| Welcome to Next Africa, a twice-weekly newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed. Sign up here to have it delivered to your email. Anger among the swelling ranks of young and ambitious Africans over a lack of opportunity has reached boiling point. Protests have flared in recent days in Morocco and Madagascar, with thousands of people taking to the streets to vent their fury about economic exclusion, slipshod government services and other grievances. The upheaval follows on the heels of Gen Z demonstrations in Kenya, Togo, Nepal, Indonesia and Bangladesh.  A police vehicle burns during a protest in Sale, Morocco, on Wednesday. Photographer: Abdel Majid Bziouat/AFP/Getty Images Three people have died in Morocco and more than 1,000 were detained, marking the most serious wave of unrest since the Arab Spring more than a decade ago. Geared up by a leaderless, tech-savvy group dubbed GenZ212, the demonstrators are especially angered by profligate spending on the 2030 football World Cup. In Madagascar, at least 22 people have been killed and President Andry Rajoelina is facing ongoing calls to resign, despite having sacked his entire government. The 51-year-old former mayor first held power in the Indian Ocean island nation after a 2009 coup and returned to office after winning 2018 elections. Pangea-Risk warns the civil unrest may spread to other African nations. The advisory firm sees Uganda, where more than half of the population is less than 30 years old and octogenarian leader Yoweri Museveni is vying for a seventh term in office, as one potential flashpoint. Another is the Democratic Republic of Congo — three-quarters of its population is younger than 25 and appalling living standards make them vulnerable to radicalization.  WATCH: A Gen Z protest in Morocco. Ubiquitous use of social media has enhanced the visibility of protest movements and their ability to bring about change — which in part explains their rapid spread across borders. The demonstrations are a stark warning to an old guard intent on clinging to power, but have done little to improve the lot of their people. — Helen Nyambura Key stories and opinion:
Gen Z Protesters Urge Morocco’s King to Dismiss Government
Europe Urges Restraint After 22 Killed in Madagascar Protests
Morocco’s Gen Z Protests Focus Ire on Lavish World Cup Spending
Togolese Protests Seeking President Gnassingbé’s Ouster Blocked
Malawi President's Return Is Triumph and Tragedy: Justice Malala The Bloomberg Africa Business Summit, an official sideline event of B20 South Africa 2025, convenes global leaders on Nov. 17 and 18 to address the critical issues shaping Africa’s future. Register your interest to attend. Suhair Salih canceled the lease on her bakery in Cairo last month and boarded a train for Sudan — joining a flood of returnees heading back to the capital Khartoum, even as a 30-month civil war persists. “I found my house totally looted — life is very tough,” she said. The army, which continues to fight a paramilitary force in a war estimated to have killed 150,000 people, says it will rebuild the city. Reconstruction nationwide may cost $130 billion, and there’s little clarity where the money will come from.  Damaged buildings on the southwestern outskirts of Khartoum. Photographer: Ebrahhmi Havey/AFP/Getty Images A US accord that grants more than 1,800 products from 32 African nations duty-free access to the world’s biggest market expired, halting a decades-old program to promote development on the continent. While President Donald Trump’s administration supports extending the African Growth and Opportunity Act, that will require an act of Congress. US lawmakers have been focused on a government-funding standoff, which triggered a shutdown. Nigeria suffered significant crude and gas production losses during a three-day oil workers’ strike that impacted the giant Dangote refinery. Africa’s biggest crude producer lost 283,000 barrels of output within the first 24 hours of the protest, officials at the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Co. said. The strike ended on Wednesday after the refinery agreed to reassign workers who were fired for alleged sabotage.  The Dangote refinery. Photographer: Benson Ibeabuchi/Bloomberg Share prices across Africa are soaring, drawing renewed attention from global investors chasing returns amid a tariff war and rising geopolitical risks. Ghana’s stock market is the best-performing in dollar terms this year. Zambia was in second place, Nigeria in 14th, Kenya in 15th and South Africa just outside the top 20. Those nations have sought reforms to reduce budget deficits and boost economic growth. All but Zambia have also started easing interest rates after inflation slowed. Firebrand South African politician Julius Malema was convicted of violating gun laws for firing a weapon at a political rally in 2018. Malema heads the Economic Freedom Fighters, which advocates for the expropriation of mines and land. The party won 39 of the 400 National Assembly seats in last year’s elections. Malema will be disqualified from serving in the legislature if he’s sentenced to more than 12 months in prison without the option of a fine. He plans to appeal the judgment.  Julius Malema. Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo sentenced former President Joseph Kabila to death in absentia for treason, and fined him more than $30 billion, for his alleged support of an armed group. He was found guilty of throwing his weight behind the Rwanda-backed M23 rebellion, which seized a large swath of Congo’s mineral-rich east. Kabila, who was president from 2001 to 2019, recently appeared in the occupied territory, transiting through Rwanda. He has said he’s trying to promote peace and denied wrongdoing. Next Africa Quiz — Which nation has the highest GDP per capita in Africa? Send your answers to gbell16@bloomberg.net.  Watch our monthly Next Africa show on Bloomberg TV, where Jennifer Zabasajja takes us through some of the continent’s biggest stories. Data Watch - Kenya’s economy grew 5% in the second quarter, slightly faster than in the prior three months, as lower borrowing costs spurred private-sector credit.
- Eskom, South Africa’s state power utility, reported its first full-year profit in eight years and is preparing to sell bonds without government backing.
- Zambia is seeking a 12-month extension of its International Monetary Fund program and hopes to get a deal by year-end that includes additional financing.
Coming Up - Oct. 7 South Africa reserves data & central bank government bond holdings for September, Mauritius inflation & reserves, Kenya interest-rate decision, Seychelles inflation data for September
- Oct. 8 Tanzania and Angola inflation data for September
- Oct. 9 Namibia inflation for September, South Africa manufacturing production-data for August
- Oct. 10 Senegal, Rwanda and Mozambique inflation for September, Bloomberg’s October South Africa Economic Survey
 On this week’s Next Africa podcast, economics editor Monique Vanek and reporter Ben Bartenstein join Jennifer Zabasajja to discuss how Nigeria and South Africa could exit a global dirty-money list. | 
