International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola says Africa must urgently accelerate regional integration and intra-African trade to shield the continent from external economic shocks and geopolitical instability. Delivering the 2026/27 Budget Vote for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in Parliament on Tuesday, Lamola said South Africa’s foreign policy remains firmly centred…
Carsten Höltkemeyer South African payments fintech Yoco has appointed Carsten Höltkemeyer as CEO, effective 1 June 2026, ending a nine-month interim period during which co-founders Bradley Wattrus and Lungisa Matshoba have run the business as co-CEOs. Höltkemeyer joins Yoco from a long career in European banking and fintech. He served as CEO of Berlin-based embedded…
Scale-backs and deep spending cuts within the US government and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS are hobbling HIV treatment programs across Africa, including in Ethiopia, warns a new report from a UN health agency. “Before the funding cuts in 2025, Ethiopia was heavily dependent on external funding (mainly from the Global Fund and the…
There are liberal reformers, such as human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi or former deputy interior minister Mostafa Tajzadeh. But all of these are either languishing in jails or under house arrest. The regime “has been very good at repressing dissent by jailing dissidents or…
With elections planned for December, authorities should use their position of strength to tackle the roots of the country’s crisis. Since his re-election in 2021, Central African Republic (CAR) President Faustin-Archange Touadéra has enjoyed several diplomatic and military successes. In 2024, the United Nations Security Council lifted its embargo on arms to the Central African…
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, received H.E. Mr. Dammu Ravi, Vice Minister in the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India, for a courtesy visit. Their exchange reaffirmed the strong and growing Africa-India partnership, with discussions focusing on preparations for the next Africa-India Summit. The Chairperson commended…
