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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as Africa’s leading foreign investor over the past decade, particularly in 2024, pouring billions into critical sectors such as port infrastructure, agriculture, and mining projects. Unlike traditional partners such as China and Western nations, the UAE’s approach is characterised by a policy of non-interference in domestic politics, focusing instead […]

Unless profoundly delusional, a man will know when it’s time to leave the stage. Younger, shrewd executives, faster athletes, edgier, handsome and better dressed men in the club or open plan office. Everywhere you look, you’re yesterday’s man.  This is when a man realizes that he’s no longer the bee’s knees. His moment in the […]

By Ceaser Siwale ⚡️ Price Action Summary Between mid‑June and early July, OST skyrocketed from ~$3.16 to ~$9.02, driven by heavy volume and speculative chatter, only to be followed by a brutal collapse: 📉 Financial Snapshot: Fundamentals in Decline Despite the rally attempt: 🔍 Suspicion of “Pump‑and‑Dump” Key hallmarks appear in trading data and community activity: 🧠 Technical & Volume Behaviour 💵 Business vs […]

It’s lost on us just how much damage we’ve done to one another’s mental health. That we’re constantly in this overt competition for whose is faster, bigger, prettier. The male ego is a dancefloor filler, where every one of us has shuffled to a tune or two.  We like to ask each other: “Where are […]

In our sunset years, sometimes sooner, we stop talking. We only offer an opinion when it is asked of us. We take action only when we are called upon. As we get older, it dawns on us that masculinity is invisible until it’s needed.  Look at how the older, unfashionable men come through in times […]

By Tshepo Magagane Why is the a lack of new MRE Copper projects Globally and especially in Africa? It requires historical context. You can write-off 90s mostly for Commodities and Mining. And then if you bring in the dot-com; you will understand how hellish things were in the early 00s. Assets were being written down! […]

By Ceaser Siwale The recent U.S. military action against Iran marks a severe geopolitical escalation with immediate, far-reaching consequences for global markets and business operations. The primary threat is a potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for approximately 20% of global oil and LNG supplies. This is not a moderate risk; it is a […]

Africa capital solutions starting to take shape… We just did last mile capital into PF for a mining project; this was local capital! We are working to unlock the Western Corridor of Zambia – DBSA, FQM, BHL, and others – local & regional capital pools! Why I always say, you need for the GEPF, PIC, […]

By Tshepo Magagane Mining M&A, does it solve anything?  – the biggest problem is that it does not bring virgin ore to the market and worse, the ecosystem of juniors being turned into mid-tier single projects and then being acquired by the majors has totally broken down. In addition, capital from Merchant Banks is lacking […]

By Tshepo Magagane Banking is about creating that deal list! I never really got any reprieve when we joined from the M&M team (was sector agnostic largely) but it was honestly deal after deal! People who made proper money in mining positioned in the late 90s into the early 00s – that is when you […]

By Luu Machila I was over 800 kilometres away from home when, just the first night upon arrival, word reached me announcing the passing of my brother, Cheelo Machila, at only 34 years. The world stopped spinning. My mouth was dry, my brain paused, hands and legs were numb. My faith was put to the […]

Men’s perpetual paranoia that they’re going to lose it all might actually be the reason they end up with much less than they’ve spent years building. Overthinking is crippling. Where your business, health, marriage or career is thriving, the tendency to push the pedal harder is something most of us are guilty of. We’re in […]

By Tshepo Magagane Cap-floor-mechanisms – why did lenders stop requiring hedging as part of the CP for Project Finance? Hedging makes money for the provider, not the producer – see the hedge unwind costs that normally go through the P&L of miners… …well over 2 decades including the last super-cycle – have never seen it […]

By Tshepo Magagane Copper ore shortage – the market does not understand or even begin to appreciate how much lack of ore is already there before we even talk about the Transition. 2 yrs back sitting with a smelter operator (who has now actually put it on C&M), he went “I am getting investor offers […]

By Tshepo Mangagane Zambia alone needs USD12-15bn to unlock the independent projects that will contribute to the 3Mtpa Current AuM in Specialist Funds sits at USD17bn – less than 3% of that focuses on Africa. ZERO percent of Specialist Funds does pre-PFS projects across all commodities. There are not new pre-MRE projects defined globally. How […]

