The Nanyang Technological University published on 28 August 2026 an article titled "Growing Chinese Influence in African Fintech" by Rafia Raji.
Two Chinese fintech companies, Opay and PalmPay, focus primarily on Nigeria where they have made significant inroads into the digital financial sector. They are becoming competitive digital banks in Nigeria. African partnerships with Chinese fintechs are adding to China's engagement in digital banking across the continent.
Business Insider Africa published on 28 September 2026 an article titled "Kenyan Firms Challenge Alleged Chinese Tax Breaks They Say Give Rivals a 35% Cost Advantage" by Ayodeji Adegboyega.
Kenyan contractors want the government to disclose tax and customs concessions linked to Chinese-financed infrastructure projects. The contractors allege that Chinese companies receive a cost advantage of 25 percent to 35 percent. A court has not yet established that Chinese contractors receive an unlawful advantage.
Semafor published on 21 September 2026 an article titled "South Africa Woos US and China with Platinum" by Alexis Akwagyiram, Tiisetso Motsoeneng, and Sam Mkokeli.
South Africa is the world's leading supplier of platinum and seeking to gain influence with both China and the United States. The US needs it for catalytic converters and defense equipment while China needs it to develop green hydrogen as a form of sustainable energy.
At the political level, the Trump administration continues to alienate South Africa, while China is cultivating the South African government. Washington's criticism of South Africa shows no signs of abating, which risks losing more ground to Beijing in the race to secure access to Pretoria's critical minerals.
The Diplomat published on 16 September 2026 an article titled "China's Free-Trade Offer to Africa Won't Solve the Trade Imbalance" by Matthew J. Rochat.
China's new zero tariff policy across 100 percent of tariff lines for 53 African countries will not resolve the large trade deficits that most African countries have with China. Extractive products, especially minerals and oil, account for 89 percent of African exports to China, while 94 percent of African imports from China are manufactured goods. Duty free tariffs have done little to alter this pattern.
Kairos: A Journal of Critical Symposium devoted its volume 11 (2) 2026 issue to Eastern Africa-China relations. The open access articles are:
--The Dynamics of Eastern Africa-China Transoceanic and Digital Connections Across Centuries by Oduor Obura and James Odhiambo Ogone.
--Enduring Entanglements between Eastern Africa and China: Conversation with Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor by James Odhiambo Ogone and Oduor Ogone.
--Digital Culture and Popular Diplomacy: Bridging the Eastern African China Divide through Cultural Exchanges on Social Media by James Odhiambo Ogone.
--Eating Frogs with Your Online Friends: Cultural Mobility and Soft Cosmopolitanism between Eastern Africa and China by Oduor Obura.
--'Welcome to Milele'--Chinese TV Goes to Tanzania by Anke Bartels.
--Ecocide and Sino-East African Relations in Yvonne Owuor's The Dragonfly Sea by Edgar Fred Nabutanyi.
--Framing the Dragon: Popular Local Tales about Chinese at Ahero Highway Interchange Site in Kenya by George Otieno Odhaimbo.
--Intercultural Communication Strategies: Between Kenyan Kiswahili-Speaking Workers and Chinese Construction Workers by John Obiero Ogone.
Time published on 11 September 2026 an article titled "The Power to Unite Africa" by Josh Wilson.
This is a highly positive article on the recently completed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the largest hydropower project in Africa. Constructed on the Blue Nile, which provides more than half of the fresh water reaching the Aswan Dam, Egypt has been highly critical of the project.
The author emphasizes that the GERD should be looked at in terms of the additional electricity the project brings to the wider region.
Radar Africa published on 10 September 2026 an article titled "Russia to Open Eight New Cultural Centres across Africa."
Russia plans to open new cultural centers in the DRC, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. This will add to the 16 it already has in Africa.
The Kenya Times published on 8 September 2026 an article titled "Businesses in Kenya Where Foreigners Dominate" by Morgan Wanyonyi.
Foreign nationals are engaged throughout Kenya as roadside vendors, owners of small and large retail shops, and in the import and construction business. Chinese nationals are prominent among them, especially regarding the sale of goods manufactured in China. These foreign entrepreneurs are experiencing growing criticism from Kenyan competitors.
The International Crisis Group posted on 3 September 2026 a 32-minute podcast titled "Somalia's End-of-Year Cliffhanger" with Alan Boswell and Samira Gaid, analyst with a Mogadishu-based think tank.
As the United States steps up its air attacks on al-Shabaab in Somalia, it is opposing continued UN funding in support of the African Union mission there, apparently out of concern that the mission is not effective. Failure to fund the mission, however, could jeopardize efforts to defeat al-Shabaab. The situation is complicated by upcoming national elections, differences among Somali federal states, and numerous external actors.
Firstpost posted on 1 September 2026 a 15-minute podcast titled "Trump Targets Zambia, Ethiopia, and Kenya" with Alyson Le Grange.
The podcast reviews US ties with Zambia, Ethiopia, and Kenya as US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Frank Garcia, makes his inaugural visit to those countries. Le Grange discusses critical minerals in Zambia, Red Sea security with Ethiopia, and Kenya's status as the only US non-NATO ally in sub-Saharan Africa. She asks about Washington's "trade not aid" policy and wonders what Africa wants out of its relationship with the United States.
