Freetown — Sierra Leone’s economy is showing signs of stability in the face of heightened global challenges, with growth projected at 4.3 percent in 2025 and reaching 4.6 percent by 2027, according to the latest World Bank Sierra Leone Economic Update (SLEU) launched today in Freetown. This outlook is supported by expected improvements in agricultural…
Washington — Senate Republicans blocked a war powers resolution on Thursday aimed at preventing President Trump from conducting strikes against Venezuela after a bipartisan group of senators warned that a continued campaign against alleged drug smugglers in the region could escalate. The vote to advance the resolution failed with 49 supporting it and 51 senators…
Themba Mgimeti, co-founder of CarShareNova. South African-born peer-to-peer car-sharing platform CarShareNova has entered the local e-mobility market, hoping to reinvent the car rental industry. Founded by Themba Mgimeti, an engineer and former manager at Bolt, and Lebogang Mabala, software engineer and employee at Naked Insurance, CarShareNova’s mission is to turn vehicles into income-generating assets for…
Sudan’s RSF Paramilitaries Agree Humanitarian Ceasefire Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to a US-proposed humanitarian ceasefire, the group announced, following its capture of el-Fasher in western Darfur after an 18-month siege that caused severe starvation. The Sudanese military-led government had not yet responded, though officials previously stated they would only agree to…
Money fuels politics. But when it flows in the shadows, democracy is the first casualty. Across most of Africa, and much of the Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, citizens are expected to vote without knowing who pays for the campaigns competing for their support. New research by Transparency International finds that only about one…
United States lawmakers have written to Andrew, Britain’s disgraced former prince, requesting that he sit for a formal interview about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a day after King Charles III formally stripped his younger brother of his royal titles. Separately, a secluded desert ranch where Epstein once entertained guests is coming…
South Africa’s automotive industry is in a state of flux. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, BMW Group South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen unpacks the challenges – and opportunities – facing a sector under pressure. He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the future of BMW’s Rosslyn manufacturing plant in Pretoria, which was…
DOHA, Qatar – During the Second World Summit for Social Development, Spotlight Initiative hosted a Solutions Studio conversation to highlight strategies for addressing gender-based violence and to share best practices for driving collaboration on protecting the rights of women and girls. Spotlight Initiative Global Coordinator Erin Kenny introduced the session, which explored how to bring…
Cape Town, South Africa — Secure digital payment and identification systems could be the key to unlocking Africa’s next wave of entrepreneurs and traders, according to new survey findings released by Co-Develop ahead of the Global DPI Summit 2025. The survey, conducted online by Ipsos across six African markets — Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa,…
The logo of SoftBank is displayed at a company shop in Tokyo, Japan January 28, 2025. Issei Kato | Reuters Shares of Japan’s SoftBank Group resumed their slide on Friday, following a broader slump in AI-related stocks as investors once again grew wary of the sector’s lofty valuations. The group, which holds a wide range…
