The West Africa Desk

Zach and Emily Martin analyze whether West African nations can convert Washington's critical minerals framework into long-term domestic value through local processing, regulatory enforcement, and strategic reserve building.

Show Notes

This episode explores how West Africa fits into the global scramble for critical minerals, rare earths, and battery supply chains, with a close look at U.S. policy moves, export controls, and the push to turn mineral deals into real infrastructure and processing capacity.

We also examine why Guinea and Sierra Leone matter in this shifting landscape, and how governments and investors are weighing concentration risk, financing, and the long horizon politics behind mineral refining.

Show Notes

Sunday evening KMKT IR Hub Radio West Africa News Desk. Imo NYSC abduction updates, Wike-Amaechi political crossfire, Ghana NPP national election results, ECOWAS chair travel, Guinea gold-export rules, and Super Eagles training ahead of Russia. Sources attributed. Not investment advice.

Sunday morning West Africa News Desk for October 4, 2026. Zach Martin and Emily Martin cover Ghana's NPP national officer elections, the NYSC abduction ransom reports in Imo, Ghana's IMF exit and flood relief, VAT and vehicle import rules, Saudi-Ghana rail and energy talks, public-sector AI purchase review, and FCT Minister Wike's 2027 remarks. News summary of published reports, not investment advice.

Saturday evening West Africa News Desk. Kumasi stampede at the NPP delegates conference; Manhyia South MP granted GH¢10 million bail; Black Stars search committee named after Queiroz resignation; teachers’ promotion arrears pledged by October 30; Guinea-Bissau blocks Embaló’s return; Nigeria PMI at 56.4.

Evening KMKT IR Hub Radio West Africa News Desk for Saturday, October 3, 2026. Zach Martin and Emily Martin cover Ghana's weekend court and NPP conference, Nigeria's Saturday political and petroleum headlines, the September PMI and Saturday market snapshots, and Guinea-Bissau plus Alamein diplomacy. News reading only, not investment advice.

A look inside Nigeria’s warning strike that began with mixed turnout, open federal offices in Abuja, and big questions about labour’s leverage. We break down the unions’ demands on petrol prices, wages, and fiscal reform, and why the outcome could shape public services and investor confidence.

Saturday morning KMKT IR Hub Radio West Africa News Desk for October 3, 2026. Zach Martin and Emily Martin cover Nigeria gas and oil updates, Senegal power cuts, Cameroon infrastructure loans, Guinea-Bissau's block on former President Embalo, and Ghana's teacher-arrears roadmap. Figures are attributed to official statements and published reports. Not investment advice.

Evening West Africa News Desk for October 2, 2026. Guinea’s 68th independence anniversary and mining pledge, Guinea-Bissau bars Embaló’s return, EU aid suspension reported for Sierra Leone, Nigeria warning strike and political reaction to the Independence Day address, plus briefs from The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and Senegal. News bulletin only; not investment advice.

Friday, October 2, 2026 morning edition of KMKT IR Hub Radio West Africa News Desk with Zach Martin and Emily Martin. Nigeria's three-day public-service warning strike and the Independence Day economic claims; Ghana's exploratory rail and energy talks with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain; Abuja EV ride-hailing, Kora stablecoin settlement, a Seplat stake increase, a Senegalese poultry investment in Congo, and a Starlink rural backhaul test in Nigeria. Figures are as reported by the cited outlets. Not investment advice. Sources: https://thewillnews.com/hardship-public-servants-shut-government-offices-nationwide-begin-3-day-strike/ https://thenationonlineng.net/full-text-of-president-tinubus-2026-independence-day-speech/ https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/articles/cmp303n5n962o https://www...

Evening West Africa News Desk for October 1, 2026. Nigeria marks 66 years of independence as President Tinubu says the era of difficult reforms is over and pledges a lower cost of living, while public-sector unions prepare a warning strike. Also: four years under Traoré in Burkina Faso, more than 2,400 schools closed in Mali, Ghana’s Heritage Series cedi notes, Sierra Leone’s new districts, the Abidjan water forum, and the closure of NBA Academy Africa in Senegal. No investment advice.

West Africa builds energy sovereignty, a regional power pool, and logistics infrastructure—while growth, debt, and security risks remain.

West Africa’s old extractive model is giving way to local processing, new refineries, and cross-border power as Guinea, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Nigeria reshape trade.

West Africa’s latest headlines span Nigeria’s 66th independence anniversary, Ghana’s booming gold FX inflows and upcoming cedi redesign, and the ECOWAS Startup Awards finalists in Abuja. The bulletin also covers a new waste-to-biofuel financing deal in Lagos, regional water and security cooperation, and Dangote’s $16 billion refinery project in Kenya.

Show Notes

West Africa is reshaping from raw exporter to industrial bloc, driven by Simandou, refining, power grids, and major infrastructure build-outs.

We examine whether West Africa’s recent growth is just a commodity sugar rush or the start of a real industrial foundation, from Nigeria’s trillion-dollar ambitions to the cargo, power, and refinery projects that could change the region’s math. Along the way, we test the boom against hard evidence: bills of lading, export flows, and the infrastructure links tying Dakar to Lagos.

