South Africa’s manganese exporters may face growing margin pressure as Exxaro reveals that road transport costs 37% more than rail, with nearly half of Tshipi Borwa mine’s export volumes still transported by truck. EBC Financial Group says expanding port capacity alone will not improve profitability unless rail access increases, lowering inland logistics costs and strengthening export competitiveness.
Tag: infrastructure
Low-carbon energy is now critical infrastructure for Africa’s digital future
Africa’s digital transformation depends on reliable, low-carbon energy infrastructure. As demand for connectivity, AI, fintech, e-health and digital services grows, renewable energy solutions are essential to support resilient telecom networks, expand inclusion and accelerate sustainable economic growth across the continent.
South Africa has too many ways to pay and not enough ways for consumers to understand them. Will these make Cards extinct?
South Africa’s payments landscape is evolving rapidly, with digital wallets, PayShap, QR codes, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), and instant bank transfers expanding consumer choice. However, widespread adoption remains constrained by limited consumer education, trust, and operational complexity for merchants. This article explores why payment cards continue to dominate despite the rise of alternative payment methods and explains what the industry must do to drive meaningful digital payment adoption.
EMERGE Launches Career Acceleration Platform to Advance Africa’s Young Professional Talent
EMERGE, powered by TheBoardroom Africa, has launched a career acceleration platform that connects young African professionals with leadership development, mentorship, skills training, networking, and employer opportunities. Supported by the Mastercard Foundation, the platform aims to strengthen Africa’s talent pipeline by helping professionals build sustainable careers while enabling employers to develop and access better-prepared future leaders.
Three Lessons from NAMPO About the Business of Farming in Africa
NAMPO Harvest Day highlighted three major trends shaping African agriculture: rising competition among suppliers, growing cross-border integration, and the impact of foreign currency challenges on farming businesses. Ray Van Rooyen of Absa Africa Regions explores how technology, finance, trade, and efficiency will define the future of farming across the continent.
The Risk Problem with Investors Treating African Energy as One Market
Africa’s energy sector offers major investment opportunities, but treating the continent as a single market can lead to costly mistakes. This analysis explains why investors need jurisdiction-specific risk management, highlighting how regulatory frameworks, currency volatility, infrastructure constraints, and political conditions differ across African countries. It explores practical strategies for managing long-term energy investment risks and financing renewable energy projects.
There is No Digital Transformation Without Cloud Adoption
Discover why cloud adoption is essential to digital transformation, enabling agility, innovation, and scalability across modern enterprises, according to Absa’s Olof Neser.
Orchestrating Europe’s Shift to Instant, Data-Rich Payments
Europe’s payments ecosystem is rapidly evolving with the rise of instant payments, ISO 20022 messaging, and stricter AML and sanctions requirements. Financial institutions, payment service providers, and enterprises must now manage complex transaction flows across multiple payment rails while maintaining real-time compliance and operational resilience. Traderoot’s Unified Integration Platform (UIP) provides a single orchestration layer that unifies payment routing, compliance screening, data enrichment, reconciliation, and exception management. By enabling intelligent payment orchestration across SEPA, RTGS, instant, and cross-border networks, UIP helps organizations accelerate payments, reduce operational complexity, strengthen compliance, and scale confidently in Europe’s increasingly connected payments landscape.
Kaspersky Report Reveals 57% SOC Detection Blind Spot Leaving Enterprises Exposed to Cyber Threats
A new Kaspersky Security Services report reveals that enterprise Security Operations Centers (SOCs) may be overlooking major cybersecurity risks despite tracking traditional performance metrics such as response and detection times. The study found that active detection logic covers only 43% of collected security data on average, leaving 57% of telemetry outside real-time monitoring. As cyber threats become more sophisticated, organizations are increasingly turning to SOC consulting services to identify detection gaps, improve threat visibility, and strengthen security operations.
Mezzanine and Open Access Energy Partner to Accelerate Virtual Wheeling Adoption Across South Africa’s Renewable Energy Market
South Africa’s renewable energy market is entering a new phase as Mezzanine and Open Access Energy (OAE) partner to accelerate the adoption of virtual wheeling. By integrating Mezzanine’s Virtual Wheeling Platform into OAE’s Energypro platform, the partnership simplifies renewable energy procurement for corporate energy buyers, independent power producers, and energy traders. The collaboration expands access to clean energy across Eskom- and municipally-connected customers, helping businesses reduce carbon emissions, manage energy costs, and participate in South Africa’s rapidly evolving electricity market.