturity and applying a robust three-stage evaluation that combines expert insight, practical business assessment, and strategic innovation criteria, the programme aims not only to accelerate start-ups growth but also to foster a sustainable ecosystem for trade-led development across Africa.

Afreximbank Accelerator Program will provide finalists with a comprehensive package of support including:

  • Equity Investment: Equity financing- subject to selection criteria-of up to $250,000 through Afreximbank’s impact equity investment arm, Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA), enabling rapid scale-up and operational growth.
  • Mentorship: Access to seasoned experts, as well as industry leaders to refine business strategies and accelerate market entry. These include leading investors, trade specialists, and industry thought leaders committed to fostering Africa’s economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
  • Market Access: Connection to Afreximbank’s pan-African trade ecosystem, including trade facilitation programmes, regulatory pathways as well as exclusive opportunities to leverage Afreximbank’s extensive network of government stakeholders, private sector players, and multilateral partners to secure partnerships and funding.

Over the course of the program, finalists will engage in virtual learning modules, hands-on workshops, and in-person sessions hosted across regional hubs such as Abuja, Nairobi and Afreximbank’s headquarters in Cairo. This immersive experience will culminate in a high-profile ‘Demo Day’, where startups will showcase their innovative solutions to an influential audience of global investors, policymakers, and industry champions.

Mr. Haytham Elmaayergi, Executive Vice President, Global Trade Bank at Afreximbank commented: “The Afreximbank Accelerator Programme reflects our belief in the power of innovation to transform intra-African trade and also underscores the important role that Global Africa’s innovation plays in realising the promise of the AfCFTA. This inaugural cohort represents the future of African enterprise, and we are proud to invest in them from vision to scale to nurture solutions needed to unlock trade across Africa, the diaspora, and the Caribbean.”

The Afreximbank Accelerator Program exemplifies the Bank’s commitment to fostering homegrown solutions that address critical trade challenges and unlock Africa’s economic potential under the AfCFTA framework.

To view the full list of the top 8 finalists and program details, please visit: https://apo-opa.co/3ZPTXSQ

– on behalf of Afreximbank.

Media Contact:
Vincent Musumba
Communications and Events Manager (Media Relations)
Email: press@afreximbank.com

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About Afreximbank:
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra- and extra-African trade. For over 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialisation and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank has set up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2024, Afreximbank’s total assets and contingencies stood at over US$40.1 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$7.2 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody’s (Baa2), China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd (CCXI) (AAA), and Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its equity impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure (together, “the Group”). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.

For more information, visit: www.Afreximbank.com

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President Ramaphosa mourns passing of writer Dr Diana Ferrus

Source: President of South Africa –

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his deep condolences following the passing of writer, storyteller and cultural activist, Dr Diana Ferrus, who has passed away at the age of 72.

President Ramaphosa’s thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and associates of the late poet who in 1998 penned the persuasive poem, A Poem for Sarah Baartman.

The poem is credited with being instrumental in the return to South Africa from France of the mortal remains of Ms Sarah Baartman, an Eastern Cape citizen who had been taken to Europe in the 19th century to be dehumanised and exploited as an exhibit.

Dr Ferrus was a writer who published works in Afrikaans and English and taught and empowered emerging writers to articulate protest and social commentary.

President Ramaphosa said: “A remarkable voice has gone silent. Diana Ferrus was a creative stalwart whose profound understanding of the human condition and the all-encompassing injustices of apartheid inspired her way with words.

“She was a patriot who painted our nation in prose that awakened us to the essence of our humanity.

“No-one could remain unaffected by her insight, her deep appreciation of our nation’s cultural and natural endowments, or her demands for justice and the restoration of the dignity of a dispossessed and disempowered people.

“May Diana’s soul rest in the peace to which she invited Sarah Baartman in her landmark poem.”

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – media@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria
 

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South Africa: President Ramaphosa mourns passing of struggle veteran Leon Levy

Source: APO


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President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his deep sadness at the passing in Cape Town of Mr Leon Levy, aged 96, who was the last surviving signatory of the Freedom Charter and Accused No 4 in the 1956 Treason Trial.

