Hard Pass

November 10, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Good Morning, Chop Family!
The continent’s cooking and the world’s stirring. From billion-dollar gas deals to record-breaking jollof pots and Elon Musk’s trillion-dollar dreams, there’s plenty on the menu today. Grab your fork or fingers, because it’s time to dig in.

📈 Trending Global Headlines

G20 Summit Snub

U.S. President Trump says he will boycott the G20 summit that is scheduled for South Africa in late November. His reason? The genocide of white Afrikaners. Peeps on the ground, is this true?

No Visa for You!

Morocco just joined the ever-growing list of African nations like Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and Zambia, now wrestling with big-time U.S. visa delays and travel bans for 2025.

MARKET MOVES

BUSINESS

Tech Startups get a boost

🇳🇬 Nigeria just dropped a cool $618 million into a new tech and creative fund called iDICE , think of it as a startup booster shot for one of Africa’s biggest economies.

The plan is to bankroll young ventures in fintech, agritech, and the creative scene with help from big names like the IFC and Standard Bank.

It’s the government finally putting its money where the innovation is, after years of just cheering from the sidelines. If it works, iDICE could turn Nigeria’s startup hustle into a full-blown economic remix and maybe even inspire a few copycats across the continent.

Staying in Naija

🇳🇬 🛢️Shell just green-lit a $2 billion offshore gas project in Nigeria, the so-called “HI” field, discovered back in 1985, will feed gas to the Nigeria LNG Train 7 expansion and could deliver around 60,000 barrels of oil-equivalent per day at peak.

The move signals Shell’s big push into Nigeria’s deep-water gas sector and shows that, despite all the green talk, fossil fuels are still getting major bets in Africa.

And it was recently reported that Shell gave the drilling contract to a U.S. company, Haliburton, to commence its activities off the shore of Nigeria.

Quick Hits-

  • Shell’s $2 billion HI gas project aims to deliver about 350 million cubic feet per day, marking a major boost to Nigeria’s offshore energy scene.

  • The company holds a 40% stake, partnering with Sunlink Energies (60%) as part of its shift toward deep-water and LNG operations.

  • Shell’s Nigeria output averages around 600,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, making it one of the country’s top producers.

FINANCE

[AI SUMMARY]

Congo and Rwanda just shook hands in Washington on a new economic deal — a small but hopeful step toward peace after years of tension.

The agreement, backed by the U.S., promises closer trade and investment ties, but only if both sides play nice: Rwanda’s got to pull its troops back, and Congo needs to deal with rebel groups in the east.

If it actually sticks, the move could turn a long-troubled, resource-rich region into a legit growth zone — but for now, it’s more “wait and see” than “mission accomplished.”

🌳 🌳 Staying in the Congo… Congo Basin’s forest just got a major vote of confidence. France is leading a ~$2.5 billion initiative (yes, with a “b”) alongside Germany, Norway, Belgium, and the UK to help countries around the basin protect and sustainably manage the world’s second-largest rainforest.

The aim? Equip local governments with tech, training, and cash to stop deforestation and ramp up conservation. Sounds good—but as always, the real question is whether the money will translate into boots on the ground (and trees left standing) rather than just glossy press releases.

TECH

Elon Musk just got the green light for a jaw-dropping $1 trillion pay package from Tesla, Inc., assuming he hits a series of almost sci-fi-level targets like delivering 20 million vehicles annually, launching 1 million robotaxis and humanoid robots, and driving Tesla’s market value to around $8.5 trillion by 2035.

For a bit of perspective: Musk’s current net worth sits at roughly $460-500 billion. To compare: that’s more than the annual GDP of many African countries; in fact, it could comfortably buy the entire economy of a mid-sized country and still have change left over.

  1. South Africa – $410.34 billion

  2. Egypt – $347.34 billion

  3. Algeria – $268.88 billion

  4. Nigeria – $188.27 billion

  5. Morocco – $165.84 billion

SMALL CHOP

Nigeria’s culinary queen, Hilda Baci, is officially cooking on another level — literally. She just snagged her second Guinness World Record, this time for whipping up the largest pot of jollof rice ever at a mouth-watering 8,780 kg.

That’s not her first rodeo, though; she already holds the record for the longest individual cooking marathon, clocking in at an unbelievable 93 hours and 11 minutes of nonstop cooking in 2023.

So yeah, while most of us struggle to afford to drink garri, Hilda’s out here feeding thousands and stacking plaques like Grammy trophies.

DISH OF THE WEEK

Mikate- African Beignet

 Since we were in the Congo exploring its lush forests, we became famished, and my sweet tooth was activated. My nose brought me to a food vendor that was selling some deep-fried treats that resembled Puff Puff.

Only here, they are called Mikate. Mikate are essentially deep-fried dough balls that are sweet and tasty and sometimes covered with powdered sugar or with a side of mango sauce.

They are sometimes referred to as African biegnets, but to be honest, they are much denser and think that a proper fluffy beignet. Either way, I smashed an entire bag.

Did You Know? The Congo River is the deepest river on Earth, plunging over 720 feet in spots and carrying enough water to power half of Africa — if only the infrastructure caught up.

Till next time,

Chop Team