News•Feb 24, 2026
Mobile Handset Is Now the Front Door to the Future of Banking in Africa
The Africa Digital Banking Experience report shows mobile handsets have become the primary gateway to banking across the continent. With mobile penetration rising and smartphones becoming affordable, banks are shifting to mobile‑first strategies and redesigning products for handset users. While digital payments still account for only 5‑7% of transactions, mobile banking now serves the majority of digitally active customers, reshaping competition among banks, fintechs, and telecom operators. The study highlights both the growth potential and persistent challenges such as connectivity, security, and device affordability.
By African Business
News•Feb 24, 2026
Russia Lures African Recruits as Ukraine War Reaches Fourth Year
Russia, facing mounting casualties in its fourth year of the Ukraine war, has turned to African recruits to replenish its ranks, with Ukrainian intelligence estimating more than 1,400 individuals from 36 African nations have been enlisted. Kenya reports roughly 200...
By African Business
News•Feb 23, 2026
Private Investors Eye Africa's Electricity Transmission Opportunity
Private investors are entering Africa’s electricity transmission sector, marked by Uganda’s $50 million Amari project—the continent’s first independent transmission project (ITP) to begin construction. Similar public‑private partnerships are emerging in Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa, where a new procurement programme has...
By African Business
News•Feb 23, 2026
Egypt's Bid to Anchor a Cairo to Cape Town African Trade Highway
In November 2025 Egypt’s deputy transport minister reported that roughly 80% of the Cairo‑to‑Cape Town trans‑African highway is finished, positioning Egypt as the north‑south anchor of the corridor. The project, part of the African Union’s Trans‑African Highway network, is funded...
By African Business
News•Feb 22, 2026
Capitalising Africa's Youth Dividend
At the Africa Business Forum 2026 in Addis Ababa, leaders launched the Jobs Wall Commitment Tracker to record public and private sector job promises. The gathering emphasized that Africa’s youthful demographic demands risk‑tolerant, long‑term capital focused on research, innovation, and...
By African Business
News•Feb 20, 2026
Commodity Boom Helps to Drive JSE Confidence
South Africa’s commodity surge—gold up 65% and platinum 125%—is fueling a boom on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, with mining firms delivering double‑digit returns. The JSE’s recent rule changes, cutting shareholder approval thresholds from 75% to 50% and aligning disclosure standards,...
By African Business
News•Feb 20, 2026
Africa Needs Patient Capital for the Long Term
Africa’s growth potential is hampered by a $350 billion SME financing gap and annual infrastructure needs of $130‑170 billion, far exceeding current investment. While the continent’s population tops 1.5 billion and GDP surpasses $3 trillion, capital flows remain fragmented and short‑term. The article argues...
By African Business
News•Feb 19, 2026
Meloni's Ethiopia Visit Firms up Italy's Africa Plans
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni visited Ethiopia to cement Italy’s renewed Africa strategy, highlighting the operational rollout of the Mattei Plan. The plan aims to turn Italy into an energy hub by building pipelines that export gas and hydrogen from...
By African Business
News•Feb 19, 2026
Africa's Water and Sanitation Access Gap Is Constraining Economic Growth
Limited access to water and sanitation continues to hamper Africa’s development, with one‑third of the population lacking basic drinking water and two‑thirds without proper sanitation. The African Union estimates the WASH shortfall costs the region about 4.3 % of GDP each...
By African Business
News•Feb 18, 2026
Book Review: How Africa Works by Joe Studwell
Joe Studwell’s new book “How Africa Works” asks why the continent remains poor and outlines policies that could accelerate growth, emphasizing agriculture, demographics, and the “enclave effect” of resource extraction. He profiles four early‑movers—Botswana, Mauritius, Ethiopia, and Rwanda—showing how targeted...
By African Business
News•Feb 17, 2026
Fears that Basel III Regulations Could Penalise Africa
The Basel III regulatory package, delayed to a full 2027 rollout, tightens capital quality, leverage and liquidity requirements for banks worldwide. African banks risk higher capital costs because their sovereign debt is risk‑weighted more heavily, potentially limiting credit to the...
