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South Africa’s fuel supply and the Iran war: data black holes and low strategic stock put the country at risk

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Rod Crompton, Visiting Adjunct Professor, African Energy Leadership Centre, Wits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand

The supply of crude oil to the world had been reduced by about 7.5% to 10.1% by March 2026 in what the World Bank described as the largest oil market disruption in history. The fall was a result of the attacks on Iran by Israel and the US and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

No country was spared the impact. For some the economic fallout has been dramatic. In the case of South Africa, which imports all its oil and 81% of its petrol, diesel and paraffin consumption, the effects have so far been felt mainly in the price. This has caused the government to subsidise petrol and diesel.

In this article we explore the problems with official data, the mismanagement of strategic stock and the possibility of developing domestic oil and gas supplies.

Read more: Iran war is exposing South Africa’s dependency on diesel: what went wrong

Both of us have been closely involved in the energy sector for some decades. Rod Crompton teaches and researches the topic. Prior to that he was responsible for fuel price regulation and strategic stocks at the Department of Minerals and Energy before serving 11 years on the board of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa. Bruce Young spent 30 years at the petrochemical giant Sasol before joining academia.

Our analysis of the current situation is that South Africans should be concerned about the fact that the quality of fuel data is very poor and the country only has a rough idea of where it stands in relation to fuel stocks. Based on our reading of the situation it appears that the government doesn’t have much idea of how much trouble it’s in.

As a small player in a large global market, not really knowing how much fuel your country needs is a problem. And not having adequate strategic stocks leaves the country vulnerable to global shortages caused by the Iran war.

The gaps

There are huge challenges in the data about fuel stocks and needs. For example, the Fuels Industry Association of South Africa 2024 annual report data shows that net imports of petrol, diesel and kerosene were 81% of consumption, based on data claiming that diesel imports were 118% of consumption. According to this data set, LPG imports were a staggering 1,685% of consumption. These are obviously highly improbable numbers. The fuels industry data is based on official sources (South African Revenue Service and Department of Mineral Resources and Energy).

In addition, National Treasury is concerned about the discrepancies between actual and reported imports. It is also concerned about illegal “spiking” of diesel with paraffin, which carries a lower tax rate, with cases reaching 68%.

According to the South African Revenue Service, organised criminal networks smuggle and illegally adulterate fuel and many of the fuel-storage and distribution depots are involved in the adulteration of all fuel products. Fuel adulteration costs the fiscus approximately R3.6 billion (US$220.5 million) per year, according to the International Trade Administration Commission.

There are also concerns around stocks of crude oil.

Many countries hold strategic stocks of crude oil for events like the Iran war. The International Energy Agency mandates its member countries to hold 90 days of oil imports. South African policy requires “at least three months total consumption”, taking into account the production of synthetic fuels from coal by Sasol.

South Africa’s strategic crude oil storage capacity is substantial and could meet 88 days of consumption. But tank capacity is not the same as stock.

Strategic stock is kept secret. The country’s Strategic Fuel Fund accounts to Parliament through the portfolio committee on mineral and petroleum resources. Although the quantity of stocks was not disclosed, in its March 2025 report the committee raised concern about “insufficient” strategic fuel reserves.

It seems that South Africa currently holds only about 7.7 million to 8 million barrels. In May 2025 the international news agency Reuters reported that South Africa had strategic crude stocks of about 7.7 million barrels. Local reports have referred to approximately 8 million barrels.

The 8 million barrels would last only about 13 days against total liquid-fuels demand of about 600,000 barrels a day, or about 18 days if output from Sasol’s coal-based output of 150,000 barrels a day was taken into account. Sasol’s coal-to-liquids plants were built in the 1970s and 1980s by the apartheid regime in the face of anti-apartheid oil sanctions. Sasol was gradually privatised from 1979 with substantial state guarantees.

Beyond what’s actually being held in stock there’s an additional problem. Storage is concentrated on the west coast at Saldanha Bay and there’s no readily available means of transporting crude oil across the country to the oil refinery in Sasolburg, which is 1,400km away.

South Africa’s other weak spot when it comes to fuel is a lack of inland storage capacity for refined products. The country imports most of its refined products. Storage capacity is concentrated at the country’s major ports, far away from its industrial heartland.

The need for more strategically placed storage capacity was identified in the Moerane Investigation Panel into Fuel Supply Shortages more than 20 years ago. The panel was established in response to the 2005 fuel supply crisis. The panel recommended that South Africa review its strategic stock policy and strengthen refined product stockholding requirements.

It also noted that the country lacked strategic refined fuel inventories despite increasing dependence on imported petroleum products.

But these recommendations were never acted on.

What role, if any, can the private sector play?

