Running the world’s most high-end messaging system is quite profitable. www.ft.com/content/f29b...

“The way the sport is set up, we are discouraging sponsors and we are discouraging fans. If you’re not a fan of UAE in cycling, and you aren’t interested in another Pogacar win, why are you watching the race?” To watch UAE lose? Allez Lidl-Trek and Vingegaard! www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...

‘…we need to achieve a minimum of 40% street tree canopy cover, and preferably more, before we start to really feel the benefits of nature’s most advanced air-conditioning technology.’ Me, for Big Issue, on tackling urban #heatwaves…👇 www.bigissue.com/opinion/heat...

Togo rebasing GDP by end of this year. www.togofirst.com/fr/gouvernan...

Let's face it, most Netflix are not even good in 1st season, just that they have a FOMO hype machine

Grim news from Sudan, where the RSF may be about to repeat the horrors of El Fasher www.ft.com/content/54f5...

Feels quite illustrative of the US at the moment, at least the image from abroad. Pursuing more deadly foreign policies for a higher sense of their own might. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

🚨 SpaceX hangover spreads www.ft.com/content/6a13...

This is why cities need trees. Hard surfaces and parked cars can reach extreme temperatures, while shaded grass and tree-covered areas stay dramatically cooler. This is the urban heat island effect in one image: hard surfaces absorb and radiate heat, while vegetation and shade reduce it.

"Nationalisation can be made temporary via the Special Administration Regime, as MainFT set out last week. However, the better path may be to proceed immediately to full-fat nationalisation, for two reasons. " www.ft.com/content/2789... via @ft

I don't think there are any basis for these claims but still not to be dismissed early as seems fairly widespread in the region. Others with more on the ground experience such as @ulflaessing.bsky.social in better place to verify. roape.net/2026/06/12/i...

Something good coming at of Sudan for change. Naada is a great track and she is currently touring with Tinariwen at the moment. realworldrecords.com/news/emergin...

Great essay by Swedish historian Kristian Gerner who recently passed. engelsbergideas.com/essays/peter...

Hardly maverickian.❤️Espana "the fundamental rupture is between a view grounded in international law, state sovereignty and the UN Charter on the one hand, and “the law of the jungle” on the other — meaning “chaos, violence and war as a substitute for foreign policy”." www.ft.com/content/e895...

Moodys reduces #Mali Caa2 outlook to - "Grants have declined to 0.1% of GDP in 2025 from 3.3% in 2020, while external financing ffell from 3.1%of GDP in 2019 to 0.5% in 2025. Liquidity pressures are evidenced by payment arrears on external debt, albeit at low levels". www.moodys.com/research/Moo...

"Sky is exiting its TV news joint venture with the United Arab Emirates, Sky News Arabia, which has been criticised for its coverage of the war in #Sudan, with accusations of genocide denial." www.theguardian.com/business/202...

African coffee on offer @fcbcoffee #blackfriara

Argentina / IMF EFF 2nd review staff report. Sovereign Risk & Debt Sustainability Framework, public debt definition: "The BIS swap line (US$2.5 billion)—used to repay the activated portion of the US Treasury swap—has not been included in public debt, ..."

#Mozambique's FX reserves fall back sharoly to lowest level since November 2023 after early repayment to the IMF. Still scratching my head over that one.. Data from Banco de Mocambique via CEIC Data.

Angola / tender offer for the 2028 and 2029 notes with taps of the notes 2031 & 2037 going in parallel (indicative yields on the latter in below tweet) www.londonstockexchange.com/news-article...

"New evidence that suggests these sectors can generate real productivity and welfare gains, but their benefits are local and uneven. The challenge for policymakers is to make service-led growth more productive and inclusive while preserving opportunities in other sectors. " cepr.org/voxeu/column...

The 1805–06 Trafalgar crisis was triggered when Europe was cut off from Latin American silver, which served as the main form of international liquidity at the time. The resulting shortage of safe assets led to severe disruptions in banking, credit and trade across Europe. www.bis.org/publ/work134...

My latest @nytimes.com oped shows that the White House is dramatically understating the cost of the war in Iran. By my calculations—and I show my work—this war will cost the typical American family thousands, and it could cost them tens of thousands. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/o...

Eight Chadian opposition leaders arrested at the end of last month have been jailed for 8 years on Friday, the latest detentions of President Mahamat Idriss Deby's critics.

Great interview and playlist. #Uganda theconversation.com/ugandas-bobi...

Such a great piece. Thank you @hugh Kinsella www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

The yields on #Senegal 3-year bonds in primary auction in the regional debt market rise above 8% for the first time in a long time despite small size, XOF 30bn ($53m), and the authorities rejecting more than a third of bids. WAEMU maturities peaking in June/July. www.umoatitres.org/wp-content/u...

"Nasdaq’s rule change primarily grants short-term liquidity flows that cushion those looking for an early exit. To many, stock exchanges and index funds are thought of as neutral arbiters. If rewritten rules benefit their biggest clients, this illusion is shattered" www.ft.com/content/ed08...