President Ramaphosa offers his deep sympathy to the family and friends of Mr Levy who took on numerous roles in the struggle alongside his equally committed identical twin brother, Norman, who passed away in July 2021.

Leon Levy, whose parents had emigrated from Lithuania, joined the Communist Party of South Africa when he was a teenager and became a trade unionist when he was 24 – two years before he was elected president of the South African Congress of Trade Unions that he had helped to establish.

He was among the organisers of the Congress of the People which adopted the Freedom Charter on 26 June 1955.

The six Charter signatories were African National Congress President Chief Albert Luthuli; Jimmy La Guma of the South African Coloured People’s Congress; Monty Naicker of the Natal Indian Congress; Pieter Beyleveld of the Congress of Democrats and Leon Levy of the South African Congress of Trade Unions.

In December 1956, security police arrested the Levy brothers as part of a crackdown on liberation movement leaders and charged the activists with high treason, which carried the death penalty as a possible sentence.

While Norman Levy was discharged later, Leon Levy remained on trial until his acquittal in 1961.

The brothers remained politically active, with Norman Levy serving three years after being convicted under the Suppression of Communism Act.

Leon Levy was subjected to two periods of detention, after which he went into exile in England, where Norman joined him after being released from prison.

President Ramaphosa said: “The passing of Leon Levy is a sad moment for us as fellow human beings. It is particularly sad for us as citizens of a South Africa that attained freedom from apartheid through the hard and sacrificial activism of Leon Levy and those who were in the trenches with him, including his brother, Norman.

“As we mark 70 years since the Treason Trial of 1956, we are obliged to pay tribute to the cohort of leaders and other activists who fought the apartheid state based on their belief in the inherent equality and dignity of all people.

“Leon Levy attached his signature to the Freedom Charter that lives on in our Constitution whose 30th anniversary we observe as well in 2026.

“Leon Levy was part of a generation whose contributions to a better life and a better world for all South Africans and humanity globally must never be forgotten or dishonoured.

“May his soul rest in peace.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.

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South Africa: President Ramaphosa mourns passing of writer Dr Diana Ferrus

Source: APO


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President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his deep condolences following the passing of writer, storyteller and cultural activist, Dr Diana Ferrus, who has passed away at the age of 72.

President Ramaphosa’s thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and associates of the late poet who in 1998 penned the persuasive poem, A Poem for Sarah Baartman.

The poem is credited with being instrumental in the return to South Africa from France of the mortal remains of Ms Sarah Baartman, an Eastern Cape citizen who had been taken to Europe in the 19th century to be dehumanised and exploited as an exhibit.

Dr Ferrus was a writer who published works in Afrikaans and English and taught and empowered emerging writers to articulate protest and social commentary.

President Ramaphosa said: “A remarkable voice has gone silent. Diana Ferrus was a creative stalwart whose profound understanding of the human condition and the all-encompassing injustices of apartheid inspired her way with words.

“She was a patriot who painted our nation in prose that awakened us to the essence of our humanity.

“No-one could remain unaffected by her insight, her deep appreciation of our nation’s cultural and natural endowments, or her demands for justice and the restoration of the dignity of a dispossessed and disempowered people.

“May Diana’s soul rest in the peace to which she invited Sarah Baartman in her landmark poem.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.

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Nigeria’s open borders promised more trade and free movement: but crossings are chaotic and corrupt

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By John Babalola, Associate lecturer, University of Lincoln

West Africa has pursued one of the world’s most ambitious border liberalisation schemes in the past four decades. The Ecowas Free Movement Protocol, signed in 1979, enables citizens of 16 member states to cross international borders with minimal documentation. The intention was to promote economic integration and prosperity across the region.

For instance, Nigeria’s open borders promise trade. Yet at Nigeria’s border posts, a troubling reality emerges. The open border system has become a vehicle for systematic exploitation of travellers.

