Alexis Akwagyiram
@alexisak.bsky.social
Managing Editor, Semafor Africa. Previously: FT, Reuters Nigeria bureau chief, BBC. Ghanaian family, British accent. https://www.semafor.com/author/alexis-akwagyiram
DR Congo suspended a major Chinese-owned copper and cobalt operation after a dam collapse spilled contaminated water into the country’s second-largest city. Elisha Iragi reported this @Semafor story about mining, EV batteries and pollution. www.semafor.com/article/11/1...
DR Congo suspends Chinese cobalt miner after chemical spill
Hundreds of Lubumbashi homes flooded with contaminated water in latest mining accident.
www.semafor.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:53 AM
DR Congo suspended a major Chinese-owned copper and cobalt operation after a dam collapse spilled contaminated water into the country’s second-largest city. Elisha Iragi reported this @Semafor story about mining, EV batteries and pollution. www.semafor.com/article/11/1...
"Sovereignty... means little in practice if the fundamental responsibility of a government to secure the lives and property of its citizens is not met." @MoghaluKingsley looks Trump's "guns-a-blazing" wake up call for Nigeria in this @Semafor column. www.semafor.com/article/11/1...
View: Trump’s threat to Nigeria is a wake-up call
Abuja must realize that the security and prosperity of Nigerians are the most important indicators of progress.
www.semafor.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:42 PM
"Sovereignty... means little in practice if the fundamental responsibility of a government to secure the lives and property of its citizens is not met." @MoghaluKingsley looks Trump's "guns-a-blazing" wake up call for Nigeria in this @Semafor column. www.semafor.com/article/11/1...
African banks need to take the lead in more effectively organizing and deploying the continent’s capital for investments that will boost growth, say top bank execs. www.semafor.com/article/11/0... — via @Semafor
November 6, 2025 at 2:15 PM
African banks need to take the lead in more effectively organizing and deploying the continent’s capital for investments that will boost growth, say top bank execs. www.semafor.com/article/11/0... — via @Semafor
Nearly half of the world’s 50 most economically unequal countries are in Africa, finds a new report on global inequality led by the Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz. www.semafor.com/article/11/0...
November 6, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Nearly half of the world’s 50 most economically unequal countries are in Africa, finds a new report on global inequality led by the Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz. www.semafor.com/article/11/0...
Election violence in Tanzania that opposition groups say left hundreds dead is damaging investors’ confidence in East Africa and hampering regional trade, Kenya’s trade minister, tells @Semafor in an exclusive interview. www.semafor.com/article/11/0...
Kenya sounds alarm as Tanzania unrest hits regional trade
Nairobi’s trade minister warns electoral violence is damaging investor confidence.
www.semafor.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:45 AM
Election violence in Tanzania that opposition groups say left hundreds dead is damaging investors’ confidence in East Africa and hampering regional trade, Kenya’s trade minister, tells @Semafor in an exclusive interview. www.semafor.com/article/11/0...
Nigeria’s lack of senior diplomatic presence in Washington and an absence of lobbyist support has left it vulnerable to President Trump’s threat of military action over alleged Christian persecution. www.semafor.com/article/11/0...
Nigeria scrambles for US influence without ambassador or lobbyists
Filings seen by Semafor show a separatist group in Nigeria has outspent Abuja in the Washington lobby.
www.semafor.com
November 5, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Nigeria’s lack of senior diplomatic presence in Washington and an absence of lobbyist support has left it vulnerable to President Trump’s threat of military action over alleged Christian persecution. www.semafor.com/article/11/0...
Paul Biya, the world's oldest head of state, will contest Cameroon's election on Sunday at the age of 92. He's been in power for more than 40 years. Here's my Semafor column on the problems caused by African leaders remaining in officer for decades. www.semafor.com/article/10/1...
The dangers of African leaders clinging to power
Cameroon’s president, seeking re-election after 43 years in power, is not an outlier among the continent’s leaders.
www.semafor.com
October 10, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Paul Biya, the world's oldest head of state, will contest Cameroon's election on Sunday at the age of 92. He's been in power for more than 40 years. Here's my Semafor column on the problems caused by African leaders remaining in officer for decades. www.semafor.com/article/10/1...
Senegal is grappling with a debt crisis. Now a rift between the president and prime minister threatens the government's handling of the economy, reports Joël Té-Léssia Assoko
for @Semafor www.semafor.com/article/07/2...
for @Semafor www.semafor.com/article/07/2...
July 25, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Senegal is grappling with a debt crisis. Now a rift between the president and prime minister threatens the government's handling of the economy, reports Joël Té-Léssia Assoko
for @Semafor www.semafor.com/article/07/2...
for @Semafor www.semafor.com/article/07/2...