There is provision in the fuel price regulations for oil companies to hold stocks. Producers and importers are paid through the pricing regulations to hold 25 days’ stock and wholesalers 14 days’ stock. But we don’t know if they actually do so as the commercial imperative is to hold as little as possible and the government seems to lack the capacity to police this.

Nor is private-sector storage a substitute. Oil companies and large fuel users do have tanks at refineries, import terminals, depots, airports, mines, farms, factories and logistics sites. But this is mostly operational storage. It is product-specific, commercially committed and designed to keep fuel moving through the supply chain. It is not designed to provide long-duration national cover.

Governance of strategic stocks

The governance of strategic stocks is a sore point.

South Africa has already experienced a major governance failure involving its strategic crude oil reserves. In 2015/16 the state-owned Strategic Fuel Fund sold about 10 million barrels of strategic crude oil to commodity traders including Vitol, Taleveras and Venus Rays. The Western Cape High Court later set the transaction aside, finding that it had been conducted unlawfully and without proper approval or oversight.

Critics argued that the transaction effectively depleted South Africa’s emergency reserves through a secretive and poorly governed process that primarily benefited oil traders and intermediaries.

The episode exposed serious weaknesses in the governance of South Africa’s strategic fuel stocks. These concerns have never fully disappeared. Parliamentary oversight processes in 2025 continued to raise concerns about reserve adequacy, underutilisation of storage infrastructure, fragmented governance arrangements, and unresolved oversight and accountability issues.

Funding strategic stocks involves difficult trade-offs. Given South Africa’s constrained fiscal position, it is not obvious that the state can simply fund a R78 billion (USS$4.7 billion) to R79 billion stock-rebuilding programme from the fiscus. But a purely private solution is also unrealistic. Private firms do not generally have spare strategic-scale storage and will not voluntarily hold large volumes of idle stock.

The likely solution is a hybrid model: better data, a credible state reserve, mandatory and incentivised industry stockholding and policing thereof, levy-funded procurement over time, clear emergency-access rules, transparent reporting and independent oversight.

New finds

The oil crisis makes exploration for oil and gas in the offshore Orange Basin more attractive for the country. The basin lies off South Africa’s west coast. Geologically, it extends into Namibian waters, where oil companies have recently made massive oil and gas finds. There are high hopes in the oil industry that oil will also be found in South African waters.

But it won’t be quick; it will take about 10 years, if successful. There is regulatory uncertainty, ultra-deepwater technical challenges, no existing oil infrastructure, and other countries which oil companies find more attractive.

Despite these difficulties, South Africa will need petrol and diesel for a long time to come. Those concerned about the security of supply of oil and gas should be giving serious thought to removing the obstacles to oil and gas exploration that are holding South Africa back. Namibia has shown that it can be done.

– South Africa’s fuel supply and the Iran war: data black holes and low strategic stock put the country at risk
– https://theconversation.com/south-africas-fuel-supply-and-the-iran-war-data-black-holes-and-low-strategic-stock-put-the-country-at-risk-283913

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Rating agency Fitch changes its criteria on pausing debt repayments: why it matters

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Nicole Goldin, Head of Equitable Development, United Nations University

A recent development in the credit rating space could signal important progress in one of the more intractable challenges in global development finance. The challenge is how countries can manage periods of acute debt stress without being pushed prematurely towards default.

The current system can discourage countries facing acute financial stress from seeking temporary liquidity relief, because doing so may trigger market reactions that worsen borrowing conditions. Delays in seeking support can, in turn, deepen financial instability.

But Fitch Ratings, one of the world’s three major credit rating agencies, has revised its sovereign rating criteria. This is the analytical framework for assessing country creditworthiness.

At first glance, the change concerns a narrow technical issue: when countries can temporarily pause bond repayments without being treated as being in “default”.

But the implications may be more significant. This is particularly true for emerging markets and developing economies that are highly exposed to external shocks, constrained fiscal space and heavy debt burdens.

At the heart of the revision is a longstanding problem in sovereign debt markets: the tendency of ratings frameworks to treat temporary payment difficulties as signs of deeper inability to repay debt over time.

In practice, this has often discouraged countries from seeking timely relief during periods of external disruption. This has been true even when the underlying problem is short-term financing pressure rather than an inability to repay debt over time.

That disincentive became particularly visible during the pandemic. Although the G20’s Debt Service Suspension Initiative offered temporary liquidity relief to eligible countries, few sought comparable treatment from private creditors. One reason was concern that doing so could have a number of negative consequences. These included:

  • triggering sovereign downgrades, which can signal increased financial risk to investors

  • increasing borrowing costs

  • being excluded from some international lending and investment markets.

These fears overrode the intentions of the measures: to provide short-term breathing space.

