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Commodity traders

Senegal
Turkish tanker Mersin seized by customs

The Turkish cargo vessel, which was damaged by an explosion of as yet undetermined origin on the night of 27–28 November 2025, has been immobilised on the orders of Senegalese customs.

Subscribers only Commodity traders 28.01.2026

Kenya
Ruto banks on tea and coffee to bolster re-election campaign

Kenya's president, William Ruto, in Nairobi, in July 2022. © Thomas Mukoya/Reuters

Subscribers only Commodity traders, Business 26.01.2026

Spotlight | Morocco
Big wig businessman Chakib Alj comes to the rescue of Forafric

Head of Moroccan employers federation CGEM, Chakib Alj, in Rabat on 26 April 2024. © Jalal Morchidi/EPA-EFE via MaxPPP

Subscribers only Commodity traders 20.01.2026

Morocco
Yariv Elbaz's grain trading company and cooperative Copag part ways

The local agricultural co-operative Copag is bringing its alliance with the Swiss grain trader Millcorp to an end, with the latter set to transfer its stakes in the joint ventures Copamill Logistics and Écosphère Grains to Copag.

Subscribers only Commodity traders 14.01.2026

Ethiopia
Foreign competition for coffee hots up with Chinese companies' arrival

Far from rushing to obtain export permits recently made available to foreign investors, multinational trading companies with a long history in the country have yielded ground to firms from China. The latter are now going up against long-established exporters.

Subscribers only Commodity traders 08.01.2026

Spotlight | Africa
Touton's sale to hedge fund Hartree clouds cocoa and coffee outlook

Cocoa bean sorting in Soubré in southwestern Ivory Coast, January 2021. © Luc Gnago / Reuters

Subscribers only Commodity traders 07.01.2026

Ivory Coast
Transcao comes to the rescue of struggling cocoa traders

At the risk of undermining its own stability, the Conseil Café-Cacao trading subsidiary has had to step up to the plate to absorb the volumes dropped by a number of local operators facing financial difficulties.

Subscribers only Commodity traders 07.01.2026

Kenya
Nairobi speeds up tea sector reforms in wake of Iran sales scandal

Stung by the sale of low-grade tea to Tehran, Kenya has given itself six months to improve its controls and monitoring of the sector's production chain.

Subscribers only Commodity traders, Diplomacy 05.01.2026

Kenyan farmers sort collected tea leaves at a tea plantation in Kericho, Kenya, on 19 August 2021.

Ethiopia
Louis Dreyfus struggles to hang on to its talent

Since the devaluation in 2024, the Swiss-Dutch trading giant is unable to meet the salary demands of its local traders.

Subscribers only Commodity traders 24.12.2025

Algeria
Impatience mounts as Algiers remains silent on milk powder imports

Although the government granted, at the end of August, national companies permission to import raw material, quantities authorised remain very limited.

Subscribers only Commodity traders 22.12.2025

Ivory Coast
Reckless Ivorian cocoa traders hit by falling prices

Following the economic downturn, several local figures in the cocoa sector who had bet on prices continuing to rise now find themselves in dire straits. In order to mitigate the effect of contract breaches, the Conseil Café-Cacao is attempting to reach an agreement with them.

Subscribers only Commodity traders 19.12.2025

Kenya
iTea steps onto Mombasa tea auction scene

The company, which has been dormant since 2016, is being pushed by the tea regulator to offer its classification solutions based on laboratory tests. The move is part of William Ruto's strategy to provide guarantees to producers from his stronghold.

Subscribers only Commodity traders 18.12.2025

Ivory Coast
Coffee and cocoa exporters under pressure from Conseil Café-Cacao

The industry regulator has launched a major investigation targetting several traders accused of illegal discounts and kickbacks to the detriment of cooperatives. Olam, the sector's second largest player, is already under fire.

Subscribers only Commodity traders 10.12.2025

Morocco
To bail out Forafric, Yariv Elbaz calls on his trading company

Prodela, a subsidiary of the flour milling firm dedicated to animal feed, has been taken over by Swiss grain trading company Millcorp. The move is intended to pay off the Moroccan company's huge debts.

Subscribers only Commodity traders 04.12.2025

DRC
Kinshasa harmonises regulatory framework to revive cobalt exports

Ten months after the DRC imposed an embargo on cobalt exports, followed by the announcement of a quota system, mining operators are still waiting for the go-ahead to restart business. Although considered imminent, this is unlikely to prevent a near-shortage on the global market in the coming weeks.

Subscribers only Mining, Commodity traders 04.12.2025

Madagascar
Antananarivo loosens vanilla sector regulations to reassure Washington

At the request of Malagasy exporters and the United States, the government has suspended the export levy and approved new ports.

Subscribers only Commodity traders 03.12.2025

Sorting of vanilla pods in a factory in Antalaha in northern Madagascar, in 2023.

Kenya
William Ruto counts on support within Comesa

The Kenyan president wants to secure a further extension of the safeguard measures for the sugar sector from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. Several countries in the bloc have been approached.

Subscribers only Commodity traders, Business 02.12.2025

Ivory Coast
Singapore firm JB Cocoa's reset on Abidjan processing factory

Instead of a capacity of 50,000 tonnes, as initially announced in 2022, JB Cocoa, led by Tey How Keong, has settled for a grinding capacity of 35,000 tonnes.

