WhyAfrica

WhyAfrica WhyAfrica talks about Africa, Africa's natural resources, mining and overland travel across Africa

Assist, advise and promote companies/entrepreneurs doing business in Africa. We also provide on the ground information and business intelligence to companies and entrepreneurs who want to expand their footprint into Africa, individuals who are interested in working in Africa, or students studying about Africa and the sustainable development of the continent. We focus mostly on the following sector

s:
Mining
Exploration
Energy
Agriculture
Forestry
Fisheries
Infrastructure
Environmental management
Natural resource management
Tourism and hospitality
Conservation and sustainability
Water management
Politics
Geopolitics and Africa

Kenya bets big on minerals deal with USAA critical minerals deal between the USA and Kenya could reshape East Africa’s m...
21/06/2026

Kenya bets big on minerals deal with USA

A critical minerals deal between the USA and Kenya could reshape East Africa’s mining landscape.

By Leon Louw

Last week Kenya’s President William Ruto said that Kenya and the USA were close to concluding a critical minerals agreement.

President Ruto attended the G7 Summit in Évian-les-Bains, France. He made the remarks in an interview with Reuters after discussions with G7 leaders, including USA President Donald Trump.

According to President Ruto, the proposed deal will focus on investment and local processing of Rare Earth Elements (REE) and other critical minerals rather than exporting raw materials. This is in line with Kenya’s ambition to become a regional industrial hub.

Kenya offers the USA relative political stability, strong institutions, a pro-Western government and a good transport network including the Mombasa Port.

Nairobi already hosts major international organisations and serves as a diplomatic and logistics hub for the region.

President Ruto has made it clear in the past that Kenya wants foreign investors to process minerals locally to create jobs and to build industrial capacity.

For President Ruto, the deal offers increased foreign investment and manufacturing jobs for a growing and restless young population.

President Ruto’s tenure has been chequered, and the deal offers him an opportunity to cement his reputation as a leader capable of turning Kenya into an industrial powerhouse.

Kenya is one of Washington’s closest security partners in Africa and was designated a Major Non-NATO Ally in 2024. Deeper economic cooperation could reinforce existing defence and intelligence ties.

For East Africa improved infrastructure and local processing facilities will ensure greater integration into global supply chains for electric vehicles, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing.

Currently Kenya’s mining sector contributes only a small share of GDP and faces regulatory uncertainty, community disputes, infrastructure gaps and high electricity costs.

On the other hand, the country’s geology is promising, with good deposits of rare earths, niobium, titanium, graphite, copper and lithium.

Established operations such as Base Resources’ Kwale mineral sands mine demonstrate that large-scale mining can succeed in Kenya.

Image: Last week Kenya’s President William Ruto said that Kenya and the USA were close to concluding a critical minerals agreement. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Leon Louw is the founder of WhyAfrica and Endorphin Expeditions and provides independent consulting services to investors, businesses and organizations seeking a deeper understanding of Africa's political, economic and natural resource landscape.

https://www.whyafrica.co.za/kenya-bets-big-on-minerals-deal-with-usa/

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Theo Rohm, Mpule Makhubela Mpule, Gielie Loubser, Van Wyk...
20/06/2026

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Theo Rohm, Mpule Makhubela Mpule, Gielie Loubser, Van Wyk Romey, Johein Lambert, Olwethu Oliva ZIkhali, Naldo Stewe, Kagiso Mosienyane

There has been an influx of investment into gold mining in West Africa.In an excellent article published on the WhyAfric...
20/06/2026

There has been an influx of investment into gold mining in West Africa.

In an excellent article published on the WhyAfrica platform this morning Doku, SRK Consulting country manager for Ghana and a partner and principal geologist at SRK Consulting South Africa (SA) said that while efficiency of mining is paramount, we should also highlight the importance of responsible mining with closure in mind.

Doku said the strong gold price meant that many shelved gold exploration projects in Ghana, the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea and Nigeria had now been re-started, fuelling widespread prospecting operations in West Africa.