Fitch’s revision signals a cautious shift in that logic. The agency now clarifies the circumstances under which bounded, rules-based payment deferrals may not be treated as defaults. The change reflects growing recognition that temporary liquidity relief, when tightly structured and transparently governed, need not automatically constitute a negative credit event.

What is changing remains modest. It nevertheless suggests that sovereign debt markets are beginning to develop ways to distinguish temporary financial stress from deeper solvency problems. This will allow countries to manage shocks before they escalate into full debt restructuring episodes.

This matters because disorderly defaults and prolonged restructurings can impose major economic and social costs. In turn these can hinder investment and halt development and growth, especially in emerging and developing economies.

Structured flexibility is key to temporary relief

Fitch’s revision was prompted in part by proposals advanced by the London Coalition. This is an informal group of private creditors and official actors convened by the UK government in 2025. It has advocated for broader adoption of debt pause clauses. The idea is to provide temporary relief during clearly defined external shocks such as climate disasters.

Crucially, the proposed architecture is heavily constrained. Creditor safeguards are embedded throughout the design.

The message from Fitch’s revision is therefore not that flexibility itself is a problem. But that unstructured flexibility is. The analytical barrier has been uncertainty, opaque triggers and broad borrower discretion.

Grenada’s experience during the COVID-19 pandemic illustrates the dilemma these mechanisms seek to address. In 2020, Grenada requested an eight-month suspension on payments due under a restructured sovereign bond from private creditors, despite the bond already containing a hurricane-linked debt pause clause. Because the clause was tied to a narrowly defined natural disaster trigger, it could not be activated for a pandemic shock.

The request was ultimately unsuccessful.

The episode showed that contractual mechanisms are often too narrow to address the range of shocks countries face. Climate events, commodity price volatility, pandemics and global financial tightening can all generate acute liquidity stress without necessarily implying insolvency.

Yet sovereign debt frameworks have not allowed countries to absorb shocks like these without setting off a default or restructuring.

Signalling a new direction

That challenge is becoming increasingly urgent, as more countries face the prospect of debt restructuring. This is a process governments go through to renegotiate debt repayments with creditors when debt repayments become unsustainable.

The International Monetary Fund’s recent stocktake of private sector sovereign debt restructuring noted that the number of restructurings since 2020 has been relatively limited. But, it noted, they were often more economically damaging and prolonged than in earlier debt cycles.

This is where Fitch’s revision may prove significant. It suggests that financial tools designed to help countries manage short-term crises may be able to operate within existing market rules, rather than automatically being treated as as signs of default or financial collapse.

This has broader relevance in the context of the UN Financing for Development agenda, including the Seville Commitment, agreed in July 2025. This calls for earlier, more orderly responses to sovereign financial stress. Such approaches depend on mechanisms that allow countries facing exogenous shocks to:

  • pause payments temporarily

  • stabilise their finances

  • recover without automatically facing sharp increases in borrowing costs or loss of market access.

Fitch’s revision does not go as far as broader market reform ambitions reflected in the Seville Agenda. But it does signal that tightly governed, rules-based payment suspensions need not be automatically treated as credit negative.

Importantly, this shift is procedural rather than ideological. It does not rewrite the basic rules of sovereign debt markets. Instead, it clarifies the conditions under which temporary payment suspensions can be used without automatically being treated as signs of default.

That gives investors, governments, and credit rating agencies greater clarity about how such mechanisms operate and how they should be assessed.

Distinguishing stress from insolvency

The revision itself remains narrow. The proposed clauses are voluntary, largely untested at scale and do not address situations of fundamentally unsustainable debt. Nor does the change produce immediate rating adjustments.

Reform in sovereign debt governance rarely arrives through sweeping overhaul. More often, it proceeds through cautious accommodation: incremental changes that gradually become embedded within market practice. Fitch’s revision may prove to be one small but revealing step in that direction.

This is an edited version of the post first published by UNU-CPR, Fitch’s Recent Revision Signals a Notable Shift in Sovereign Debt Governance.

– Rating agency Fitch changes its criteria on pausing debt repayments: why it matters
– https://theconversation.com/rating-agency-fitch-changes-its-criteria-on-pausing-debt-repayments-why-it-matters-283098

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Annual Meetings (AM) 2026: Congo’s President Announces Visa-Free Access for Africans as Continent Celebrates Africa Day

Source: APO

  • Announcement made on first day of African Development Bank’s Annual Meetings in Brazzaville
  • “The generation of 1963 gave us political agency; our responsibility now is to strengthen Africa’s collective agency,” Sidi Ould Tah

African leaders attending the African Development Bank Group’s (www.AfDB.org) 2026 Annual Meetings in Brazzaville on Monday marked Africa Day with the host, President Denis Sassou-Nguesso, announcing that the Republic of the Congo would waive visa requirements for all African nationals from next year.

