Category Archives: African News

African Business News

Five Tech Megatrends that can Transform African economies in 2021 and beyond

Photo Credit: Scott Webb (Pexels.com)

The world has been experiencing massive digital disruption with the relentless rollout and adoption of disruptive and innovative technologies. Embracing digital disruption is daunting, since it is extremely unsettling with the rapid change brought about within societies and the severe impact on unskilled labor. Even if the African continent will not be spared by digital […]

Top 5 African News Portal

Newspaper is an essential part of a civilized society. A newspaper is a paper with information about the economy, politics, business, sports, entertainment, etc. The popularity of website-based newspapers is rising as everybody can read them from anywhere. Today, we will discuss the top five African news portals in short. AllAfrica.com is a renowned news […]

Dubai-based prominent African entrepreneur and philanthropist, Mahmood Ahmadu, conferred the Forbes ‘Best of Africa’ Award

Mahmood Ahmadu, founder and executive chairman of Online Integrated Solutions

The founder and executive chairman of Online Integrated Solutions is one of three leading African business luminaries to receive the prestigious recognition In a virtual ceremony held on September 11th 2020, Mr. Mahmood Ahmadu – founder of Africa’s leading multi-business IT conglomerate – was one of three celebrated business leaders to be presented the Forbes […]

Has the PE industry failed Sub-Saharan Africa?

View from the Carlton Centre, Africa's tallest building. Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. Photo Credit: Adamina (www.flickr.com).

African PE (Private equity) firms raised less than $20bn in the decade to 2018, equivalent to just 2.5 per cent of the capital raised by the world’s emerging markets, according to a Preqin report. Moreover, most of that African capital was invested into the relatively advanced economies of South Africa and North Africa, with very […]

The impact of Brexit on South Africa and Africa

View from the Carlton Centre, Africa's tallest building. Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. Photo Credit: Adamina (www.flickr.com).

By Morne van der Merwe, Managing Partner and Head of the Corporate/M&A Practice,  Baker McKenzie Johannesburg  Countries in Africa are preparing for the reality that a hard Brexit could lead to increased risk aversion and reduced investor appetite for trade in the region. Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), said recently that […]

African elephants under continued threat of poaching, warns UN-backed report

An updated assessment by a United Nations Environment Programme-administered treaty has confirmed that poaching continues to threaten the long-term survival of the African elephant. Based on the Proportion of Illegally Killed Elephants data, or PIKE, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has evaluated the levels of illegal […]

Investing in Africa: An Outlook on Nigeria and Ethiopia

Africa-regions. Source: Wikipedia

Itumeleng Mukhovha, an associate in the Corporate/M&A practice at Baker McKenzie in Johannesburg One can easily assume that international investors are deterred from investing in Africa given the growing need to weather a global financial crisis, which has been distorted by Brexit, rising geopolitical tensions, tightened global liquidity conditions, leveraged loans and sketchy debts that […]

Towards a world without waste

African Business News

The invention of plastic has changed the world in so many ways – for both better and worse – that it’s hard to picture modern life without it. Instinctively, we might think a plastic-free world could only be an improvement, but that would be to ignore the extent to which plastic is interwoven in almost […]

Improved housing doubles in Sub-Saharan Africa

A new study led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Imperial College London and Malaria Atlas Project, University of Oxford has revealed that improved housing had doubled on the African continent between 2000 and 2015. The study published in the “Nature International Journal of Science” is the first accurate estimate of urban […]

What Angola can learn from Nigeria as it creates remarkable opportunities for marginal oil production

NJ Ayuk is the founder and CEO of Centurion Law Group and the executive chair of the Africa Energy Chamber of Commerce.

