First Independent Mena Newspaper
Governments and businesses in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa are grappling with sharply rising borrowing costs, a trend that poses serious risks to economic growth across Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new report by Moody’s Ratings. Over the past five years, debt servicing costs have surged in all three economies due to weak policy frameworks, […]
Africa’s trade with China has surged 25% in 2025, reaching $122 billion in just seven months — on track to exceed $200 billion for the first time, yet beneath the boom lies a widening trade imbalance and growing concern over Africa’s long-term economic autonomy, experts warn. While U.S.-Africa trade has declined, especially under President Donald […]
In a controversial shift, the Trump administration has designated Eswatini as the new deportation destination for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant whose legal battle has spotlighted the administration’s aggressive immigration policies. Abrego, who arrived in the U.S. as a teenager and has a U.S. citizen wife and child, was previously ordered deported to Uganda. […]
Zambia is grappling with the aftermath of one of its worst environmental disasters, as outrage mounts over a massive toxic spill from a Chinese-owned copper mine that polluted the Kafue River and devastated communities. The February incident occurred when a dam at Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, a subsidiary of China’s state-owned China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group, […]
Africa is rapidly emerging as China’s most dynamic export market, fueled by a combination of shifting global trade dynamics, aggressive Chinese investment, and growing demand for infrastructure. As Bloomberg calculations based on China Customs data have revealed, in the first seven months of 2025 alone, Chinese exports to Africa soared 25% year-on-year to $122 billion […]
South African authorities have launched a formal investigation into a Russian recruitment drive targeting young South African women, amid growing concerns that advertised job opportunities are masking forced labor in military drone production. Promoted via social media and coordinated through the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance and Student Commission, the program promises women aged 18–22 lucrative […]
Jacob Zuma, former South African president and current leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, has intensified his support for Morocco’s territorial sovereignty over the Sahara during a high-profile lecture at Ghana’s University of Professional Studies in Accra, reported the news platform Morocco World News. Speaking this week to an academic audience, Zuma directly challenged […]
South Africa is fast becoming the new battleground for global automakers, with Chinese and Indian car manufacturers racing to establish a stronghold in Africa’s most developed economy. Amid strained U.S. trade relations and shifting global dynamics, brands like Leapmotor, LDV, and Tata Motors are investing heavily in South Africa to access the broader African market. […]
South African Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe has sharply criticized the 30% tariffs imposed by the U.S. on South African exports, calling them a symptom of a “declining empire” lashing out in desperation. “The danger with the US imposing the 30% tariffs is that it is the kicking of a declining empire,” Mantashe told industry […]
African nations are racing against time to renegotiate trade terms with the United States, as sweeping tariffs — initially set to begin 1 August — now loom for 7 August following a last-minute executive order by President Donald Trump. Trump’s latest executive order slaps a uniform 15% tariff on most African exports — threatening industries […]