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Have African Mines Kept Pace with ESG Standards?
ESG has become mining’s most repeated acronym across African regulation, but repetition does not guarantee execution. Across the continent, sustainability pledges are multiplying faster than operational change, exposing a widening gap between what mines promise and what they can consistently deliver. This raises a more difficult question: have mining firms actually kept pace with ESG
Ghana Bets on Telecoms to Deliver One Million Coders
Ghana is expanding its mix of local and international partners to accelerate its digital skills agenda. Instead of relying only on public institutions, authorities are working with technology firms to deliver the programme at scale. Partners include Code Racoon, TikTok, Cisco, TECHAiDE, Google, Huawei, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services. Telecel and MTN Anchor the One
Why Online Presence Now Determines Small Business Credibility
Business credibility for startups and SMEs has ceased to begin with a handshake, a brochure, or a referral. It now takes shape in search results. Before a meeting is booked or a proposal is opened, potential clients, partners, and funders check whether a young or growing business is active, traceable, and worth engaging. That first
Battling Illegal Early Debit Orders: A South African Consumer's Guide This December
As the busy holiday period in December 2025 unfolds, many South Africans face a familiar festive frustration: unauthorised early debit orders. While some employers pay salaries early, often around the 15th to 20th, that align with holiday spending, not everyone benefits from this advance payment set-up. Yet, banks (for bond or loan repayments) and insurance
Africa's Tourism Triumph: A Moral Victory and Economic Engine for 2026
As the world ushers in 2026, The African tourism sector stands ready for an unprecedented growth trajectory, transforming from a peripheral player into a global powerhouse. While the United States grapples with a self-inflicted tourism slump, and projected to lose $12.5 billion in international spending due to tariffs and unwelcoming policies the African continent is
Breaking News Today – Monday 15 December 2025
Business News Today India's Markets and Currency Hit Major Headwinds The Indian rupee slid past 90.6 per US dollar this morning, continuing to set fresh record lows, pressured by the lack of a finalised trade deal with the US with prolonged negotiations and persistent foreign outflows from local equities and sovereign bonds. The currency has
Vodacom Announces Above Inflation Increases
Vodacom South Africa has informed its post-paid customers that it will implement above-inflation price increases, attributing the move to rising network management expenses and broader inflationary pressures. The company said that, from 1 February, all contract packages will see a price adjustment, resulting in an average total bill increase of 4.7%. Device and hardware fees,
Founder Fridays: Oplene Group
South Africa continues to battle unequal access to assistive digital solutions for learners and citizens living with disabilities. When asked about the real gap in accessibility, Tieho Tsiane, founder of Oplene Group, answered in a way that cut through industry noise: “Internet access doesn’t equal independence. The missing link has always been clarity.” Tieho explained
THE MINING WRAP
BHP and Rio Tinto have taken delivery of the first Caterpillar battery-electric haul trucks for large-scale trials at their Pilbara iron-ore operations. Announced on 5 December 2025, the trials form part of Caterpillar’s Early Learner program, which partners with major miners to validate battery performance under real mining conditions. China tests new 5G autonomous mining
Business School – December Downtime Strategies For SME's
Turning December Downtime into Growth Momentum: For Small Businesses, December arrives like an uninvited guest, festive, familial, and also fiercely disruptive. For small and medium enterprises (SMEs) outside the retail sector, this month isn't about holiday sales spikes; it's a lull punctuated by cultural celebrations, from Christmas in South Africa to New Year's Kwanzaa reflections
LLM Ai War – Gemini vs ChatGPT vs Grok – AI Analysis
OpenAI's GPT-5.2 Launched After Red Letter GPT-5.2, OpenAI's fresh-off-the-press frontier model, dropped yesterday like a mic at a rap battle. The new AI model is a solid step up from GPT-5, but the whole timing smells like a rush job to slap back at Google's Gemini 3 and the launch of the new Grok-4. Was
Breaking News Today – Friday 12 December 2025
EV Sales in US Hit by Subsidy Hang-over Tesla's US sales fell sharply in November to 39,800 vehicles, a 23% decline from 51,513 units in November 2024. This is the lowest monthly figure since January 2022 and a near four-year low. This drop occurred despite the mid-year launch of cheaper "Standard" variants of the Model
Galp and TotalEnergies Finalize Mopane Asset Swap Deal
Portugal’s Galp has reached an agreement with France’s TotalEnergies regarding the Mopane oil discovery offshore Namibia, according to international media reports citing a company statement released on Tuesday. The deal follows months of Galp’s efforts to secure a partner for Mopane, which emerged from its 2023–2024 drilling campaign. Under the agreement, TotalEnergies will assume operatorship
How Far Has Autonomous Haulage Come in African Mining?
Autonomous haulage arrived in Africa wrapped in bold promises, futuristic imagery and a wave of industry hype. It was sold as the breakthrough that would rewrite mining productivity, eliminate human-error risks and catapult operations into a fully digital era. But hype is one thing real transformation is another. So, has autonomous haulage actually delivered, and
No Free Lunch Podcast – Building Affordable Biotech Solutions For Africa
In this episode of "No Free Lunch," host Greg Stewart interviewed Ethan Hunter, CEO and co-founder of Immobazyme a start-up biotech company in South Africa's Western Cape Region. The discussion highlights the company's journey from its initial focus on cellular agriculture to its strategic pivot towards the cosmetics industry, and pharmaceutical products, leveraging precision fermentation
Telecel Faso Pushes 300-Site Network Upgrade Across Burkina Faso
Telecel Faso has begun deploying 300 new telecom sites across Burkina Faso under a government programme aimed at extending services to 750 underserved areas. The initiative supports national efforts to close connectivity gaps while giving Telecel an opportunity to regain traction in a market long dominated by Orange and Moov Africa. Government Engagement and Deployment
Standard Bank Funds Safaricom’s Ethiopia Expansion
Standard Bank has extended $138 million (R3.1 billion) in funding to Safaricom Telecommunications to advance the Kenyan operator’s investment in its Ethiopian business. The bank served as sole arranger, lender and facility agent for Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC (STEP), while also providing advisory support on the transaction. The capital will accelerate Safaricom’s rollout of digital
China's Critical Minerals Strategy in Africa – Report
Introduction and Key Findings The report, released this week and published by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, examines China's strategic dominance in Africa's critical minerals sector. This sector encompasses nickel, graphite, manganese, cobalt, copper, lithium, and rare earth elements (REEs). These minerals are essential for electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy, semiconductors, AI, defence, and
Breaking News Today – Thursday 11 December 2025
US Fed Trims Rate for Third Consecutive Cut The US Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to a range of 3.50%-3.75% late yesterday, marking the third consecutive reduction this year with a softening job market and persistent inflation above 2%. The decision, passed in a divided 9-3 vote, with dissents
Why Delaying Automation Will Become a Liability for SMEs in 2026
SMEs are reaching a point where manual management can no longer keep pace with the speed and volume of today’s markets. Ordinary Un-automated systems are now struggling under the demands of modern-day business speeds, exposing firms to operational friction, rising costs and a steadily shrinking competitive edge. As 2026 approaches, SMEs that remain tied to