Delegates at the Women 20 (W20) Summit sounded the kudu horn at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) today. The ceremony issued a powerful call to advance financial inclusion and entrepreneurship for women worldwide. The event reflected global cooperation and a shared responsibility to promote equitable access to finance, leadership, and opportunity. Turning Policy into Measurable Progress Discussions focused on moving from commitment to implementation. Representatives agreed that many countries and companies have made policy advances on gender equality. Yet, progress remains uneven. The next step is creating systems to measure accountability, ensure women’s participation in financial markets, and close gaps…
Author: Staff Writer
Mining holds the potential to transform local economies. The supply chain allows SMEs to expand, innovate, and create lasting change. By providing vital goods and services, African SMEs can grow their businesses while strengthening communities and driving sustainable economic progress. Challenges in the Mining Supply Chain Breaking into the mining supply chain is not without challenges. High barriers to entry, such as strict compliance requirements and substantial capital investments, can be daunting for SMEs. Limited access to funding, inadequate infrastructure in certain regions, and stiff competition from established companies’ further complicate progress. Despite these obstacles, many African SMEs have successfully…
Botswana’s government has entered direct talks with TikTok to address the platform’s monetization restrictions that currently limit local creators. The meeting, confirmed by the Ministry of Youth, Sport and the Arts, brought together Minister Jacob N. Kelebeng and TikTok’s Southern Africa policy lead, Tholoana Ncheke-Mahlaela. This is the first time a Southern African government has engaged TikTok on monetization policy. While both parties agreed to collaborate on digital literacy and outreach programs, the central issue Botswana’s exclusion from TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program remains unresolved. Creators Face Limited Earning Options Botswana, like most African nations, is not part of TikTok’s global…
As part of its initiative to enhance domestic energy resilience and reduce external fuel dependency, Senegal has unveiled plans to construct a second oil refinery that will process locally produced crude. The move comes as part of the country’s determination to capitalize on its emerging oil sector while addressing a widening gap between rising fuel demand and limited domestic refining capacity. Expanding Domestic Refining Capacity According to Mamadou Abib Diop, Director General of Société Africaine de Raffinage (SAR), the new refinery will play a crucial role in meeting Senegal’s growing consumption of fuel products. The country’s only existing refinery, located…
Renaissance Africa Energy has set its sights on a bold target of producing 500,000 barrels of oil and 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day by 2030. The consortium, comprising five energy firms, is now seeking strategic partners to help expand its operations and accelerate energy development in Nigeria. Vision for Africa’s Energy Independence Tony Attah, Managing Director and CEO of Renaissance Africa Energy, announced the company’s ambitious goals during African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies 2025 in Cape Town. During his address, he emphasized that the company’s mission focuses on sustainable industrialization and regional energy security.…
Senegal has officially launched a nationwide program to train over 100,000 teachers and administrative staff in digital skills and artificial intelligence, marking a major step toward modernizing the country’s education system. The initiative, which is part of a $233 million plan, is designed to integrate digital tools and AI into teaching and administrative practices, aligning with Senegal’s 2025-2029 Digital Strategy for Education. A Strategic Push for Digital Education Unveiled in January 2025, Senegal’s Digital Strategy for Education is designed to equip teachers and students with the tools needed for a 21st-century learning environment. As part of the program, students in…
As Sub-Saharan Africa battles to lift its head above the parapet of poverty and economic destitution, a key ingredient that is often overlooked by those who desire to see improvements. The brutal truth is that the economic freedom of a country is without question a key foundation for communities and countries to prosper. The article below, penned by professor of finance and economics, Richard J Grant of Columbia University peels back the stark realities of the economic freedom landscape in the region and provides relevant and timely advice for dealing with areas affecting declines in the global rankings. Freedom is…
The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), a critical artery for Central Africa’s copper trade, is set for a major transformation. After decades of aging infrastructure, limited capacity, and operational challenges, Zambia, Tanzania, and China’s China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) have signed a $1.4 billion investment deal. The initiative targets the 1,860-kilometer railway linking Zambia’s Copperbelt mines to the port of Dar es Salaam, with the goal of boosting efficiency, reliability, and regional trade competitiveness. Scope of the Project The revitalization plan is both comprehensive and ambitious. Around $1 billion will be devoted to rehabilitating railway tracks, focusing on safety upgrades,…
Verto, the global a B2B payments company, has announced the list of companies that made it to the final stage of Verto Awards 2025, an annual initiative that celebrates African startups that are revolutionising industries and fostering inclusive economic opportunities throughout the continent. The competition kicked-off on February 6, 2025, when applications were open to early-stage startups that have been operating for about two years, in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. The award celebrates the spirit of innovation driving Africa’s economic transformation. This year’s finalists represent diverse sectors – from fintech to agritech and healthtech to digital commerce – showcasing…
Uganda’s Parliament has launched an e-Parliament project as part of its Strategic Plan for the financial years 2025/2026–2029/2030. The unveiling took place on Friday, 26 September 2025, at Parliament. Speaking on behalf of the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, Hon. Esther Afoyochan, Zombo District Woman Representative, emphasized that the Parliamentary Commission will lead the implementation of the plan. She noted that the Commission will rely on strong legal and policy frameworks, alongside transformative measures such as digitisation and digitalisation of processes. “Together, let us build a Parliament that is people-centred, efficient, innovative, and accountable, a Parliament that truly reflects the…
