Nation Media Group Posts Third Straight Loss as Ownership Change Looms
Nation Media Group posted a net loss of KSh 308.6 million for the full year ended 31 December 2025, its third straight annual loss, as turnover fell 3.1% to KSh 6.04 billion. Revenue has nearly halved from a KSh 13.37 billion peak in FY2013, tracking a 66% collapse in Kenya's print circulation market over the same period. Digital revenue and broadcasting each grew 5%, with the user base expanding to 64.7 million.
Dangote to Build East African Oil Refinery in Tanzania
Aliko Dangote pledged at the Africa We Build Summit 2026 in Nairobi to build a 650,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery in Tanga, Tanzania, modelled on his Lagos complex, if Kenya, Uganda, and neighbouring governments support the initiative. Kenyan President William Ruto confirmed Kenya would also invest in Uganda's separate domestic refinery. The announcement came as the AFC warned Africa faces an 86-million-tonne fuel shortfall by 2040, with East Africa sourcing up to three quarters of its refined fuel from the Middle East.The ‘Institutional Era’ for East African Real Estate: EAPI Summit Sets the Stage for Scale
As the region’s key cities expand at break-neck pace, the 13th Annual East Africa Property Investment (EAPI) Summit arrives at a critical juncture to connect international capital with the sector’s most influential project leaders.
Co-op Bank Plans to Reorganise its Corporate Structure
Co-operative Bank of Kenya plans to restructure into a Non-Operating Holding Company, renaming its listed entity Co-opbank Group PLC and creating a new banking subsidiary. The move follows KCB, Equity, NCBA, I&M and Stanbic. The bank controls seven subsidiaries across Kenya and South Sudan and targets assets above KSh 1 trillion by 2029IMF Warns Middle East War Threatens Sub-Saharan Africa's Hard-Won Decade-Best Gains
Kenya's Truckers Mull Hiking Costs By 14% After Diesel Price Surge
Road freight costs in Kenya are set to rise by about 13% to 14% following a record jump in diesel prices, according to an industry advisory that signals an imminent increase in transport tariffs
Kenya’s Banks Still Have East Africa’s Worst Bad Loan Problem
Kenyan banks may have improved their asset quality in FY25, but the sector is still carrying the heaviest bad loan burden in East Africa, according to the FY25 Kenya Banking Sector Report by Wall Street Africa Group.
DRC Budgets US$30mn for its Second Census
Kinshasa has mobilised US$30 million from the state budget for the census, while the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire pledged support for data collection equipment and knowledge exchange.
DTB Kenya Completes Burundi Divestiture, Subsidiary Profit Collapsed 56% in Final Year
Diamond Trust Bank Kenya has completed the sale of its entire 83.67% shareholding in Diamond Trust Bank Burundi S.A. to a consortium of primarily Burundian investors, closing a 16-year regional presence that began in 2009. The transaction, completed on 31 December 2025, followed regulatory approval from the Bank of the Republic of Burundi. DTB Burundi had contributed just KSh 50.6 million to group pre-tax profit in FY2024, down 56% year-on-year, as total assets contracted from KSh 5.9 billion to KSh 4.6 billion amid Burundi's 39% inflation environment.Uganda Passes Law to Increase Magistrates’ Financial Jurisdiction
The reforms are meant to reduce case backlog in the High Court and positions chief magistrates as more central in handling commercial, land, family, and civil disputes that previously escalated to higher courts.BBB- to Default: S&P and Fitch Rate Five African Nations
S&P Global Ratings downgraded Senegal's local currency sovereign rating four notches to CCC+ on March 27, 2026, citing gross financing needs of 26% of GDP, a suspended IMF program, and government debt estimated at 131% of GDP. In the same 48-hour window, S&P affirmed Morocco at investment-grade BBB- and Ghana at B-, while Fitch affirmed Tanzania at B+ Stable. Mozambique's selective default local currency rating was also affirmed alongside a CCC+ foreign currency rating with Negative outlook. The five actions were shaped by the Middle East war, IMF program access, and commodity exposure.NCBA Posts Record KSh 23.4Bn profit as Nedbank Takeover Looms
NCBA Group PLC posted a record post-merger profit after tax of KSh 23.39 Bn for the full year ended 31 December 2025, up 7.0%, driven by a 27.7% surge in net interest income to KSh 44.08 Bn as funding costs collapsed. Total dividend rose 29.1% to KSh 7.10 per share, the highest since the 2019 CBA-NIC merger. Nedbank of South Africa has tabled a $855 million bid for 66% of NCBA, valued at 1.4 times book. CMA waiver secured February 2026. CBK approval expected Q3 2026, with deal closure targeted late 2026.
