News Digest | 18 June 2026 - Trendtype Africa and Middle East
UAE, Agthia Group launches date-sweetened energy drink Fuell. UAE, Lalamove expands to all seven emirates and launches two new services. Nigeria, Payaza Africa launches ShopAza e-commerce platform for small businesses. Nigeria, PZ Cussons raises full-year profit forecast on 6% revenue growth. UAE, ADCAN Pharma partners with Spain's Galenicum to expand manufacturing capabilities. UAE, Toys"R"Us opens new store at Dubai Mall.
UAE: Agthia Group launches date-sweetened energy drink FuellAgthia Group has launched Fuell in the UAE, an energy drink sweetened with dates that also contains guarana and Korean red ginseng. The company describes it as the first energy drink to use dates as a sweetener. It is currently available in select outlets. UAE: Lalamove expands to all seven emirates and launches two new servicesLalamove has launched two new services in the UAE and extended its coverage from Dubai to all seven emirates, a year after entering the market. Its driver network grew tenfold over the period. The new services add larger vehicles for bulk deliveries and a shared delivery option. The UAE e-commerce market is projected to reach $9. 2 billion by 2026. Nigeria: Payaza Africa launches ShopAza e-commerce platform for small businessesPayaza Africa is launching ShopAza, a cloud-based e-commerce platform for small businesses, in Lagos on 18 June 2026. The platform covers inventory tracking, payment collection, and multi-currency transactions. It will be available in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania, with North American and European markets also included. Africa’s informal e-commerce market, conducted largely through social media, is projected to reach $33 billion by 2026. Nigeria: PZ Cussons raises full-year profit forecast on 6% revenue growthPZ Cussons, owner of Imperial Leather, has revised its full-year operating profit forecast upwards and now expects to reach or exceed the top of its £53m–£57m guidance range. The company cited 6% like-for-like revenue growth and stabilisation of the Nigerian naira, its largest market. Net debt fell by more than £80m through asset sales. Shares rose 8% on the news. UAE: ADCAN Pharma partners with Spain’s Galenicum to expand manufacturing capabilitiesADCAN Pharma has partnered with Spain’s Galenicum to expand its manufacturing and regulatory capabilities. The two companies will work within ADCAN’s existing GMP-certified infrastructure, with the aim of improving supply chain reliability and medicine availability in the UAE. UAE: Toys”R”Us opens new store at Dubai MallToys”R”Us will open a new store at Dubai Mall on 19 June 2026. South Africa: Pick n Pay Express Mamelodi Gardens reopens after refurbishmentPick n Pay Express at the corner of Hinterland and Broadway Street in Mamelodi Gardens, Tshwane, has reopened after a refurbishment. The store has been trading for over a decade and serves as a convenience outlet for the surrounding neighbourhood. Egypt: Unipack reports 72% decline in Q1 2026 net profitsUniversal for Paper and Packaging Materials (Unipack) reported a 72. 4% fall in consolidated net profits in Q1 2026, to EGP 2. 97 million from EGP 10. 73 million a year earlier. Net sales edged down to EGP 376. 1 million from EGP 387. 4 million. The Egyptian self-adhesive products manufacturer cited pressure in both domestic and international markets. Morocco: Pickalbatros Hotels secures $200 million World Bank loan to add 800 roomsEgypt’s Pickalbatros Hotels & Resorts has secured a $200 million World Bank loan to add 800 hotel rooms across Casablanca and Marrakech. The International Finance Corporation is expected to contribute part of a total investment cost estimated at $350 million. The World Bank says this is its first tourism-sector loan to a private company in Africa. Morocco recorded 19. 8 million tourist arrivals in 2025. South Africa: Tongaat secures rescue deal to convert R14 billion debt to equityTongaat has agreed a rescue plan that will convert its R14 billion debt into equity and restructure operations under a new holding company, Vision Investment Holding Company. The Industrial Development Corporation will take a stake in the new structure. The company’s regional businesses are profitable, but its South African operations have struggled with import competition and debt servicing. A stock market relisting could follow in three to five years if the restructuring holds. Togo: Adétikopé Industrial Platform secures 350 billion CFA francs in investmentTogo’s Adétikopé Industrial Platform has secured 350 billion CFA francs in investment and now hosts 25 companies, concentrated in soy processing and textiles. The platform has created 6,580 jobs, the majority held by Togolese workers. The government plans to double the number of industrial units and bring total employment to 20,000 by 2030. South Africa: Mpact shuts BM6 cartonboard machine at Springs Mill amid import pressureMpact has shut down its BM6 coated cartonboard machine at Springs Mill in South Africa after cheaper imports undercut local prices by 20%. The closure was driven by global oversupply and high municipal tariffs, which made the line unprofitable. The company said its other divisions remain financially sound but noted that remaining operations may depend on government tariff protection. Nigeria: NutriK to source groundnuts locally in Kano for therapeutic food productionNutriK plans to source groundnuts locally in Kano, Nigeria, for use in therapeutic food production. The move is expected to cut costs and increase output. EU Ambassador Gautier Mignot visited the facility as part of a delegation assessing its impact on nutrition and local employment. UNICEF has pointed to the need for more local therapeutic food production in Nigeria. Disclaimer:This content is provided for informational purposes only. View our fullDisclaimerfor details.