Africa Becomes a Testing Ground for China's Yuan Globalization

 Discovery Alert, an AI-powered mining news publisher, posted on 19 January 2026 an article titled "China's Yuan Globalisation in Africa Accelerates Through 2026" by Muflih Hidayat.  

Africa is emerging as the testing ground for the Chinese yuan to replace the US dollar as China becomes more dominant in African trade.  Factors that support continued growth in China's yuan globalization in Africa are trade expansion, infrastructure investment, debt restructuring, regional integration, and technology advancement.  

How Gold Fuels the War in Sudan

 Chatham House posted on 15 March 2024 a 35-minute podcast titled "How Gold Fuels the War in Sudan" with Ahmed Soliman, Suliman Baldo, and Denise Sprimont-Vasquez.  

Military business networks controlled by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are financing much of the cost of war in Sudan, which is the third largest gold producer in Africa after Ghana and South Africa.  An estimated 50 to 80 percent of gold production is smuggled out of Sudan illegally.  It is a critical source of income for both the RSF and SAF.  Neither oil nor gum Arabic, once important foreign exchange earners for Sudan, are significant income sources today.

The RSF controls gold produced at a half dozen locations in Darfur.  Most of the gold smuggled by the RSF through the Central African Republic, Chad, and Libya ends up in the UAE for refining.  Some of it is smuggled out by Russia's Wagner Group.  

The SAF exports its gold through Port Sudan and most of it goes to Egypt.  Before the conflict between the RSF and the SAF, Sudan's gold tended to be handled by the Wagner Group.  

Disrupting Al-Shabaab's Revenue Stream in Somalia

 The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published on 27 March 2023 an analysis titled "Reclaiming Al-Shabaab's Revenue" by Wendy Williams.

Al-Shabaab generates annually an estimated $100 million used to support 5,000 to 10,000 well-armed fighters and a network of operatives.  The revenue comes from a variety of taxes and extortion practices.  This analysis looks at ways to disrupt al-Shabaab's revenue stream.  

Africa's Trade Dilemma: Cheap Chinese Imports or More Expensive Kenyan Products?

 Kenya's Star published on 4 March 2023 a commentary titled "Why Kenya Can No Longer Make the Goods It Used To" by Godfrey Kimega.

A Chinese entrepreneur opened "China Square" shopping mall in Nairobi in January.  It became popular with Kenyan consumers because of its low prices for imported Chinese goods.  Kenyan traders protested, forcing the government to briefly shut down the mall, because the traders could not sell comparable Kenyan products at the same low prices.  The government subsequently allowed "China Square" to reopen.

Comment:  This is an issue playing out across Africa.  The cost of production in Kenya and some other African countries is higher than the cost of equivalent imported Chinese goods (and goods from some other countries).  African manufacturers and vendors are just not able to compete.  Consumers are pleased with the lower prices, but manufacturers and sellers are upset.

Somalia's New Government and Al-Shabaab Challenge

 The Associated Press published on 25 May 2022 an article titled "For New Somalia Government, Al-Shabab a Threat to Authority" by Rodney Muhumuza.

The article discusses the internal dynamics of Al-Shabaab and its continuing influence.  Al-Shabaab's strategy is to patiently wait for the departure of foreign troops.  

South Sudan, Gold, and Corruption

The Enough Project published in April 2020 a report titled "The Criminalization of the South Sudan Gold Sector."

South Sudan's gold sector remains ungoverned and poorly regulated. The national government, local government, and traditional leaders have conflicting interests. Gold has become the currency of choice for illicit cross-border transactions.

Chinese Investment and Labor Practices in Ethiopia

The ChinAfrica Project posted on 15 November 2019 a 49 minute podcast titled "Chinese Investment and Labor Practices in Ethiopia" with Weiwei Chen, PhD candidate at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.

China is the largest foreign investor in Ethiopia. Most of the investment comes from China's private sector and emphasizes manufacturing, especially the leather industry. This is a highly positive account of China's investment in Ethiopia.

Namibia's Uranium Deal with China

Ventures Africa posted on 30 May 2019 a story titled "What Embattled African Countries Could Learn from Namibia's Uranium Deal with China" by Caleb Ajinomoh.

Namibia is allowing the China National Uranium Corporation to purchase Rio Tinto's uranium stake in the country; Namibian uranium exports to China reached $5.5 billion in 2018.

Somalia: Al-Shabaab vs ISIS

West Point's CTC Sentinel published in April 2019 an article titled "Reigniting the Rivalry: The Islamic State in Somalia vs. al-Shabaab" by Caleb Weiss.

The author argues the Islamic State has significantly expanded its operations across Somalia, albeit from a low base. This has reignited tensions with the much larger al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab.

Illicit Financial Flows to South Sudan: Role of Kenya and Uganda

The Nairobi-based Institute of Economic Affairs published in November 2018 a paper titled "Why Reduction of Illicit Financial Flows that Fuels South Sudan's War Economy Is in Kenya and Uganda's Interest."