“Many majors are negotiating the repurchase and re-initiation of gold exploration projects that they sold four to five years ago when the gold price was low,” he said, adding that many greenfield mining projects had also entered into production this year.

At the same time, it has become feasible for several mines to pursue transitioning to underground operations, to reach deeper, higher-grade deposits as their near-surface ore is depleted.

"A mine in Nigeria, for example, recently announced plans to access deeper deposits, citing the current gold price as a motivation,” he said.

Alongside activity in the gold sector, high-grade iron-ore deposits in Guinea and nickel laterite deposits in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire are also attracting investment.

Whether mining is on surface or underground, closing these operations is just as complex, he explained. It could include long-term gas and water hazard monitoring, the potential for rock instability and surface subsidence after backfilling, and persistent subterranean risk for many years after operations cease.

Read the full article by clicking on the link below or visit the WhyAfrica website, your one stop-shop for on the ground information and business intelligence in Africa.

https://www.whyafrica.co.za/west-african-mines-must-plan-for-cyclical-reality/

19/06/2026

Learning more about storytelling through traditional African music

Storytelling sits at the heart of African musical tradition, blending rhythm, narrative and communal memory into a living oral archive.

For example, traditionally performed at Zulu ceremonial gatherings, Ingoma uses call-and-response singing, layered percussion, and expressive dance to communicate stories about identity, migration, conflict, love, and social values.

While early forms were dominated by vocal harmonies and drums, the style evolved over time as new instruments entered southern Africa through trade, mission stations and colonial contact.

One of the most interesting additions is the accordion and concertina, instruments introduced to southern Africa by European settlers in the 19th century. Initially associated with Boeremusiek and Afrikaner folk traditions, these instruments were gradually adopted by African musicians who recognized their ability to carry melodic lines over rhythmic accompaniment.

Zulu musicians incorporated them into indigenous frameworks, adapting European tuning and phrasing to fit pentatonic and harmonic structures found in local song traditions.

This cross-cultural exchange is most famously seen in maskandi music, where guitar-driven storytelling dominates but the accordion and concertina still appear in some regional styles. While artists like Johnny Clegg popularized Zulu-influenced fusion music internationally, he himself used guitar and sometimes concertina-inspired textures rather than fully traditional ingoma instrumentation.

Earlier rural musicians, including travelling maskandi performers, were more likely to experiment with concertina as a portable “singing instrument” for storytelling on journeys and in community gatherings.

The lyrical themes of Ingoma and related styles often revolve around everyday life: cattle and rural labour, courtship and family tensions, respect for elders, migration to cities, and reflections on hardship and resilience. The songs act as both entertainment and social commentary, preserving history in poetic form.

Together, Ingoma storytelling and adopted instruments like the accordion reveal a living tradition, one that absorbs outside influences while remaining deeply rooted in Zulu cultural identity.

Leon Louw Endorphin Expeditions

Very soon large planes will land here.This is what happens when you think blue sky. WhyAfrica on a site visit to Barrick...
19/06/2026

Very soon large planes will land here.

This is what happens when you think blue sky.

WhyAfrica on a site visit to Barrick’s Lumwana copper mine in the North-Western Province of Zambia earlier this year as part of the 2026 WhyAfrica Business Trip to Zambia organised and operated by WhyAfrica’s sister company Endorphin Expeditions.

Leon Louw Endorphin Expeditions Barrick

Guinea bets big on new road network New roads are reshaping Guinea’s economy and could unlock mining, trade and regional...
19/06/2026

Guinea bets big on new road network

New roads are reshaping Guinea’s economy and could unlock mining, trade and regional growth.

The West African country of Guinea is accelerating investment in expanding its existing road network.

The Simandou 2040 Strategic Program aims to expand the national network
to more than 45,300km from 43,493km in 2011.

In the process, the government will upgrade key national corridors and construct several bridges and interchanges.

These ambitious expansions will include 2,000km of national highways and about 10,000km of paved roads by 2040.