The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published on 6 August 2026 an analysis titled "Countering Terrorism Financing in East Africa" by Daisy Muibu and Nicole Mazurova.
Al-Shabaab in Somalia has established a sophisticated revenue-generation capacity that includes criminal activities, illicit trade, smuggling, and money laundering. Al-Shahaab obtains annual revenue of up to $200 million annually. The Islamic State in Somalia generates between $100,000 and $360,000 monthly through extortion and illicit taxation.
Defeating these terrorist organizations will require degrading their revenue generation capacities through strengthened national and regional coordination.
The Washington Post published on 27 August 2026 an editorial titled "How the U.S. Can Beat China in Africa's AI Race."
Software developers across Africa are adapting Chinese models to build applications tailored for African users. But China has no monopoly on AI projects in Africa. In compute, the US has far more to offer than China. The US needs to revive its Power Africa initiative, which came to an end when the Trump administration dismantled USAID, in order to support African data centers.
The Ethiopian News Agency published on 21 August 2026 an article titled "Ethiopia, US Agree to Establish Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation in Defense, Security."
Major General Teshome Gemechu, Director General of Foreign Relations and Military Cooperation at Ethiopia's Ministry of Defense, led a high-level delegation to the United States on 19-20 August. During a meeting at the US Department of Defense with the deputy assistant secretary for African affairs he said the two sides agreed that a "comprehensive and strategic partnership" will guide the future security relationship between the two countries.
Comment: So far, there has been no confirmation from the US side that a "comprehensive and strategic partnership" has been established with Ethiopia, although there has clearly been an improvement in the security relationship. This is not language normally used by the United States to describe close security relationships with other countries. The US has given "Major Non-NATO Ally Status" to 19 countries, which is a powerful symbol of the close relationship it shares with those nations. The only countries in Africa so designated are Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Kenya.
Construction Review published on 18 August 2026 an article titled "Guodong Africa Headquarters: China's Telecom Giants Targets $300M Digital Infrastructure in Kenya."
China's Guodong Group is in discussion with Kenyan investment authorities about establishing the company's African headquarters there. The proposed $300 million investment would support cloud computing, data storage, smart-city infrastructure, telecommunication towers, fiber networks, and green digital technologies. No final decisions have been made.
Reuters published on 14 August 2026 an article titled "Kenya Eyes Debut Chinese Bond Market Issuance This Fiscal Year."
Kenya is considering issuing its first ever bond on the Chinese domestic debt market known as panda bonds, as it seeks to raise $300 million to plug a gaping hole in its budget for this fiscal year.
Kenya has a budget deficit of 5.5 percent of gross domestic product for this fiscal year. It is seeking financing from a variety of other sources.
AEIs Critical Threats Africa File posted on 13 August 2026 an article titled "Somalia--AUSSOM" by Michael DeAngelo.
The African Union Stabilization and Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) has begun an accelerated handoff of responsibility to the Somali National Army. AUSSOM's mission end date is December 2029, but the goal is to complete most of the handoff in 2028. Al-Shabaab will likely exploit any lapse in counterterrorism efforts that might result from this decision.
African Arguments published on 11 August 2026 a commentary titled "Somalia: A Government with One Foot Out the Door" by Ismail Abukar, a human rights advocate based in Mogadishu.
A significant percentage of Somali officials are effectively ghost workers who do not come to their offices. Many have foreign passports and dual citizenship. At the same time, remittances from the diaspora have kept Somalia solvent.
The August 2026 issue of Africa Spectrum includes an "Introduction to the Special Issue: Giving in Somali Diaspora Humanitarianism in Africa" by Nauja Kleist and Mark Bardbury.
The articles in this special issue of Africa Spectrum demonstrate that Somali diaspora humanitarian engagement is continuously evolving and comes in many forms. It is influenced by gender, generation, educational background, and socio-economic circumstances.
The issue is unique in that it focuses on the Somali diaspora in a number of African countries and not the diaspora in North America or Europe.
The Doha, Qatar-based Middle East Council on Global Affairs published in February 2026 an open access E-book titled "The Red Sea: Divided by Water, United by Opportunities" edited by Dalia Ghanem, Mehari Taddele Maru, Luigi Narbone, and Carlo Palleschi.
This book provides a comprehensive analysis that breaks down the silos between Middle Eastern countries (MECs) and the Horn of Africa (HOA). It argues that it is impossible to understand the region's trajectory by looking at one side of the Red Sea in isolation and examines interactions between the MECs and the HOA. It seeks to align visions and identify concrete steps toward realizing the vision of a region that, though divided by waters, is united by opportunities.
The New York Times published on 5 August 2026 an article titled "China's A.I. Is Surging Across Africa. That Should Worry Silicon Valley" by Paul Mozur, Adam Satariano, and Aaron Krolik.
China's AI is surging in Africa where buyers look for the best possible system at the lowest possible cost. The Chinese systems are publicly available to download and modify without payment or approval. Xi Jinping is using AI as a form of Chinese soft power.