The paper traces the institutional weaknesses that facilitate the illegal flow of funds belonging to South Sudan and how those funds may be channeled back to escalate civil conflict thereby undermining state sovereignty and opportunities for genuine democratic development.

The paper concludes that the governments of Uganda and Kenya must acknowledge that they undercut their own diplomatic initiatives by failing to constrain the beneficiaries of the funds and property stolen from South Sudan. Without action against illicit financial flows, Kenya and Uganda will stand accused of complicity in the continued poverty and suffering of the South Sudanese people.

Doing Business in Somalia 2019

The World Bank has just published its Doing Business 2019 for Somalia. The evaluation includes starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, resolving insolvency, and labor market regulation.

On the overall ranking of ease of doing business, the World Bank evaluated 190 countries, including 54 in Africa. Somalia ranked 190, last on the list. This compares with 159 for Ethiopia.

Doing Business in Sudan 2019

The World Bank has just published its Doing Business 2019 for Sudan. The evaluation includes starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, resolving insolvency, and labor market regulation.

On the overall ranking of ease of doing business, the World Bank evaluated 190 countries, including 54 in Africa. Sudan ranked 162. This compares with 120 for Egypt and 185 for South Sudan.

Doing Business in South Sudan

The World Bank has just published its Doing Business 2019 for South Sudan. The evaluation includes starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, resolving insolvency, and labor market regulation.

On the overall ranking of ease of doing business, the World Bank evaluated 190 countries, including 54 in Africa. South Sudan ranked 185. This compares with 162 for Sudan and 190 for Somalia.

Doing Business in Kenya 2019

The World Bank has just published its Doing Business 2019 for Kenya. The evaluation includes starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, resolving insolvency, and labor market regulation.

On the overall ranking of ease of doing business, the World Bank evaluated 190 countries, including 54 in Africa. Kenya ranked 61 globally and fourth best in Africa. Kenya's global ranking compares with Rwanda at number 29 and Uganda at number 127.

Doing Business in Djibouti 2019

The World Bank has just published its Doing Business 2019 for Djibouti. The evaluation includes starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, resolving insolvency, and labor market regulation.

On the overall ranking of ease of doing business, the World Bank evaluated 190 countries, including 54 in Africa. Djibouti ranked 99, second most improved ranking from 2017 to 2018. This compares with 159 for Ethiopia and 29 for Rwanda.

Doing Business in Eritrea 2019

The World Bank has just published its Doing Business 2019 for Eritrea. The evaluation includes starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, resolving insolvency, and labor market regulation.

On the overall ranking of ease of doing business, the World Bank evaluated 190 countries, including 54 in Africa. Eritrea ranked 189. This compares with 159 for Ethiopia and 99 for Djibouti.

Doing Business in Ethiopia 2019

The World Bank has just published its Doing Business 2019 for Ethiopia. The evaluation includes starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, resolving insolvency, and labor market regulation.

On the overall ranking of ease of doing business, the World Bank evaluated 190 countries, including 54 in Africa. Ethiopia ranked 159. This compares with 61 for Kenya and 189 for Eritrea.

Good News and Bad News for Doing Business in Africa

The World Bank has just released its Doing Business 2019. It evaluates 190 countries/economies globally, including 54 in Africa. The evaluation looks at starting a business, labor market regulation, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, trading across borders, paying taxes, enforcing contracts, and resolving insolvency.

There is good news and bad news for Africa. Out of the ten most improved countries since 2017, five are in Africa. Djibouti is second most improved, Togo sixth, Kenya seventh, Cote d'Ivoire eighth, and Rwanda tenth. The bad news is that only eight African countries rank above the global midpoint: Mauritius (20), Rwanda (29), Morocco (60), Kenya (61), Tunisia (80), South Africa (82), Botswana (86), and Zambia (87). Forty-six African countries rank below the global mid-point and thirteen of the bottom twenty are in Africa.

The Congo, Cobalt, and China

Lima Charlie News posted on 4 February 2018 an article titled "Cobalt Mining, China, and the Fight for Congo's Minerals" by Lima Charlie.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) holds half the world's cobalt reserves, a key component of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power iPhones and electric cars. China is a major importer of DRC cobalt as it tries to become the world's leader in electric car production. The DRC has proposed to raise taxes five fold on the metal in order to increase revenue. Chinese and other importers of cobalt are protesting vigorously.

Doing Business in Kenya 2018

The World Bank has just released its annual Doing Business 2018 report. It evaluated 190 countries. Kenya ranked a respectable 80, a modest improvement compared to the 2017 report. By comparison, Rwanda ranked 41 and Uganda 122.

The World Bank ranking takes into account the following eleven factors: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, resolving insolvency, and labor market regulation.