The announcement, marking another significant step towards continental integration, drew prolonged applause from thousands of delegates attending the meetings taking place at the Kintele Conference Centre.

“As from the first of January 2027, nationals of all African countries will have visa-free access and will no longer need a visa to come to Congo,” he said, urging countries to move beyond “selfishness and nationalism” and deepen regional integration through practical implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The commemoration brought together African heads of state and government, ministers, diplomats, investors, development partners, civil society representatives, youth leaders, and private-sector stakeholders united around Africa’s regional integration and transformation agenda.

Observed annually on 25 May, Africa Day commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in Addis Ababa in 1963, which later evolved into the African Union. This year’s celebration is aligned with the African Union’s 2026 theme, “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.”

President Sassou-Nguesso called for increased investments to ensure sustainable development, and accelerated action to improve water security and access to sanitation across Africa.

The Congolese leader stressed that no African state could independently finance the infrastructure needed to transform the continent, highlighting the need for collective investment in roads, railways, airports, ports, and energy systems.

President Sassou-Nguesso also renewed calls for global mobilisation around ecosystem restoration and reforestation, describing Africa’s forests as “a second green lung of humanity” and underscoring the continent’s role in addressing climate change.

In his statement, the President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr Sidi Ould Tah, stressed the need for deeper continental integration, stronger African institutions, and renewed confidence in Africa’s ability to shape its own future amid mounting global uncertainty.

Describing Africa Day as “a dialogue of peace, solidarity and resilience,” Dr Ould Tah reiterated that Africa’s future depended on transforming its abundant natural resources into drivers of dignity and prosperity.

“Too often Africa is described in terms of what it lacks,” he said. “But if we focus only on what Africa does not have, we fail to see what it already possesses.”

He said Africa must strengthen its “collective agency” through deeper regional integration, stronger continental institutions, and a new African financing architecture capable of supporting long-term development ambitions.

“The generation of 1963 gave us political agency,” Ould Tah said. “Our responsibility now is to strengthen Africa’s collective agency through deeper integration, stronger institutions, and inward confidence in our ability to build our future together.”

In remarks delivered via video link, African Union Chairperson and President of Burundi, Évariste Ndayishimiye, called for greater African solidarity, accelerated continental integration, and reforms to global governance systems to better reflect Africa’s growing role in world affairs.

Representing the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson of the Commission said the celebration of Africa Day provided an opportunity to pay tribute to the African Development Bank Group for its critical role as the continent’s premier development financier.

“For decades, the African Development Bank has demonstrated that an Africa that invests in itself is an Africa that strengthens its economic sovereignty, its resilience, and its ability to take control of its own development,” she stated.

The programme, moderated by veteran Cameroonian journalist Denise Epoté, also showcased the grandeur of African art and culture brought to life by Congolese dancers and the evocative poetic recitations of Mariusca and Maître Muleck.

The 2026 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group are being held in Brazzaville under the theme “Mobilising Africa’s Development Financing at Scale in a Fragmented World.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Click for more photos from the event (https://apo-opa.co/3PtT8hn)

Click here (https://AM.AfDB.org) to follow the 2026 Annual Meetings

Contact: 
Kwasi Kpodo
Communication and External Relations  
media@afdb.org

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SARB raises repo rate to 7%

Source: Government of South Africa

SARB raises repo rate to 7%

The South African Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has increased the repo rate by 25 basis points to 7%, effective from 29 May 2026.

SARB Governor Lesetja Kganyago said four MPC members supported the increase, while two preferred to keep the rate unchanged.

At a media briefing on Thursday, Kganyago said the committee acted because inflation risks had intensified and overlapping shocks could trigger second-round effects. 

He explained that the decision was meant to manage those risks and help bring inflation back to target.

At this meeting, the MPC considered three main risk scenarios.

The first was a prolonged Middle East conflict, which could push up oil and food prices and weaken the rand.

The second was the possible emergence of El Niño, a weather pattern that often brings drought to parts of South Africa.

The third scenario considered non-linear effects, meaning large shocks could have an outsized impact on inflation as more costs are passed on to consumers.

Kganyago said all three scenarios pointed to higher inflation and weaker economic growth.

“The scenario with a longer Strait closure has inflation at about 5%, with two more hikes than the baseline. With El Niño added, rates stay high for longer. The most adverse scenario puts all the risks together, causing inflation to peak above 6%, requiring three extra hikes,” Kganyago said.

He said these scenarios highlighted the role of food and fuel in transmitting geopolitical shocks and showed the added risks posed by a severe El Niño.

