World
Nigeria is Norway’s Most Important Market in Africa—Norfund

By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Norwegian Investment Fund for developing countries, Norfund, has described Nigeria as Norway’s most important market in Africa, noting that efforts are being made to increase investments in the giant of the continent.
Nigeria is one of the biggest economies in Africa and has the largest market because of its population of over 200 million, according to the government.
At an event held in Lagos recently, Norfund said it intends to drive development in Nigeria and create jobs through investments in the private sector.
“Set to become the world’s third most populated country, Nigeria is Norway’s most important market on the African continent as we believe there is a huge opportunity for growth in Nigerian industries.
“We are impressed by the measures taken by the government to strengthen the startup community especially, as underlined by the Startup Act signed by (former) President Muhammadu Buhari in October.
“Moreover, Norway is in the process of updating its African strategy, and I’m proud that the Norway-Nigeria relations reflect this, with business and investments taking centre stage.
“We thank Norfund for its role in strengthening Nigerian-Norway relations in the most meaningful way,” the Ambassador of Norway to Nigeria, Knut Eiliv Lein, represented by the Business Counsellor for the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Abuja, Eivind Fjeldstad, said.
Also speaking, the Executive Vice-President of Scalable Enterprises at Norfund, Ellen Cathrine Rasmussen, said, “At the core of Norfund’s operations is the mission to create jobs, improve lives, and invest in sustainable businesses.
“Operating within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs framework, which we are a part of, we can set our strategy, make investment decisions, and remain agile whilst adapting to market opportunities. Africa is the most important region for Norfund.
“A minimum of 50 per cent of investments we commit to are on the continent because it is the market of the future. We support the companies we invest in and nurture the entire ecosystem, as its collective strength will enable us to aid Nigeria in sustainable growth.
“Nigeria is of key importance to Norfund due to its strategic geographical placement, a young and vibrant population, and its ever-growing economy. Norfund is here to contribute to realizing this growth potential.”
Norfund, the government’s most important instrument for strengthening the private sector in developing countries, was established by the Norwegian parliament in 1997.
It is focused on driving sustainable development with equity, debt and hybrid instruments capital and fund investments to businesses and projects with strong developmental impact and commercial returns.
As a responsible investor, Norfund contributes to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by investing for both commercial return and development impact and focusing on countries and sectors where capital is scarce, and development impact is likely to be strong.
World
Irvine, Dreaminfluence Accelerate Growth of Africa’s $3bn Creator Economy

Irvine Partners, a leading creative communications agency with offices in Africa and Europe, has signed an exclusive licence with Dreaminfluence as their Africa partner. Dreaminfluence, an all-in-one platform that empowers brands to build and scale influencer marketing has executed 1,000s of influencer campaigns and worked with over 20,000 influencers.
This innovative platform’s digital capabilities will support the content creators who are driving Africa’s rapidly expanding $3.08 billion creator economy. Despite creators on the continent taking advantage of platforms like TikTok, African creators still earn significantly less than their counterparts in other regions, despite producing high-quality content. Furthermore, infrastructure limitations and a digital skills gap hinder the progress of the creator ecosystem.
Monetization should not be out of reach for African creators says Rachel Irvine, CEO of Irvine Partners. She adds that “Dreaminfluence provides digital infrastructure and connects creators to brands, backing their work so they too can unlock opportunities while brands can grow their reach with authentic content that resonates with audiences.”
Dreaminfluence CEO, Mads Wedderkopp, explains “We have worked with many leading brands in the Nordics and are excited to finally bring our platform to Africa through this exclusive partnership with Irvine Partners.”
“The decision to work with Irvine Partners as our Africa partner was a no-brainer, given the roster of clients they serve, and their continental and European footprint.”
Some of the leading brands that use Dreaminfluence for their influencer campaigns are Nivea, L’Occitane, and Estee Lauder Group.
How it works
Dreaminfluence was founded in 2018, to transform influencer marketing from being about affiliate links and discount codes to focusing on actual brand ambassadorship. This vision is translated into the features that Dreaminfluence offers, for both brands and influencers.
These brand features include:
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Discovery of influencers: Brands can find the right influencers for their campaigns, without wasting time on influencer outreach
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Campaign analytics: Track campaign performance, report the value and identify the best-performing influencers
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Building relationships: Influencers move from short-term brand campaigns to long-term brand ambassadorship
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Campaign management: Manage influencer payments, product shipping and secure content usage rights
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Paying multiple influencers at a time with one click
For influencers, the features are:
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Apply to join a brand team or campaign through the app
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Be selected as part of the ambassador team
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Join new campaigns when they are published
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Run all campaign admin including payments, content ideas, and approvals through the app
The Dreaminfluence difference
Irvine Partners is constantly working with influencers across Africa on different campaigns for its clients and Dreaminfluence provides an innovative way to streamline agency relations with leading and emerging content creators on the continent.
Mohale Moloi, Content Director at Irvine Partners explains that “creator marketing studies tell us that more than 50% of brands plan to increase their spending on influencer marketing in 2025. But making sure these campaigns deliver results across the whole marketing funnel requires an in-depth understanding of market nuances, which is what we bring to the table.”
By working with a dynamic platform like Dreaminfluence, Irvine Partners will take influencer campaigns to the next level by combining local insights with a platform that makes everything from campaign selection to payments more efficient.
“We are most excited about the actionable campaign data and high ROI that Dreaminfluence offers,” says Moloi.
World
Cameroonian Diaspora Congress: An Essential Vector for Cameroon’s Influence in Russia

