(MENAFN- The Rio Times) Cairo advanced“day-after” Gaza planning and contractor pre-qualification. Morocco's OCP deepened its partnerships with India across the phosphate value chain.

Nigeria activated rules to guarantee domestic crude for local refineries, alongside an INEC tech-audit push. Ghana tightened foreign-exchange discipline for exporters.

The DRC began enforcing cobalt export quotas, while election adjudication moved ahead in Cameroon. Kenya's infrastructure bond sale was heavily oversubscribed.

Ethiopia sharpened its macro-reform and telecom competition signals. South Africa opened new lanes for private capital into the grid. Angola's Lobito Corridor also reached a key financing waypoint.
North Africa
Egypt - Contractor pre‐qualification opens for Gaza early‐recovery packages
Egypt's government moved from planning to market engagement, inviting local and regional firms to pre‐qualify for debris removal, temporary housing, and logistics works tied to Gaza 's early‐recovery track.

The notice follows weeks of convoy surge and customs/process rehearsals in North Sinai. Authorities say procurement will prioritize speed, safety, and local‐content spillovers.

What it means: Cairo is formalizing a pipeline of shovel‐ready packages that can absorb donor money quickly.

Why it matters: Fast, auditable awards are essential to unlock multi‐billion reconstruction funds and stabilize a critical border corridor.


Morocco - OCP expands India phosphate & fertilizer tie‐ups
OCP announced fresh long‐term offtake and joint‐development understandings with Indian buyers and processors, aligning rock, acid, and finished fertilizer flows.

Moroccan officials framed the push as demand‐security for new downstream capacity at home. The package also folds in agronomy services to lift nutrient efficiency.

What it means: Locking in India demand anchors pricing visibility and capex timing across OCP's pipeline.

Why it matters: Stable fertilizer supply into South Asia reduces food‐price volatility and underpins Morocco's export FX base.
West Africa
Nigeria - Domestic‐crude rules take effect; INEC chair orders results‐portal audit
Regulations implementing a Domestic Crude Supply Obligation began phase‐in, requiring producers to prioritize feedstock for licensed local refineries before exports.

Separately, Nigeria's new INEC chair directed a technical audit of the results‐upload portal ahead of off‐cycle polls. Together the moves signal execution on fuel‐market reform and electoral integrity.

What it means: Guaranteed crude volumes improve refinery run‐rates while a tech reset lowers litigation risk.

Why it matters: Reduced fuel imports and cleaner polls both compress Nigeria's risk premium and support macro stability.
Ghana - Exporter FX rules tightened, repatriation clock shortened
The central bank updated its FX code for exporters, shortening the window for repatriating proceeds and tightening penalties for non‐compliance. Officials paired the stick with streamlined documentation to reduce friction at banks. Business groups sought clarity on exemptions for complex supply chains.

What it means: Faster FX recycling boosts interbank liquidity and cushions the cedi.

Why it matters: Tighter rules improve external balances and debt‐service resilience during a demanding reform cycle.
Central Africa
DRC - Cobalt export quotas move from paper to practice
Border posts and provincial mines ministries began enforcing the cobalt quota regime, introducing tighter declarations, randomized inspections, and digital tracking.

Officials said transitional waivers will be limited and time‐bound. Miners are recalibrating shipment schedules and offtake terms.

What it means: Administrative friction in the near term, but clearer signals on supply thereafter.

Why it matters: With the DRC supplying most of the world's cobalt, quota discipline can shift cathode pricing and OEM procurement.
Cameroon - Constitutional Council opens hearings on presidential vote
Post‐election petitions entered the hearings phase as the Council published its calendar and evidence requirements.

Security forces kept a visible presence in key cities, while observer groups pressed for transparent, timely communication. Parties mobilized legal teams for targeted challenges rather than blanket claims.

What it means: Institutional handling of disputes will shape perceptions of the mandate.

Why it matters: A credible adjudication process is the difference between orderly transition and prolonged risk premia.
East & Horn of Africa
Kenya - Infrastructure bond (IFB) sale oversubscribed; KSh 80 billion ($619.5 million) target cleared

The Treasury's long‐tenor IFB attracted strong demand from banks, pensions, and insurers, with a healthy bid‐to‐cover and moderated clearing yields.

Authorities cited improved primary‐dealer discipline and deeper buy‐side pools. Settlement timelines and reopening guidance were flagged for next week.

What it means: Local savings are absorbing duration again, easing near‐term external funding pressure.

Why it matters: A functioning domestic curve lowers sovereign rollover risk and supports project finance.
Ethiopia - Macro‐reform and telecom competition signals sharpen
Policymakers reiterated single‐digit inflation and FX‐market modernization goals, while regulators briefed operators on next‐round spectrum and mobile‐money interoperability milestones.

Safeguards around consumer protection and agent liquidity were emphasized. Private investors read the messaging as a nudge toward scale with guardrails.

What it means: Policy consistency plus competitive neutrality can unlock capex across networks and fintech.

Why it matters: Digital inclusion and price competition feed through to productivity and formalization.
Southern Africa
South Africa - New grid‐access lanes and transmission PPP framework published
Government released measures to fast‐track grid connections, including firm queue rules, curtailment protocols, and a template for non‐recourse transmission PPPs.

Regulators also flagged timelines for wheeling standardization. Developers welcomed clarity on bankability and risk allocation.

What it means: Cleaner rules reduce project delays and open balance‐sheet‐light pathways for grid buildout.

Why it matters: More transmission capacity is the fastest lever to add private generation, cut outages, and stabilize inflation.
Angola - Lobito Corridor financing reaches key waypoint
The Lobito rail‐port consortium confirmed a milestone on its debt package, enabling procurement on passing loops, signaling, and rolling stock.

Cargo owners along the DRC–Zambia copper belt signed new take‐or‐pay frameworks aligned with the timeline. Authorities tied the move to broader special‐economic‐zone upgrades.

What it means: De‐risked funding turns a strategic corridor plan into executable workstreams.

Why it matters: A higher‐capacity west‐bound outlet diversifies critical‐minerals logistics away from chokepoints and shortens time‐to‐port.

MENAFN17102025007421016031ID1110212493