Mining & Finance: Glencore signed a five-year offtake and pre-financing deal with Guinea’s state Nimba Mining Company, with $300m upfront and 10–12m tons of bauxite annually—another signal of investor appetite for West Africa’s minerals. Telecom & Infrastructure Skills: Orange Côte d’Ivoire certified 42 technicians as drone remote pilots after 1,000 hours of training, aiming to improve network maintenance safety and reduce outages. Urban Mobility Logistics: AGL Côte d’Ivoire transported five heavy locomotives (332.28 tons) for Abidjan Metro Line 1, coordinating port unloading, rail placement, and safety/escort operations. Energy/Trade Finance: Ivory Coast raised 110bn CFA francs on the UMOA financial market, underscoring active domestic funding. Regional Business & Payments: BCEAO published the expanded list of 175 authorized institutions to open PI-SPI interoperable instant payments, including major mobile money players in Ivory Coast. Mining Output: Montage Gold said its Koné mine in Côte d’Ivoire achieved first gold pour on budget and ahead of schedule, with resources and infrastructure investments supporting ramp-up. Governance & Compliance: Ivory Coast also moved to clamp down on harmful illegal gold rushes, warning against complicity and tightening enforcement.