Show Notes

West Africa’s latest headlines include Nigeria’s Independence Day eve politics, Burkina Faso’s new gold refinery and shifting Sahel alliances, plus election developments in Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia.

The episode also rounds up AFCON 2027 qualifiers and a new climate-resilience investment in Côte d’Ivoire.

Show Notes

West Africa’s biggest business and policy stories this week: Burkina Faso launches its first gold refinery, NNPC posts a sharp profit increase despite lower revenue, and Ghana wins a major tax ruling against Tullow. The episode also tracks Nigeria’s rising labor tensions, fuel price shocks, and the regional ripple effects of shifting trade and infrastructure politics.

Show Notes

President Tinubu returns to Lagos after a four-week trip amid health rumors and opposition questions, while West Africa reels from a brutal wave of kidnappings and ransom-driven insecurity. The episode also examines Burkina Faso’s new gold refinery, Guinea-Bissau’s political uncertainty, and a night of major football upsets across the region.

Show Notes

West Africa’s economic fault lines are in sharp focus as a Nigerian court orders fuel import licences to keep flowing, Dangote expands its regional industrial footprint, and the federal government lines up fresh World Bank borrowing for social protection and climate resilience.

The episode also tracks Ghana’s new Heritage Series banknotes and Côte d’Ivoire’s tightly targeted AfDB-backed reforestation drive, showing how policy, capital, and everyday execution are shaping the region.

KMKT IR Hub Radio — West Africa News Desk AM test bulletin for Tuesday, September 29, 2026. First file-drop template episode. Zach and Emily Martin. SOURCE LINKS https://allafrica.com/westafrica/ https://allafrica.com/stories/202609280097.html https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2026/09/01/pr26282-senegal-imf-reaches-sla-ecf-arrangement https://gna.org.gh/2026/09/bog-to-launch-new-heritage-series-cedi-notes-on-november-3/ https://thesun.ng/shettima-pushes-ecowas-to-rebuild-regional-unity-reconnect-with-sahel-bloc/ https://www.cnbcafrica.com/media/7785423238949/afdb-west-africas-growth-to-remain-resilient-in-2026 https://dailytrust.com/ecowas-leaders-move-to-clamp-down-on-coups/ https://allafrica.com/stories/202609080569.html

KMKT IR Hub Radio — West Africa News Desk daily bulletin for Monday, September 28, 2026. Zach and Emily Martin cover ECOWAS diplomacy after the Sahel split, AfDB growth forecasts, Ghana’s Heritage Series cedi notes, Senegal’s IMF staff-level deal, Dangote’s Vision 2030 LNG and refining plans, and Nigeria’s cybersecurity push ahead of CyFrica 2026. This is a sponsored information series heard on KMKT Radio. It is not investment advice. SOURCE LINKS West Africa headlines: https://allafrica.com/westafrica/ Dangote Vision 2030 / LNG plan (ThisDay via allAfrica): https://allafrica.com/stories/202609280097.html IMF staff-level ECF agreement with Senegal: https://www.imf.org/en/news/artic...

This episode explores West Africa as a multi-engine investment platform, covering growth, critical minerals, digital payments, and the trade corridors that could reshape the region. It also breaks down the risks, from Sahel instability to resource nationalism, and why long-horizon investors should focus on processing, logistics, and community consent.

This episode explores how West African commerce is being transformed by mobile money, from costly cross-border currency conversions to instant local-currency payments powered by PAPSS and Onafriq. It also digs into how cheaper transfers, interoperable wallets, and cash-flow-based microloans are reshaping informal business, agent networks, and the future of intra-African trade under AfCFTA.

West African governments are demanding domestic mineral processing, from Guinea’s bauxite crackdown to Nigeria’s lithium push and Mali’s renegotiations. But the episode also asks a harder question: when does building a refinery at home create jobs and industrial power, and when does it become an expensive trap?

Show Notes

This episode breaks down what a very strong El Niño forecast could mean for Sierra Leone, and why Pacific ocean signals must be interpreted through local drivers like the Atlantic, monsoon patterns, river basins, and soil moisture. It also highlights practical flood preparedness, safer data collection, and how long-term measurements support better planning for farms, roads, ports, and the Blue Economy.

We break down how Guinea’s Simandou megaproject finally moved high-grade iron ore from the mountains to the coast, and why the shared rail-and-port model could reshape West African trade. The episode also explores the deal’s 35-year state transfer clause, open-access freight mandate, and the risk of a resource windfall triggering Dutch disease.

This episode explores how new deepwater ports like Lekki are transforming West African trade by cutting shipping delays, lowering freight costs, and unlocking faster access for goods across the region. It also examines the hidden bottleneck of border friction along the Abidjan-to-Lagos corridor and how AfCFTA reforms, one-stop border posts, and better logistics could reshape agricultural exports and regional growth.

This episode breaks down the shocking regional freight penalty in West Africa, where moving cargo inland can cost more than shipping it across the ocean. It also explores how Simandou’s new railway and deepwater ports could transform logistics, unlock stranded mineral wealth, and reshape global steel production.