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Alexis Akwagyiram

@alexisak

Managing Editor, Semafor Africa. Previously: FT, Reuters Nigeria bureau chief, BBC. Ghanaian family, British accent. https://www.semafor.com/author/alexis-akwagyiram

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Latest posts by Alexis Akwagyiram @alexisak

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Exclusive: MTN targets fintech acquisitions, East Africa push: CEO Africaโ€™s biggest telecom group is focusing on growth rather than financial exits.

MTN is on the hunt for fintech startups it can acquire and plug directly into its platform to accelerate growth as a more diversified tech business, its CEO tells my @Semafor colleague Yinka Adegoke. www.semafor.com/article/02/0...

04.02.2026 12:31 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Madagascar ended a 16-year ban on new mining permits while steelmaker ArcelorMittal extended a minerals deal with Liberia, as competition for Africaโ€™s natural resources intensifies. www.semafor.com/article/01/3... โ€” via @Semafor

01.02.2026 09:45 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Ghana is partnering with Google to develop AI-powered education tools in local languages, starting with Twi, Ewe, Dagbani, and Hausa. The program will later be scaled up to cover 12 approved Ghanaian languages. www.semafor.com/article/01/3...

01.02.2026 07:00 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Thank you to New African Magazine for including me on the 100 Most Influential Africans 2025 list. I'm honoured and incredibly grateful. This says more about the hard work of the @Semafor's Africa team than it does about me, so huge thanks to my colleagues 100.newafricanmagazine.com?utm_source=M...

20.12.2025 20:17 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Nigeria declares security emergency and names diplomats amid US tensions The moves come after Washington threatened Abuja with sanctions over the treatment of the countryโ€™s Christians.

Analysis: How Nigeria's security emergency has presented President Tinubu with his biggest crisis since taking office two years ago, and why his remedy combines police reinforcements and diplomacy. www.semafor.com/article/11/2... by me and Alexander Onukwue for @Semafor

28.11.2025 13:11 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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View: South Africa, the G20, and the new US presidency The absence of the US at the G20 summit could threaten the future of Africaโ€™s global voice, argues a development expert.

"The summit declaration was a critical win, but the story is not over." Great
@Semafor column by Hannah Ryder on how the US might continue "pressure enacted by absence" by denying South Africa a platform at the G20. www.semafor.com/article/11/2...

24.11.2025 19:30 ๐Ÿ‘ 7 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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View: The fallacy that unites Trumpโ€™s strategists and pan-Africanist champions Africa has less of the worldโ€™s share of critical minerals than many seem to think.

"The most frustrating statistic in African geoeconomics is the claim that the continent has 30% of the worldโ€™s mineral reserves," writes Bright Simons in this brilliantly insightful @SemaforAfrica column. www.semafor.com/article/11/1...

17.11.2025 21:00 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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A chart showing recommended minerals prioritization for mining in Africa, based on their benefits continent-wide. (View: The fallacy that unites Trumpโ€™s strategists and pan-Africanist champions) www.semafor.com/article/11/1...

17.11.2025 20:46 ๐Ÿ‘ 6 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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View: Ethiopiaโ€™s COP32 success offers opportunity for Africa The country looks set to stage the UN climate summit in 2027, the first sub-Saharan African host since 2011.

My view: Why Ethiopiaโ€™s COP32 success offers a climate opportunity for Africa and what South Africa's G20 build up teaches us. www.semafor.com/article/11/1... โ€” via @SemaforAfrica

14.11.2025 18:48 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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DR Congo suspends Chinese cobalt miner after chemical spill Hundreds of Lubumbashi homes flooded with contaminated water in latest mining accident.

DR Congo suspended a major Chinese-owned copper and cobalt operation after a dam collapse spilled contaminated water into the countryโ€™s second-largest city. Elisha Iragi reported this @Semafor story about mining, EV batteries and pollution. www.semafor.com/article/11/1...

11.11.2025 11:53 ๐Ÿ‘ 10 ๐Ÿ” 4 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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View: Trumpโ€™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.

"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...

10.11.2025 16:42 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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African banks need to take the lead in more effectively organizing and deploying the continentโ€™s capital for investments that will boost growth, say top bank execs. www.semafor.com/article/11/0... โ€” via @Semafor

06.11.2025 14:15 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Nearly half of the worldโ€™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...

06.11.2025 09:15 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Kenya sounds alarm as Tanzania unrest hits regional trade Nairobiโ€™s trade minister warns electoral violence is damaging investor confidence.

Election violence in Tanzania that opposition groups say left hundreds dead is damaging investorsโ€™ confidence in East Africa and hampering regional trade, Kenyaโ€™s trade minister, tells @Semafor in an exclusive interview. www.semafor.com/article/11/0...

06.11.2025 03:45 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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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.

Nigeriaโ€™s lack of senior diplomatic presence in Washington and an absence of lobbyist support has left it vulnerable to President Trumpโ€™s threat of military action over alleged Christian persecution. www.semafor.com/article/11/0...

05.11.2025 23:19 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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The dangers of African leaders clinging to power Cameroonโ€™s president, seeking re-election after 43 years in power, is not an outlier among the continentโ€™s leaders.

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...

10.10.2025 14:52 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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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 Joรซl Tรฉ-Lรฉssia Assoko
for @Semafor www.semafor.com/article/07/2...

25.07.2025 17:16 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Africa topped Chinaโ€™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...

23.07.2025 20:47 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Four African billionaires are now richer than 750 million of the continentโ€™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...

22.07.2025 08:23 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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"Kenyaโ€™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...

21.07.2025 16:48 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Why did Ghanaโ€™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...

21.07.2025 15:57 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Lagos is surrounded by water โ€” so where are all the beaches? Lack of free access illustrates the way in which the city is squeezing its poorest residents

"Lagosโ€™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

16.07.2025 06:35 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Why Africaโ€™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.

"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...

15.07.2025 22:02 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Cameroonโ€™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 Octoberโ€™s elections. www.semafor.com/article/07/1... โ€” via @Semafor

14.07.2025 13:29 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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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... โ€” via @Semafor

09.07.2025 10:12 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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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... โ€” via @Semafor

08.07.2025 14:16 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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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...

02.07.2025 17:10 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Afreximbankโ€™s rating downgraded again The decision by ratings agency Moodyโ€™s follows a downgrade by Fitch last month, pushing the development bank closer to junk status.

Ratings agency Moodyโ€™s downgraded Afreximbank closer to junk status, saying that the bankโ€™s โ€œunsecured lending to sovereigns under stress has introduced significant risks.โ€ It comes weeks after the lender was downgraded by Fitch. www.semafor.com/article/07/0...

02.07.2025 16:09 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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African blockchain currency exchange aims to break dollar dominance The aim is to make it easier for companies to repatriate their profits.

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 continentโ€™s dependence on the dollar in regional trade. www.semafor.com/article/06/2...

27.06.2025 16:00 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Organised crime groups in Africa have embedded themselves in gold supply chains to such a degree that they now present โ€œa serious global threat,โ€ a UN report warns. www.semafor.com/article/05/2... โ€” via @Semafor

27.05.2025 07:35 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0