Breaking News Today – Tuesday 7 April 2026

African Start-up News Headlines:

• Egyptian Biotech Startup Reme-D Secures New Backing: Cairo-based Reme-D (a cold-chain-independent PCR testing and diagnostics platform founded during the COVID era) has landed a new capital raise to scale its operations across Africa and the Middle East. The funding will expand manufacturing and distribution of its diagnostic kits. This move strengthens Egypt’s growing biotech scene and addresses critical gaps in affordable, resilient diagnostics for underserved markets. No exact amount was disclosed, but it reflects continued investor interest in health-tech solutions that can operate reliably in low-infrastructure environments.
• Q1 2026 Startup Funding Recaps Continue to Dominate Discussion: New analysis of Q1 Startup data, shows African startups raised approximately $700–705 million across 59 deals. Debt and structured finance continued to outpace traditional equity. Egypt and South Africa led in capital deployed, while fintech and energy remained the top sectors. No major new rounds were announced today, but the recaps underscore a maturing ecosystem focused on revenue-positive, asset-heavy businesses.

Business News Today 

African Refinery Stabilising Fuel Supplies in Africa

Nigeria’s Dangote oil refinery, Africa’s largest, has increased exports of gasoline to African countries hit by supply disruptions caused by the Iran / Us war, according to Aliko ​Dangote, the owner of the company. Dangote said the refinery, which is operating at ​its maximum capacity of 650,000 barrels a day, had helped ⁠cushion the full impact of the crisis both in Nigeria and across ​the continent.

He said the ​facility had shipped around 17 cargoes of gasoline to other African nations ​and exports of urea fertiliser had also recently risen, as buyers sought alternative sources of ‌supply. “In ⁠the last couple of days, we’ve been looking to mostly African countries, which we were not doing before,” he said, referring to the fertiliser shipments, without providing any volume data. The refinery has capacity to produce up to 3 million metric ​tons of urea ​annually, most of ⁠which is typically exported to the United States and South America, officials say.

GITEX Africa 2026 Opens in Marrakech

The continent’s largest tech and innovation event, GITEX Africa, officially opens today in Morocco (7–9 April). Over 1,500 exhibitors and 25,000+ delegates are attending, with a strong focus on AI, fintech, digital infrastructure, and green tech. Key sessions today centre on AI-driven financial inclusion and cross-border payments. Several governments (including South Africa, Kenya, and Egypt) are using the platform to showcase investment opportunities and sign MOUs. Organisers expect over $5 billion in deals to be announced during the three days. The event is set to showcase Africa’s growing role as a global tech destination amid shifting supply chains.

African Governments on Track for Record $155 Billion Borrowing in 2026

New projections confirm African sovereigns are expected to raise $155 billion in commercial borrowing this year — 11% higher than 2025. The increase is driven by infrastructure needs, debt refinancing, and climate projects. Rating agencies and the IMF highlighted rising concerns around debt sustainability in several markets. Investors are closely watching how governments balance borrowing with fiscal discipline amid higher global interest rates and commodity volatility.

Breaking Business and Market News Shorts:  

• India’s BSE Sensex fell about 0.5%, down at 73,720 on Tuesday, retreating from gains in the previous session amid rising uncertainty over a US deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices climbed to around $110 per barrel and could spike further if the conflict escalates.
• Hubspot is revisiting its content strategy after the company lost around 140 million visits in a single year. The cause for this was the loss of traffic from SEO to AI search. This has required a complete relook at how content can be found on AI
• SpaceX has outlined details of its highly anticipated IPO at a meeting with ‌its team of bankers Monday night, telling them it plans to earmark a large portion of shares for retail investors and will host 1,500 of them at an event in June following the IPO roadshow launch. The company plans to launch its roadshow the week of June 8, ​when executives and bankers will pitch the IPO to investors,
• Japan’s 10-year government bond yield held at around 2.43% today, hovering at its highest level in nearly three decades on expectations that the Bank of Japan will raise interest rates this month amid mounting inflation pressures fuelled by higher energy costs and the Iran / US conflict.
• Brent crude futures climbed above $111 per barrel today, trading near their highest close since June 2022 as President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to strike a deal or face intensified attacks approaches. Trump warned he would target Iranian power plants and bridges if his conditions are not met by Tuesday 8 p.m. Eastern Time

Markets by Numbers 

Currency markets indicate the US dollar mostly flat against major currencies today. The Greenback is trading against the Euro at 1.15383 while trading against the Pound at 1.32319. The Yen is currently trading at 159.74 to the dollar. The rand (ZAR), is currently trading around the 16.88 mark against the US dollar this morning.

Commodities:  

• Gold futures are marginally higher this morning, and currently at around $4654.31 per ounce.  
• Copper prices are trending 0.3% higher today, with prices currently around $5.6033 per pound
• Silver futures are fairly flat today, and currently trading at around $72.764 per ounce.
• Platinum futures are around -0.3% lower this morning, and currently trading at $1971.40, While Palladium prices are down marginally this morning, and currently trading around $1489.00 per ounce.
• Brent crude oil prices are trending higher today, with prices up over 1.25% and currently trading at $111.16. WTI is trading at $115.18 currently
• Cocoa futures are down by around -0.4% this morning, with prices currently trading around $3235 per ton. 
• Coffee futures are up by 0.7% today, and currently trading at around $2.98 per pound

Crypto Currencies: 

• Bitcoin prices are trending lower this morning, and trading at around $68 783 per coin currently 
• Ether prices are up slightly by 0.17% today, and currently trading around $2111.40
• $Trumpcoin are currently trading lower at around $2.825

(All prices quoted at approximately 07H15 Central African Time) 

African General News Briefs:

• Egypt is emerging as a key negotiation force in the Iran / Us conflict with Foreign Minister Badr ​Abdelatty holding individual ‌calls to discuss proposals for regional ​de-escalation with U.S. ​Envoy Steve Witkoff and ⁠regional counterparts ​including Iranian Foreign ​Minister Abbas Araqchi. This was disclosed by the ministry in a ​statement on ​Sunday. Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan have ‌emerged ⁠as active intermediaries in the crisis, with Islamabad recently ​hosting a ​meeting ⁠to discuss regional de-escalation ​and proposals to ​reopen ⁠the Strait of Hormuz.
• Soaring fuel costs due to US-Israel war on Iran have pushed the Egyptian government to issue a month-long early-closing order. The month-long order instituted last week shutters shops at 9:00 pm on weekdays and 10:00 pm on weekends, with a brief extension to 11:00 pm implemented for the Coptic Easter holidays. Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly has said Egypt’s monthly energy import bill more than doubled between January and March to $2.5 billion. Almost 60 percent of the country’s $20 billion annual oil budget goes toward powering the grid.
• The Democratic Republic of Congo has agreed to receive illegal migrants being deported from the US who are not themselves Congolese under a deal effective from this month, officials said. The Ministry of Communication said a temporary reception system had been set up, while facilities to accommodate arrivals had been selected in the capital, Kinshasa. “Logistical and technical support” will be provided by the US, the statement on Sunday said, adding that the Congolese government would bear no financial cost for the scheme. The number of deportees they would accept has not been confirmed yet.