Nigeria's new NIMC Act 2026, ICASA mandates prepaid number recycling, New Kenyan bill

President Bola Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act, 2026 into law on June 26, 2026, repealing the 2007 NIMC law and representing the most significant overhaul of Nigeria's identity management system since NIMC was established.

The law expands NIMC's mandate beyond physical ID cards to cover digital identity, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), the systems that enable secure remote banking, digital document signing, and government service access, and designates NIMC as Nigeria's Root Certification Authority, making it the country's highest trusted digital authority.

Independent Communications Authority of South Africa revised Numbering Plan Regulations 2026 require telecom operators to deactivate and recycle prepaid mobile numbers inactive for 90 consecutive days of inactivity defined as no voice, SMS, data, or VAS usage.

Operators have a 6-month transition window from 1 July 2026 to comply. Affected subscribers receive a 60-day warning notification, two further reminders, and a final alert the day before deactivation, with a 1-month quarantine before the number re-enters the pool.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) issued a circular on July 1, 2026, signed by Acting Financial Markets Director Okey Umeano, capping the suspension of payment, delivery, and termination rights under financial contracts at a maximum of two business days.

The guidance clarifies Sections 34(2)(b) and 40(2) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020, closing a gap that had left counterparties uncertain about how long their rights could be frozen when a Nigerian bank enters distress or regulatory resolution.

Aldai MP Marianne Jebet Kitany has sponsored the Kenya Information and Communications (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which would mandate metered internet billing for all ISPs operating in Kenya.

ISPs would be required to deploy systems that monitor usage, generate consumption records, and invoice customers based on actual data used, framed as a consumer protection measure under Article 46 of the Constitution.

A Kenyan High Court nullified key sections of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act 2025, stripping the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee (NC4) of authority to order ISPs to block websites and apps without a court order.

Zimbabwe's Cabinet, represented by Minister of Agriculture Dr Anxious Masuka, approved principles to amend the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Act, originally enacted in 1977 and last amended in 1997, to address contract farming, corporate governance, and emerging nicotine products

The existing law was built around an auction-floor system and lacks adequate provisions for contract breaches, side-marketing, and modern tobacco products, forcing reliance on temporary measures like Statutory Instrument 77 of 2022.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals is in advanced partnership talks with Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo (SNPC) to supply refined petroleum products to the Republic of the Congo, following a delegation visit to the Lekki refinery in Lagos.

SNPC Managing Director Maixent Raoul Ominga said the partnership would strengthen fuel supply, improve value creation, and deepen cooperation, covering crude refining, petroleum products supply, energy security, and technical knowledge exchange, despite Congo already having its own refining capacity.

NNPC Limited posted a profit after tax of ₦462 billion in May 2026, down ₦19 billion (3.95%) from April's ₦481 billion, while revenue fell sharply by ₦635 billion to ₦4.335 trillion.

Combined crude oil and condensate production reached 1.73 million barrels per day in May, the highest monthly output in 12 months, yet remained below target due to constraints at TotalEnergies-operated assets, the Bonga field, Nembe, and the Agbami field.

The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) board approved Tom Mulwa as incoming chairman on June 30, 2025, with the role effective July 13, 2026.

Mulwa brings 30+ years in financial services, co-founded Liaison Group (a pan-African non-banking financial group operating in Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and South Sudan with revenues exceeding Sh2 billion), and currently chairs Kenya National REITs.

Visa, M-Pesa, and pan-African payments company Onafriq have launched a stablecoin pilot in the Democratic Republic of Congo to test faster, cheaper cross-border mobile money settlements via blockchain rails rather than traditional banking infrastructure.

Jubilee Group and BimaLab (FSD Africa's insurtech accelerator) are co-developing insurance products targeting low-income consumers and Kenya's estimated 7.5 million SMEs, a segment largely excluded from formal insurance coverage.

Catalyst Fund secured a $30M second close for its debut climate resilience fund, with new LPs including IFC, Shell Foundation, Trafigura Foundation, FASA, Speedinvest, and BlinkCV, moving closer to a final target close expected later this year.

The fund invests pre-seed through Series A across 10 African markets, with portfolio companies including Kenya's Keep IT Cool (solar cold-chain), Tanzania's MazaoHub (AI-driven agronomy), and Egypt's Bekia (waste management marketplace), targeting up to 40 startups continent-wide.

President Joseph Nyuma Boakai approved a proposal by the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) to construct a 50,000-metric-ton petroleum storage facility, announced on July 2, 2026.

FCMB Group Plc held its 13th Annual General Meeting virtually on June 30, 2026, where shareholders passed key resolutions on dividends, board composition, and governance.

A final dividend of ₦0.35 per ordinary share for the financial year ended December 31, 2025 was approved, payable to shareholders on the register as of June 15, 2026.

The World Bank and Nigerian government have jointly agreed to redirect a $730 million financing facility, originally under the Power Sector Recovery Programme (PSRP), toward expanding electricity metering and upgrading distribution infrastructure across Nigeria.

Tanzania's high commissioner to Nigeria has made two visits to Indorama Fertiliser Limited's Port Harcourt plant to negotiate a potential fertiliser investment in Tanzania, bringing a delegation of Tanzanian regulatory and investment authorities on the second visit.

Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), the local arm of the Coca-Cola System, commissioned two new production lines at its Asejire plant in Oyo State and one at its Challawa plant in Kano State, marking the first phase of a nationwide capacity expansion programme.