My research towards my PhD at the University of Lincoln under the supervision of Dr Joshua Skoczylis focuses on west African migration and border governance. Together, we have examined how the region’s free movement protocol operates in practice at Nigeria’s frontiers.

Using the examples of two contrasting Nigerian border crossings – Idi-Iroko on the Benin border and Chikanda on the Niger border – I sought to understand the protocol’s impact on border security in Nigeria. Through qualitative interviews with policymakers, frontline security staff and community leaders, the research reveals how information gaps between officials and citizens transform an integration policy into an instrument of corruption.

While these sites cannot claim to represent all of Nigeria’s 84 manned official border posts, they illustrate the institutional dynamics reported across major crossing points in the region.

My findings show that the Ecowas Free Movement Protocol is an example of what policy scholars call an implementation gap: the chasm between what policies promise on paper and what happens on the ground. This protocol establishes free movement principles without prescribing mechanisms or standard practices. But Nigeria has failed to develop its own ways to manage its borders.

The current chaotic system is crying out for changes: these should include standardised operating procedures, proper remuneration for border personnel, accountability mechanisms and intelligence sharing.

When nobody knows the rules

The protocol’s basic requirement is straightforward: travellers need a valid travel document (a passport) and an international health certificate. Yet interviews with dozens of border community members revealed that most had never seen these requirements written down, let alone understood them.

“I think the protocol is good for trade between countries,” one Idi-Iroko resident told me, “but I don’t really know what it says.” Another community member was more direct: “International passports? Those are a waste of time and money. You don’t need them to cross the borders.”

When citizens remain uncertain about requirements, officials can demand payments for unknown violations, charge fees for services that should be free, and accept bribes to overlook supposed irregularities. What looks like bureaucratic failure becomes a feature of the system for those who benefit from it.

Multiple residents confirmed they crossed regularly without documents, recognised by officials who “know them” as locals.

Border residents understand that in practice, rules matter less than relationships with officials. Documentation requirements are negotiable, and informal payment often smooths passage more effectively than proper papers.

The strategic information gap

Security agencies claim they regularly conduct community information programmes. Immigration officials described visiting market squares and motor parks to distribute flyers about trafficking dangers and documentation requirements. “We do enlightenment campaigns constantly,” one senior officer insisted. Yet my requests for programme documentation, schedules, attendance records, or evaluation reports yielded nothing.

None of the community members interviewed across two border zones recalled such programmes. Most had gleaned their understanding of border operations from informal conversations and personal experience.

The real implementation gap

Free movement doesn’t mean unregulated movement. Even within a borderless zone, states retain legitimate security interests: preventing trafficking, controlling smuggled goods, monitoring public health threats, and maintaining basic records of cross-border flows. The protocol acknowledges this by allowing member states to refuse entry on grounds of security, public health, or public order. Rules are needed to distinguish between these legitimate security functions and arbitrary restrictions that undermine the integration agenda.

The protocol assumes member states will create necessary institutional capacity: motivated, well-resourced security forces working collaboratively. But in reality there are ten competing agencies at major Nigerian posts, earning vastly different salaries, following separate mandates, jealously guarding information. As one military officer explained: “One organisation tries to be smarter, working individualistically instead of in cooperation.”

Frontline officers exercise enormous discretion in this under-regulated environment. They become de facto policymakers. They don’t simply implement policy poorly, they effectively create policy through their daily choices about whom to stop, what to inspect, and which violations to overlook.

A customs official candidly admitted to me:

Many people don’t go there for patriotism or duty. They go for survival. Even if you have the numbers, they’ll always try to see where the honey tastes better.

In this context, systematic corruption isn’t aberrant behaviour – it’s a strategy within deficient systems that national governments have failed to develop.

Why technology won’t fix this

Security officials often cite lack of technology as their main challenge. They argue that scanners, biometric systems and digital monitoring could help verify travellers’ identities, flag security threats, and create audit trails of border transactions. In theory, that could reduce opportunities for officials to demand arbitrary payments or wave through prohibited goods.

But technology won’t solve the fundamental problem my research uncovered.

