By 2024, only 38% of Africa’s population was online, according to the International Telecommunication Union–far below the global average of 68%. For a continent often described as digital-first, this gap exposes deeper structural barriers that continue to limit access, opportunity, and meaningful economic participation, particularly for its youth. Africa’s digital economy is frequently framed as…
Kampala, Uganda — Insurance leaders across Africa are warning of a potential economic slowdown as surging global petroleum prices ripple through key sectors, driving up operating costs, inflation and financial risks because of the US-Israel war against Iran, which began on Feb. 28. Speaking at the 11th Continental Reinsurance CEO Summit in Kigali on April…
Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming the backbone of modern economies, shaping everything from finance and healthcare to governance and security. As global competition intensifies, two dominant models have emerged — the United States’ capital-driven approach and China’s state-guided, infrastructure-led strategy. For Africa, this moment presents not just a choice between competing systems, but an opportunity…
Africa’s domestic capital base has reached a scale that now exceeds external financing flows over the past decade, marking a turning point in how the continent funds its growth and industrialisation, according to the Africa Finance Corporation’s (AFC) State of Africa’s Infrastructure Report 2026. The report finds that cumulative external flows to Africa totalled approximately…
Addis Ababa — Addis Ababa is fast emerging as a focal point for Africa’s digital transformation, as momentum builds toward the highly anticipated African Social Media Influencers Summit 2026. A high-level stakeholders’ consultative meeting has set a bold and strategic tone for the summit, positioning Ethiopia’s capital as a key platform for amplifying Africa’s voice…
At the 2025 ABH Grand Finale, Diana Orembe (Tanzania), Abraham Mbuthia (Kenya), and Adriaan Kruger (South Africa) were awarded funding for building scalable, high-impact businesses across Africa. Partner Content: Africa’s Business Heroes Across Africa, a quiet but decisive shift is underway. Entrepreneurship on the continent is no longer defined by early-stage experimentation or fragmented startup ecosystems….
Eugene Perumal, founder and principal of Valutivity. The world’s most consequential technology organisations are no longer building software only − they are building factories. Not factories that produce goods, but factories that produce data-driven intelligence at scale. South African and African enterprise leaders who understand this distinction will capture disproportionate value. Those who do not…
As progress on malaria stalls, the case for local research in Africa is stronger than ever, write Edwine Barasa of KEMRI-Wellcome Research Programme and David Mukanga at the Gates Foundation. [SciDev.Net] As we mark World Malaria Day (25 April), Africa finds itself at an uncomfortable crossroads. After two decades of measurable progress in public health,…
Africa’s medical education leaders have declared a decisive shift from “training for certification to training for competence”, as the continent confronts a projected shortfall of 6.1 million health workers by 2030. The declaration came at the 2026 Medical Education Conference of the Association of Medical Schools in Africa (AMASA), held recently in Lagos, in partnership…
NIGERIA’S healthcare sector is undergoing rapid transformation, with forecasts predicting a 7.1 per cent expansion and an anticipated market value of $161.7 million by 2027. This growth is fuelled by a $1.2 billion Federal Ministry investment in infrastructure and workforce, major oncology and diagnostic expansions by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, and increased imports under…
