African Business Chamber (AfBC)

Nine largest African economies, growth rate in nominal GDP, 2026 vs 2025, local currency. Ethiopia grows fastest in local currency, at +22.0% in birr terms followed by Nigeria at +20.5% in naira. Growth ranking, local currency: 1. Ethiopia 22.0% 2. Nigeria 20.5% 3. Egypt 19.1% 4. Angola 15.5% 4. Ghana 10.8% 5. Kenya 10.8% 6. Algeria 10.2% 8. South Africa 5.4% 9. Morocco 5.4% Data Source: IMF outlook October 2026

I would like warmly welcome three new distinguished members to the Invest Africa (IA) Advisory Board: 1) Rola Abu Manneh, CEO, Standard Chartered Bank, UAE, Middle East & Pakistan 2) Uche Orji, Founder & Director, Vitesse Africa Ltd and Board Director, PIDG. Former CEO of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) 3) Amadou Hott, Former Senegalese Minister of Economy, Chair, Africa Advisory Board, Vision Invest Invest Africa’s twelve-member Advisory Board (full list below) comprises of experienced leaders from the global business and political community who offer their time and services to promote and guide the ethos of African business and investment. With their in-depth knowledge, they provide Invest Africa members invaluable insight into Africa’s political and economic landscape. About Invest Africa Invest Africa is a leading business and investment platform, using over seventy years’ experience in Africa to provide its network with unique information and exposure to business opportunities. IA has a global footprint of over 400 member companies comprising of multinationals, private equity firms, institutional investors, development finance institutions, professional service organisations, government bodies and entrepreneurs.  With chapters in the UK, UAE, US, South Africa, and Kenya, IA connects its network by leveraging its extensive global reach, market intelligence and exposure to business opportunities. investafrica.com/about

Big congratulations to Air Congo, the DRC’s new national airline. The airline welcomed its first wide-body aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner acquired through its strategic partnership with Ethiopian Airlines (ET). DRC’s President H.E. Félix Tshisekedi attended the welcoming ceremony at N’djili International Airport (FIH) in Kinshasa. The airline was launched only 18 months ago as a joint investment partnership between the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest carrier and amongst the world’s 10 largest airlines by number of international destinations. Air Congo is a tangible example of how Africans can jointly invest in Africa: Pan-Africanism beyond slogan. Air Congo now has six aircrafts: 3 Boeing 737s, 1 Boeing 787-8 and 2 ATR 72s. DRC should be a good lesson for Nigeria’s airline industry: Nigeria too by now will have had a very successful, profitable national airline like Air Congo, if ET, in partnership with the FGN and prominent Nigerian investors, were not derailed three years ago by a couple of self-interested, on the verge of collapse (by their own admission) private Nigerian airlines.