SITA acquires Safety Line to support sustainable aviation

SITA takes the lead in deploying predictive data analytics for co-innovating with customer airlines and airports to reduce CO2 emissions and improve fuel savings. SITA, the global IT provider for the air transport industry, recently announced the acquisition of Safety Line S.A.S., the Paris based start-up specializing in digital solutions for aviation safety and efficiency. This acquisition […]

Top 5 Technopreneurs to Bring their A Game in The AYO Scaling Africa Series

After months of searching, screening, and careful selection, the final five qualifying businesses for the next round of the  AYO Scaling Africa Series have been selected. In partnership with the SA Innovation Summit, the series looks to assist tech entrepreneurs in taking their Series A businesses to the next level. These five finalists have been chosen […]

Africa as an important participant in the global economy

FDI, also known as foreign direct investment, has been virtually solely concentrated in Africa on the exploitation and export of natural resources for over a century. However, the momentum has changed after the turn of the 2000 and the tendency has finally changed in recent years. Global investors are more likely to visit Africa for […]

Deal value increases in South Africa and Nigeria in the first half of this year

Baker McKenzie’s latest analysis of Refinitiv data shows that the value of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the first half 2021 (H1 2021) soared in South Africa, and that deal value also increased in Nigeria in the first six months of 2021, but Kenya experienced a slight decrease in both deal value and volume in […]

Good customer retention tactics translate to brand loyalty and profitability for SMEs

There is a good reason why the saying goes “first impressions last” and this is particularly important for small businesses. Once they’ve connected with a new customer, businesses should focus on offering high-quality delivery over the long-term. It begins with a client’s first interaction with businesses or brands and continues throughout the lifetime of the […]

Reasons for getting LEI number

Following the Global Financial Crisis, the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) code was created as a vital measure to improve the quality and accuracy of financial data systems to improve risk management in financial transactions. This is now a mandatory code that an entity needs to have in order to conduct business globally. Not having one […]

JetPack Aviation completes initial Speeder trials, proves capability, and begins accepting pre-orders

California-based JetPack Aviation announced on 14th July that it has completed flight testing with the first prototype – P1 – of its Speeder jet-powered, VTOL mobility platform. Trials concluded successfully in May. Flight testing began in December 2020, with two-axis tethers securing the platform, progressing through a single-axis tether and culminating in the aircraft flying […]

SA leans toward dystopian tech future unless moves are made soon

South Africa could face a dystopian technological future, unless moves are made to harness technology for societal good now. This is according to Johan Steyn, chair of the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA) Special Interest Group on AI and Robotics (SIGAIR), who was speaking at the IITPSA Gauteng Chapter AGM this week. Steyn […]

Decentralised finance may be the panacea for filling Africa’s Investment Gap

by Pomy Ketema, Counsel, Baker McKenzie, New York African countries continue to face substantial financing gaps as they take on projects of all sizes in pursuit of development. To tackle the slowdown in foreign direct investment since the onset of the pandemic, some African countries are actively courting their diaspora and looking for pockets of […]

Mining and Metals Companies Accelerate Focus on Sustainability

Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ Platform Combined with AVEVA’s Digital Transformation Solutions Proven to Drive Industrial Sustainability Initiatives Mumbai, India – July 15, 2021 – Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, and AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, driving digital transformation and sustainability, announced today that their combined technology […]