Guinea’s road-building drive is a cornerstone of Guinea’s broader economic transformation, aimed at improving access to mining regions, lowering logistics costs and strengthening links with neighbouring markets.

The programme is a response to decades of underinvestment. Despite Guinea’s vast mineral wealth, poor roads have long constrained economic activity.

In 2021, only 30% of paved national roads were in good condition, while most unpaved roads were heavily degraded and often unusable during the rainy season.

Authorities now recognise that large-scale mining developments, particularly around Simandou, require modern infrastructure to move people, goods and minerals efficiently.

The road expansion programme is closely linked to the Simandou iron ore project and the government’s Simandou 2040 vision.

As mining investment in Guinea gathers pace, pressure is mounting to improve transport infrastructure and ensure that economic benefits are felt in other sectors of the economy as well.

Mining companies, logistics operators, construction firms and businesses in agriculture and trade stand to benefit from improved connectivity and lower transport costs. Rural communities could gain better access to markets, healthcare and education.

Investors should monitor financing arrangements, progress on the Simandou 2040 programme and the government’s ability to maintain existing roads.

Climate resilience and the pace at which rural areas are connected will also determine whether Guinea’s infrastructure push translates into broad-based economic growth.

If successful, Guinea’s road expansion programme could become one of the country’s most important long-term investment stories.

Image: New roads are being built across Africa. Image credit: Leon Louw for WhyAfrica.

Leon Louw

The guy in the picture with me is Speedwell Madaka. Speedie for short. I bumped into Speedie last week. Thirty years ago...
18/06/2026

The guy in the picture with me is Speedwell Madaka. Speedie for short.

I bumped into Speedie last week. Thirty years ago, Speedie and I jumped into an odd-looking custom-built truck and took 8 brave and adventurous tourists on an overland trip to the Zambezi River for a four-day canoeing expedition.

Being young we though we knew everything there was to know about Africa. After all, we were both born in Africa. Turns out we didn’t know as much as we thought.

It took us four days to drive from Joburg in South Africa to the confluence of the Kafue and Zambezi Rivers. It was way before GPS and mobile phones, and to be honest, we didn’t really know where we were going. But we got there. We camped wild along the way. Seeing that we didn’t take the necessary precautions both of us got malaria a few weeks later.

Six years before we canoed the Lower Zambezi together, Speedie and I were both soldiers but on different sides of the political divide in South Africa. In other words, we were arch enemies.

After that first trip, we travelled together across Southern and East Africa with more brave tourists for five years. It took many long and heated debates, arguments, and at times fist fights before we eventually started understanding each other. We became friends for life.

Both Speedie and I continued working and travelling across Africa for the next 30 years albeit in different roles and with different companies and responsibilities.

Speedy doesn’t have any Linkedin, Facebook, X or Instagram accounts. He doesn’t use AI or ChatGPT or Claude. But Speedy knows the backroads and remote regions of Southern Africa like the back of his hand, and he knows a lot of people in Africa and around the world.

Speedy has met thousands of international travelers without ever posting one word on social media. In my eyes, Speedy is a world-famous influencer.

Speedie and I are both South Africans, and we love Africa and ALL her people.

There are many lessons here.

Africa Mpintshi Yami!

The article was written by Leon Louw founder of WhyAfrica and Endorphin Expeditions

Leon Louw Endorphin Expeditions

New investment fund targets Africa’s energy gapA new fund aims to expand access to electricity across sub-Saharan Africa...
18/06/2026

New investment fund targets Africa’s energy gap

A new fund aims to expand access to electricity across sub-Saharan Africa.

Cape Town based investment firm Inspired Evolution yesterday announced the commercial launch of Zafiri, a blended finance vehicle with an initial capital base of USD176-million.

The fund will invest in distributed renewable energy businesses across sub-Saharan Africa. It targets mini-grids, solar home systems, clean cooking and other off-grid solutions.

Africa still faces a major electricity deficit. It is estimated that more than 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to power. Traditional grids have struggled to reach remote communities, while renewable energy companies often fail to secure long-term equity funding.

