Monday, December 9African Digital Business Magazine

African News

African Business News

African News, Startups

First of Its Kind Fund Launches to Fuel Sustainable Development Goal-Driven Innovation in Africa

Focussed on catalysing dramatic change via disruptive tech investments in emerging markets, the Global Innovation Initiative Group (GIIG), has today announced the launch of a unique profit and purpose fund aimed at investing in early-stage tech innovation startups across Africa. The GIIG Africa Fund, a Curaçao-based private investment fund, will invest annually in the winners pool from the African region of the Global Startup Awards (GSA), the worlds’ largest independent start-up ecosystem competition. The aim: to stimulate entirely new industries, accelerate cross-border collaboration and unlock access to new markets across Africa. As the exclusive rights holder for the Awards, GIIG will have access to an active pipeline throughout the African continent comprised of vetted participants a...
African News, Burkina Faso News, Main, Mali News, Niger News

The Sahel faces further destabilisation from the jihadi gold rush

Africa’s Sahel, a region separating the Sahara Desert to the north and savannas to the south, is notorious for widespread poverty and persistent conflict. In fact, Western Sahel, especially Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, is the most unstable area on the continent. For years, terrorist attacks have been a frequent occurrence but recently the region has been facing a new threat - a wave of extremist violence targeting gold mines. Groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State have been taking over gold mines and becoming increasingly involved in the informal gold trade. ‘More than 2m people are involved in small-scale mining in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger’, reported the International Crisis Group. As the NGO explained, ‘in total they dig up 40-95 tonnes of gold a year, worth some $1.9bn-4.5...
African News, Mauritius News

Over 4m Jobs In Mainland Africa Supported By Mauritian IFC – Report Shows

A major new study launched today shines a light on the millions of jobs and multibillion dollar GDP created for mainland Africa due to Mauritius’ role as a leading International Financial Centre (IFC). The study argues that the Republic of Mauritius is poised to play a critical role in supporting Africa’s progress towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The new report ‘Facilitating Growth, Employment & Prosperity in Africa’ has been produced by Capital Economics for the Economic Development Board of Mauritius. The key findings of the report show that: 2 million jobs in mainland Africa are supported by foreign investment mediated by Mauritius. These mainland jobs represent more than three times the Mauritian population and 0.6 per cent of all employment in the co...
African News, Business, Main

Massive increase in M&A deal value in Sub-Saharan Africa in the first half of 2021

There were 333 M&A deals announced in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in the first six months of 2021 (H1 2021), valued at USD 57.7 billion, according to Baker McKenzie's analysis of Refinitiv data. When compared to the same period last year (H1 2020) this amounted to a 14% increase in deal volume and an astounding 576% increase in deal value. H1 2020 recorded 293 M&A deals with a deal value of USD 8.5 billion. Last year was a relatively difficult year for investors in Africa, with considerable uncertainty. Pandemic impacts had a limiting effect on numerous sectors and many deals had to be postponed as a result. The boost in M&A deal value in 2021 is, in part, due to a post-COVID boom, where last year’s postponed and delayed transactions were able to proceed in the first half of 2021...
African News, South Africa News

Transnet is a harsh reminder that anyone is a victim in the current environment

The recent cyber-attack on Transnet is a serious wakeup call and a reminder that, in the technology age, no company is safe from cyber criminals who are trying to disrupt operations or steal personal information. While Transnet was dealing with its cyberattack, Macsteel - one of South Africa’s largest steel suppliers - faced a similar cyberattack on its system. At the end of June, there was a major data leak that impacted one of South Africa’s major insurers. "These coordinated attacks by cyber criminals are indicative of the environment that we live in at the moment," says Manie van Schalkwyk, CEO of the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS). He adds that these criminals are motivated, well-funded, and do not care who they go after. Risk based environment The cyber attack ...
African News, Main

Will the office make a comeback post-Covid-19?

JLL Survey results from Tétris glimpse into the future of the workplace The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns worldwide have challenged conventional ideas on how we work and what a workplace should look like. Will the traditional 9-5 workday and five-day work week at the office come to an end as new, more flexible work patterns emerge? International research conducted by JLL and released by Tétris Design & Build (owned by JLL, a Fortune 500 company) titled Worker Preferences Barometer reveals that this may be the case, although offices will still play a leading role in the way we do business. The study, which surveyed 3,300 office workers across ten countries, showed that 79 percent   of the workforce aspire to be back in the office at least once a week, up from 74 percent ...
Engen’s footprint flourishing as company targets ambitious growth in Botswana
African News, Botswana News

Engen’s footprint flourishing as company targets ambitious growth in Botswana

Engen continues to expand in Botswana and so spread its unique retail fuel and convenience customer experience across the country, with five new Engen Service Stations opening in the first half of 2021 and a further five in the pipeline. “As always, convenience and customer service are key determinants of our success and we are excited to bring these new sites to market and also announce additional expansion plans,” says Chimweta Monga, Managing Director of Engen in Botswana. “Engen has a growing footprint and the brand is well known amongst our customers who have come to associate themselves with Engen’s brand promise of With us you are Number One.” As a leading marketer of fuels and lubricants, Engen currently operates 64 service stations and 43 Quickshop convenience stores across B...
African News, Energy, Events, Ghana News

Ghana Emphasizes the Value of an Enabling Environment and the Role of Natural Gas at African Energy Week 2021 Pavilion

Hosted at African Energy Week 2021, the Ghana pavilion will drive a discussion on the value of Liquified Natural Gas as a power generation solution. The African Energy Chamber (AEC) is proud to announce that Ghana will be hosting a pavilion at African Energy Week (AEW) 2021 taking place in Cape Town on the 9th-12th of November 2021. Led by Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Ghana’s Minister of Energy, as well as a delegation of industry leaders including Dr. K. K. Sarpong, CEO of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, the pavilion represents a new exhibition format that emphasizes specific market opportunities and will showcase Ghana’s existing energy developments, upcoming projects, and lucrative investment opportunities. Specifically, Ghana’s pavilion will highlight the value of Liquifi...
African News, Agriculture, Fintech, Libya News, Mauritania, Morocco News, Startups, Tech, Tunisia News

Official launch of the second cycle of EMERGING Mediterranean – the springboard programme for emerging Mediterranean Tech For Good leaders

The call for applications is open to any startup based in Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia or Libya that has been operating for over 18 months in one of the following areas: e-health, climate, mobility, agritech, social economy and financial inclusion. As a result of the work done during the preparatory forums for the Summit of the Two Shores and with the support of the French Development Agency, EMERGING Mediterranean, created by Samir Abdelkrim in 2020, aims to increase the impact of Mediterranean startups that help their societies become more resilient. After the first year of the programme in 2020 underlined a strong demand for support from entrepreneurs in the Mediterranean, EMERGING Mediterranean is launching its second call for applications to identify, accelerate and publicise...
African News, Business, South Africa News

South Africa: The Protection Of Personal Information Act (POPIA); Mandatory Appointment Of Information Officer – What You Need To Know

By Chido Pamela Mafongoya, Centurion Law Group With the Fourth Industrial Revolution at play and the increase of internet usage, the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”) was designed to ensure the protection of personal information when being processed. The main aim of the POPIA is to protect data subjects from security breaches, theft, and discrimination. The POPIA also aligns South Africa’s privacy laws with international standards and international best practices. In terms of POPIA, all organizations who process personal information are required to adopt measures to ensure the protection of personal information. It is mandatory for all data processors and responsible persons to comply with POPIA. The Act provides for a one-year transition period, allowing impac...