The same leaders who routinely invoke ‘African solutions’ seek external conflict mediation and treat African-led initiatives as optional or secondary. African Union (AU) reforms to improve the body’s effectiveness started 10 years ago in 2016. The ongoing process involves enhancing the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), which includes structures like the Peace and Security…
The author, Luno’s Marius Reitz By the end of 2025, it had become clear, even to the most hardened sceptics, that digital assets, cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology were no longer on the fringe of the traditional finance system but rather embedded in global finance, investment markets and payment systems. The real question for 2026 is…
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, is closely monitoring the unfolding situation in parts of Tigray Region of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and expresses deep concern over recent developments. The Chairperson re-emphasizes the paramount and continued importance of the preservation of the hard-won gains achieved under the AU-led…
Images of rubber dinghies overcrowded with refugees heading for Europe and narratives about mistreatment and exploitation of migrants on unsafe migration routes have come to dominate how African migration is perceived in European public and policy debates. They suggest a continent on the move, driven mainly by conflict and heading to the global north. These…
The film Rafiki is a charming love story that plays out in urban Kenya. It follows two teenage girls whose close friendship slowly turns into first love. Directed by rising filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu, it was celebrated as groundbreaking by critics and at festivals when it was released in 2018. But back home in Kenya, where…
Addis Ababa — The following joint statement was released by the Government of the United States of America and the African Union Commission on the occasion of today’s agreement to establish a Strategic Investment Working Group. Begin text: Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and AUC Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf met today at the African Union Commission in…
A safari is not just a journey; it is a deeply emotional encounter with nature, a story woven through landscapes, wildlife, and culture. Among Africa’s most captivating wildlife experiences is the thrill of meeting the big cats: lions, leopards, and cheetahs. These apex predators represent the raw, untouched power of the wild, and no safari…
IShowSpeed’s livestreamed Africa tour adds to the work that African digital influencers have been doing in recent years to capture the continent beyond clichéd images of poverty and conflict. Under the bronze gaze of the African Renaissance Monument in Dakar, the American content creator and travel influencer IShowSpeed laughed into his lapel mic as a…
African tech startups raised US$4.1 billion in 2025, up 25% from a year earlier, marking the strongest funding year since 2022, according to Partech’s annual Africa Tech Venture Capital Report released January 22, 2026. Equity funding reached US$2.4 billion, an 8% increase year on year, across 462 deals. Debt financing climbed to a record US$1.6…
After a tense general election in Uganda last week, presidential elections are set to follow in the Democratic Republic of Congo in March then in Benin and Djibouti in April. With elections also due this year in Libya, Zambia, Ethiopia, Gambia and South Sudan, could the African continent see a democratic sea change in 2026?…