Zafiri will address this gap. The fund is part of Mission 300, a joint initiative led by the World Bank and the African Development Bank to connect 300 million people to electricity by 2030.

Governments and development finance institutions increasingly view distributed renewable energy as the fastest way to expand electricity access.

Mini-grids and stand-alone solar systems are expected to provide at least 50% of new electricity connections in Africa by 2030.

This means that renewable energy developers could gain access to long-term funding and scale their operations. Equipment suppliers, clean cooking companies and communities without reliable power will also benefit from greater investment and improved energy access.

For investors, the launch of Zafiri signals growing institutional support for distributed energy across Africa. The presence of shareholders including the International Finance Corporation (IFC), African Development Bank, Rockefeller Foundation and FirstRand suggest confidence in the sector's long-term prospects.

According to Ethiopis Tafara, IFC Vice President for Africa connecting millions of Africans to reliable power requires patient, long-term capital at scale.

Investors should watch whether Zafiri reaches its target of USD300-million within a year and whether it can eventually scale to USD1-billion. Success could accelerate investment into one of Africa's fastest-growing energy markets.

To read more about the energy sector in Africa, visit the WhyAfrica website, your one-stop shop for on the ground information and business intelligence about Africa.

Image: Mini-grids and stand-alone solar systems are expected to provide at least 50% of new electricity connections in Africa by 2030. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Leon Louw

17/06/2026

What can you hear?

We saw some huge snail shells in Eswatini recently.

These are the shells of the Giant African land snail, which can grow to more than 20cm long and are most active during the warm, wet summer months.

They play an important role in the ecosystem by breaking down dead plant material and recycling nutrients, and although they look tough, they are very sensitive to drought and habitat disturbance.

WhyAfrica Leon Louw

Burundi’s first mover advantageEarly movers in infrastructure development, mining and energy are set to benefit in Burun...
17/06/2026

Burundi’s first mover advantage

Early movers in infrastructure development, mining and energy are set to benefit in Burundi.

Frontier market investors might see Burundi, still one of Africa’s poorest countries, as an opportunity. But risks are high in a country where infrastructure and geography remain the biggest constraints.

However, first movers might be a step ahead should the Burundi government translate reform plans into a more predictable and stable operating environment.

Earlier this week Burundi’s parliament approved the 2026/27 budget of USD2.35-billion, a 33.5% increase over the previous fiscal year.

The government plans to channel spending toward infrastructure, strategic economic sectors and public services, while continuing reforms aimed at improving fiscal management.

The budget is part of Burundi’s Vision 2040-2060 strategy, which seeks to transform and diversify the national economy. Authorities are hoping that better tax collection, increased exports and targeted public investment will stimulate growth.

This comes at a time when mining exploration in Burundi is gaining momentum and agricultural exports are on an up.

Burundi hosts deposits of nickel, Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and gold, while coffee and tea remain major export earners.

Early-stage mineral exploration companies like Rainbow Rare Earths and the Kermas Group have highlighted the country’s mineral potential, although projects remain at very early stages of development.

Electricity access across the country stands at less than 30%, creating space for grid expansion and decentralized solutions. Tourism, focussed on areas around Lake Tanganyika and the country’s natural landscapes, remains underdeveloped but offers long-term potential.

On the downside, Burundi’s landlocked geography creates high transport costs. Limited road and rail infrastructure and an unhealthy dependence on ports in neighbouring countries constrain trade competitiveness.

WhyAfrica will continue to monitor progress on transport corridors, energy generation projects, foreign currency availability and mining regulations in Burundi over the next few years.

The budget approval signals ambition, but Burundi’s government must translate these reform plans into physical infrastructure on the ground, and work on presenting a more stable and predictable operating environment.

Burundi is becoming more investable in mining, agriculture, energy and tourism, but the country's geography and infrastructure deficit remain the major risks.

Image: A rice farm in rural Burundi. Image credit: Flickr

Leon Louw Endorphin Expeditions

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