In my earlier piece in February, Beyond Preferences and Rhetoric: What Africa’s 2025 Integration Moment Really Demanded I argued that Africa’s long-term competitiveness would not be secured by waiting on external trade preferences, but by taking integration seriously as an economic project. I called for political will, industrial strategy, and a human-centred approach to the continental…
The Republic of Congo has announced that it will introduce visa-free entry for all African citizens beginning January 1, 2027, in a policy shift aimed at advancing regional integration and easing cross-border movement across the continent. The decision was unveiled by President Denis Sassou Nguesso during Africa Day celebrations in Brazzaville, on May 25, an…
Africans Communicating Africa (AfriComms Africa), a pan-African foundation committed to strengthening authentic African storytelling and nurturing a new generation of African communicators, will officially launch on Tuesday, May 26 in Accra. Organised to coincide with Africa Day celebrations, the launch would convene thought leaders and communication professionals for timely conversations on how Africa is positioned…
Africa will celebrate Africa Day on Monday. But for many Africans it is just another day off. There will be speeches and sloganeering from the political establishment talking about African unity and integration. In essence, though, the day is just another ritual on the African political calendar. What is Africa Day? Africa Day is an…
Six days after the October 1, 1960 independence of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa stood before the United Nations, UN. The historical mission of Nigeria he said, is to develop Africa, the continent which gave birth to humanity and modern civilization. The date was October 7, 1960 in the hallowed chambers…
More South Africans are turning to emergency airtime to stay connected. (Image generated via ChatGPT) As South Africans battle relentless financial pressure, millions are increasingly turning to emergency airtime and data advances to stay connected. What was once marketed by mobile operators as a short-term convenience has now become a lifeline for cash-strapped consumers −…
South African audiences and global viewers have gained access to a new free-to-view streaming platform, Afree TV, dedicated to showcasing African entertainment at scale. Powered by signal distributor Sentech’s Freevision Play over-the-top (OTT) architecture, the service aims to unify regional broadcasters and content owners into a single continental collaboration designed to take African stories to…
The biggest cyber security weaknesses are not always complex vulnerabilities, but rather a fundamental lack of visibility. (Image source: 123RF) Surfshark’s quarterly analysis of global data breaches shows South Africa ranks as the 42nd most breached country in Q1 2026. Globally, a total of 210.3 million accounts were breached, with the US ranking first at…
Penalties for breaching proposed crypto regulations include jail terms of five years. (Image made via GenAI) If National Treasury gets its way, South Africans who do not comply with proposed regulations dealing with crypto-currency could face jail terms of up to five years, a R1 million fine, or both. In addition, if people are found…
Most citizens want news media that is free and holds government accountable. Key findings Radio remains the most common source of news in Africa: Across 38 countries surveyed in 2024/2025, six in 10 citizens (59%) say they obtain news via radio “every day” or “a few times a week,” compared to about half who do…