By Louis Gouend
The Cameroonian diaspora in the Russian Federation, although relatively recent, constitutes an essential vector for Cameroon’s influence and the maintenance of strong ties with the nation. In this perspective, and following a fruitful video conference on January 27, 2024, with the Minister of Youth and Civic Education, it was decided to organize, on February 8 and 11, 2025, the first celebration of Youth Day within the Russian diaspora.
This unprecedented initiative, benefiting from the Minister’s valuable support, aimed to consolidate patriotism and the spirit of initiative among Cameroonian youth residing in Russia, by offering a framework for exchange and promotion of Cameroonian cultural wealth. It mobilized Cameroonian students, young professionals, and entrepreneurs established in Russian territory.
The commemoration of the 59th anniversary of Cameroon’s Youth Day took the form of a dual celebration: a physical meeting at the Cameroonian Embassy in Moscow on February 8, 2025, and a virtual meeting on Zoom on February 11, 2025. These events brought together a total of more than 150 participants from over 50 cities in Russia, representing diverse backgrounds, including presidents of Cameroonian associations, members of the Diaspocam executive council, deans, honorary guests, and embassy officials.
The diaspora had the honour of welcoming, via video conference, Mr Mounouna Foutsou, Minister of Youth and Civic Education, whose encouragement and vision were a source of inspiration. The Minister outlined the productive initiatives implemented by the Cameroonian government in favour of its youth in the diaspora in Russia, emphasizing the willingness to support projects led by young entrepreneurs through a specific support mechanism and the operationalization of the guarantee fund.
During his address, the Minister recalled the commitments made during the video conference of January 27, 2024, emphasizing the need for increased collaboration between the government and the youth of the diaspora. He stressed the immense potential represented by this youth and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to addressing their concerns.
Among the initiatives put in place to support the youth of the diaspora, he mentioned:
- The Guarantee Fund for Young Entrepreneurs (FOGAJEUNE), which finances projects in four key sectors (agriculture, digital economy, industry/crafts and technological innovation).
- The special DIALYJ window, designed to promote co-ventures between young people from Cameroon and the diaspora.
- The Program to Aid the Return and Integration of Young People from the Diaspora (PARIJEDI), which facilitates the return and integration of young people in Cameroon.
“We express our deep gratitude to the Cameroonian government and personally to Minister Mounouna Foutsou for their support of our initiative,” said the President of Diaspocam, Louis Gouend. “Thanks to their assistance and the support of the Cameroonian Embassy in Russia, we were able to organize this important event, which has strengthened ties between the diaspora and Cameroon.”
Aware of the positive impact of this first celebration, we hope that this innovative initiative will be included in the calendar of activities of the Ministry of Youth and Civic Education for the years to come.
Diaspocam establishes a legal platform to come together, helps each other, interacts and establishes viable strategic networks and partnerships; presents, shares and expands proven diaspora business models; promotes and assists businesses and investments in Cameroon.
It strengthens a good image of Cameroon in Russia while maintaining close liaison with the Cameroonian and Russian governments and any other representative body pursuing objectives similar to those of the Association. Cameroonian Diaspora in the Russian Federation is a public organization which encourages participation, representation, diversity and cooperation between Cameroon, African diaspora and Russian society.
World
African Union Launches Credit Rating Agency to Rival Fitch, Others

By Adedapo Adesanya
The African Union has announced the launch of its rating agency, the African Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA) to provide accurate ratings for countries on the continent.
According to Kenya’s President, Mr William Ruto, while unveiling the new agency at an AU event held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Friday, AfCRA will address biases by global rating firms.
Global firms like Moody’s, Fitch and Standard & Poor (S&P) are some of the ratings agency which provide insights into African countries to aid investors and stakeholders.
There have been criticisms that these ratings lead to higher borrowing costs for African countries and make it harder for them to access international financial markets.
“Global credit rating agencies have not only dealt us a bad hand, they have also deliberately failed Africa,” Mr Ruto stated during the launch.
“They rely on flawed models, outdated assumptions, and systemic bias, painting an unfair picture of our economies and leading to distorted ratings, exaggerated risks, and unjustifiably high borrowing costs.”
According to President Ruto, improving Africa’s rating by one notch could unlock $15.5 billion in additional funding for the continent, which could help replace a significant portion of official development assistance or be invested in Africa’s infrastructure needs.
Despite Africa’s abundant natural wealth, only two African nations are currently ranked as investment grade.
“It is time for Africa to use the right scale, one that reflects its true weight,” Mr Ruto added.
The African Union has previously criticized global rating agencies’ characterization of African economies. In January, the AU pointed out that Moody’s Ratings’ fluctuating assessment of Kenya’s outlook was flawed.
“As the continent continues its march towards economic integration and resilience, the establishment of the African Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA) represents a pivotal step in asserting Africa’s position on global financial governance.”
The agency aims to provide fair, transparent, and development-focused credit ratings that reflect the realities and potential of African economies.
The idea comes more than a year since the AU officially announced its plans to move forward with the project since September 2023.
The push for an African credit rating agency became viable in 2022 when Senegal’s former president Macky Sall, then the chairman of the AU, called for a new system to “end the injustices” faced by African countries.
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