Today in Africa — October 26, 2026: Senegal Gears Up for Africa’s First Olympic-Branded Event on Saturday; Nigeria Reclaims Top Spot for Startup Funding

The Games are the first Youth Olympics in Africa. IOC official Christophe Dubi called them "monumental" for the continent, and Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry, the IOC's first woman and first African president, previously chaired the Dakar 2026 coordination commission.

Baseball5 and Wushu Taolu debut at the Youth Olympics. A refugee team of six East African athletes, mentored by Kenyan Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, will compete in athletics, judo, and taekwondo.

On March 11, Senegal’s parliament voted 135 to 0, with three abstentions, to double the maximum prison term for same-sex conduct to 10 years. The law also criminalizes "promotion" of homosexuality and support or financing of LGBT people and organizations, with up to seven years in prison.

Between February and July, RADDHO, a human rights non-governmental organization, counted at least 212 arrests, and HIV Justice Network counted more than 300. HRW says authorities forced HIV tests on most detainees and used positive results to add charges. A doctor in Dakar said one-third of patients no longer come to HIV treatment appointments.

HRW says lawyers fear being accused of "promotion" if they represent detainees, and that confidential case details were leaked to the media. 

It urges President Diomaye Faye to publicly commit to protecting everyone involved in the Games from discrimination and arbitrary arrests. HRW says it wrote to Senegalese authorities on September 29 and has received no response.

The number of Nigerian startups raising at least $100,000 rose to 77 from 70 a year earlier. Concentration among a few established firms underscores the challenge of getting funding to smaller and early-stage startups.

Continent-wide, startup funding reached about $2.16 billion over the nine months, a slight decline from the previous year.

Logistics and transport overtook fintech in total funding, with $780 million versus $760 million. Electric mobility company Spiro raised $345 million, alongside Moove's $250 million.

Fintech still leads by number of funded companies, with 80 startups raising at least $100,000 each.

Separate data from Techmoonshot Africa shows African startups passed $2 billion in late September, with the third quarter the strongest of the year at $583 million. Fewer companies are getting funded, and challenges include the jump from seed to Series A and a reliance on debt financing.

Last month, a politician was beaten to death after promoting Ebola prevention measures. In August, the Red Cross said its volunteers were injured, and an ambulance was set on fire in 11 violent incidents during the first 100 days of the outbreak.

Only essential travelers, including aid workers, truck drivers, and security personnel, can cross from DR Congo into Uganda, subject to strict health screening. 

The new rules follow questions over Nigeria's and Kenya's first cases. Both patients tested positive after traveling through Uganda, though Uganda has reported no cases since August. About 60 people monitored after contact with the Kenyan patient have been discharged.

Nigeria's patient, the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat, was flown from Abuja to Switzerland today, Monday, October 26, with her husband, who has shown no symptoms. Nigeria's health ministry says she is stable, conscious, and able to communicate. Authorities are still trying to establish where she contracted the virus.

In Kenya, the first 20 contacts of the first case went home after 21 days in quarantine, and 98 others are still being supervised. Seven people who tested positive are stable. A second woman, related to the Kenyan businessman, died over the weekend.