Africa

1. Somaliland woos Washington
2. US visa restrictions
3. DRC presses minerals pact
4. Dangote eyes US listing
5. Johannesburg rescue plan
6. World athletics first

Angola E1 attracts A-listers

Somaliland’s Trump pitch

Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, or “Irro,” is putting almost everything on the table in his campaign for US recognition, offering Washington access to a strategically located port and mineral resources while leaving open the potential for expanded military access. “We are not giving anything for free,” Irro told Semafor in Washington. “We have to offer something. And we expect the other partner [to have] the same or equal opportunities.”

Recognition is the prize: Israel’s recognition of Somaliland in December, the first by a UN member state, has given Irro’s campaign new momentum. But he said economic cooperation, trade, and investment could proceed in parallel. The US already has a military relationship with Somaliland, including training and security cooperation, but no base there; Irro said he would “not rule out” a base agreement if Somaliland got greater security support in return. Irro, who is headed to New York for the UN General Assembly next week, called the US the “big fish” Somaliland wants to pursue. His pitch to US President Donald Trump is unusually personal: Somaliland could name its main airport after him, Irro suggested, or invite him to build a Trump Tower.

US visa ban on S.Africa officials

The Trump administration imposed new visa restrictions on South African officials that the US accuses of “government-sponsored discrimination” against Afrikaners. The measures target individuals deemed complicit in race-based discrimination and uncompensated land seizures, and may extend to their immediate family members. Washington’s ambassador to South Africa described it as the first in a “series of escalatory measures.”

The restrictions blunt Pretoria’s rugby-driven diplomacy this past weekend and the appointment of Roelf Meyer, an Afrikaner, as ambassador. The announcement extends more than a year of friction between Washington and Pretoria over unsubstantiated claims of a “white genocide” targeting Afrikaners. US President Donald Trump rescinded South Africa’s invitation to December’s G20 meeting in the US, and his administration has resettled Afrikaners as refugees. Additionally, Washington moved to end PEPFAR funding to South Africa due to political differences. Pretoria has repeatedly denied the discrimination claims, calling them misinformation.

— Adrian Elimian

DRC courts US mining funds

DR Congo sought to speed up the implementation of a strategic mining partnership with the US, which is looking to rival China’s influence in Africa. The DRC, the world’s largest producer of cobalt, a key component in electronics, has already received US investment under the agreement as it seeks to attract more Western funds. If Washington’s plan is fully realized, Congolese minerals will flow west on a US-backed rail line to a port in Angola and then onward to the US. Though China remains by far the biggest investor in African mining, countries across the continent are looking to reduce their reliance on Beijing while expanding their control over more valuable sections of the supply chain.

Dangote mulls US listing

Aliko Dangote is looking beyond Nigeria for the next stage of his refinery’s expansion, saying he expects to pursue a US listing within four years. The planned secondary listing would follow the refinery’s $1.6 billion IPO in Lagos this week, Africa’s largest to date.

The timing would coincide with the Dangote refinery’s planned expansion to 1.4 million barrels a day by early 2029, making it the world’s largest. CFO Bruce Tanner told Semafor the company will “definitely be looking for international secondary listings” after production ramps up. An earlier plan for a pan-African IPO proved impractical because of differing regulatory requirements and timelines. The US listing would give Dangote access to deeper institutional capital and dollar liquidity, but African companies have had mixed results on US exchanges.

Johannesburg rescue plan unveiled

South Africa’s treasury plans a three-year intervention to stabilize Johannesburg’s public finances, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said Monday. Implementation of the plan will continue through local elections, regardless of whether there is a new municipal administration, according to Godongwana.

The move follows the treasury’s decision this year to withhold budget allocations to Johannesburg and dozens of other municipalities in a crackdown on alleged wasteful spending. Local elections are in two months, and the African National Congress, the largest party in the governing coalition, is expected to struggle: Recent IPSOS polling puts ANC support at 31% — both nationwide and in Johannesburg.

Johannesburg accounts for roughly 16% of gross domestic product in Africa’s biggest economy, but has struggled for years to provide reliable public services, with regular power and water crises. Last month, the Centre for Development and Enterprise think tank said the city is “living off a fiscal fiction.”

Kenya to host global athletics event

Kenya will host the World Athletics Championships in 2029, in a first for the African continent. Nairobi beat London and Rome for the honor, after what the World Athletics president called a “compelling and emotional bid.” Kenya is the second-most successful nation in the history of the World Championships, and yet it has never hosted the event. Nairobi narrowly lost out on hosting in 2025 due to infrastructure concerns, but has since conducted significant renovations on the Kasarani Stadium, which will host the athletes. The announcement comes as part of a slew of sporting wins for Kenya and the continent: Nairobi is co-hosting next year’s Africa Cup of Nations alongside Tanzania and Uganda, while the Youth Olympic Games — the first Olympic event to ever be held in Africa — is due to kick off in Dakar, Senegal, next month.

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