By Adedapo Adesanya

The United Kingdom will get its seventh Prime Minister in 10 years as Mr Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday.

The Minister said he is stepping down as leader of the governing Labour Party and will leave office within weeks, scarcely two years after being elected in a landslide.

Mr Starmer says he will remain caretaker prime minister until a new Labour leader is chosen by the party.

Mr Starmer made the announcement after facing growing pressure to hand over to a new leader who can try to revive the government’s flagging fortunes.

He led Labour to a landslide election victory in July 2024, but since then, his popularity and that of the party have plummeted.

His departure was triggered by the victory of Mr Andy Burnham in a special election last week. The popular ex-mayor of Greater Manchester planned to challenge the existing PM for the Labour leadership.

Mr Starmer made the announcement outside the prime minister’s 10 Downing St. residence with a brief statement on Monday.

“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,” Mr Starmer said. “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.

Mr Starmer is the sixth prime minister in a decade to stand outside 10 Downing Street and announce a premature departure.

It comes the day before Britain marks the 10th anniversary of its vote to leave the European Union, a decision that still affects the country’s economy and politics.

Over the past decade, 10 Downing Street has had six occupants, including Mr David Cameron, who left office in 2016 after the Brexit referendum and was succeeded by Ms Theresa May. She was followed by Mr Boris Johnson, whose tenure covered Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. After Mr Johnson came Ms Liz Truss, whose 49-day premiership was the shortest in British history. Mr Rishi Sunak then took office before being succeeded by Mr Starmer, the outgoing occupant of Number 10.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

A financing facility of up to $60 million has been secured by AXIAN Energy, the energy division of the AXIAN Group.

The funding package was provided by MCB, one of the leading financial institutions in the Indian Ocean region.

It comprises a $40 million revolving credit facility with a three-year tenor and extension option, and $20 million in unfunded instruments, providing AXIAN Energy with enhanced financial flexibility, enabling the company to rapidly mobilise resources and seize development opportunities across its target markets.

The energy firm is expected to use the capital to deliver large-scale energy infrastructure projects across Africa.

Over the past two years, AXIAN Energy has significantly accelerated its growth by expanding its renewable energy project pipeline, with solar projects currently under development in Senegal, Benin, Zambia, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, and Burkina Faso.

Building on this momentum, AXIAN Energy now operates a portfolio comprising 350 MW of installed renewable energy capacity, supported by 77 MWh of energy storage capacity, positioning the AXIAN Group as a major contributor to Africa’s energy transition.

The chief executive of AXIAN Energy, Mr Benjamin Memmi, said, “This transaction marks a key milestone in AXIAN Energy’s growth trajectory. It provides us with the financial capacity to sustain the momentum we have built over the past two years, further strengthening our renewable energy portfolio and expanding our presence across new African markets.”

Also commenting, the Global Head of Structured Finance at MCB, Mr Mathieu Delteil, said, “We are proud to support AXIAN Energy in structuring this facility, reaffirming our commitment to enabling transformative projects across Africa.

“By leveraging our sector expertise and deep understanding of regional markets, we have delivered a tailored financing solution that aligns with AXIAN’s long-term renewable energy ambitions.

“This partnership highlights our role as a strategic financial partner, mobilising capital towards investments that drive sustainable growth and accelerate the energy transition across the continent.”

The financing agreement between the two organisations strengthens their long-standing relationship because it is driven by a shared commitment to supporting infrastructure development and economic growth across Africa.

By Adedapo Adesanya

Credit ratings agency, S&P Global Ratings, has restored the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) ​to investment grade, nearly 12 years after its last assessment, citing the entity’s countercyclical lending record and ‌strong shareholder support.

The BBB+ rating with a stable outlook is one notch above Moody’s Baa2 and comes months after Afreximbank severed ties with Fitch Ratings.

The lender accused the agency of misjudging its mission, following a downgrade to junk status amid disagreements over the bank’s role in debt ​restructurings for Ghana and Zambia. Fitch subsequently withdrew its ratings entirely and flagged governance concerns.

S&P said in ​a statement on Thursday that Afreximbank’s record as a countercyclical lender and its substantial shareholder ⁠support served as rationale for its rating. Credit ratings often guide the costs of capital for a borrower.

The lender’s total assets, S&P noted, had expanded to $42.3 billion by the end of 2025, up ​from $7.1 billion in 2015.

S&P said it did not incorporate preferred creditor status into its assessment because Afreximbank ​provides almost 80 per cent of its loans to private-sector entities.

However, it acknowledged that Afreximbank, alongside other institutions, had experienced prolonged payment arrears in ‌recent ⁠years, notably following the defaults and debt restructurings in Ghana and Zambia.

S&P noted that Afreximbank said in December that it had come to an agreement with Ghana on its $750 million loan, but that the lender had not announced a resolution with Zambia.

The agency warned that further sovereign restructurings could weigh on Afreximbank’s asset quality.

S&P’s assessment described Afreximbank’s governance and management as “adequate”, saying the ⁠inclusion of ​two independent directors and the African Development Bank (AfDB) as a permanent board ​member provided institutional oversight.

It noted that while increasing participation of private-sector investors through Class D shares could influence the bank’s risk appetite, Class A ​shareholders retained veto rights over big institutional changes, balancing potential risk.