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Today in Africa — Nov. 4, 2026: What a Democratic Congress Could Mean for U.S.-Africa Policy; Africa Launches Its Own Energy Bank

OkayAfrica has scoured the Internet for today’s major news stories, so you don't have to. On Nov. 4, coverage includes: a record seven first- and second-generation Africans heading to Congress; the Africa Energy Bank’s plan to fund oil and power projects with $5 billion in Capital as traditional lenders pull back; and more.

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Lihle Z. Mtshali Today in Africa & Newsletters Editor
Abdul El-Sayed smiles and raises a hand behind a “Thank you Michigan” sign, with U.S. and Michigan flags behind him.
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants to the U.S., is one of seven first- and second-generation Africans heading to Congress after Democrats won both chambers in the midterm elections yesterday.

Every day, OkayAfrica shares a roundup of news we’re following but haven’t published as full articles. These short updates cover what’s happening across the continent — in culture, politics, and beyond. For more stories like these, check out our News page for updates from across the regions.

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Democrats Win Congress, Raising Questions for U.S.-Africa Policy

Democrats won both chambers of the U.S. Congress in the midterm elections yesterday, Tuesday, November 3, and analysts say the result shifts the mood in Washington more than it shifts policy toward Africa. John Tomaszewski of the National Endowment for Democracy says African countries will "still struggle" to get on the agenda because lawmakers have competing domestic priorities, though Congress will have more room to scrutinize the Trump administration. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the results will "introduce a new era in world relations." Relations between the two countries are at a low point, after the U.S. moved this week to end South Africa's duty-free trade access. Ramaphosa called that "a negative for us," said trade ties continue, and said the focus should be on negotiating a bilateral trade agreement. He said South Africa is also pushing to diversify its export markets.

What a Democratic Congress Could Mean for Africa

  • A record seven first- and second-generation Africans, all Democrats, will serve in the next Congress. Newly elected Ethiopian-American Melat Kiros and Egyptian native Adam Hamawy will join Somali-American Ilhan Omar in the House, and Egyptian-American Dr. Abdul El-Sayed becomes the first Muslim elected to the Senate. Chris Coons, a strong advocate for Africa, will become the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

  • Democrats are expected to use hearings and investigations to revisit the dismantling of USAID and the cuts to foreign aid, but few expect them to try reviving the agency. A bill to protect USAID has 66 Democratic co-sponsors and never got a hearing. Instead, they plan to fight to keep funding health and development programs through the State Department. A former U.S. ambassador said "everybody's moved on" from traditional development aid.

  • Democrats are likely to push for a long-term renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which expires in December 2028. They have also demanded transparency in critical minerals deals with Congo and are expected to scrutinize the 25 bilateral health deals African nations have signed. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says overturning Trump's tariffs would be a top priority.

  • Democrats have called for more U.S. engagement in Sudan, including a special envoy, and for the State Department to engage with Tigray's leadership in Ethiopia. They also want enforcement behind the Washington Accords between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and a bill would authorize sanctions on anyone who undermines them.

  • An African ambassador told Semafor that U.S. visa bans and restrictions affect more than half of sub-Saharan African countries and asked how Washington can promote commerce while African business leaders can't visit. Governments will judge Washington "by what it does, not what Democrats say."

Africa Energy Bank Launches in Abuja With $5 Billion in Authorized Capital

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the African Petroleum Producers' Organization (APPO) have formally announced the Africa Energy Bank (AEB), which launched this week in Abuja, Nigeria. The AEB will operate as an independent, pan-African financial institution with $5 billion in authorized capital. It is being set up as the continent's energy investment needs are estimated at $200 billion and traditional lenders are pulling funding from fossil fuels, even though oil and gas remain vital to Africa's energy systems. At its first general assembly, members appointed Helmy Ghazi as the bank's inaugural president and formed its first board of directors, which includes public and private sector members and policy institutions from across the continent.

What the Bank Will Do

  • It will support projects across the energy value chain: exploration and production, transportation, processing, refining, and distribution.

  • The goal is to strengthen productive capacity, reduce reliance on imported petroleum products, and promote intra-African trade in energy goods.

  • It aims to attract investment from governments, national oil companies, financial institutions, and private investors.

  • The bank says it will bridge the financing gap while supporting a just energy transition, and that significant investment in energy generation and transmission is needed to speed up industrial growth and take advantage of technologies like artificial intelligence.

  • Its mandate includes strong African participation in the energy sector, so Africans shape Africa's energy future.

South Africans Vote in Local Elections Seen as a Tough Test for the ANC

South Africans voted Wednesday in local elections expected to challenge the African National Congress (ANC), the late Nelson Mandela’s party that led the country out of white minority rule but has seen its support decline for a decade. The vote will decide who leads the country's eight main city municipalities, 44 district councils, and 205 local councils, and 546 political parties competed. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who voted in Johannesburg, praised the turnout and said, "We've never really, in years, had a local government election like this, where we have so many parties." Voters do not choose mayors directly. They elect council members, who then pick the mayors. Some voters told the Associated Press that declining basic services motivated them to cast ballots.