The Nigerian experience with marginal oil field development had measurable success, with 24 licenses awarded to 31 companies, some as sole operators and others as joint-ventures With production declining and investment scarce, the Angolan leadership has put in place a number of new policies to reboot its oil industry and propel economic development. However, those […]

African trade amongst African countries: with the groundwork laid, innovation and infrastructure investment are needed to unleash the continent’s economic potential

By James Hall Analysis in Brief: The benefits of boosting the low rate of trade amongst African countries are undeniable. The countries signing on to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) know this. However, inertia to break old trade barriers and against building value-added industries to replace foreign imports is the challenge to overcome. As […]

The trade of illegal weapons implicates senior government officials in Djibouti – Report

Map of Djibouti. Author Alvaro1984 18

EXX Africa (EXXAfrica.com) published a special report on the arms trade in the Horn of Africa. The trade of illegal weapons implicates senior government officials in Djibouti, which suggests that the Doraleh port terminal, which is now under government control and suffers from porous customs checks, will increasingly be leveraged as an arms trade hub. However, […]

Farming module provides locally produced food all year round

A new, unique solution enables profitable ecological cultivation in urban environments Exsilio, a Finnish enterprise, has developed a high-tech solution for cultivating salad and herbs, among others, in urban environments. The solution comprises a redesigned container, where ecological local food can be cultivated efficiently. “Our solution is ideal for example for restaurants and institutional kitchens […]

Consolidation of the fintech ecosystem in Africa, Good or Bad?

‘Mobile money’ used to be a catch-all phrase, describing everything from consumer wallets to building agent networks, lending, and international remittances. However, African fintech has gradually matured into an industry with specialist roles, and more players in the market every year. This shift has seen more companies take on niche roles. This makes strong partnerships […]

Development Impact Bonds: An Opportunity For Private Investors In Africa?

Africa is a land that provides much opportunity for growth and development in poverty elimination, education and empowerment of the masses. The recent ratification of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) brings much focus on investments required for African developmental targets. According to the African Infrastructure Country Diagnostic estimation, Africa is in need of at least […]

Two things I wish I had known when I started a small business

By Steven Cohen, Head of Sage One International (Africa, Australia, Middle East and Asia) One of the questions other entrepreneurs most often ask me is what I wish I had known when we first started the Pastel business in 1990. Looking back over the past 26 years, I can distil my answer into two key […]

Hoyahoye Ethiopian Ancient Tradition

Ethiopia is truly a place of great culture and celebrations. One worth witnessing is Buhe which is celebrated on August 19 of every year. Religiously the day marks the transfiguration of Jesus on mount Tabor. The celebration performed by young boys and men all over Ethiopia is breathtaking and exciting to watch in Addis Ababa […]

Why it’s the best time to invest in the Ethiopian Hotel Industry

While the Ethiopian economy continue to enjoy double digit growth, the hospitality sector is poised for further growth in the wake of increased number of inbound travelers into the country with expected opening of the AU Grand Hotel, Pullmann, Crowne Plaza,Wyndham Hotel Group, Crowne Plaza, Accor Group and Best Western. Being the third largest diplomatic […]

Ashenda the green carnival

Seriously who would not like a colorful most glamorized Carnival street parties. Let your good times roll at Ethiopia’s unique Ashenda festivals. The celebration is exclusive to Lasta Lalibela, North Sekota and Tigray. It is known as “Ashenda” throughout Tigray, “Shadey” in Wag Hemra and by “Solel” in Raya Kobo. Costumed revelers board throwing beads […]

Little known incredible facts about Ethiopia

Ever assumed Ethiopia is a place of just a common thing. Nope, it’s truly a stunning and adventures country with globally praised competitive economy in Africa.  At a glance Jumia Travel Africa’s leading online hotel booking website identified little known facts about Ethiopia you probably never heard before. Truly Ethiopia is far from a place […]

Singapore bets on Africa’s Agricultural Sector

Otavio Veras, Research Associate of the NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies Synopsis With more than 60% of its 1.166 billion people[1],[2] living in rural areas, Africa’s economy is inherently dependent on agriculture. More than 32% of the continent’s gross domestic product comes from the sector. However, agricultural productivity still remains far from developed world standards. […]

SEZs and the Industrialisation Drive in Africa

Dr. Adefolake Adeyeye Research Fellow of the NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies Africa has not had tremendous success with special economic zones (SEZs). Reasons for this include policies and institutional frameworks, unfriendly business environments, lack of zone management expertise and an infrastructure deficit. While some African countries are actively involved in reforms to reduce the […]