The MPC has also raised its oil price assumptions and now expects renewed pressure on food prices, with the agricultural sector facing higher diesel and fertiliser costs.

“Looking forward, we have raised our oil price assumptions. In addition, we see renewed pressure on food prices, with the agricultural sector facing higher costs for both diesel and fertiliser. Our forecast now has headline inflation averaging 4.4% this year and 3.7% next year, before returning to the 3% target in 2028. Core inflation is also higher, peaking early next year,” he said.

Recent inflation data also reflected mounting price pressures. 

In April, consumer inflation rose to 4%, up from 3.1% in the previous month, mainly because of higher energy costs.

Kganyago said fuel prices, after falling by 8.7% in March, increased by 11.4% in April, making it one of the biggest jumps in fuel inflation on record. 

Services inflation also accelerated to 4.6%, well above the bank’s 3% target. 

He said this was partly due to transport costs, but also reflected broader price pressures in areas such as insurance and financial services. –SAnews.gov

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Over 1000 suspects arrested for contravening Immigration Act

Source: Government of South Africa

Over 1000 suspects arrested for contravening Immigration Act

Operation Shanela continues to make progress in addressing illegal immigration and related criminality with 1891 suspects having been arrested in the past week for contravening the Immigration Act.

In a statement on Thursday, Acting National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, reiterated that police will continue to intensify operations to ensure that those found to be in the country illegally are processed in accordance with the law.

“SAPS further calls on communities to work together with law enforcement agencies by reporting criminal activities and avoiding acts of vigilantism, intimidation, or violence against foreign nationals. Police remain committed to maintaining peace, stability, and the rule of law in all communities,” said the police.

The SAPS said it remains committed to enforcing the laws of the country without fear or favour while ensuring that all operations are conducted within the confines of the Constitution and applicable legislation.

“As part of ongoing high-density operations conducted across all provinces, a total of 1 891 illegal foreigners were arrested during the past week alone for contravention of the Immigration Act.

“These arrests form part of SAPS’ broader efforts to combat crime, maintain law and order, and address challenges associated with undocumented persons operating unlawfully within communities,” said the SAPS.

According to the police, since 01 January 2026 until 17 May 2026, a total of 29 371 illegal foreign nationals have been arrested during various intelligence-driven operations, tracing operations, roadblocks, stop-and-search operations, and multidisciplinary law enforcement initiatives.

“Operation Shanela remains one of the organisation’s key crime-combating initiatives and continues to yield positive results in the fight against serious and violent crime, including the apprehension of wanted suspects, recovery of unlicensed firearms, confiscation of drugs, and the arrest of undocumented persons,” said the police. –SAnews.gov.za

 

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AM 2026 : Le président du Congo annonce la suppression des visas d’entrée pour les Africains lors de la célébration de la Journée de l’Afrique

Source: Africa Press Organisation – French

  • Annonce faite le premier jour des Assemblées annuelles de la Banque africaine de développement à Brazzaville.
  • « La génération de 1963 nous a donné une agence politique ; notre responsabilité est désormais de renforcer l’agence collective de l’Afrique », Sidi Ould Tah.

Les dirigeants africains participant aux Assemblées annuelles 2026 du Groupe de la Banque africaine de développement (www.AfDB.org) à Brazzaville ont célébré lundi la Journée de l’Afrique, marquée par une annonce du pays hôte : le président Denis Sassou N’Guesso a déclaré que la République du Congo supprimerait les droits de visa pour tous les ressortissants africains dès l’année prochaine.

Cette annonce, qui constitue une étape supplémentaire significative vers l’intégration continentale, a suscité de longs applaudissements de la part des milliers de délégués assistant aux réunions qui se tiennent au Centre de conférences de Kintele.

« À compter du premier janvier 2027, les ressortissants de tous les pays africains bénéficieront d’un accès sans visa et n’auront plus besoin de visa pour venir au Congo », a-t-il déclaré, exhortant les pays à dépasser « l’égoïsme et le nationalisme » et à approfondir l’intégration régionale par la mise en œuvre concrète de la Zone de libre-échange continentale africaine.

La commémoration a rassemblé des chefs d’État et de gouvernement africains, des ministres, des diplomates, des investisseurs, des partenaires au développement, des représentants de la société civile, des jeunes leaders et des acteurs du secteur privé, tous unis autour du programme d’intégration et de transformation régionale de l’Afrique.

