Our Scans · Africa · Weekly Summary

• [New] Importantly, building frozen chains from the ground up in Africa offers the opportunity to design systems specifically for local requirements. The Clean Cooling Network
• [New] StartCredits is truly unique in its risk modelling division, which is revolutionising private sector credit in Africa. FinTech Weekly
• [New] Fastest Growing Region: Middle East & Africa grows fastest through 2033, fueled by large-scale infrastructure and mega construction projects across Gulf economies. Persistence Market Research
• [New] Fast-Growing Segment: Biomass power is forecast at a 11% CAGR (2026-2033), driven by baseload reliability advantages, waste-to-energy synergies, and robust demand in biomass-rich markets across Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Persistence Market Research
• [New] The Middle East and Africa are opening new opportunities through sovereign AI programs, smart city investments, and critical infrastructure protection work in countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Mordor Intelligence
• [New] Eskom, the state utility responsible for the bulk of generation, plans to build 32 GW of renewables by 2040 and retire 21 GW of coal-fired generation capacity, while grappling with a debt load of approximately US$ 22 billion and regulated tariffs below cost-recovery thresholds. / South Africa OBSERVER RESEARCH FOUNDATION ( ORF )
• Children in sub-Saharan Africa will be 18 times more likely to die before their fifth birthday than children in high-income countries. United Nations
• Port authorities in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa represent an actionable investment opportunity for technology vendors willing to structure turnkey deployment contracts tailored to sovereign infrastructure programmes. Persistence Market Research
• Middle East & Africa, the fastest-advancing region at 6.06% CAGR, gains from energy and mineral projects that lift off-road tire usage in deserts and open-pit mines. Mordor Intelligence
• In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), corporate partnerships can play an important role in helping startups scale by providing access to customers, industry expertise, and commercial opportunities. Hub71
• Fastest Growing Region: Middle East & Africa is identified as the fastest-growing region through 2033, fueled by improving birth rates and rising awareness of infant nutrition in the GCC countries. Persistence Market Research
• We expect greater policy initiatives and government efforts to prioritise domestic processing across West Africa, allowing for a greater capture of value in the cocoa supply chain, as well as reducing reliance on exports of raw cocoa beans. Fitch Solutions
• We expect rising sustainability requirements and value addition initiatives in West Africa to gradually reshape global cocoa trade flows over the medium-to-long term. Fitch Solutions
• In Africa, the NSS states there will be no long-term American presence or commitments. Default
• Africa offers longer-term potential as digital infrastructure and AI adoption expand, with South Africa and other digitally advanced markets providing initial opportunities. MAXIMIZE MARKET RESEARCH
• A second session will explore how Africa should respond as traditional aid models contract and new partnerships become more conditional, bilateral and transactional. assodesire
• For cassava alone, which Africa produces at 60% of global output, processing it into industrial starch, high-quality flour and ethanol could displace billions in imports. African Leadership Magazine
• Sub-Saharan Africa represents a longer-term growth opportunity for extruded snacks as urbanization accelerates, incomes rise, and organized retail infrastructure expands progressively from major cities into secondary markets. Woodstone Research & Consulting
• The Middle East & Africa region is expected to grow at a strong CAGR of 13.8% between 2026 and 2035, driven by governments investing in stronger transmission networks supporting renewable energy diversification and grid resilience. Precedence Research
• There is a significant opportunity for Africa to approach sustainability not simply as a compliance requirement, but as an economic opportunity. Engineering News
• Across Africa, organizations are navigating a rapidly changing landscape where climate risk, resource constraints, biodiversity loss, evolving regulations, investor expectations, technology and changing consumer demands are increasingly influencing how businesses operate, invest and grow. Engineering News

Last updated: 14 September 2026