Continent Radar - Africa

At a Lusaka workshop on Aug. 31, officials from Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and UN partners pressed for a rapid shift to green, inclusive industrialisation. The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), backed by UNCTAD, presented four regional studies covering policy design, technology transfer, renewable‑energy transition and the role of MSMEs in a circular economy. Participants said the findings must become concrete policy tools.<br /> <br /> Zambia’s permanent secretary for investment, Crusivia C. Hichikumba, warned that drought‑driven hydropower cuts, erratic rains and strained transport are choking factories, food security and growth. He called for a diversified energy mix – especially solar – and for reliable water and logistics to keep regional trade flowing.<br /> <br /> ECA’s Eunice Kamwendo and Olayinka Bandele stressed that Africa must stop exporting raw minerals and start processing them locally. Zambia’s copper, gemstones and the surge in demand for battery‑grade minerals present a chance to build refineries, component plants and clean‑energy factories that create decent jobs.<br /> <br /> Business leader Paul Chisunka of the Zambia Chamber of Commerce proposed a “Lusaka Compact on Green Industrialisation” to turn study recommendations into bankable projects, technology transfer and skilled‑labour pipelines. He urged factories that turn copper into cables, battery precursors, agricultural waste into bio‑energy and sunlight into reliable power.<br /> <br /> The workshop will hand over practical recommendations and seek commitments to unlock financing, cut regulatory red tape and link local suppliers with anchor firms across the Southern African Development Community. If implemented, the push could boost industrial output, deepen regional value chains and cushion economies against climate shocks.

Addis Ababa, 31 Aug 2026 – The UN Economic Commission for Africa’s African Center of Statistics opened a five‑day training in Ethiopia for health ministries and statistical offices from Botswana, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone and Togo. Participants are learning to build health‑focused Social Accounting Matrices (SAMs), a framework that links health services, financing, households, government, firms and the rest of the world into a single economic picture. The goal is to give policymakers the numbers they need to argue that health budgets are investments that generate jobs, boost productivity and protect households, rather than a line‑item cost.<br /> <br /> The workshop is the first country‑level step of ECA’s Transforming Health Financing in Africa initiative, a response to a pledge made by African finance ministers in Tangier last April that health spending must be treated as an economic driver. Delegates are using each country’s own national accounts, health accounts and household surveys, a point emphasized by William Muhwava of the ACS, who said the exercise “is based on country data, not international data, and national ownership.”<br /> <br /> World Health Organization representatives, including Kinsley Addai Frimpong, highlighted that integrating national health accounts into SAMs creates a “rich way of putting together the health data into the national system of accounts.” By the end of the week each team will produce a draft health‑disaggregated SAM, flagging data gaps and assumptions, with further validation slated through 2028. Organisers stress peer learning, hoping the four delegations will form a lasting network to tackle shared data challenges.<br /> <br /> The initiative arrives as many African governments face shrinking fiscal space, with debt service eating up a larger share of revenue and an estimated 150 million people pushed into poverty by out‑of‑pocket health costs. If successful, the new accounting tools could help finance ministries design more sustainable health budgets and attract investment, strengthening both public health outcomes and economic resilience across the continent.

In Nairobi’s Makadara estate a pregnant mother balances a sack of vegetables on her head while her toddler clings to her, both trying to reach a market that barely covers the day’s expenses. Her story mirrors a continent‑wide crisis: the Economic Commission for Africa says Africa funds only 41% of its health budgets, leaving the poorest to shoulder the shortfall.<br /> <br /> Kenya’s health spending is a case in point. The national budget earmarks just 3% for health, far below the 15% Abuja benchmark. Most of the money comes from taxes and the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), which only formal‑sector workers can afford to contribute to. The informal gig economy – where women earn a daily wage cleaning, laundering or caring for children – remains largely uninsured.<br /> <br /> Donor support has evaporated as well. USAID slashed its contributions in early 2025, stripping a vital safety net for clinics that already struggle to provide basic services. Public facilities often offer only a consultation; patients must pay out‑of‑pocket for imaging, medicines and supplements, costs many cannot meet.<br /> <br /> The human toll is stark. Young mothers, some still in school, face exploitation, unsafe abortions and abandonment. Mental‑health strains rise as extended families drift to the cities, leaving new parents without guidance. Malnutrition and anaemia run rampant because recommended diets are unaffordable.<br /> <br /> Kenya’s digital health push and a clear vision for universal care sound promising on paper, but without a realistic financing model for the informal sector and steady donor aid, the system is set to fail the women and children who need it most.

