As we look toward 2026, the economic environment remains uncertain. Economists predict that South Africa could be heading into another stormy year, with geopolitical tensions and unstable global markets placing pressure on growth. Now is the time to make strategic decisions for 2026, and business trends can offer helpful insights. When approached with intention, the…
Africa’s youth population represents a significant economic opportunity and a real risk if we get this wrong. The continent’s youth population aged 15–24 is expected to increase by around 42% by 2030, with the number of young people entering the African labour force projected to exceed the rest of the world combined by 2050. Gigi…
Key findings Between Round 7 (2016/2018) and Round 10 (2024) of Afrobarometer surveys, both average interview duration and average question duration have increased significantly. The average time taken to complete an interview rose from 63.0 minutes in Round 7, to 78 minutes in Round 9 and 79.9 minutes in Round 10. The average time taken…
The world is smoking less, but the tobacco epidemic is far from over. A new WHO global report shows the number of tobacco users has dropped from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024. Since 2010, the number of people using tobacco has dropped by 120 million – a 27% drop in relative…
As the globe shifts, Africa has seen a marked increase in the adoption of Bitcoin. Increasing volumes of trade, investments from leading institutions, and new policies are changing the continent’s cryptocurrency environment. As of August 2025, the total cryptocurrency market had a market capitalization dip of 1.7 per cent. This was due to the PPI…
Cyber Insight, in partnership with Sophos, hosted an exclusive cyber security event on 19 August at the Eikenhof Estate in Stellenbosch, bringing together IT managers, clients and partners to explore the latest ransomware research and the future development roadmap for Sophos solutions. Ransomware remains a top concern for SMEs The event highlighted findings from the…
Retail in South Africa is changing. As customers become more digitally empowered, the traditional, staff-led in-store experience is being replaced with self-service, smartphone-driven journeys. Tobie van Schalkwyk, Business Unit Lead at Duxbury Networking. Image supplied Shoppers want speed, independence, and seamless access to the same product information and services they have online. But while most…
Alessandro Arduino has researched Africa’s security affairs with a particular focus on the use of private military companies and other guns-for-hire across the continent. In his latest book, Money for Mayhem, Arduino examines how military privatisation intersects with international power dynamics. Drawing on fieldwork, interviews and firsthand data, he tracks actors from Russia, China and…
Media capture happens when media outlets lose their independence and fall under the influence of political or financial interests. This often leads to news content that favours power instead of public accountability. Media Capture in Africa and Latin America: Power and Resistance is a new book edited by news media scholars Hayes Mawindi Mabweazara and…
APP scam losses are on the rise, according to ACI Worldwide’s latest Scamscope report. Amid an ever-changing payments landscape, real-time payments are booming, offering significant value for financial institutions. At the same time, Authorized Push Payment (APP) scam losses are on the rise. To unpack these and other key trends in payments and fraud prevention,…
