Bridging South Africa’s Media Skills Gap with Industry‑Backed Learning 

The Advertising Media Association of South Africa (AMASA), in partnership with the AAA School of Advertising, has launched an updated Media Management Competence Certificate to address South Africa’s growing media skills gap. Combining industry-led training, practical learning, and a newly developed media planning textbook, the four-month hybrid programme equips professionals with the strategic, digital, and analytical skills needed to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving media landscape. The initiative supports the development of future-ready media talent as brands, agencies, and media owners adapt to increasingly complex consumer and technology trends.

The Continent Is Not Waiting. Africa’s Creators Are Already Building the Economy

Africa’s creator economy is rapidly emerging as one of the continent’s fastest-growing industries, driven by millions of young entrepreneurs, artists, filmmakers, musicians, and digital creators. In this opinion piece, Daniel Kojo Soboh, CEO and Founder of EMY Africa, argues that Africa’s youth are already building a multi-billion-dollar economy through creativity, technology, and cultural innovation. He explores how the creator economy is transforming employment, exports, investment, and global perceptions of Africa while calling on governments, investors, and businesses to provide the infrastructure needed to sustain this unprecedented growth.

Why African Investors Should Look Beyond the Ceasefire

The Middle East ceasefire has eased market tensions, but African investors should remain cautious. Cliff Bakashaba, Head of Investments at Jubilee Asset Management Limited, explains how geopolitical shocks continue to affect inflation, currencies, interest rates and investment performance across Africa. The article explores why long-term investors, insurers and asset managers must look beyond short-term market relief and focus on resilience, risk management and country-specific investment strategies.

Open Startup Marks 10 Years with The Science Road for African Science and Deep Tech Ventures 

Open Startup has launched The Science Road, a new pan-African strategy to accelerate science, deep tech and research-led startups as the organisation celebrates its 10th anniversary. The initiative combines startup acceleration, early-stage financing through the new Openers First investment arm, and strategic partnerships with universities, investors and industry leaders to help African innovations move from research labs to global markets. The platform aims to strengthen Africa’s innovation ecosystem by supporting ventures in artificial intelligence, health, climate technology and other high-impact sectors.

South Africa Risks Turning BNPL into a Credit-Exclusion Trigger without Fairer Scoring Rules

South Africa risks turning Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) into a credit exclusion trigger if scoring systems fail to properly interpret short-term instalment data. Experts warn that integrating BNPL into traditional credit models could unfairly lower credit scores for responsible borrowers, particularly younger and lower-income consumers. Regulators have paused BNPL data integration as concerns grow over financial inclusion and scoring accuracy.

Brice & Burnett named South Africa’s Best Luxury Wine Retailer

Brice & Burnett, formerly Wine Cellar, has been named South Africa’s Best Luxury Wine Retailer by the Luxury Lifestyle Awards, recognising 25 years of excellence in fine wine curation and client service. The brand is celebrated for its premium selection of local and international wines, investment portfolios, brokerage services, and expert cellaring solutions. This award highlights its leadership in shaping South Africa’s luxury wine market.

Driven by AI, customers now rival criminals for ecommerce fraud, say merchants

Global ecommerce fraud is entering a new phase as AI accelerates both criminal activity and customer-driven abuse, according to Ravelin’s Global Fraud Trends 2026 report. Merchants now report rising losses—averaging $11.4m annually—as fraud increasingly blurs the line between external attackers and first-party customers. With 64% experiencing AI-enabled fraud and one in three lacking AI defenses, businesses are struggling to keep pace with automated attacks such as card testing, refund abuse, and account takeover. The study highlights a widening “AI gap” in fraud prevention, where merchants lag behind increasingly sophisticated, AI-powered fraud tactics impacting revenue, reputation, and customer trust.