In a joint statement released on 6 May 2026, the Republic of Guinea, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), and its subsidiary Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC) announced that they had reached an agreement to “definitively” settle the disputes arising from the suspension of GAC’s activities and the interruption of Guinean bauxite supplies to EGA.

The News and Events category publishes the latest News and Events relating to International Economic Law relating to Africa and the Global South. Every week, Afronomicslaw.org receive the News and Events in their e-mail accounts. The News and Events published every week include conferences, major developments in the field of International Economic Law in Africa at the national, sub-regional and regional levels as well as relevant case law. News and Events with a Global South focus are also often included.

The News and Events category publishes the latest News and Events relating to International Economic Law relating to Africa and the Global South. Every week, Afronomicslaw.org receive the News and Events in their e-mail accounts. The News and Events published every week include conferences, major developments in the field of International Economic Law in Africa at the national, sub-regional and regional levels as well as relevant case law. News and Events with a Global South focus are also often included.

Since formally requesting debt treatment in early 2021 under the G20 Common Framework, Ethiopia has faced a protracted and uncertain restructuring five year-process marked by delays, creditor coordination challenges, and mounting economic pressures. The country’s economic vulnerabilities have been exacerbated by conflict, foreign exchange shortages, inflationary pressures, and declining investor confidence. Against this backdrop, the announcement on 3 April 2026 that Ethiopia had reached a debt treatment resolution with China represents a significant development, not only for Ethiopia’s restructuring process but also for broader debates on the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of the Common Framework. This update examines the details of the agreement, situates it within Ethiopia’s broader debt trajectory, and critically assesses what it reveals about the evolving global debt restructuring regime.

Nigeria is once again at a critical juncture in its debt trajectory, as mounting fiscal pressures, rising borrowing costs, and constrained access to conventional financing channels push the government toward increasingly complex and opaque instruments. Recent reports indicate that Nigeria is considering a $5 billion Total Return Swap (TRS) arrangement with First Abu Dhabi Bank, marking a significant shift in its debt management strategy. This development must be situated within a broader pattern of an increasing appetite for this credit derivative in the form of Total Return Swaps. Both Angola and Senegal have in the recent past also been reported to have entered into Total Return Swaps. These developments point to a deepening reliance on financial engineering solutions that may provide short term liquidity but carry significant long-term risks for fiscal stability and public accountability.

Mozambique has entered 2026 with a seemingly positive milestone, having fully repaid its outstanding obligations to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ahead of schedule. This development, which might ordinarily signal improved fiscal health and strengthened macroeconomic stability, instead unfolds against a backdrop of intensifying domestic debt pressures, constrained fiscal space, and growing socio-economic strain. While authorities have framed the early repayment as evidence of sound financial management and renewed credibility, emerging data suggests a more complex and concerning reality. Domestic borrowing has surged, external financing conditions remain tight, and key development projects face increasing uncertainty. Mozambique’s trajectory mirrors a wider trend across African sovereigns, where headline debt milestones often sit alongside intensifying structural vulnerabilities and fiscal strain. Against this backdrop, this update explores the country’s recent full repayment of its IMF obligations in parallel with rising domestic debt pressures and tightening fiscal space.

The article analyses the High Court’s decision in Wathome & 14 others v Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service & another; Greenpeace Environmental Kenya & 2 others (Interested Parties) [2025] KEHC 18166 (KLR) (the Wathome Decision), focusing on the arguments advanced and the Court’s response to the tension between plant variety protection and farmers’ rights. Finally, it reflects on what a more balanced legal and policy framework might entail, while also engaging with emerging challenges related to the place of genetically modified crops and the growing reliance on toxic agrochemical inputs in food production.

In late November 2025, the Machakos High Court in Kenya issued an unprecedented judgment that was noteworthy. The judgment was not limited to legal correction; it struck down the key provisions of the Seed and Plant Varieties Act (SPVA). It was a strong assertion of humanity’s dignity, culture, and the right to eco-justice. The Court aligned Kenyan law with constitutional values and international human rights obligations by declaring unconstitutional the laws that criminalized the saving, sharing, and sale of farm-saved and Indigenous seeds. The UN human rights experts have recognised this judgement as a landmark for the rights of peasants and food security, and declare it a strong rebuttal against the international trade of seeds through restrictive IP regimes.

What sets this collection apart is its drive to go beyond mere descriptions of IP frameworks in Africa and engage in a more thoughtful normative discussion. The contributors reject the notion that global IP norms are the unavoidable end goals. Instead, they critically examine these standards. This is especially relevant considering the powerful influence of the TRIPS Agreement (World Trade Organisation [WTO], 1994), which has largely dictated the contours of IP policy for African nations. The central thesis of the book—that IP should be regarded as a policy instrument rather than an unchangeable law—resonates with longstanding critiques, such as Peter Drahos and Joseph Stiglitz, but grounds them in the realities faced by contemporary African nations.

This volume weaves through an analysis of Intellectual Property Rights as integrated with sustainable development. The contribution of IP in the achievement of sustainable development goals is brought out through nineteen chapters. This review is not a chapter-by-chapter exploration. However, it starts with a general outlook of the work presented in this book as summarized in the first chapter, highlighting key points of significance. The review follows up with a few other positive pointers to be appreciated in the general context of the work, before picking out on underlying gaps that generally stand out in all the chapters.