By African Business
News•Feb 17, 2026
AU Assembly Endorses AUDA‑NEPAD Priorities, Appoints New HSGOC Chair and Renews CEO Mandate
The African Union General Assembly endorsed AUDA‑NEPAD’s priority agenda for the acceleration phase of the Second Ten‑Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063, reaffirming its mandate across human capital, agriculture, climate resilience, health, industrialisation and infrastructure. It appointed Angola President João Manuel...
By African Business
News•Feb 17, 2026
Overseas and E-Commerce Payments to Be Made Easier in Ethiopia
The National Bank of Ethiopia announced sweeping foreign‑exchange reforms, letting exporters retain 100% of their foreign‑currency earnings in designated accounts and permitting banks to issue payment cards linked to those accounts. The minimum $100 requirement for foreign‑exchange savings accounts has...
By African Business
News•Feb 16, 2026
From Pilots to Platforms: Nairobi Sets Out Africa's Practical AI Playbook
The Nairobi AI Forum 2026 gathered 650 delegates to move African artificial intelligence from pilots to scalable, affordable solutions. Co‑hosted by Kenya, Italy and the UNDP, the event announced 1.5 million GPU hours for 130 innovators and a €50 million Harmonic Africa...
By African Business
News•Feb 16, 2026
Fitch, Afreximbank, and Africa's Development Sovereignty
Afreximbank terminated its credit rating relationship with Fitch after the agency reclassified the bank as high‑risk for providing debt relief to Ghana. Fitch argued the support indicated a lack of preferred‑creditor status, a claim the bank disputes, citing treaty‑based protections...
By African Business
News•Feb 13, 2026
Ruto Goes All in on Privatisation Ahead of Kenya Pipeline IPO
Kenya is launching the largest privatisation in decades with the IPO of Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), seeking to raise 106.3 bn shillings by selling 65% of the monopoly to private investors. The offer, priced at 9 shillings per share, values KPC...
By African Business
News•Feb 13, 2026
Africa's GDP Race Tightens as Economic Interdependence Deepens
Africa’s five largest economies are now separated by razor‑thin margins, with South Africa’s $401.6 bn GDP barely outpacing Egypt’s $399.5 bn. Nigeria remains third at $334.3 bn but its ranking is highly sensitive to exchange‑rate swings. Algeria and Morocco round out the top...
By African Business
News•Feb 12, 2026
The Power of Water to Transform Africa's Future
Access to safe water remains a critical bottleneck in Sub‑Saharan Africa, with roughly one‑third of the population—and nearly half in rural areas—still lacking basic services. The African Union’s 2026 Year of Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems, backed...
By African Business
News•Feb 11, 2026
The Great African Mispricing
Africa’s venture landscape is split between a regulated, capital‑efficient North and a fast‑growing but fragmented Sub‑Saharan region. In 2024, North Africa logged 89 equity deals worth $297 m, while Sub‑Saharan hubs like Nigeria and South Africa raised over $500 m each, highlighting...
By African Business
News•Feb 10, 2026
KOKO Failure Brings Cookstove Carbon Credit Model Into Question
KOKO Networks, a leading Kenyan clean‑cooking firm, entered administration on 1 February after the government refused the regulatory letter of authorisation needed to sell carbon credits on compliance markets. Backed by investors such as Microsoft, Mirova and a World Bank guarantee,...
By African Business
News•Feb 9, 2026
Bridging Continents: African Innovation at Web Summit Qatar
Web Summit Qatar has rapidly become the Middle East’s largest tech gathering, drawing a record 30,274 attendees from 127 countries in 2026. The event’s growth provides African startups—from fintech to agritech—direct access to Gulf investors, system integrators, and global partners....
By African Business
News•Feb 6, 2026
What a Year of Trump 2.0 Has Taught Us About the Global Economy
In his second term, President Donald Trump pushed average U.S. import tariffs to about 18%, the highest level since the Great Depression. The higher duties widened the trade deficit and contributed to persistent inflation, prompting the Federal Reserve to cut...
By African Business