News Digest | 7 July 2026 - Trendtype Africa and Middle East
Angola, GMA and Soufflet Negoce partner to launch professional bakery school. Nigeria, L&Z Integrated Farms doubles Kadawa milk collection capacity. Zimbabwe, Hippo Valley Estates reports FY2026 revenue up 15% to US$221 million. Kenya, Kipenzi Sugar plans KES1. 46 billion greenfield sugar factory in Siaya. Global, Marriott replaces PepsiCo with Coca-Cola as exclusive beverage supplier. Nigeria, FoodCourt suspends operations across all branches.
Angola: GMA and Soufflet Negoce partner to launch professional bakery schoolGrandes Moagens de Angola (GMA), the milling arm of Webcor Group, has signed a partnership with France’s Soufflet Negoce by InVivo to open Angola’s first professional bakery school. GMA provides local milling knowledge while its French partner supplies baking and milling training. The school will train bakers working in both artisanal bakeries and industrial bread production. Nigeria: L&Z Integrated Farms doubles Kadawa milk collection capacityL&Z Integrated Farms has doubled the milk handling capacity of its collection centre in Kadawa, Kano State, from 10,000 to 20,000 litres. The upgraded centre was commissioned by Nigeria’s livestock minister. L&Z runs nine solar-powered collection centres across Kano, Jigawa and Bauchi, serving over 4,000 smallholder farmers, and plans to add 3,000 more by end-2026. Zimbabwe: Hippo Valley Estates reports FY2026 revenue up 15% to US$221 millionSugar estate Hippo Valley Estates reported revenue up 15% to US$221 million for the year to 31 March 2026, with net profit rising 79% to US$24 million and operating profit up 337% to US$34 million. It sold 234,975 tonnes of sugar, about half of Zimbabwe’s total, as export volumes rose 114%. A dividend of 1. 50 US cents was declared. Kenya: Kipenzi Sugar plans KES1. 46 billion greenfield sugar factory in SiayaSugar manufacturer Kipenzi Sugar Limited plans a KES1. 46 billion (US$11. 3 million) greenfield sugar factory in Mur-Malanga, Siaya County. The mill will start with a crushing capacity of 1,250 tonnes of cane per day, expandable to 2,500, producing around 138 tonnes of sugar daily. It will source cane from contracted outgrowers within a 15-kilometre radius. Global: Marriott replaces PepsiCo with Coca-Cola as exclusive beverage supplierMarriott has ended its beverage partnership with PepsiCo after more than three decades and named Coca-Cola its exclusive supplier across more than 10,000 hotels in 146 countries. The switch began on 1 July, covering soft drinks, water and other non-alcoholic drinks. Coca-Cola products will reach Marriott’s African hotels gradually as part of the phased global rollout. Nigeria: FoodCourt suspends operations across all branchesCloud kitchen startup FoodCourt, backed by Y Combinator, has suspended operations across its Lekki, Obanikoro and Abuja branches after mounting debts left it unable to pay staff and suppliers. Kitchen workers struck over unpaid wages in March 2026, and the app stopped taking orders by 4 March. Its last operating site paused in April as it sought fresh funding. Kenya: Absa and Unilever sign KES4 billion distributor financing programmeAbsa Bank Kenya and Unilever have signed a KES4 billion financing programme for Unilever’s distributors and their retailers, lent without collateral through Absa’s Wezesha Stock platform. Unilever’s distributors serve over 140,000 retailers of brands such as Omo, Sunlight and Royco. The phased rollout starts with more than 10 distributors. Nigeria: PZ Cussons reports FY2026 pre-tax profit up 364% to N77. 32 billionPZ Cussons Nigeria reported pre-tax profit up 364% to N77. 32 billion for the year to 31 May 2026. The maker of household and personal care brands credited stronger revenue, cost cuts and better operating performance, recovering from prior-year foreign-exchange losses and high input costs. Egypt: Agility signs US$35 million Suez Canal logistics hub agreementLogistics group Agility, based in Kuwait, has signed a US$35 million agreement with Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone to develop an integrated logistics hub with distribution centres. The 53,000 square metre platform is expected to create about 400 jobs, adding to a zone pipeline that has drawn US$8. 3 billion. Egypt: Coca-Cola HBC opens Cairo digital hub serving 27 marketsCoca-Cola HBC has opened a digital hub in Cairo that will build and run software for its operations across 27 markets in Europe and Africa. It employs about 250 people, expected to reach 450 by 2027, generating an estimated US$34 million a year in digital export revenues for Egypt. Kenya: Communications Authority introduces courier hailing licence for delivery appsKenya’s Communications Authority has created a 10-year Courier Hailing Service Provider licence for app-based delivery platforms such as Uber, Bolt, Glovo and Little. From 29 July, operators pay a KSh100,000 initial fee and annual fees of KSh100,000 or 0. 4% of turnover, whichever is higher, plus a 0. 5% universal service levy. Disclaimer:This content is provided for informational purposes only. View our fullDisclaimerfor details.