Subscribers only Commodity traders 01.12.2025

Madagascar
Surprise reopening of vanilla approval requests

Vanilla exporters who submitted their approval requests in August but did not get the green light, now have an additional grace period in which to get their houses in order.

Subscribers only Commodity traders 27.11.2025

Guinea
The pitfalls of the national gold refinery project

Announced as a key infrastructure project in the Simandou 2040 development plan, the Nimba Gold Refinery is still a long way from becoming operational.

Subscribers only Mining, Commodity traders 26.11.2025

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Commodity traders

Senegal
Turkish tanker Mersin seized by customs

Kenya
Ruto banks on tea and coffee to bolster re-election campaign

Spotlight | Morocco
Big wig businessman Chakib Alj comes to the rescue of Forafric

Morocco
Yariv Elbaz's grain trading company and cooperative Copag part ways

Ethiopia
Foreign competition for coffee hots up with Chinese companies' arrival

Spotlight | Africa
Touton's sale to hedge fund Hartree clouds cocoa and coffee outlook

Ivory Coast
Transcao comes to the rescue of struggling cocoa traders

Kenya
Nairobi speeds up tea sector reforms in wake of Iran sales scandal

Ethiopia
Louis Dreyfus struggles to hang on to its talent

Algeria
Impatience mounts as Algiers remains silent on milk powder imports

Ivory Coast
Reckless Ivorian cocoa traders hit by falling prices

Kenya
iTea steps onto Mombasa tea auction scene

Ivory Coast
Coffee and cocoa exporters under pressure from Conseil Café-Cacao

Morocco
To bail out Forafric, Yariv Elbaz calls on his trading company

DRC
Kinshasa harmonises regulatory framework to revive cobalt exports

Madagascar
Antananarivo loosens vanilla sector regulations to reassure Washington

Kenya
William Ruto counts on support within Comesa

Ivory Coast
Singapore firm JB Cocoa's reset on Abidjan processing factory

Madagascar
Surprise reopening of vanilla approval requests

Guinea
The pitfalls of the national gold refinery project

The weekly summary

About Africa Intelligence

Subscription

Africa Intelligence on social media

Indigo Publications' websites

About Africa Intelligence

Subscription

Indigo Publications' websites

Faure Gnassingbe

Orano

Michaël Randrianirina

China National Petroleum Corp

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud

Commodity traders

Senegal Turkish tanker Mersin seized by customs

Kenya Ruto banks on tea and coffee to bolster re-election campaign

Spotlight | Morocco Big wig businessman Chakib Alj comes to the rescue of Forafric

Morocco Yariv Elbaz's grain trading company and cooperative Copag part ways

Ethiopia Foreign competition for coffee hots up with Chinese companies' arrival

Spotlight | Africa Touton's sale to hedge fund Hartree clouds cocoa and coffee outlook

Ivory Coast Transcao comes to the rescue of struggling cocoa traders

Kenya Nairobi speeds up tea sector reforms in wake of Iran sales scandal

Ethiopia Louis Dreyfus struggles to hang on to its talent

Algeria Impatience mounts as Algiers remains silent on milk powder imports

Ivory Coast Reckless Ivorian cocoa traders hit by falling prices

Kenya iTea steps onto Mombasa tea auction scene

Ivory Coast Coffee and cocoa exporters under pressure from Conseil Café-Cacao

Morocco To bail out Forafric, Yariv Elbaz calls on his trading company

DRC Kinshasa harmonises regulatory framework to revive cobalt exports

Madagascar Antananarivo loosens vanilla sector regulations to reassure Washington

Kenya William Ruto counts on support within Comesa

Ivory Coast Singapore firm JB Cocoa's reset on Abidjan processing factory

Madagascar Surprise reopening of vanilla approval requests

Guinea The pitfalls of the national gold refinery project

The weekly summary

About Africa Intelligence

Subscription

Africa Intelligence on social media

Indigo Publications' websites

Senegal
Turkish tanker Mersin seized by customs

Kenya
Ruto banks on tea and coffee to bolster re-election campaign

Spotlight | Morocco
Big wig businessman Chakib Alj comes to the rescue of Forafric

Morocco
Yariv Elbaz's grain trading company and cooperative Copag part ways

Ethiopia
Foreign competition for coffee hots up with Chinese companies' arrival

Spotlight | Africa
Touton's sale to hedge fund Hartree clouds cocoa and coffee outlook

Ivory Coast
Transcao comes to the rescue of struggling cocoa traders

Kenya
Nairobi speeds up tea sector reforms in wake of Iran sales scandal

Ethiopia
Louis Dreyfus struggles to hang on to its talent

Algeria
Impatience mounts as Algiers remains silent on milk powder imports

Ivory Coast
Reckless Ivorian cocoa traders hit by falling prices

Kenya
iTea steps onto Mombasa tea auction scene

Ivory Coast
Coffee and cocoa exporters under pressure from Conseil Café-Cacao

Morocco
To bail out Forafric, Yariv Elbaz calls on his trading company

DRC
Kinshasa harmonises regulatory framework to revive cobalt exports

Madagascar
Antananarivo loosens vanilla sector regulations to reassure Washington

Kenya
William Ruto counts on support within Comesa

Ivory Coast
Singapore firm JB Cocoa's reset on Abidjan processing factory

Madagascar
Surprise reopening of vanilla approval requests

Guinea
The pitfalls of the national gold refinery project