South Africans’ fear of crime and low economic growth act as a shield against AI-related crime. (Graphic: Nicola Mawson | Unsplash and Magnific) South Africans’ street smarts as a result of the high levels of crime, as well as a low per capita gross domestic product (GDP), are proving to provide a level of protection…
In 2024, 25.1 million Africans were living in other countries on the continent. Labour migration has long been a defining feature of Africa’s economic landscape. Migrant workers on the continent are concentrated in certain sectors: agricultural and manufacturing together absorb roughly a fifth of migrant labour. Most migrants hold medium-skilled jobs alongside high and low…
For millions across Africa and the developing world, the biodiversity crisis is not an abstract problem – it’s the soil that no longer yields bountiful harvests and the fish that no longer return to coastal waters. But the world spends 30 times more money destroying nature than protecting it, and Africa often lacks the necessary…
By the middle of the year, many South Africans are experiencing mid-year fatigue. You may even have found yourself saying, “I’m tired, but I don’t know why.” Following conversations with people across different industries and life stages, I’ve realised this is a different kind of exhaustion. It’s not necessarily burnout or a major crisis, but…
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — The greatest barrier to ending AIDS among transgender people in Africa is not a lack of medicine, but laws, stigma and exclusion. Across sub-Saharan Africa, laws that criminalise homosexuality continue to collide with public health goals, leaving gay and bisexual men, and transgender people more broadly, dangerously underserved in the…
American-born entrepreneur Daniel Yu’s most recent venture is the Africa Jobs Fund, which seeks to invest in companies that can create jobs at scale for Africans and raise incomes. It focuses on two areas: international labour mobility and export manufacturing. He previously founded Wasoko, a multimillion-dollar company that connects informal retailers in East Africa with…
Political violence refers to the use of force by groups pursuing political goals. It can include attacks on civilians, armed clashes, riots and explosions, all of which cause obvious and immediate harm. But the effects of political violence can continue long after the violence itself has ended. The immediate effects of war, such as poverty,…
More than half of online shoppers in sub-Saharan Africa – 56%, the highest share of any region in the world – say they are likely to let AI make shopping decisions or even purchases on their behalf within the next five years, according to the DHL E-Commerce Trends Report 2026, whose South Africa-specific findings were…
WhatsApp Plus, Meta Platforms’ optional paid subscription for its messaging app, is now available to South African users at R28.99/month, with the first month free. The tier is part of a broader push by Meta to build subscription revenue beyond its core advertising business. The company announced the global roll-out of consumer “Plus” subscriptions across…
Africa’s displaced population is generating an estimated $27 billion (about Shs100 trillion) in annual income, according to a new report by the Amahoro Coalition, which challenges the long-held view that refugees and internally displaced persons are solely dependent on humanitarian aid. The report, titled The Opportunity in Displacement: Africa’s Untapped Investment Frontier, argues that the…