Once destined for Dubai, Riyadh, Tehran and Doha, flowers grown by Ngari Mahihu on the slopes of Mount #Kenya are now fed to his sheep. “When my sheep break wind, it smells of roses,” he said, one of the more bizarre consequences of the US/Israeli decision to bomb Iran. www.ft.com/content/3b04...

"In recent years, people with higher incomes have increased their spending more than those with lower incomes and the recent growth in retail spending has been mostly due to the high-income households, and this pattern extends within the top." libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2026/05/trac...

Hoping for more of these inteviews. www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

@upanizza.bsky.social provides operational guidance on the use of blended finance. The policy recommendations depend on the nature of the market failure & the instrument. He argues that practitioners should resist the instinct to eliminate all risk from a project. cepr.org/voxeu/column... #EconSky

Starting in 30m. join us for a live webinar on 29 April as we examine the evolving situation in the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on GCC credit markets;Time: 11:00 AM London | 6:00 AM New York | 1:00 PM Saudi Arabia | 2:00 PM UAE | 6:00 PM Singapore events.teams.microsoft.com/event/cc7a8a...

"The wider 2026 deficit implies that #Bahrain's debt burden will be higher than previously forecast, a further increase from 147% of GDP at end-2025, among the highest globally. The share of interest payments to revenue, would also deteriorate further from 35% in 2025" www.moodys.com/research/Moo...

"We met in junior high, talked about music and wound up jamming. Then Prince turned up on our doorstep and lived with us for seven years. He didn’t talk much – you could put Prince in a headlock and you’d maybe squeeze three words out of him – but nobody understood me as an individual like he did."

"As of Dec. 31, 2025, the exposure of #Togolese banks to #Senegal reached XOF266bn (ca 5% of banking assets), and that exposure increased by another XOF170bn in 1Q26 as Togolese financial institutions were major players in Senegal's recent debt issuances" www.spglobal.com/ratings/en/r...

Perhaps the most interesting item in #DRC Eurobond prospectus is the large discrepancy in reported debt owed to #China. The WB's International Debt Statistics reports it at USD 3-3.5bn in 2018-24 while prospecuts has it at USD 0.7bn in 2021-25 explaining most of $4bn diff in total external debt

Saw this in the list of recent IMF working papers and briefly thought the Fund is now doing economics of mercenaries and / or breaking news about where they operate. www.imf.org/en/publicati...

Similar S&P statment as in 2H25. "We understand authorities are considering issuing a Eurobond, but the time frame is not clear and would depend on market conditions." #Moldova BB- rating reflects ST economic headwinds and EU accession-related LT growth prospects. www.spglobal.com/ratings/en/r...

Upgrade likely soon. "Moody's changes outlook on Caa1 rating on #Ghana to positive driven by the increasing likelihood of a durable improvement in domestic financing conditions, contributing to a lasting improvement in debt affordability and government liquidity." www.moodys.com/research/Moo...

#Naija "We tend to think that each individual market, region and territory have different nuances.” To protect the business against currency fluctuations and the FX shortage, Aswani said #Tolaram produced goods locally as far as possible to reduce its reliance on imports" www.ft.com/content/84a7...

"Right now, 1 of every 20 children born in the world is Nigerian, and by the middle of the century it could be closer to one in 10. Every year, about six million people in Nigeria reach the legal drinking age, and many of them will probably be getting on it well before then" 9fin.com/insights/bee...

The #US, despite pressuring #Rwanda and seeking access to Congolese mining assets, shows little concern over #Tshisekedi’s push to change the Constitution for a third term. China is unlikely to object either. africa-conf.com/tshisekedi-p...

Rest in peace Afrika. www.theguardian.com/music/2026/a...

THIS SUMS IT UP AS WELL AS ANYONE CAN:

Iraqi oil production down by about two thirds in March to 1.6mbpd, according to USEIA estimates accessed through CEIC Data.

“Why Beijing is now the only true partner of Africa and Latin America”. Interesting take.

Moody's has been significantly more conservative regarding #Moldova's creditworthiness than its peers but upgrade to B2 brings it closer to the B+ rating of Fitch and BB- which S&P initiated its rating or the sovereign in October. Eurobond plans appear to be on hold. www.moodys.com/research/Moo...

The IMF has upgraded #Cameroon’s debt carrying capacity has to medium, driven by an improved CPIA rating. The external debt service-to-revenue ratio and the external debt service-to-exports ratios continue to breach thresholds for a prolonged period. www.imf.org/-/media/file...

#republiccongo The authorities intend to use the proceeds of the eurobond to repay domestic debt. Nonetheless, gross CEMAC issuance remained elevated in4Q25, thereby limiting the easing of bank liquidity pressures that the eurobond issuance would otherwise have provided. www.imf.org/-/media/file...