economy upfront Bound

Mali is sinking deeper into darkness as power outages, crumbling roads, and fuel shortages combine into a nationwide crisis. Months of blackouts and blocked fuel imports by jihadist fighters have crippled transport, trade, and daily life, exposing years of neglect in energy and infrastructure management.

Attacks in the Red Sea have cost the Egypt over $9 billion in lost Suez Canal revenue, cutting daily ship traffic by nearly 60% and straining the country’s foreign reserves.

Egypt has raised fuel prices for the second time this year, increasing gasoline, diesel, and CNG rates by up to 13% as part of IMF-backed reforms to reduce subsidies and stabilize public finances. The move, effective October 17, is expected to ripple across transport, food, and manufacturing sectors as inflation remains stubbornly above 11%.

Algeria’s Sonatrach has signed a $5.4 billion production-sharing contract with Saudi Arabia’s Midad Energy North Africa to explore and develop hydrocarbons in the Illizi Sud field, marking one of the country’s largest energy partnerships of 2025.