Crypto News: Next Africa: Football and politics

Welcome to Next Africa, a daily newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed. Sign up here. In today’s edition, we look at:

Morocco’s parliamentary election in a World Cup cycle
Ethiopian Airlines’ decision to stop Tigray flights
Trump shutting down hope of a Chagos breakthrough

Simmering Discontent

Their country’s next administration is dubbed the World Cup government, whose term will span the co-hosting of football’s premier event in 2030.

But many Moroccans voting in Wednesday’s parliamentary elections will have more pressing topics in mind.

The ballot is the first since Gen-Z protests last year laid bare the simmering discontent over a dearth of work and opportunities in the North African kingdom. It comes just weeks after tens of thousands of desperate Moroccans tried to flee into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, sparking panic over migration in the European Union.

Both are burning issues on the streets.

Moroccans gather near Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border, on July 31.

Many of the roughly two-dozen parties competing for the 395-lawmaker assembly are pledging better wages, pensions and housing. No group will win a majority, meaning coalitions are customary.

King Mohammed VI selects the prime minister from the party that wins the most seats.

Major players include the Independents National Rally of current premier Aziz Akhannouch, and the Authenticity and Modernity Party, whose campaign was led by football federation chief Fouzi Lekjaa. He’s a popular name following Morocco’s recent success in the sport, tipped by some as a possible prime ministerial pick.

Islamist politicians are also eyeing a revival, banking on sympathy for Palestinians in the wake of the war in Gaza and a relatively clean record when last in office.

A challenge, though, may be getting people to vote at all. Over 40% of the potential electorate hasn’t registered — a stark sign of disengagement.

That frustration boiled over when demonstrations swept major cities in 2025. The unrest fizzled out after a crackdown that saw thousands jailed and as authorities pledged higher spending. But problems remain, as the Ceuta crisis showed.

While the World Cup will allow Morocco to shine on the international stage, the next government will need to satisfy the home crowd too. — Souhail Karam

Lekjaa celebrates with Morocco’s national team after victory against the Netherlands during the World Cup in Guadalupe, Mexico, on June 29.

What Everyone’s Reading

South Africa’s central bank raised interest rates for the second time this year as policymakers seek to curb resurfacing price pressures triggered by the ongoing Iran and Ukraine wars. That was in line with the expecations of most economists in a Bloomberg survey.

Airtel Money filed for what could be London’s largest IPO in five years. The payments firm, part of Airtel Africa, is looking to raise at least $800 million, roughly half what the firm was said to have targeted earlier this year. The company previously considered other European exchanges and the United Arab Emirates as listing locations.

The former head of the US government’s global flagship HIV program warned that the Trump administration’s cuts to US health-assistance risk reversing decades of progress in Africa in containing the virus that causes AIDS. Interruptions to treatment are particularly dangerous because HIV has no cure and the virus can rebound when patients stop taking antiretroviral medicines, John Nkengasong says in an interview.

Ethiopian Airlines has suspended flights to three destinations in Tigray, after reports that forces linked to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front took control of the airport in the regional capital. The suspension underscores renewed tensions in northern Ethiopia after the TPLF, which fought a two-year civil war against the government, rejected an interim administration appointed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

The Ebola virus is still spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo and threatening neighboring countries, according to the head of Africa CDC. While there’s been some relief in Congo’s Ituri province where the outbreak began, cases are increasing along the nation’s borders with Uganda, Rwanda, Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo.

A health worker dries gumboots and gloves at the Mulago National Referral Hospital isolation unit in Kampala, Uganda.

London-based Ghana International Bank wants to expand its presence to the US as American appetite grows for projects across Africa, new CEO Ian Greenstreet says. With a global focus on critical minerals, the UK-regulated lender — whose main shareholder is the Ghanaian central bank — is in a unique position to connect investors with bankable projects on the continent, he said in an interview in New York.

South Africa Taps Gulf Know-How for $9.5 Billion Property Plan

Middle East sovereign wealth funds, backed by trillions of dollars in assets, have advised South Africa to create a fundraising vehicle as part of a plan for a new state firm that will manage its 155 billion-rand property portfolio.

Africa Newsmaker

Olayemi Cardoso following a Bloomberg Television interview in London in 2024.

The Nigerian central bank surprised economists and markets with a bold 350-basis-point cut in interest rates, the biggest reduction in at least two decades. Governor Olayemi Cardoso says the move reflected confidence that inflation is under control, a line few national policymakers can boast of at the moment given the Iran war’s impact on prices.

Last Word

Donald Trump lambasted the UK deal to hand the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius during his first face-to-face meeting with Andy Burnham, dealing a blow to the British leader in an otherwise warm encounter. “I don’t support it. I think it’s terrible,” the US president told reporters during a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. “Somebody has ownership that never showed up before after decades and centuries. I think it’s ridiculous.” The response adds to concerns that the long-sought pact will be in limbo while Trump remains in office.