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Pray N Play
Good Morning, Chop Family!
Everyone loves a good underdog story, and the tiny nation of Curacao is now the World Cup’s darling team and will gain many new fans (including me!) since they are the smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup - Go Blue Stars!
📈 Trending Headlines
Saudi Summit Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) of Saudi Arabia is back in Washington for the first time since 2018. He will be meeting with the likes of Elon Musk and other tech-and-corporate heavy-hitters as part of a business forum where he pledged to raise Saudi U.S. investment from $600 billion to $1 trillion. Critics decried the fact that he (MBS) was involved with the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
| Security in South Africa Africa gears up for the G20 and is deploying 3,500 extra security personnel in anticipation of protests and disruption at the upcoming summit. The stakes are high, and SA can not afford to have an embarrassing event. Because you know who will have a lot to say about SA if there are any challenges or issues at this important meeting. Will you be attending? |
MARKET MOVES
BUSINESS
Inflation Real vs Perceived
In the bustling markets of Onitcha, Nigeria, traders push and shove through masses of humanity to reach their stands, shouting at customers to come and buy their products.
These nerve centers of commerce tell a clear story. They form the “true” state of the economy.
To understand local sentiment, it is as simple as asking random market goers to give their assessment of things, a sort of consumer price index.
Open-air market
Most will tell you, as they did us, that prices are high. The same tomatoes are nearly 50% higher than last month. Petrol is up. Garri is higher, not to even mention rice, which is now a luxury.
All this being said, the recent inflation numbers out of Nigeria tell a slightly better story.
Nigeria’s inflation dipped to 16.05% in October from 18.02% in September, marking its seventh straight month of slowdown. Governmental controls seem to be having a positive impact, and if they stay the course, Nigerians could soon see “actual” relief at the market level.
South Africa is in Charge- watch out
So, South Africa is chairing the G20 and trying to champion “Africa’s moment.” Sounds great on paper, but is SA the right messenger? That’s… complicated.
On one hand, it’s Africa’s most industrialized economy, has deep diplomatic networks, and the institutional weight to push big-ticket agendas like climate finance and debt reform. It’s got the credibility to sit at the table and talk global economics fluently.
But on the flip side, South Africa’s house isn’t exactly spotless. The country is battling power shortages, 30% unemployment, sluggish growth, and violence, while corruption hangovers still cloud its governance image.
Its “voice for Africa” pitch can sound hollow when many neighbors — Kenya, Rwanda, and even Nigeria- are moving faster in digital innovation, fintech, and infrastructure reform.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a big deal that SA is up for this moment, and to be honest, they may be the only African nation that has the gusto and resume to back them.
FINANCE
Bitcoin, the raging locomotive, seems to be sputtering at the moment. After record highs, reaching well over 100k, it is now slowing down and has fallen to the low 90s in recent days, and some wonder if the invisible currency is leveling out.
My guess is that it’s just a dip. It will go up again and fall. It’s a fickle system that is sensitive to whims, real economic forces, and confidence in the dollar.
Are you all in on crypto?
Oil, which has been low in recent months, showed some climbing power as recent geopolitical issues have helped the black bullion spike. Potential sanctions on Russia and the slower pace of purchases by Asian nations are all contributing to oil’s slight rise.
Oil is many African nations biggest chip. So as it goes, so do many economies. The plan for life after oil should be getting lots of attention.
TECH
[AI SUMMARY]
Mega-Cable, Mega Potential
Meta Platforms and its consortium have completed the core of the 2Africa subsea cable — the world’s longest open-access system — spanning 33 countries and aimed at connecting over 3 billion people, including Africa’s 1.4 billion population.
This isn’t just fibre in the sea: it brings enough capacity (~180 Tbps) to stream millions of HD movies at once, slash wholesale internet prices and anchor Africa’s leap into cloud, AI and digital-services play.
What to watch: For Africa’s digital economy to truly benefit, landing the cable is only step one — national regulators, last-mile fibre build-out, affordable access, and local innovation hubs will determine whether this becomes a breakthrough or just a foundation.
SMALL CHOP
Team Curacao
Underdogs Unite!
A wild night in CONCACAF qualifying: Curaçao, Haiti, and Panama all punched their tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Curaçao made history as the smallest nation ever to qualify with a population of just ~156,000 after a tense 0-0 draw with Jamaica.
Haiti ended a 52-year drought with a 2-0 win over Nicaragua despite playing home games away from home due to instability following the recent hurricane.
Panama rocked a 3-0 win over El Salvador to grab their second World Cup spot ever.
I love it when the little guys get busy!
DISH OF THE DAY
 | Keshi Yena
This dish was dope. It is a unique creation where a large cheese ball (Gouda) is filled with meats, like chicken or beef, and various spices. It is steamed or baked. It was good! I had three cheese balls and washed them down with a big blue curacao cocktail. |
Did You Know? The official language(s) of Curacao are Dutch and Papiamento. Papiamento is a unique, creole language that blends Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese.
Till next time,
Chop Team