Melvyn Lubega is the founder of the online education business Go1, South Africa’s first unicorn tech company valued at over $1 billion, and a Partner at venture capital firm Breega. He shares his thoughts on the future growth of Africa’s tech ecosystem. Breega has invested in early-stage tech companies across…
On the sidelines of the first-ever Kinshasa Economic Forum in March, the EU launched an initial mobilization of €50 million into the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC’s) critical minerals sector. The investment underlines just how important Congolese resources are to the rest of the world, with the country home to…
By Daniel Jasper With the recent commitment to create the Loss and Damage fund at COP27, a robust and ongoing conversation around World Bank reform, and a renewed United States interest in Africa, there is emerging recognition of the urgent need to support communities on the front lines of climate…
By Jeffrey Smith One of my personal highlights of 2022 was being present in Kenya in the days leading up to and during that country’s general elections, held on August 9. I was fortunate to have been invited to participate with a diverse team of accredited observers, mostly consisting of…
This week, President Biden hosted his first state dinner at the White House. His guest was French President Emmanuel Macron. The high-profile visit – with all of its pomp and circumstance – was officially premised on the notion that France is the United States’ oldest ally and a “vital global…
As the world’s education ministers gathered in New York at the Transforming Education Summit they took stock of progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4): equitable quality education for all. It’s understood that achieving this Goal will require intensified efforts, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, one-fifth of primary-aged children…
In a bid to adapt to climate change and provide cheaper electricity to the general population, Zimbabwe is boosting solar power, and to a lesser extent hydropower, as part of a government programme to cut energy-related emissions by about a third before the end of the decade. Authorities have set…
In recent weeks, Chad became the latest country to declare a food emergency as several African nations battle against one of the worst climate-induced emergencies on record. With the devastating effects of climate change already reverberating throughout the continent, Africa’s need to develop resilient structures is as urgent as ever….
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is facing yet another crisis in its relations with neighbour Rwanda, following reports that the M23 rebel group has seized a key town in DRC territory. Military leaders have described the rebel capture of Bunagana, just 60 kilometers northeast of the major city…
Google made global headlines last week when it announced plans to open its very first product development center on African soil in Nairobi. The decision comes just months after the company pledged to invest $1 billion in the continent over a five-year period, with other major tech players following suit….
Public consultations recently closed on plans to impose an excise tax on e-cigarettes in South Africa, and the suggested policy proposals have already proven controversial. In particular, the South African government intends to introduce a new excise tax on e-cigarettes, applying the duty to both non-nicotine and nicotine solutions used…
A specially commissioned report into the “state capture” perpetrated under the former South African president Jacob Zuma via logistics firm Transnet reveals the depths of malfeasance in the country during his tenure. The 646-page report has implicated over 1,400 individuals in cronyism and corruption that cumulatively caused public losses of…
Senegalese foreign minister Aissata Tall Sall recently called on China to become more involved in the Sahel region, specifically expressing a hope that Beijing will be a “strong voice” in combatting the rising tide of terrorism in the region. The appeal certainly has its logic, given Beijing’s expanding influence in…
African internet growth depends on greater engagement, not AFRINIC The Supreme Court of Mauritius recently lifted a freeze on the bank accounts of African regional internet registry (RIR) AFRINIC, but the firm, one of the world’s five IP distributors, remains entangled in a legal imbroglio that has led some commentators…
By Ousmane Diagana On the shores of the coastal Senegalese city of Saint Louis, climate change is no longer a distant threat. It is already a current issue impacting its people. Hundreds of them have had to flee the devastating effects of rising sea levels and erosion, losing their livelihoods,…