Hello Friends-
June 25, 1975 - that was the date when Mozambique gained its independence from Portugal. A few years later, the country plunged into a devastating civil war that lasted nearly two decades. Things are more peaceful now, and we love traveling to Maputo to hang out.
Trending 📈
📈 Trump is busy declaring a grand ceasefire between Iran and Israel, claiming his airstrikes brought “peace through strength”—but let’s be real, it sounds more like campaign theater than real diplomacy.
Some sources say the damage to Iran’s nuclear program was not a complete obliteration, and experts aren’t convinced this truce will hold for long.
From an African vantage point, it’s hard not to see this as yet another Western power flexing muscles, then calling it peace when the dust settles—temporarily.
📈 Peace by Tweet - Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced what they called a breakthrough peace treaty between Rwanda and the DR Congo—yet long‑standing tensions and recent M23 rebel offensives raise doubts about its durability. It seems that Trump is more interested in his legacy and not in enacting any real, sustainable peace accords.
At the same time, Pakistan formally nominated Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, praising his role in defusing a crisis with India—a claim India denies, asserting talks were strictly bilateral. Critics have questioned the sincerity and impact of both moves, pointing to Trump’s own admission he won’t receive the prize and the history of fragile ceasefires in Central Africa.
📈 US Africa Summit - This week, notable African Heads of State and top U.S delegates met in Luanda, Angola, for the U.S.-Africa Summit. The gathering was to spur cooperation and refine the commercial strategy between parties.
The theme for the summit centered on “commercial diplomacy” and respect. Strategies need to evolve, and what worked 20 years ago will not work today. The U.S. delegates also got an earful from African leaders who expressed disappointment with tariffs and travel bans.
Business 💸 💹
Gold Boom or Doom? - With the price of gold climbing to record heights, it is bringing out low-level illegal prospectors to try and “rake” in on the gold madness. This is a problem for many African countries with large gold deposits in the earth.
Illegal mining rings are popping up left, right, and center, which puts strain on local authorities and puts the poor folks who go into the mines in danger. Who remembers the tragic situation in South Africa where miners were trapped underground and many died deep in the mines?
Mining operators are fighting back against illegal mining by the use of technology - drones to be precise. The use of drones allows operators to monitor activity in and around the mines. Illegal miners hide in the bush and wait until nightfall to start moving into the mines. Drones can “see” this activity, and police can be called to the scene. Gold is at an all-time high, and hence we see a spike in illegal mining activities.
In 2022 alone, an estimated 435 metric tonnes of gold—worth $30–35 billion at global prices—was smuggled out of Africa.
Tech 🧑💻 📲
Serious question or thought - how would self-driving taxis manage in Lagos-style traffic? Would they fit in and drive just as erratically as local drivers? Would they incessantly beep their horn? Would they have audible recordings of verbal assaults to share with other drivers? Would they not allow others to merge lanes, and how would they manage checkpoints?
Anyway, I was just imagining a scene like this in my head, and I kind of hope that I will live long enough to see self-driving cars in Africa. But in the meantime, I will just climb okada and pray for the best! But if you happened to be in Austin, Texas, Last week, you may have spotted some of Tesla’s new autonomous taxis - Robo Taxis zooming around the streets.
Tesla went live with this project with a big asterisk - there was an actual human in the car, just to monitor the vehicle in case anything crazy happened. All of the reports indicated that the rides went off with no significant hitches and were essentially routine. I'm still waiting for them to launch in Lagos- but I won't be the first volunteer to ride!
Real Estate 🏦 🏘️
“Tallest Tower Dream Revived.” There is something unique about humans and their desire to outdo or one-up their fellow people. Having the best car, house, and obviously the tallest buildings. I mean, it is an impressive feat of engineering to build a tower hundreds of meters into the sky.
Just think about all of the iconic towers that are famous around the world - The Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the Burg Kalifa, and the World Trade Center, just to name a few, and think about how many visitors they get each year and what that does to the local economies.
Africa is not void of massive skyscrapers, and in fact, Ethiopia has officially relaunched its ambitious skyscraper initiative: a 62‑storey, 327.5 m (≈1,075 ft), $445 million headquarters tower for Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) in Addis Ababa.
Now back on track after delays, the project is seeking experienced contractors for a four‑year EPC contract that will make it the tallest structure in sub‑Saharan Africa. And for you competitive peeps here is a list of some of the tallest skyscrapers in Africa:
Iconic Tower (New Administrative Capital, Egypt) – Completed in 2024, it stands at 394 m with 77 floors, making it the tallest building in Africa.
Tour F (Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire) – Still under construction, projected at 421 m with 75 floors, it'll surpass Iconic Tower once completed around 2026.
Mohammed VI Tower (Salé/Rabat, Morocco) – Completed in 2023, this 250 m, 55‑storey mixed‑use skyscraper ranks third on the continent
The Leonardo (Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa) – South Africa’s tallest completed building at 234 m tall, with 55 floors; held the continental height record briefly in 2019.
Small Chop
Bezos pays heavy bride price! Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez were set to throw their over-the-top Venice wedding bash in a public district—until protest threats and security fears forced them to move it to a fortress-like shipyard.
Locals weren’t thrilled about one billionaire “renting the city” for a few days, so they launched the cheeky #NoSpaceForBezos campaign. Still, with 90 private jets and a €48 million economic boost, Venice's elites are smiling… even if the gondoliers aren’t.
Dish of the Week 🥘🍛
Since we were in Angola for the U.S. Africa Summit, we had to try the local cuisine. We were told we must try Muamba de Galinhna (chicken) - sold at chicken. This dish is an aromatic chicken stew teeming with spices, vegetables, and chillis. It was soo tasty!
We cooled our tongues with a sweet local custard called Cocada Amarela. It’s a nice coconut custard or pudding; it was a nice balance to our main meal.