Bitcoin was on track for a weekly gain of around 23% Friday, following a spate of positive developments for the world’s largest cryptocurrency. Bitcoin was trading 6% higher at about $77,000, up from about $62,800 at the start of the week. Crypto-linked stocks rose, with Coinbase and Circle advancing more than 9% each. Strategy advanced…
Ibrahim Sagna, executive chairman of investment firm Silverbacks Holdings Our new book, How we made it in Africa II: Real stories of entrepreneurs turning opportunity into profit, is available here. The book was recently shortlisted for the Business Council for Africa (BCA) African Business Book of the Year Awards 2026. In a recent interview with…
Richard Okello, co-founder of African investment firm Sango Capital, sees strong potential across a variety of sectors. Okello is particularly keen on African retail. “The transformation from unorganised retail to organised retail is underway,” he notes. One of Sango’s standout investments has been Sundry Markets, the parent company of Marketsquare, a Nigerian supermarket chain founded…
Ibrahim Sagna spent more than two decades in finance, including at the African Export-Import Bank and the Africa Finance Corporation, before co-founding Silverbacks Holdings, a firm that invests in technology, entertainment, sport and the creative industries. How we made it in Africa editor-in-chief Jaco Maritz spoke to Sagna about the firm’s origins and how it…
Zachariah George and Janade du Plessis, co-founders of Launch Africa Ventures. (Image by Launch Africa Ventures) Pan-African venture capital firm Launch Africa Ventures says it has returned cash to investors for the first time, demonstrating that African technology start-ups can generate real financial returns despite a challenging global funding environment. According to a statement, the…
Current credit ratings may disadvantage the continent, but wouldn’t an African agency amount to Africa ‘marking its own homework’? Can Africa itself correct the bias it says the Big Three credit rating agencies display in grading African sovereigns? The African Union (AU) and other voices on the continent believe this bias gives African countries unfairly…
Alexis Caude is the managing partner of Africa-focused investment firm Adenia Partners. In a recent interview with How we made it in Africa, he revealed how he invests his personal money. Caude takes a somewhat conservative approach to his personal investments. He invests in the hospitality sector in Europe and the US, an industry he knows well. He…
Danladi Verheijen, co-founder of private equity firm Verod Capital Management, is bullish on the education sector in West Africa. Last year, Verod sold its stake in TAG West Africa, which operates Lancaster University Ghana. The institution offers students a UK degree at a fraction of the cost. “There’s lots of demand for education,” Verheijen says. “Families…
Roelof Botha In a major corporate governance move following its blockbuster Wall Street debut, SpaceX has appointed prominent South African-born venture capitalist Roelof Botha to its board of directors. According to a regulatory filing submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Botha was elected as an independent common stock director effective 16 June 2026….
In a recent interview with How we made it in Africa, Sango Capital co-founder Richard Okello outlined the countries where he sees the greatest investment potential. Okello points first to Egypt, which he describes as “very intentional about becoming a middle-income country”. A key advantage is its population of some 120 million. For businesses, that means a vast…
