Regional Energy & Infrastructure: Tanzania, Uganda and Vitol Bahrain are pushing a regional energy hub at the Port of Tanga, aiming to boost refining, storage, logistics and petrochemical investment after recent fuel-supply shocks highlighted Africa’s vulnerability to geopolitics. Oil Refining & Jobs: East Africa’s refinery race heats up as Dangote offers governments a 30% stake in a planned Lamu project, while Lamu youth demand a legally binding deal reserving at least 70% of jobs for local residents ahead of September construction. Payments & Trade Rails: PAPSS is expanding across Africa to speed cross-border payments in local currencies, cutting the old costs and delays of correspondent banking for intra-African trade. Fintech Modernisation: MTN and Ericsson completed the cloud-native migration of MTN MoMo in Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda and Uganda to improve performance and scale digital financial services. Banking & Capital Markets: Equity Group reported strong half-year growth, while MTN posted solid H1 subscriber and revenue gains; Kenya Re also saw profit jump on improved underwriting. Rwanda & Regional Governance: The EAC lifted a recruitment freeze and approved 69 priority jobs, including a Rwanda appointment in civil aviation safety and security oversight. Policy & Mobility: Rwanda’s role in regional forums continues, with the Africa Mindset Reset Forum in Kigali drawing major pan-African leadership.