The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) wrapped up a four‑day workshop in Cairo, training senior tax auditors from Alexandria, Hurghada and other regional centers on how to tax construction, real‑estate, manufacturing, transport and logistics firms. The program, run with Egypt’s Tax Authority, gave participants hands‑on audit techniques and sector‑specific knowledge aimed at tightening compliance and expanding the tax base.<br /> <br /> ECA officials say Africa’s fiscal outlook is under pressure: public debt grew almost four‑fold faster than output between 2010 and 2023, crowding out spending on health, education and infrastructure. In that context, domestic revenue mobilisation is the most reliable financing source for governments. Egypt, Africa’s second‑largest economy with about 110 million people, has seen nominal tax receipts rise since 2017, but most of the gain reflects inflation and a larger economy rather than real improvements in collection efficiency.<br /> <br /> The workshop is part of a series ECA has run since 2022 across the continent, targeting sectors that generate significant value‑added activity but remain under‑taxed. By sharpening audit capacity, improving taxpayer segmentation and tightening compliance, Egypt hopes to widen its fiscal space, lower reliance on external borrowing and sustain public services. The training underscores a broader shift in Egyptian fiscal policy: moving beyond digitalisation to deeper structural reforms that can curb debt‑service costs and support long‑term growth.<br /> <br /> If the new skills translate into higher, more predictable tax revenues, the move could strengthen Egypt’s macro‑stability and set a model for other African states grappling with debt‑driven fiscal constraints.

Young Sudanese are sounding out a new role in the country’s recovery as the war drags on. In a series of talks in Khartoum, students, fledgling entrepreneurs and professionals described a labour market that offers few formal jobs, scarce credit and costly training. With most work informal, personal connections often decide who gets a salaried post. Starting a business is possible, but earnings barely cover basic needs, leaving little room for reinvestment.<br /> <br /> The conflict has deepened these woes: factories have shut, markets are fragmented and many families have been displaced. Even the health sector feels the strain, as newly‑graduated doctors are forced to fill gaps left by staff shortages. Yet the same crisis is prompting a generation to stay and rebuild rather than flee. Some young people are returning from abroad, driven by a sense of dignity and a desire to shape Sudan’s future.<br /> <br /> Women are entering the workforce in larger numbers as household incomes fall, but they still face hurdles such as limited access to finance, information and, in some rural areas, the need for a male household head’s permission. The Sudan Youth Union, which operates in all 18 states, is planning a nationwide dialogue to gather youth priorities and link Sudanese activists with regional networks.<br /> <br /> Officials from the Central Bank and the Ministry of Youth echoed the participants’ concerns, calling the employment outlook “dire” and highlighting finance and training as key bottlenecks. The youths argue that any lasting peace must include their voices, noting their historic role in the 2019 uprising. Their message is clear: employment, entrepreneurship and genuine participation are essential pillars for Sudan’s recovery.

On World Fintech Day, the UN Economic Commission for Africa convened a virtual round‑table with regulators, fintech firms and researchers to map a digital‑money future for the continent. Speakers highlighted that more than 54 million Africans now hold digital assets, with Nigeria alone accounting for roughly 26 million users. A Cambridge study showed the global tokenised‑money market surpassed $300 billion in 2025, driven mainly by fiat‑backed tokens.<br /> <br /> Participants from the Bank of Ghana, Uganda’s Capital Markets Authority, Mauritius’s Financial Services Commission and firms such as Yellow Card and Ripple argued that stablecoins can cut the high fees that still plague remittances and intra‑African trade. They cited pilot projects in Kenya where stablecoins funded disaster‑relief insurance, and flagged similar opportunities in Uganda and other markets.<br /> <br /> The panel also warned of lingering hurdles: unclear rules, weak on‑ and off‑ramps, liquidity gaps and the need for consumer‑protection safeguards. Regulators stressed that convergence does not mean identical laws, but compatible outcomes, shared supervision and regional “passporting” of digital‑asset services.<br /> <br /> The webinar concluded with a five‑point roadmap – harmonise regulations, boost supervisory coordination, launch cross‑border pilots, deepen data collection and keep the public‑private dialogue alive. If pursued, the recommendations could make cross‑border payments faster, cheaper and more inclusive, while giving African central banks a clearer role in the emerging digital‑currency ecosystem.

