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Med-Or Monthly Africa Report | October 2026
The October edition of the Med-Or Monthly Africa Report is now available
The Med-Or October Africa Report is out.
This month’s analysis shifts the focus to the western part of the continent: from the Gulf of Guinea, via the Sahel up to the Maghreb.. Umberto Tavolato’s editorial explores a simple common thread: resources and geography have become the real currency of power. This monthly report shows how these twin factors are impacting regional energy systems, industrial mining and ports.
The October Report also covers five key developments shaping the continent this month:
• Federico Pontoni on West Africa and how energy priorities - whether in terms of existing electricity connections or prospective pipeline projects - continue to bind West African countries together and affect political decisions, such as Mali’s, Burkina Faso’s and Niger’s decision to walk out of ECOWAS, West Africa’s regional organisation.
• Francesco Meriano on Algeria’s thaw with Mali and broader attempts to reassert its position in central Sahel against growing Moroccan influence as well as on Libya’s ratification of the maritime MoU with Turkiye, as Saddam Haftar jockeys to secure external backing to his presidency.
• Luciano Pollichieni on Nigeria, where the security of energy infrastructure remains an issue and the potential for national energy security to dominate the upcoming presidential race.
• Matilde Vecchioni on how West African states are now racing to build gold refineries and tap into the gold processing industry, creating coordination issues but opening a window for development agencies to invest in the sector at the same time.
• Corrado Čok on ports and how disruptions in Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb have turned African ports, such as Tanger Med, Lomé and Lamu, into relay points between Asia and Europe, highlighting the need to expand capacity to sustain this new pressure and transform them into solid industrial platforms.
This monthly report includes for the first time our 1-to-1 interview with John Seroney, Founder & CEO, Sumseron Coffee & Tea, dedicated to the renewed global attention for Kenyan coffee and the broader potential of African value through the quality of its products, which benefits the continent while potentially attracting foreign investors and partners, including Italy.
Lastly, the photo gallery covers Med-Or’s activities in October: Med-Or’s participation in the EU-Tanzania Investment and Business Forum in Cesena, Italy; Med-Or Africa meeting with Dr. Juma Mukhawana, Permanent Secretary of Industry of the Republic of Kenya; and Med-Or first round table organised at its headquarters in Nairobi for Africa in partnership with IGAD titled “Corridors & Chokepoints: From Hormuz to the Bab-el-Mandeb: How Maritime Disruption Will Reshape Strategic Infrastructure and Connectivity across Horn and East Africa”.
Please read the full report below in both mobile and print versions.
