From Project Bankability to Building Productive and Financeable Economies As the World Bank Group places job creation, private sector mobilization and productive transformation back at the center of its agenda, evaluations by the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) of the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) engagement in fragile economies invite us to ask a fundamental question: Is…
Climate tech’s part in the venture funding became dramatically pronounced in 2025, when it alone contributed 40 per cent or $1.5 billion, compared to other years in the near-decade period under review, the study said. That was up from 13 per cent or $206 million in 2016. Climate tech, the field of technologies and solutions…
Addis Ababa — The First Africa Pastoral Markets Forum opened in Addis Ababa on Monday with a call to transform Africa’s pastoral livestock sector into a major driver of economic growth, employment, trade, investment, and resilience across the continent. The five-day forum, running from July 13 to 17, has brought together representatives from 15 African…
David Meister, Global Head, MSP & MSSPs, Check Point Software Technologies. Every year on 27 June, the world marks the United Nations International Day for Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME Day). This year’s theme – “The Future Generation of MSMEs: An AI-Driven Future” – could not be more timely, because what I’m seeing on…
BISSAU — Guinea-Bissau’s economy demonstrated notable resilience in 2025, according to the World Bank Group’s Guinea-Bissau Economic Update (Spring 2026), released today. Real GDP expanded 5.8% in 2025, buoyed by a strong cashew harvest and farmgate prices that supported rural incomes and private consumption. Yet beneath this encouraging headline, the country faces mounting structural pressures…
The B-BBEE ICT Sector Council lost 11 members, from a total complement of 22, in two years. (Image source: 123RF) Ructions have emerged at the B-BBEE ICT Sector Council, with operational challenges, resignations and allegations of lack of leadership among the issues it faces. The council, which had a total complement of 22 members, now…
E-hailing platforms have enabled hundreds of thousands of drivers to earn income despite persistent unemployment and economic challenges. (Image created via Gemini) South Africa’s e-hailing sector has evolved from a convenient transport alternative into a significant contributor to the country’s digital economy, creating hundreds of thousands of income-generating opportunities. This, as the country continues to…
Nairobi – The recent Africa Forward summit in Nairobi hosted jointly by Kenya and France gave women working in the technology sector the chance to discuss issues including the future of artificial intelligence in Africa. RFI spoke to Shikoh Gitau, CEO of tech lab Qhala, about working with France’s Mistral AI, and with female leaders…
South Africa’s telecommunications operators wants future spectrum auction proceeds reinvested in digital infrastructure, citing the heavy bill that operators continue to carry from 2022. The Association of Comms & Technology (ACT) – an industry body whose members include South Africa’s biggest network operators – wants money raised in the country’s next spectrum auction reinvested in…
South Africa’s private sector expanded at its fastest pace in nearly four years in April, as sales and output rose amid supply concerns linked to the Iran war, a business survey showed on Wednesday. The S&P Global South Africa Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 51.6 in April from 50.8 in March. The 50-mark separates growth…