Africa topped China’s Belt and Road investments in the first half of 2025, reaching $39 billion, according to a new report. www.semafor.com/article/07/2...
July 23, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Africa topped China’s Belt and Road investments in the first half of 2025, reaching $39 billion, according to a new report. www.semafor.com/article/07/2...
Four African billionaires are now richer than 750 million of the continent’s population combined. Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, South Africans Johann Rupert and Nicky Oppenheimer, and Egyptian businessman Nassef Sawiris control a combined $57.4bn. www.semafor.com/article/07/2...
July 22, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Four African billionaires are now richer than 750 million of the continent’s population combined. Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, South Africans Johann Rupert and Nicky Oppenheimer, and Egyptian businessman Nassef Sawiris control a combined $57.4bn. www.semafor.com/article/07/2...
"Kenya’s effort at fiscal consolidation to reduce deficits and debt levels will become a casualty to the need for bigger budgets to placate both elites and voters." Ken Opalo lays out the challenges faced by President Ruto in a @Semafor's #OneBigIdea column www.semafor.com/article/07/2...
July 21, 2025 at 4:48 PM
"Kenya’s effort at fiscal consolidation to reduce deficits and debt levels will become a casualty to the need for bigger budgets to placate both elites and voters." Ken Opalo lays out the challenges faced by President Ruto in a @Semafor's #OneBigIdea column www.semafor.com/article/07/2...
Why did Ghana’s central bank announce an "emergency" meeting, only to avoid announcing policy decisions? Nana Oye Ankrah and I report on the uncertainty stoked by the move, and why many had expected a rate cut. www.semafor.com/article/07/2...
July 21, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Why did Ghana’s central bank announce an "emergency" meeting, only to avoid announcing policy decisions? Nana Oye Ankrah and I report on the uncertainty stoked by the move, and why many had expected a rate cut. www.semafor.com/article/07/2...
"Lagos’s lack of free beaches illustrates the way in which the city continues to squeeze its poorer residents." This, by Aanu Adeoye, is a brilliant piece looking at how privatisation has led to the neglect of public services in Nigeria. on.ft.com/4lDdq2o
Lagos is surrounded by water — so where are all the beaches?
Lack of free access illustrates the way in which the city is squeezing its poorest residents
on.ft.com
July 16, 2025 at 6:35 AM
"Lagos’s lack of free beaches illustrates the way in which the city continues to squeeze its poorer residents." This, by Aanu Adeoye, is a brilliant piece looking at how privatisation has led to the neglect of public services in Nigeria. on.ft.com/4lDdq2o
"Emerging markets, like those in Africa, should pay attention. Local-currency stablecoins, backed by short-term government debt, could offer a vital tool for monetary resilience." Wale Ayeni's @Semafor column making the case for stablecoins in Africa www.semafor.com/article/07/1...
Why Africa’s emerging markets need their own stablecoins
They offer an alternative to the outdated compliance regulations of major banks that lock African economies out of global finance.
www.semafor.com
July 15, 2025 at 10:02 PM
"Emerging markets, like those in Africa, should pay attention. Local-currency stablecoins, backed by short-term government debt, could offer a vital tool for monetary resilience." Wale Ayeni's @Semafor column making the case for stablecoins in Africa www.semafor.com/article/07/1...
Cameroon’s 92-year-old President Paul Biya, who came to power 43 years ago and scrapped term limits in 2008, will seek an eighth term in October’s elections. www.semafor.com/article/07/1... — via @Semafor
July 14, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Cameroon’s 92-year-old President Paul Biya, who came to power 43 years ago and scrapped term limits in 2008, will seek an eighth term in October’s elections. www.semafor.com/article/07/1... — via @Semafor
The Trump administration has slashed visa stays for Nigerians. A three-month visa will only allow single entry to the US. Previously, a multiple entry visa would allow Nigerians to stay in the US for up to six months. www.semafor.com/article/07/0... — via @Semafor
July 9, 2025 at 10:12 AM
The Trump administration has slashed visa stays for Nigerians. A three-month visa will only allow single entry to the US. Previously, a multiple entry visa would allow Nigerians to stay in the US for up to six months. www.semafor.com/article/07/0... — via @Semafor
Medicine to treat babies suffering from malaria is approved for the first time and is expected to be rolled out in Africa within weeks, with the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives each year. www.semafor.com/article/07/0... — via @Semafor
July 8, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Medicine to treat babies suffering from malaria is approved for the first time and is expected to be rolled out in Africa within weeks, with the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives each year. www.semafor.com/article/07/0... — via @Semafor
Air travel passengers pay more in taxes to fly from Africa than counterparts departing from Europe or the Middle East, a report by the African Airlines Association shows. www.semafor.com/article/07/0...