Célébrée chaque année le 25 mai, la Journée de l’Afrique commémore la fondation de l’Organisation de l’Unité africaine à Addis-Abeba en 1963, qui a ensuite évolué pour devenir l’Union africaine. La célébration de cette année s’inscrit dans le thème de l’Union africaine pour 2026 : « Garantir la disponibilité durable de l’eau et des systèmes d’assainissement sûrs pour atteindre les objectifs de l’Agenda 2063. »

Le président Sassou N’Guesso a appelé à des investissements accrus pour assurer un développement durable à des actions accélérées pour améliorer la sécurité de l’eau et l’accès à l’assainissement à travers l’Afrique.

Le dirigeant congolais a souligné qu’aucun État africain ne pouvait financer seul les infrastructures nécessaires à la transformation du continent, mettant en avant la nécessité d’investissements collectifs dans les routes, les chemins de fer, les aéroports, les ports et les systèmes énergétiques.

Le président Sassou N’Guesso a également renouvelé ses appels à une mobilisation mondiale en faveur de la restauration des écosystèmes et du reboisement, décrivant les forêts africaines comme « un second poumon vert de l’humanité » et soulignant le rôle du continent dans la lutte contre le changement climatique.

Dans son allocution, le président du Groupe de la Banque africaine de développement, Dr Sidi Ould Tah, a insisté sur la nécessité d’une intégration continentale plus profonde, d’institutions africaines plus solides et d’une confiance renouvelée dans la capacité de l’Afrique à façonner son propre avenir face aux incertitudes mondiales croissantes.

Qualifiant la Journée de l’Afrique de « dialogue de paix, de solidarité et de résilience », Dr Ould Tah a réaffirmé que l’avenir de l’Afrique dépendait de la transformation de ses abondantes ressources naturelles en vecteurs de dignité et de prospérité.

« Trop souvent, l’Afrique est décrite en fonction de ce qui lui manque », a-t-il déclaré. « Mais si nous nous concentrons uniquement sur ce que l’Afrique n’a pas, nous ne voyons pas ce qu’elle possède déjà. »

Il a affirmé que l’Afrique devait renforcer son « agence collective » grâce à une intégration régionale plus profonde, des institutions continentales plus solides et une nouvelle architecture de financement africaine capable de soutenir les ambitions de développement à long terme.

« La génération de 1963 nous a donné une agence politique », a déclaré Dr Ould Tah. « Notre responsabilité est désormais de renforcer l’agence collective de l’Afrique par une intégration plus profonde, des institutions plus solides et une confiance intérieure dans notre capacité à bâtir ensemble notre avenir. »

Dans des remarques transmises par visioconférence, le président de l’Union africaine et les progrès président du Burundi, Évariste Ndayishicimiye, a appelé à une plus grande solidarité africaine, à une intégration continentale accélérée et à des réformes des systèmes de gouvernance mondiale afin de mieux refléter le rôle croissant de l’Afrique dans les affaires mondiales.

Représentant le président de la Commission de l’Union africaine, Selma Malika Haddadi, vce-présidente de la Commission, a déclaré que la célébration de la Journée de l’Afrique offrait l’occasion de rendre hommage au Groupe de la Banque africaine de développement pour son rôle essentiel en tant que premier financeur du développement du continent.

« Pendant des décennies, la Banque africaine de développement a démontré qu’une Afrique qui investit en elle-même est une Afrique qui renforce sa souveraineté économique, sa résilience et sa capacité à prendre en main son propre développement », a-t-elle affirmé.

Le programme, animé par la journaliste camerounaise chevronnée Denise Epoté, a également mis en valeur la grandeur de l’art et de la culture africains, illustrée par des danseurs congolais et les évocatrices récitations poétiques de Mariusca et Maître Muleck.

Les Assemblées annuelles 2026 du Groupe de la Banque africaine de développement se tiennent à Brazzaville sous le thème : « Mobiliser le financement du développement de l’Afrique à grande échelle dans un monde fragmenté. »

Distribué par APO Group pour African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Cliquez ici pour plus de photos de l’événement (https://apo-opa.co/3PtT8hn).

Cliquez ici (https://AM.AfDB.org) pour suivre les Assemblées annuelles 2026

Contact :
Kwasi Kpodo 
Département de la communication et de des relations extérieures  
media@afdb.org

Media files

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KZN Treasury secures R2bn advance to support school funding

Source: Government of South Africa

KZN Treasury secures R2bn advance to support school funding

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Treasury has secured a R2 billion advance from National Treasury to assist the provincial Department of Education in meeting its critical obligation of transferring norms and standards funding to schools across the province.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Finance, Francois Rodgers, said the intervention demonstrates government’s unwavering commitment to protecting educational service delivery despite ongoing fiscal pressures.

“Through collaboration with National Treasury and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, we have ensured that schools will receive the financial support required, with every rand directed towards supporting our learners,” Rodgers said.

The advance funding, approved on Tuesday, 26 May 2026, comes amid provincial cash flow constraints and is intended to prevent disruptions to payments owed to schools.