Cameroon’s Ministry of Trade, backed by the UN Economic Commission for Africa and funding from the Open Society Foundations, held a two‑day workshop in Douala to test a Step‑by‑Step Guide and an online Trade Information Portal. The resources aim to cut through the maze of customs paperwork and give micro, small and medium‑sized firms – especially women‑ and youth‑run businesses – clear, up‑to‑date data on AfCFTA rules and market opportunities. Participants from government agencies, chambers of commerce and private firms examined the draft content, checking that it is easy to read, accessible on mobile devices and aligned with Cameroon’s own trade policies. Officials say the tools will help companies understand tariff preferences, certification requirements and cross‑border logistics, turning the continent‑wide free‑trade pact into real sales channels. “Simplifying procedures and putting information at traders’ fingertips is essential if Cameroon wants to tap the AfCFTA’s promise of larger markets and deeper value‑chain integration,” said Parfait Eppoh, chief negotiator for Cameroon’s AfCFTA implementation. The initiative builds on Cameroon’s 2019 ratification of the agreement and complements existing trade‑facilitation bodies by offering a practical, user‑focused bridge between policy and practice. If the guide and portal prove effective, they could boost export diversification, create jobs and strengthen the country’s role in regional supply chains.

Dakar hosted a two‑week intensive course for sixty senior Senegalese officials, aiming to reshape the country’s social protection system from a safety net into a driver of economic growth. Organized by the UN‑backed African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP) together with Senegal’s General Delegation for Social Protection and the Regional Consortium for Research on Generational Economics, the program brought together managers responsible for designing, financing and evaluating social programmes.<br /> <br /> The training highlighted stark numbers: 37.5% of Senegal’s population lived in poverty in 2021, with three‑quarters of the poor in rural areas; the Human Capital Index sits at just 0.42; fewer than one in ten workers have any social protection coverage; and only 15% of seniors receive a pension. Participants were urged to move beyond expanding existing schemes and to rethink the whole architecture – funding, coverage and links to national development.<br /> <br /> Senegal’s 2050 Vision frames social protection as a pillar of inclusive growth, meant to protect households, ease the shift from informal to formal work and boost productivity. Recent expansions illustrate the potential: the National Social Register doubled its reach to over one million households, feeding 32 programmes, while the National Family Security Grant Programme grew sevenfold since 2013, lifting consumption and school enrolment.<br /> <br /> Financing remains the biggest hurdle. Social‑protection spending rose to 2.35% of GDP in 2022 and now consumes 8.8% of the national budget, up from 7.65% in 2018. The course introduced generational‑economics tools to help planners allocate resources across a population where 75% are under 35, while preparing for an ageing future.<br /> <br /> By equipping senior officials with data‑driven frameworks and a strategic mindset, Senegal hopes to turn its social safety net into a catalyst for long‑term prosperity.

At the opening of the WHO’s 76th African Regional Committee in Addis Ababa, the UN Economic Commission for Africa warned that soaring debt payments are squeezing health budgets in the continent’s poorest nations. Out‑of‑pocket costs now push 150 million people into poverty each year, and external health aid has slipped by almost 30 %. The commission’s chief of staff, Aboubakri Diaw, illustrated the crisis with a fictional small‑business owner, “Amina,” whose illness forces her to sell equipment and lay off staff. He said the pattern repeats across millions of households, turning health shortfalls into a macro‑economic drag.<br /> <br /> Diaw urged ministers to shift from vague pleas to concrete investment cases that link health spending to productivity. He called for a single, politically backed health‑financing compact that aligns ministries of finance, planning, revenue, debt, insurance and private actors. Fragmented budgets, he warned, only fund more fragmentation. Early data from pilot countries show health receives just 5‑9 % of national budgets while out‑of‑pocket payments can consume up to 64 % of health spending.<br /> <br /> A third recommendation is to match financing tools to each country’s fiscal reality, treating digital health as core infrastructure. Less than a third of low‑income health systems can track spending in real time, a gap the commission says can be closed with the kind of digital ledger Ethiopia is piloting under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.<br /> <br /> The commission’s African Initiative on Transforming Health Financing, launched in April, will support nations in building these compacts and digital tools. Success, Diaw said, will be measured not by declarations but by whether people like Amina can get care without losing their livelihoods. "Health is not what we spend when Africa grows; health is how Africa grows," he concluded.