Trending Now - Africa Faces New Challenges Amid Global Crisis Beyond Its Control

WHO:

Adegbola Isaac, Lagos taxi driver

Zainab Usman, senior research scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy

Olufola Wusu, Lagos-based oil and gas expert

United Nations (UN)

U.N. Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Washington Nyakarize, informal cellphone trader in Harare

Dangote Refinery

WHAT:

Fuel price in Lagos reached 1,350 naira ($0.99) per liter, a nearly 35% increase since the Iran war started.

Kenya's flower industry reported weekly losses of up to $1.4 million since the Iran war began.

The government of Zimbabwe plans to increase fuel blending with ethanol from 5% to 20%.

Dangote Refinery completed the sale of 12 shipments of refined petroleum products to several African countries.

WHERE:

Lagos, Nigeria

Kenya

Uganda

South Africa

Zimbabwe

Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Tanzania, Ghana, Togo

WHEN:

The Iran war began on February 28, 2026.

A 2025 report by UNCTAD described Africa as “the epicenter of overlapping global crises.”

The UN made statements on March 24, 2026.

WHY:

The economic impacts on Africa are due to the conflict in the Middle East, which has led to a global scramble for critical resources like fuel and fertilizer.

African countries are net importers of refined oil products, making them vulnerable to global economic shocks.

HOW:

The United Nations is pursuing a way to allow fertilizer to resume safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

African governments are looking for alternative routes for fuel supplies due to the global squeeze in oil supply.

(UPDATED March 28, 2026 13:19 UTC)

Fuel prices in Lagos have surged to 1,350 naira, or about 99 cents per liter, marking a nearly 35% increase since the Iran war began on February 28. Meanwhile, Kenya's flower industry is facing weekly losses of up to 1.4 million dollars, and Zimbabwe plans to boost fuel blending with ethanol from 5% to 20% in response to the ongoing crisis. In a related development, the United Nations is working to ensure safe transit of fertilizer through the Strait of Hormuz, while African governments are seeking alternative fuel supply routes amid the global economic challenges.