Rodgers acknowledged that the provincial fiscus remains under pressure but said the front-loaded allocation would provide some immediate relief to the education sector.

“National Treasury has indicated that the funds are earmarked for norms and standards transfers to schools. Priority is to be given to settling historic debt due to funding limitations. KwaZulu-Natal Treasury will continue to work towards ensuring financial stability to protect the future of our children and the province,” he said.

Norms and standards funding is critical for the day-to-day operations of schools, including the procurement of learning materials, payment of municipal services, maintenance, and other essential operational needs.

The intervention reflects ongoing collaboration between Provincial Treasury, National Treasury and the Department of Education to safeguard educational service delivery and financial support for schools across KwaZulu-Natal. – SAnews.gov.za

 

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BMA processes 300 Ghanaians

Source: Government of South Africa

BMA processes 300 Ghanaians

The Commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA), Dr Michael Masiapato, confirmed that the BMA has successfully processed 300 Ghanaians who were repatriated back to Ghana at OR Tambo International Airport.

According to the BMA, out of the 300, 25 of them came from the Lindela holding facility and were brought by the Immigration Inspectorate of the Department of Home Affairs. 

Furthermore, 275 were brought by the Ghanaian High Commissioner.  

Following a check-in process, the travellers proceeded to BMA immigration, wherein about 90% of them were found to be undocumented and the Ghanaian Embassy had to issue them with Emergency Travel Certificates. This is a one-way single-page document which allows a traveller to return to their country of origin.

Most of the travellers were found to have overstayed with more than 30 days while some overstayed by a year or more. As a result, they were declared undesirable in terms of Sec 30 of the Immigration Act, read regulations 27(3)(c) of the Immigration Regulations. 

At the end of the processing, 295 passengers were found eligible to depart, they then boarded the chartered flight arranged by the Ghanaian government through its High Commission in Pretoria and eventually departed. 

However, five travellers were refused departure for the following reasons:

  • One passenger had a valid asylum seeker permit. As such, he could not be allowed to depart without cancelling his application for protection in South Africa as that would have been tantamount to refoulement. All asylum seekers are required to cancel their application for protection if they are to return to their country where they were fleeing from.
  • One passenger did not have a valid travel document as he was in possession of expired passport and the Embassy had not issued him with the Emergency Travel Certificate.
  • One woman was attempting to depart the country with two minor children who are understood to belong to her sister. However, she did not have any document to proof any relation nor the required consent documentation from the alleged sister.

These decisions are in line with the BMA’s mandate to facilitate the legitimate movement of persons and goods.

The travellers who were denied departure due to the above reasons, were handed back to the Ghanaian High Commissioner for future repatriation should they meet the relevant immigration requirements for departure. 

These Ghanaian nationals were repatriated through the facilitation of the Ghanaian government through its High Commission in Pretoria using a chartered aircraft. 

“This decisive action underscores the BMA’s uncompromising implementation of the South African legislative framework in its facilitation and management of people and goods movement in and out of the country,” Commissioner Masiapato said. – SAnews.gov.za

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Kenya’s Strathmore University crowned overall winners in simulated court proceedings

Source: Government of South Africa

Kenya’s Strathmore University crowned overall winners in simulated court proceedings

The 17th Africa Regional Round of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition concluded this week with Kenya’s Strathmore University crowned overall winners following two days of intense simulated court proceedings.

The competition brought together university law students from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe to argue complex hypothetical disputes in international space law before a simulated International Court of Justice.

South Africa’s University of Pretoria was awarded 1st Runner-Up, whilst Augustine Mudzodza from Zimbabwe’s Midlands State University received the Best Oralist Award. Kabarak University of Kenya was awarded the Best Memorial Award.

 The 2026 edition focused on strengthening Africa’s legal, policy, regulatory, scientific, and institutional capacity within the global space economy.

The event was hosted by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) in partnership with the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) and industry stakeholders, including Dragonfly Aerospace Systems, NewSpace Systems, Petrawell, and Newcraft.

It took place at the Casa Toscana Convention Centre in Pretoria from 25 – 26 May under the theme: “Empowering Africa’s Future in Space Governance for Sustainable Space Activities.”

Presiding over the final round, the President of the Court of Appeal in Kenya, Honourable Justice Daniel Kiio Musinga, praised the high standard of advocacy and legal reasoning displayed throughout the competition.

“I am persuaded that the future of African international lawyering is in very good hands. It is not elsewhere, it is right in this room,” Musinga said. 

He further emphasised the importance of Africa asserting its voice within global governance systems.

“For most of its history, that architecture has been built by hands other than ours. The work of this generation is to convert our seats at the table from courtesy into authorship,” he said.