July 2, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Air travel passengers pay more in taxes to fly from Africa than counterparts departing from Europe or the Middle East, a report by the African Airlines Association shows. www.semafor.com/article/07/0...
Ratings agency Moody’s downgraded Afreximbank closer to junk status, saying that the bank’s “unsecured lending to sovereigns under stress has introduced significant risks.” It comes weeks after the lender was downgraded by Fitch. www.semafor.com/article/07/0...
Afreximbank’s rating downgraded again
The decision by ratings agency Moody’s follows a downgrade by Fitch last month, pushing the development bank closer to junk status.
www.semafor.com
July 2, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Ratings agency Moody’s downgraded Afreximbank closer to junk status, saying that the bank’s “unsecured lending to sovereigns under stress has introduced significant risks.” It comes weeks after the lender was downgraded by Fitch. www.semafor.com/article/07/0...
A new blockchain-based currency exchange for trading local currencies is launched in a bid to make it easier for companies to repatriate their profits from African countries and reduce the continent’s dependence on the dollar in regional trade. www.semafor.com/article/06/2...
African blockchain currency exchange aims to break dollar dominance
The aim is to make it easier for companies to repatriate their profits.
www.semafor.com
June 27, 2025 at 4:00 PM
A new blockchain-based currency exchange for trading local currencies is launched in a bid to make it easier for companies to repatriate their profits from African countries and reduce the continent’s dependence on the dollar in regional trade. www.semafor.com/article/06/2...
Organised crime groups in Africa have embedded themselves in gold supply chains to such a degree that they now present “a serious global threat,” a UN report warns. www.semafor.com/article/05/2... — via @Semafor
May 27, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Organised crime groups in Africa have embedded themselves in gold supply chains to such a degree that they now present “a serious global threat,” a UN report warns. www.semafor.com/article/05/2... — via @Semafor
"South Africa is not without leverage. It controls over 80% of global platinum reserves and ranks among the top producers of vanadium and manganese. South Africa... is sitting on the mother lode." Sam Mkokeli for @Semafor on Ramaphosa's US trip. www.semafor.com/article/05/1...
Analysis: Cyril Ramaphosa’s Washington Test
The meeting between Cyril Ramaphosa and Donald Trump is being framed as a reset between South Africa and the US.
www.semafor.com
May 19, 2025 at 5:35 PM
"South Africa is not without leverage. It controls over 80% of global platinum reserves and ranks among the top producers of vanadium and manganese. South Africa... is sitting on the mother lode." Sam Mkokeli for @Semafor on Ramaphosa's US trip. www.semafor.com/article/05/1...
African investment funds are struggling to raise capital for women-led businesses because many previous backers don't want to be associated with a gender-driven ethos that goes against President Trump's anti-DEI push. www.semafor.com/article/05/0... — via @Semafor
Trump’s DEI ban throttles Africa’s gender investments
The US president’s push had caused institutional investors to back away from funds that raise capital for women-led businesses.
www.semafor.com
May 7, 2025 at 12:47 PM
African investment funds are struggling to raise capital for women-led businesses because many previous backers don't want to be associated with a gender-driven ethos that goes against President Trump's anti-DEI push. www.semafor.com/article/05/0... — via @Semafor
The World Bank’s private investment arm plans to “significantly” increase its equity stakes in Africa over the next five years to drive businesses’ growth, its top official tells me for this @Semafor story. www.semafor.com/article/04/2...
World Bank’s investment arm targets rise in African equity investments
The head of the IFC told Semafor the aim is to enable companies to grow without the “burden” of debt repayments.
www.semafor.com
April 21, 2025 at 1:54 PM
The World Bank’s private investment arm plans to “significantly” increase its equity stakes in Africa over the next five years to drive businesses’ growth, its top official tells me for this @Semafor story. www.semafor.com/article/04/2...
South Africa’s coalition is teetering on the brink of collapse in the wake of the deepening budget row and a leaked recording of President Cyril Ramaphosa. Sam Mkokeli reports on the latest twists for @Semafor.
South Africa’s coalition in jeopardy as budget row deepens
The second-largest party in the government voted opposed the fiscal plan passed by lawmakers.
www.semafor.com
April 3, 2025 at 3:40 PM
South Africa’s coalition is teetering on the brink of collapse in the wake of the deepening budget row and a leaked recording of President Cyril Ramaphosa. Sam Mkokeli reports on the latest twists for @Semafor.