As you probably have already seen or heard, the Midterm election in the United States saw Trump and his brand take a big hit. They got decimated in the elections and the Blue Democrats cleaned house, seizing both houses of Congress, in an embarrassing blow to the “Don”.

So what does this mean for the war in Iran? Or for African/US relations moving forward? Well, we may know more in time. But, there are rumors and reports that negotiations are taking place to secure a “deal” with Iran.

There were also rumors floating around that the U.S. now backed into a corner, may resort to dropping a nuclear weapon on Iran - with hopes to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions once and for all.

We hope its the former and not the later solution that is on the table.

A negotiated deal would likely mean: The Strait of Hormuz would open, fuel, fertilizer prices will drop, and a sense of stability would return to the region.

This is what we are praying for.

Botswana is serious about having more control over the top name in the diamond businesses.

Botswana’s President, Duma Boko wants his country to increase its stake by double in De Beers from 15% to 30%. This would make Botswana the largest shareholder because Anglo American plans to sell its majority holding.

The small nation that borders South Africa, produces roughly 70% of De Beers' diamonds. For along time, Botswana has produced some the biggest and most valuable diamonds in the world, so now they are working to take more control of their business interests.

The diamond game has long been a story of powerplays and cut throat moves, and another twist to this knot is that De Beers also owns Element Six, which makes synthetic diamonds used in industrial applications. This could come in handy for Botswana as it moves in directions past traditional jewelry and potentially in to more industrial capacities.

The diamond industry is under pressure from cheaper lab-grown stones and changing consumer preferences. Botswana is betting that owning more of the business is better than simply supplying the stones.

The road to Kigoma from Tabora is a bit over 400 kilometers. And Tanzania is trying to make this journey as smooth and straightforward as possible because they recently signed a $1.2 billion financing agreement to build a section of its Standard Gauge Railway to connect the two cities.

This deal was made possible by The African Development Bank which guaranteed $800 million in partial credit. along with facilitating a nine-bank lending group to bridge the rest.

But what is interesting is where this railroad will link to.

Kigoma sits on the deep and beautiful Lake Tanganyika, across from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The railway is expected to connect agricultural and mineral-producing regions to Tanzania's wider rail network and the port of Dar es Salaam, creating more efficient routes for trade.

It seems good old fashion rail is still a big infrastructure play. While in some regions rail is seen as relic of the past, or a slow and old technology, in Africa it is a critical piece that can move goods more efficiently that the notorious brutal African roadways.

But like all things in Africa, the proof is in the fufu. Will it actually be made? Will it satisfy the needs and do all the things that it claims it will?

We will be watching and hoping for the best.

South African fintech Yoco bagged a $100 million funding mule from US investment firm Victory Park Capital. The dough will help Yoco finance cash advances to the small businesses already using its payment platform.

Yoco has helped hundreds of thousands of businesses with financing needs. The data they have allows them follow the progress of businesses and understand which ones qualify for financing.

The company has previously dished out more than R6.5 billion in financing through lenders. This new program gives it greater control over that lending on a bigger level.

Just when you think there isn’t any room for another fintech in Africa, or another angle for these companies to expand - they continue to do so.

More on FIntechs lending and financing in Africa. Getting money into the hands of those that truly need it is a big challenge across the continent. But furthermore, those receiving these funds many times do not have the info, or know how on how to track spending and income effectively, or in a digital way.

Ethiopian fintech Kifiya is trying to change that.

The company has nabbed a deal from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to expand its AI-powered agricultural finance platform.

Kifiya uses alternative data to assess borrowers who may not have conventional credit histories.

Its technology draws on more than 10 billion alternative data signals to help financial institutions evaluate risk. The company says its infrastructure has supported more than $1 billion in credit to date..

This is the kind of AI story we like. Not another chatbot. Not another productivity app. Technology being used to make people who were invisible to traditional finance visible to lenders- even if its another fintech story.

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