Retail Operations & Automation: YRC flags retail warehouses in fast-growing markets lagging global automation by ~5 years, with heavy manual fulfilment, rising labour costs, and delivery failures cutting into margins. Inflation Watch (Nigeria): Nigeria’s headline inflation eased to 15.91% in June (from 15.93%), but food inflation rose to 17.52%, keeping household pressure high ahead of the July 21 CBN rate decision. Customs Transparency (Nigeria): Nigeria’s House of Reps demands full details of N34tn import duty waivers granted in 2025, focusing on beneficiaries and legal basis. Fuel Pricing & Competition (Nigeria): S&P says Dangote Refinery is shielding consumers from global fuel price shocks, while PETROAN urges government to restart state refineries to restore competition and reduce single-supplier FX risk. Digital Payments (Nigeria): Wema Bank reports processing over N18tn transactions in 12 months, underscoring fintech momentum. AI in Retail (Africa): magicpin rolls out AI assistant “Vera” to six countries, aiming to expand merchant demand-planning tools beyond India. Health Products (South Africa): Sun Pharma gets SAHPRA approval to manufacture and market generic semaglutide. Trade Momentum (Africa): African trade keeps growing despite FX and payment frictions, with China imports from Africa rising after expanded zero-tariff policy.