The summit arrives against a paradox that has long defined African agriculture: a continent rich in arable land, labour and appetite, yet still dependent on imports to feed itself Africa’s drive to transform from a net food importer into a global agricultural powerhouse takes center stage this September as Agriculture Summit Africa (ASA) returns for…
Dar es Salaam — When the rains fail across Tanzania’s northern Maasai Steppe, herders drive their cattle farther in search of pasture and water. Boreholes run low. Cattle lose weight, milk yields fall and families begin selling cows, often their main source of livelihood. If the dry spell persists, herds can die, leaving families facing…
The focus on agricultural development at the Southern African Development Community‘s 46th summit in August 2026 reflected a clear understanding that the sector can still play a key role in the region’s economic development. Agriculture accounts for around 10% of the GDP of many of the regional community’s members. The conversations about agriculture focused on…
John Iliffe, the distinguished scholar renowned for his life’s work in African history, died on 20 August 2026 at the age of 87. He shed light on big themes in Africa’s history. His 12 books were scrupulously researched, many of them being pioneering works that set out new areas of scholarship. He taught hundreds of…
Addis Ababa — Ethiopia’s progress in infrastructure, urban development, agricultural transformation and climate resilience has earned praise from African experts, who say the country is offering practical lessons for the continent’s development agenda. In an exclusive interview with ENA, Principal Programme Officer for Agriculture and Rural Transformation at the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), Clement…
Reformers keep asking governments to raise the ceilings on where domestic institutional capital can go. The ceilings are nowhere near being reached and one December in Ghana explains why. This article is published on African Arguments ahead of the African Development Summit which takes place on 18 September 2026. Nigeria’s pension regulator permits funds to…
Facing a projected shortage of more than six million health professionals by 2035, African countries are stepping up efforts to strengthen their workforce, with a new decade-long plan announced on Wednesday during a meeting of health ministers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Key points The new plan calls for coordinated investment to ensure countries have a…
Local cotton manufacturing moves into surgical textiles as Africa seeks import alternatives and channels more fibre into homegrown factories. African manufacturers are increasingly turning locally grown cotton into high-value medical textiles, offering a domestic alternative to raw exports and expensive imports. The shift is still small compared with the size of the continent’s cotton industry….
A man looks inside the Changan Deepal S05 REEV during a press conference for the unveiling of the Chinese model at the WesBank Festival of Motoring. Nqobile Dludla/Reuters Chinese car makers launched a raft of electric, hybrid and bakkie models at South Africa’s biggest motor show last week, betting on growing demand for electrified vehicles…
The AfCFTA offers African cotton, textile and clothing businesses the opportunity to build cross-border production networks, attract investment and retain more value on the continent. And it can do so while providing the shared rules and larger market needed to strengthen factories and trade corridors. More than five years after trading began under the African…