The issue isn’t capacity for enforcement. It’s the incentive for exploitation. Sophisticated surveillance equipment won’t prevent officials from accepting bribes if their salaries are inadequate and accountability mechanisms are absent.

Anyway, most border posts lack electricity infrastructure to power such technology. And equipment placed in remote areas becomes vulnerable to theft or vandalism. Investment in hardware simply creates more expensive ways to fail.

What needs to change

Forty-six years after the protocol’s enactment, Ecowas needs to confront uncomfortable realities. Real reform requires several interconnected changes:

  • Genuine transparency about requirements: sustained, accessible public information about what documentation is legally required, what fees are legitimate, and how to report violations.

  • Standardised operating procedures across member states.

  • Adequate compensation for security personnel.

  • Accountability mechanisms with genuine consequences for exploitative behaviour.

  • Coordination frameworks that reduce inter-agency competition and enable intelligence sharing.

Until Ecowas confronts this reality, the free movement protocol will continue delivering the opposite of its promise: not integration and prosperity, but fragmentation and exploitation.

This article is based on doctoral fieldwork conducted in Nigeria between 5 June 2024 and 1 August 2024. Interview data and full findings will be available in the forthcoming PhD thesis at the University of Lincoln.

– Nigeria’s open borders promised more trade and free movement: but crossings are chaotic and corrupt
– https://theconversation.com/nigerias-open-borders-promised-more-trade-and-free-movement-but-crossings-are-chaotic-and-corrupt-273670

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Angola’s Lobito Corridor is being revived – but who stands to gain?

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Daniel Tjarks, Resarch Associate in Human Geography, Saarland University

The Lobito Corridor is a massive infrastructure axis linking Angola’s shore on the west of Africa to the mineral-rich interior. Built in the first three decades of the 1900s to export cheap commodities to colonial Portugal, it later fell into disrepair. Its main railway was rebuilt during Angola’s post-war reconstruction. More recently it has attracted renewed and competing international interests.

Daniel Tjarks has researched Angola’s political and economic geography, the spatial development of colonial Angola and the current role of international actors in the country. Angola’s post-war spatial development and the government’s plans to promote more balanced and equitable growth also feature in his PhD dissertation. He questions some of the celebratory political claims made about efforts to revitalise the corridor. In particular, whether it will help Angola diversify its oil-dependent economy and benefit ordinary citizens.

What is the Lobito Corridor?

The Lobito Corridor is a logistics corridor. At its heart is a 1,300km rail line that connects the port of the Angolan city of Lobito to the mineral-rich parts of Zambia and Congo to the east.

The Lobito Corridor. European commission. https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/lobito-corridor-building-future-together_en.

Its most important component, the Benguela Railway, was constructed between 1903 and 1931 under Portuguese colonial rule by Scottish engineer Robert Williams.

At the time, it was one of three separate railways linking the colony’s ports to its hinterland. This way, colonial Angola could provide Portugal with cheap commodities.

During Angola’s post-independence civil war (1975-2002), the line was largely destroyed. As Angola entered the peace period, the country was able to rebuild its infrastructure thanks to its booming oil business.

Chinese capital and construction companies enabled the resurrection of the railway between 2006 and 2014.

In 2023, a western consortium outbid Chinese competitors for a 30-year concession for the line’s operation. The consortium consists of Swiss commodity trader Trafigura, Portuguese construction company Mota-Engil and Belgian rail operator Vecturis. It has committed to invest US$455 million in the corridor’s development in Angola alone. Trafigura CEO Jeremy Weir says it will not only “create a western route to market for goods and materials” but also “boost the development of sectors along the line”.

Why is the corridor attracting so much attention again?

A lot is at stake in the Lobito corridor. Much more than a regional infrastructure project, it has gained strategic importance in the global scramble for critical resources.

Cobalt and copper from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are key to the clean energy transition and modern communication technology. The DRC and Zambia together account for about 14% of the global mine production of copper and the DRC for 73% of cobalt.

