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Zimbabwe's cabinet decided on 20 October to suspend or revoke the operating licences of foreign-owned businesses that breach rules reserving 17 economic sectors for citizens. Inspections covered more than 3,000 companies; 269 foreign operators have applied to regularise by transferring 75% of their equity to Zimbabweans, and 63 qualified for exemptions. The rules, gazetted in December 2025, reserve 13 sectors, including borehole drilling, estate agencies and artisanal mining, for locals and admit foreigners to retail, haulage, grain milling and freight forwarding only under exemptions. Enforcement falls mainly on foreign-owned shops and wholesalers, which the government says still trade without regularising, and shifts ownership of small-scale trade towards Zimbabweans. The government has not yet set a date for closures.
Nigerian start-ups have raised more money this year than those of any other African country, for the first time since 2022. Data from Africa: The Big Deal published on 20 October show Nigerian firms raised $635 million from January to September, 2.6 times as much as a year earlier, against $445 million in Egypt, while Kenya and South Africa fell by 73% and 58% to $201 million and $182 million. Four companies, led by vehicle-financing firm Moove with $250 million, took about 69% of Nigeria's total. The lead rests on a few large rounds rather than a broad revival: the number of Nigerian firms raising at least $100,000 rose only from 70 to 77.
