Test your macro projection instincts before the morning trading bell:

According to the IMF’s October 2026 World Economic Outlook, which southern African nation jumped three spots to become Africa’s 14th largest economy ($65.9B GDP), riding a boom in global gold prices and agricultural recovery?

(Scroll to the bottom for the answer and context!)

Riots in the streets of France have intensified and have now spread to other urban centers in Europe. The unrest is the result of the rising cost of living, education, and general economic woes.

France loves a good protest/riot; they seem to have them every year. The same scenario seems to play out - folks get angry for some reason, then the cops come, shoot off some tear gas, the crowds retreat - then repeat.

We do not condone rioting or violence of any type, but it would seem that many African citizens, given their dire circumstances, would want their voices to be heard with some sort of protest or demonstration. But then again, we know how African regimes respond to protest… ugjh.

The Roadshow in Thailand

Nigerians can make a deal. They can negotiate and go back and forth with the best. So while the top finance leaders met at the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Nigerian movers and shakers set up a dedicated foreign investor "deal room" aiming to crowd in $78 billion across energy infrastructure, manufacturing, and agribusiness. It leaned on domestic reform policy: currency unification, tax code overhauls, and big-picture targets aimed at 7% GDP growth to outpace the IMF’s 4.2% forecast. Is this realistic?

The Spread Between Projection and Pavement

The difference between ambitions in Southeast Asia and corporate realities back home remains wide. All this talk about the "Nigeria Rising" narrative to foreign institutional managers doesn’t tell the whole story. Local businesses are forced to borrow at high rates hovering near 30%! If the cost of money remains high, local manufacturers and industry champs have to choose short-term survival over long-term growth.

The Chop Take

Setting up deal rooms in Bangkok is easy. The hard part is removing obstacles and poor local policies that stifle innovation and growth. It’s actually simple when you really look at it. But simple doesn’t mean easy.

There are so many entrenched people with the incentive to keep things at the status quo. They profit from incompetence and inefficiency. So why would they want to change the system that has fed them for so long?

Until the groundswell is unstoppable and the cost of inefficiency is too high, things may trend better- we will wait and see.

Solarise Africa has secured a $1.15 million grant from the Energy and Environment Partnership Trust Fund to expand its solar-leasing model into Uganda and Zambia.

This business model is becoming increasingly popular, as we have seen similar stories out of West Africa.

The company is adding another $1.1 million of its own co-financing, creating a $2.3 million, 24-month programme that aims to add 3 MW of renewable capacity.

So the small farmer, or tech seller, doesn’t have to buy a big, expensive solar system upfront; they can lease it over several years, which frees up their capital for other endeavors.

The funding announcement has the project details.

The Chop take: This is the way forward. It is easy to understand, affordable for the small business owner, and most importantly, it improves their efficiency and profitability in the long term. It is still baffling why African nations can’t provide reliable, stable electricity to the masses - it’s shameful.

Gold prices have surged over the past five years, encouraging more mining across the world, including in Ghana. But the boom has also intensified pressure on forests and waterways, particularly where illegal or poorly regulated mining is involved.

Mercury and cyanide pollution, deforestation and damage to local livelihoods can turn a valuable commodity into a costly environmental problem. Tracking gold is difficult when illicitly mined material is mixed with legitimate supply chains, making traceability and enforcement crucial.

Reuters investigates the environmental damage behind the gold boom.

The Chop take: The environment is always an afterthought, even though it is the lifeline for all of us. Sure, let’s mine and use our resources, but is it too much to ask for responsible partners?

Before paper currency and modern central banks emerged in East Africa, commercial transactions along Swahili coastal trade corridors were conducted using cowrie shells imported all the way from the Maldives. The shells were so universally accepted that they served as legal tender for royal taxes, bride wealth, and shipping cargo tariffs for over four centuries.

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