Control of access to these minerals is at the heart of growing US-China competition, at times referred to as a “second cold war”.

The Lobito corridor has therefore become a project of global importance.

For this reason, the railway line has attracted high-ranking visits in recent years. In 2024, then US president Joe Biden inspected the rail line, marking the first visit of a US president to the continent since 2015 and the first of a sitting US president to Angola. In 2025, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier also made the trip – again, the first of a German president to the country.

Even the Trump administration seems to have decided it will not break with commitments to support development of the corridor.

In 2024, the US, Europe, the African Development Bank and the three host countries signed a memorandum of understanding to extend the line to the east and mobilise investment alongside it.

At the seventh AU-EU summit in November 2025, European commission president Ursula von der Leyen described these commitments as evidence of the “European model” of investment and the two continents’ “unique and strategic partnership”. The commission promised to mobilise loans and private investments for the corridor worth no less than US$2 billion.

As the US and EU are trying to counter Chinese capital investment in Angola and in the wider region, the Lobito Corridor will continue to play a key role.

Who will benefit from the Lobito corridor?

There are good reasons to remain sceptical about the corridor’s promised benefits.

First, recent background reports point to major challenges facing the development of the soft infrastructure of customs and regulations. Others have pointed to the corridor’s unclear commercial viability. Ships having to call at the secondary port of Lobito will incur higher costs. There’s also competition from other routes – mostly, the Chinese-built Tazara railway, connecting Zambia to Dar-es-Salaam.

Second, the economic model at the heart of the Lobito corridor is anything but a break with exploitative extractivism. Throughout Angolan history, primary commodities have left the country, while hopes for broad-based growth have repeatedly been frustrated.

The consortium that now operates the railway grounds its investment primarily in expectations of future demand for critical minerals. And while the political emphasis on complementary investments is laudable, the corridor does not, as one background report puts it,

immediately lend itself to linking minerals and wider development.

Moreover, the country has already seen decades of large-scale oil exports that have delivered few tangible results for the wider population. Instead they have propelled blatant corruption and growing discontent with a ruling party that has been in power since independence.

Angolan economists Alves da Rocha and Wilson Chimoco have argued that “expectations on the impact on economic diversification are very low”.

Angolan government critic and journalist Rafael Marques de Morais has even called the corridor

a mirror of everything negative the continent endures: Chinese debt, Western opportunism, Congolese blood, Angolan misrule.

For him

if hypocrisy needed a railway, it would look exactly like the Lobito Corridor.

If the project really is to benefit all, the government will have to live up to promises that fewer and fewer Angolans seem to believe it capable of delivering.

– Angola’s Lobito Corridor is being revived – but who stands to gain?
– https://theconversation.com/angolas-lobito-corridor-is-being-revived-but-who-stands-to-gain-274305

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Police record major successes in fight against crime

Source: Government of South Africa

Police record major successes in fight against crime

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has scored big wins in the fight against crime, focusing strongly on taking illegal guns and ammunition out of circulation.

During the nationwide Operation Shanela II, police arrested 14 589 suspects for crimes including murder, rape, sexual assault, robberies, drug offences and illegal mining between 26 January and 1 February 2026. 

Furthermore, 2 032 wanted suspects were also traced and arrested for serious crimes during the same period. 

Police also recovered 119 firearms, including 10 rifles, seven shotguns, and five homemade firearms, alongside 1 144 rounds of ammunition. These recoveries form part of a broader clampdown on violent crime.

In addition, police arrested 100 suspects for illegal possession of firearms; 88 suspects for illegal possession of ammunition; 124 suspects for murder; 164 suspects for rape; 102 suspects for armed robbery, and 532 suspects for drug dealing.

Under confiscations and recoveries, 51 hijacked and stolen vehicles were recovered during the past week; more than 700 dangerous weapons were seized across the country; different types of drugs were recovered, and contraband goods worth more than R1 million were seized.

Communities are urged to continue reporting criminal activities to their nearest police stations, or through Crime Stop (08600 10111) or the MySAPS App. – SAnews.gov.za

Edwin

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