Rwanda says it Wants to be Africa’s “Proof of Concept Country”
Two of Africa’s biggest fintech players are expanding their operations in Rwanda, which is pushing to position itself as a strategically important hub for the fintech sector by revamping its business laws and tax code. Chipper Cash, the pan-African money transfer company, opened in Kigali last week with a launch party on the sidelines of […]
There’s Widespread Fear that the Suez Canal could Become the Target of Rushed Deals
Since its nationalisation in 1956 the Suez Canal has provided Egypt with a rich source of revenue as well as a sense of national pride – but could hard economic times mean that privatisation is now on the cards? Egypt’s economic difficulties are deeply rooted but have escalated since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic […]
The Most Powerful Passports in Africa
Seychelles has held the title of the most powerful passport in Africa for the third year in a row. The country’s passport offers access to almost all the countries in Europe, Africa, New Zealand, and China. Its passport promises access to 153 countries across the globe. Mauritius’ passport offers access to most of the world’s […]
Morocco Managed to Meet its Development Needs in 2022 without Derailing its Sustainability Agenda
Weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine, Morocco had a roadmap in place for energy security, including fast-tracking sustainable access to the international Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) market, decarbonising industry and addressing the intermittency of renewables. On October 31, 2021, a 10 billion cubic metre natural gas pipeline between Africa and Europe shut down, cutting Morocco off. […]
The Story behind Africa’s Uber for Tractors
Jehiel Oliver recalls how he started a business on the Hello Tractor platform where farmers could make up to $30,000 in bookings a year. When a young Oliver left banking and started doing consulting work, “mostly still in finance”, he looked at deal structuring for funds investing across the Global South which then led him […]
Addis Wants to Join Emerging Market Bloc
Ethiopia, one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, has asked to join the BRICS bloc of emerging markets. The horn of Africa nation has the second-largest population in Africa, but its economy ranks only 59th in the world according to the International Monetary Fund and is less than half the size of the smallest BRICS member South […]
Female Agripreneurs in Africa Need IP Protection to Incentivize Innovation
As part of Rwanda’s agriculture transformation efforts to enhance agribusiness competitiveness, a growing number of women are now engaged in agribusiness, where many have been able to generate business benefits throughout the value chain. Official estimates show that in Rwanda, more women than men are primarily engaged in agriculture, yet female farmers face more challenges […]
IMF Lends DRC Money to Stay Afloat
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has granted the Democratic Republic of the Congo a $203.3 million loan to increase the nation’s foreign exchange reserves, which have dropped to $4.5 billion and are now only enough to pay two months’ worth of imports. The loan is a component of the extended credit facility (ECF) agreement the […]
Madagascar’s New Central Bank Governor is Planning to Use Gold to Beef Up Official Reserves
The Central Bank of Madagascar received 1 ton of gold, which was refined as per the London Bullion Market Association’s benchmarks, earlier this month. That marked the first step for the Antananarivo-based monetary authority to diversify its reserves. A substantial proportion of the gold comes from domestic small-scale miners, said Governor Aivo Andrianarivelo. The economy […]
Ivorian Fintech Selected for Startup Programme to Accelerate Growth and Impact in the Tech Market
Syca provides advanced payment and point-of-sale management solutions which simplify transactions and business operations while actively contributing to financial inclusion through alternative payment methods. Scaleway, meanwhile, helps developers and businesses to build, deploy and scale applications to any infrastructure. Located in Paris, Amsterdam and Warsaw, Scaleway’s complete cloud ecosystem is used by more than 25,000 […]
