Shadow Fleet Watch: Russian oil tankers are increasingly flying African flags—using weak governance links from ports to islands including Comoros—to keep sanctioned crude moving and fund the war, with the shadow fleet now numbering over 1,000 vessels worldwide. Food–Climate–Water Focus: A new Africa-wide framework argues the fastest gains come from tackling food, climate, and water stress together, not as separate crises. Africa–France Dealmaking: President William Ruto used the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi to push a “win-win” Africa–France partnership based on sovereign equality and investment over aid, while calling for reforms to the global financial system and support for transport, energy transition, and green industry. Development Finance Gap: Coverage also highlights how shrinking aid and rising SDG funding gaps are squeezing development budgets across the continent. Agriculture Investment: IITA says it has put about 410.75bn/- into Tanzania over 2012–Dec 2024, funding research, staff, and infrastructure to boost productivity and resilience.