By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on RFI
Illustrative image · Ken Mwaura · Pexels · Licence PexelsCorruption is weakening the performance of Kenya’s economy, despite expected economic growth of 4.6% in 2026, according to the World Bank’s latest report. Presented on 4 November in Nairobi, the report highlights that the country could achieve better economic results if corrupt practices were curbed, reports RFI.
The World Bank says Kenyan businesses pay nearly 50% more for electricity than those in Uganda and more than twice as much as those in Vietnam, with an average rate of 22.60 shillings per kilowatt-hour. It links these costs to opaque purchase contracts and limited use of competitive tendering, according to its November 2026 economic report.
🇰🇪 Kenya · Source: Kenyans.co.ke ·
Benin's external debt reached $16.9 billion at the end of 2025, up 16.5% year on year, against $3.6 billion in 2015, according to the World Bank's International Debt Report 2026 published on 5 November. The stock, dominated by multilateral ($6.2 billion) and private ($5.1 billion) creditors, represents 373% of exports and 70% of the country's gross national income.
🇧🇯 Benin · Source: La Nouvelle Tribune ·
Ghana recorded an $8.81 billion trade surplus in the first half of 2026, according to Bank of Ghana Governor Johnson Pandit Asiama. Reserves reached $12.94 billion, equivalent to five months of imports, according to his report presented to Parliament on 6 November.
🇬🇭 Ghana · Source: 3News ·
Minister Wajdi Hedhili says Tunisian community enterprises will have priority to lease state-owned farmland. Of 325 structures created, 97 were actually operating by the end of August 2026, according to Business News, which reported the announcement made on 6 November.
🇹🇳 Tunisia · Source: Business News ·
Police shoot dead suspect after attempted attack in NairobiA suspected robber was fatally shot by police in Nairobi after pulling out a knife and attempting to attack an officer during his arrest. Officers intervened after catching two armed men threatening a woman on Juja Road, according to Tuko.
Ethiopian banks may hold foreign investors’ assetsEthiopian commercial banks may serve as custodians for foreign portfolio investors without creating separate subsidiaries. Capital market regulators describe the measure as a temporary exemption from a directive by the National Bank of Ethiopia, according to Addis Fortune.The week in Africa
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