Services, Decline, and Rivalries

  • In Alexandra township, the road to the voting station is filled with potholes, leaking sewage, and uncollected waste. First-time voter Karabo Mogano, 21, said, "Nothing works here." In Ekurhuleni, voters waited in long lines, and parts of the city had been without water for days before the vote.

  • The ANC won less than 50% of the vote in the 2021 local elections, the first time since apartheid ended in 1994. It lost its 30-year parliamentary majority in 2024 and formed a national coalition with the Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party, and smaller parties.

  • The DA and ANC are partners nationally but fierce rivals in local races. DA veteran Helen Zille is running for mayor of Johannesburg, testing whether the DA can win ground beyond its traditional base in Cape Town.

  • These are the first local elections for the MK Party, led by former President Jacob Zuma, who was expelled from the ANC in 2024 for starting it. MK was the third-largest party in Parliament after its 2024 debut and has strong support in Zuma's home province, KwaZulu-Natal.

In Brief: More Stories Today

Mother of Slain Ghanaian Teen Javits Frimpong Travels to U.S. as Another Ghanaian Is Found Dead in the Bronx

Doris Adu Gyamfi left Ghana for the U.S. after President Donald Trump granted her an emergency visa, which New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he arranged by phone. Her son, Javits Frimpong, 15, was chased down and shot on his way to school in the Bronx last Thursday, and police have made no arrests as they search for three teenage suspects. "I want justice for my son," she told the BBC, and she is traveling to plan his funeral. Ghana's government has urged a thorough investigation. Separately, social media posts report that Joseph Owusu, 24, an organist at the Ghana United Methodist Church in the Bronx, was found dead at a dumpsite about two weeks after he went missing.

NBA Says It Removed Rwanda's Army Team From African League Over U.S. Sanctions

The NBA says it pulled Rwanda's army-funded APR club from the Basketball Africa League because of U.S. sanctions imposed on the Rwandan army, explaining the removal for the first time. It responded to a letter from U.S. Sens. Jeffrey Merkley and Marsha Blackburn, who warned of "sportswashing." APR stays barred while the sanctions remain, and the RSSB Tigers replaced it this year. Rwanda hosts nearly all the league's finals and reportedly pays the NBA millions a year for marketing and partnership rights.

Kenya's Phoebe Okowa Elected to the International Court of Justice

Kenya's Phoebe Okowa won a full nine-year term on the International Court of Justice starting February 2027, with 183 votes in the UN General Assembly and 13 in the Security Council. She is a professor of public international law at Queen Mary University of London and has served on the United Nations International Law Commission since 2021. Four other judges were also elected from the UK, France, Jordan, and Singapore.

Nigeria's State Police Amendment Clears Threshold of 28 State Legislatures

A Nigerian constitutional amendment to create state police forces won approval from 28 state legislatures, above the 24 needed, the National Assembly said yesterday, Tuesday, November 3. National Assembly clerk Kamoru Ogunlana said the approvals were verified, and the bill now goes to President Bola Tinubu for assent. Supporters say state forces would respond better to local security threats. A single federal force currently handles policing.

Ethiopian-Born U.S. Contractor Pleads Guilty to Passing Classified Intelligence to Ethiopia

Abraham Teklu Lemma, 54, a former U.S. contractor, pleaded guilty to conspiring to transmit national defense information to a foreign government. Prosecutors say he shared dozens of classified documents, including satellite imagery, with senior Ethiopian officials from 2021 until his August 2023 arrest, hoping to help target Tigrayan fighters. He faces up to 22 years in prison, with sentencing set for April 14, 2027.

Kenya Discharges Five Ebola Patients as Contacts Leave Quarantine

Kenya discharged five Ebola patients yesterday, Tuesday, November 3, after lab tests confirmed they cleared the virus, and two patients remain in treatment. Kenya has reported nine cases, two of them fatal, with no new infections since October 19. The health ministry says 46 more contacts left quarantine, and 52 others are expected to be released by November 11.

World Bank Says Corruption Is Holding Back Kenya's Growth

The World Bank says corruption is the "key binding constraint" on Kenya's growth, costing about 2% of GDP a year through higher deficits and borrowing costs. It raised Kenya's 2026 growth forecast to 4.6% from 4.3%, citing a stronger first half. The Treasury's Chris Kiptoo said reforms are underway and the government expects growth of at least 5%. The bank warned that fiscal slippage and next August's election add risks.

Dangote Launches $2.5 Billion Fuel Storage and Pipeline Project in Namibia

Aliko Dangote launched a $2.5 billion fuel storage and regional pipeline project in Walvis Bay, Namibia, expected to take 18 to 20 months to complete. The tank farm will hold about 600 million liters, eight times the capacity of Namibia's national storage facility. Dangote says the site could connect to Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and possibly the Democratic Republic of Congo via a 1,700-kilometer pipeline.

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