Male loneliness is not the absence of people in our lives. It’s the presence of people that we cannot talk to about our struggles. Sometimes we overthink these things. That there is some future out there that rewards men for being men. Look, the reality is you will have to familiarize yourself with your favourite […]

By Tshepo Magagane Ivanhoe share price – why listed equity is not suitable for developing mining projects! If Ivanhoe was another company without such a strong shareholder base; it would be in serious trouble. Now given that you have long-term holders who understand mining, they are able to step back, understand the issue and then […]

Final Thoughts By Ceaser Siwale (31.05.2025) The recently concluded election for the presidency of the African Development Bank (AfDB) saw Zambia’s Dr. Samuel Munzele Maimbo mount a determined and commendable campaign, ultimately concluding with the victory of Mauritania’s Dr. Sidi Ould Tah. While Dr. Maimbo’s candidacy was backed by impressive technocratic experience and innovative reform […]

Observations By Ceaser Siwale (30.05.2025) Mauritanian economist and seasoned development finance expert Sidi Ould Tah has been elected as the ninth President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), securing an overwhelming 76.18% of the vote at the bank’s annual meetings held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. He is set to succeed Nigeria’s Akinwumi Adesina and will […]

Opinioned By Ceaser Siwale (penned 28 May 2025) As the African Development Bank (AfDB) prepares to elect its new president on 29 May 2025, the stakes have never been higher. The AfDB stands at a critical juncture, navigating complex financial headwinds, geopolitical dynamics, and the pressing need for impactful development across Africa’s diverse landscape. The […]

By Savior Mwambwa A critical look at climate finance narratives and what the future holds for Africa’s green industrialization Summary:  The global push for a standardized “green transition” leapfrogging fossil fuel, strict carbon pricing and donor-driven conditions simply doesn’t fit Africa’s development context. In my latest article, I examine why these popular frameworks risk stalling […]

In corporate, when you hear “Let me ask my superiors” or the “I’ll present this to the team” variant, just know it’s a no. In entrepreneurship, “Let me check in with my business partners” means you should move on. For a man, “Let me ask my wife” also means no but it also means much […]

By Tshepo Magagane Really forget about these grand pronouncements that will not see the light of day! We are running out of time as Africa. We know what needs to be done – the solution is there, ESFD is there – AfDB is the only pillar-assessed…was pillar assessed 18mths back… …almost 3yrs and there has […]

Perspective By Ceaser Siwale When we started in “high finance”, European Private Equity had a total AuM of cUSD30bn – average fund sizes were around USD750m to 1bn. German unions used to call PE really unsavoury names. From mid-00s to now, we have seen this industry flourish (followed on by private credit – this is […]

Visit Summary By Kato Mukuru and Russell Curtis Mining & planting its way to a recoveryWe recently had the pleasure of spending a week in Lusaka with our regional partners, Pangaea Securities. Whilst a lot of our time was spent indoors with Pangaea’s analysts, we did get to meet a number of blue chip corporates […]

Men are running in all the races, every week, every month. What’s the plan?  Every urban Zambian man and his dog is now running a marathon. It seems there’s one every other weekend in the country. So with all this – at times performative – running around, what’s the true benefit to our health and […]

The provision pandemic continues to fwemba the modern Zambian man by the shat. Society has seen a loophole in man’s role as provider and is unapologetic about having him on his toes to provide, even at the risk of his own wellbeing. Go ahead. Say ‘No’ to the guys. Say you won’t make it for […]

By Chabala Sunkutu, Associate An Overview Zambia’s agriculture sector stands at a crossroads of opportunity and transformation. Agriculture is central to the country’s vision for economic diversification, job creation, and rural development. In 2023, the sector contributed 2.8% to GDP but employed a staggering 70% of the population, highlighting its role as a livelihood backbone […]

Review By Tshepo Magagane Heatmap of artisanal mining – we need to find financing solutions to formalise this key sector! NB: since then, I have come across more info that the production is higher!! After Insaka in Lusaka last year, I wrote the below – this is an opportunity for capital to make financial returns […]

Observation By Ceaser Siwale President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025 marked a whirlwind of executive action, sweeping policy shifts, and renewed ideological battles. Within his first 100 days, Trump issued 141 executive orders, reshaping immigration, energy, education, and foreign policy. While supporters hail this period as the dawn of a “Golden Age,” […]