Addressing the finalists, Musinga said the students represented not only their institutions, but the broader African continent.

“You do not represent only your institutions tonight; you represent five African nations, and through them a continent,” he added.

The winning team will now represent Africa at the global finals later this year in Türkiye during the International Astronautical Congress.

Speaking after the announcement, Megan Wanjiru Nsuguna from Strathmore University described the competition as both demanding and rewarding following months of preparation and rigorous training.

“The preparations for this started in December last year. It has been quite crazy, with lots of sleepless nights, but today was a validation that your work pays at the end of the day. Nothing goes unnoticed,” Nsuguna said.

She said competing against talented students from across the continent was one of the highlights of the competition.

“It became an exchange of ideas and perspectives, which was very interesting,” she said.

Nsuguna, who has developed a growing interest in air and space law, also encouraged young people aspiring to pursue careers in law to remain determined.

“Do it scared, do it when you do not know anything, just do it. If you put your mind into something, do it, and if you are doing it, be the best at it,” she said.

Throughout the two-day competition, students demonstrated advanced legal reasoning, advocacy, diplomacy, and interpretation of international law, including Space Treaty law, while arguing hypothetical disputes involving outer space governance and regulation.

The competition forms part of broader efforts by the dtic and SANSA to strengthen and capacitate Africa’s participation in international space governance processes and develop future African legal experts, policymakers, negotiators, and regulators within the global space sector.

Participating students will also attend the African Space Policy and Law Conference, hosted by University of Pretoria and McGill  University supported by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), the dtic and SANSA from 28–29 May 2026, where international and continental policymakers, academics, regulators, and industry leaders will deliberate on developments in international space governance and sustainable industrial development and Africa’s strategic role within the global space economy.

The continued success and growth of the Africa Regional Round reflects the continent’s increasing commitment to strengthening human capital, legal scholarship, institutional capacity, and international cooperation within the field of outer space governance and sustainable development. – SAnews.gov.za

 

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Government must take up its role in implementation of industrial policy

Source: Government of South Africa

Government must take up its role in implementation of industrial policy

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau says the South African government has a central role in the successful implementation of country’s industrial policy.

However, the implementation requires close collaboration between government, business, labour, and civil society for it to succeed. 

He was speaking at a Ministerial Post–Budget Vote Media and Stakeholder Roundtable that he hosted in Cape Town last night.

The discussions focused on inclusive economic growth and key priorities identified in the 2026/2027 National Assembly Budget Vote Speech that he delivered yesterday.

“We certainly believe that if implemented in the right way, supported by the correct policies, fiscal, trade and industrial instruments, we should be able to undertake a significant shift in our industrialisation process. 

“The implementation mechanisms of the industrial strategy include issues around energy pricing in the country, industrial financing, and defining the respective roles of the public and private sectors, as well as how we incentivise partnerships around these initiatives,” Tau said.

“We have spoken about scaling up export credit support and partnering with financial institutions to underwrite exports from the country. 

“We have identified the need for partnerships, because not all the required resources will come from government. Consequently, we need to mobilise private-sector participation, financial institutions, and international partners,” he said.

Tau also emphasised that he believed South Africa should continue working closely with the United States of America.

“We regard the United States of America as an important trading partner and one of the most influential economies globally. It is therefore important that we maintain and strengthen that relationship. We will continue to engage with our international partners and stakeholders consistently and firmly where necessary,” he added.

“Despite concerns and external pressures, South Africa’s exports have continued to grow, including exports to the United States even amid difficult global conditions. This suggests that, notwithstanding the challenges, South Africa still has significant opportunities to expand and strengthen its position in global markets,” proclaimed Tau.

Group Senior Executive, Strategic Trade at Aspen Pharma Group, Dr Stavros Nicolaou said there was a need for stronger alignment across society, government, business, labour, academia, and civil society around a shared set of national priorities. 

“We need all sectors to speak with one voice on the importance of industrialisation and economic development. What is lacking, in many respects, is a sufficiently strong national consensus around our economic direction and priorities.

“Industrial policy must be about ensuring that the country itself benefits more meaningfully from its resources, production capacity and economic activity,” added Dr Nicolaou.

A South African writer, lawyer and entrepreneur, Ms Christine Qunta, observed that transformation was essential for achieving equality, and when it is resisted, equality cannot be achieved. With only 4.4% of the population managing the economy, transformation was crucial.

“For this reason, we must be resolute and unapologetic about transformation,” Qunta said.

Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Mzwandile Masina, urged the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), all levels of government and other stakeholders to cease operating in separation, for the benefit of the economy and the public.

He said the dtic has a vital role in coordinating all aspects of the economy to achieve economic transformation. – SAnews.gov.za

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