There are moments when a forum stops being a gathering and becomes a mirror. The Lomé Peace and Security Forum (11-12 October 2025) did exactly that–a quiet reframing of African peace and security through the lens of technological power. It exposed a shift African policymakers still treat as peripheral: the future of peace will be…
Addis Ababa — Digital agriculture is no longer optional but essential for Africa’s survival and prosperity, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) Ambassador Selma Malika Haddadi said. Speaking at the inaugural Africa Digital Agriculture Conference, which is taking place in Addis Ababa at the headquarters of the African Union, Haddadi underscored the continent’s…
As ComzAfrica celebrates its 15th anniversary, the home-grown technology company reflects on a decade and a half of shaping digital financial services across the continent. Founded in 2010 by three Rwandans, ComzAfrica has grown from solving airtime distribution challenges to powering digital lending, payments, electricity access, and essential utilities for millions of Africans. Now active…
A retail CBDC is defined as a purely digital banknote, denominated in the national unit of account, says SARB. The South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB’s) position paper on a retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) in South Africa has concluded there is no compelling immediate need for its implementation. In a statement, the central bank…
Dr Chris Ettmayr, renewable energy and ICT sector manager at the East London Industrial Development Zone; Magama Makgamatho, chief knowledge and digital officer at Coega Development Corporation; and Baphelele Mhlaba, acting executive manager for economic development and sector support at the Eastern Cape Development Corporation. SA’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs), historically viewed as industrial and…
Clermont-Ferrand, France — Weeks after an international conference on inclusive and people-centric digital transformation organized by the Global Development Network (GDN) here, a new narrative is unfolding about the need for digital innovations to serve people first and narrow inequalities rather than widening them. Earlier this week, amidst a landmark G20 Summit on African soil,…
Omolabake Fasogbon The need for Africa to take charge of its own data, and emerge as leading exporter of technology for digital expansion has been reiterated at the FITC Fintech Nigeria Technovation Conference in Lagos. The conference, themed, “Innovation as a Catalyst: Reshaping Cross-Sector Collaboration,” brought together fintech disruptors, policymakers, investors, and industry trailblazers to…
Across Africa, more than 600 million people live within reach of mobile broadband but remain offline. The reason is not network coverage, according to GSMA Africa head Angela Wamola as quoted by TechCabal, but the high cost of smartphones. For many households, an entry-level device still consumes a large share of monthly income. To address…
November 25 marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence — a civil society-led initiative calling for action to ensure that every woman and girl can live a life free from violence. The 2025 theme of “UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls” addresses one of the fastest-growing…
As South Africans adopt purple profile images in support of the Women for Change movement ahead of a planned national shutdown, cybersecurity experts warn that gender-based violence increasingly extends into digital spaces, with technology playing a growing role in harassment, surveillance and psychological harm. Digital spaces emerging as a GBV battleground While technology enables mass…
