Africa’s vast forest resources could position the continent to capture a significant share of the global bioeconomy, projected to exceed $30 trillion by 2050, stakeholders at a high-level forestry roundtable in Lagos have said. They also called on African countries to take greater ownership of their forest resources, develop domestic financing mechanisms and build local…
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…
Eastern African countries are tapping the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO) Hand-in-Hand Initiative to unlock investment in agrifood systems, with a focus on turning the region’s agricultural potential into jobs, stronger food security and more resilient economies. The drive was highlighted in Kigali on Monday, August 24, during the opening of…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged to use South Africa’s chairship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to deepen regional economic integration and advance resilient, sustainable and inclusive industrialisation. Accepting the SADC chairpersonship from Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the 46th Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government in eThekwini on Monday, President Ramaphosa…
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe — New chickpea seed research and production have become the new frontier of climate resilience in southern Africa as farmers battle failing cereal production. Farmers in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique are benefiting from a new chickpea variety which researchers say requires lower nitrogen fertiliser at a time such agriculture inputs have become the…
Young Africans must harness innovation, entrepreneurship and technology to drive the continent’s transformation instead of waiting for governments and development partners to solve their challenges, youth leaders have said. The call was made during the opening of the 2026 Billi Now Now (BNN) Youth Summit in Kampala, which brought together hundreds of youth leaders, entrepreneurs,…
Masaka — Reach A Hand Africa (RAHA) has urged young people across the country to actively participate in the government’s monthly National Cleaning Day initiative, describing environmental cleanliness as a shared responsibility that is critical to protecting public health and building resilient communities. The call was made as the organisation joined the rest of the…
Representatives from Vodacom, UJ, the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology and AWS. Vodacom has partnered with the University of Johannesburg (UJ), in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), to address SA’s growing demand for job-ready artificial intelligence (AI) and data science skills. The partnership, announced on Friday, brings together the mobile operator, academic institution…
The Managing Director of GCB Bank PLC, Farihan Alhassan, has called for a shift in Africa’s economic development strategy, arguing that the continent’s financing challenges are less about capital scarcity and more about building the right risk structures to attract investment at scale. He made the remarks during the African Banking, Finance and Economic Leadership…
While demand for AI skills continues to surge, uniquely human capabilities are becoming the biggest differentiator in the future workforce. (Image source: 123RF) Artificial intelligence (AI) is creating a two-track employment landscape in which jobs requiring human judgement, creativity and leadership are growing faster and commanding higher salaries than roles increasingly simplified through automation. This…
