Signatories must guarantee that genetic sequence data and samples from potential outbreaks are shared with the US within 5 days of detection SPECIAL FEATURE | JEVANS NYABIAGE | Washington is securing bilateral health deals with countries across Africa to ensure direct access to critical pathogen data and specimens following the United States’ …
Read More »Africa is rethinking how it funds infrastructure
With external borrowing under pressure, African states are redesigning how they fund infrastructure. Capital-market instruments, pooled funds and long-term domestic investors are emerging as central to the continent’s next build-out. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | African governments are increasingly exploring alternative ways to finance infrastructure, moving beyond conventional external …
Read More »When African conservation crosses borders
At a quiet hotel in rain-soaked Maun, African policymakers, scientists and community voices came together to design a continental biodiversity programme rooted in shared ecosystems, resilience and cooperation Maun, Botswana | RONALD MUSOKE | On the edge of the Okavango Delta,a where seasonal rains soften northern Botswana and the air …
Read More »Africa’s industrial future depends on ties that work
Kampala, Uganda | Victor K’Onyango | For decades, Africa has been described as the continent of the future — a phrase that captures both hope and frustration. The continent holds immense natural wealth, a young and ambitious population, and a growing consumer market. Yet, industrialization — the true foundation of …
Read More »IMF: Africa to become world leader in economic growth in 2026
HARARE | TASS | Most of the fastest-growing economies, with gross domestic product growth rates exceeding 6%, will be on the African continent in 2026, according to Africanews, citing data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Growth rates in countries such as Rwanda, Uganda, and Ethiopia will exceed 7%, while South …
Read More »The African Rebirth: Ibrahim Traore and the audacious return of a continent to itself
COMMENT | ALEX ATWEMEREIREHO | Africa is not a sleeping giant; it is a suffocated one. Its lungs have long been pressed by the weight of imperial duplicity, its arteries drained by extractive economies masquerading as partnerships, and its political spine bent by postcolonial elites conditioned to administer decline on …
Read More »Africa’s year of Donald Trump
The continent navigated a tumultuous 12 months at the whim of America’s mercurial president NEWS ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | Donald Trump declared a ‘white genocide’ in South Africa, threatened military action in Nigeria and cut off live-saving foreign aid. The US president also reinvigorated commercial dealmaking with Africa, especially around critical …
Read More »The Afterlife of Empire – Cape to Cairo, Darfur to Kivu
How Old Empires Rebranded Themselves and Learned to Rule Through Chaos COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI | On Christmas Day in 1497, Vasco da Gama rounded the southern tip of Africa. He named the land he encountered Natalis—Portuguese for Christmas. Today, it is known as KwaZulu-Natal. Da Gama’s voyage opened …
Read More »Africa’s tech deals are happening at festivals
From Lagos and Nairobi to Cape Town and Marrakech, founders, investors, and corporates are using tech festivals to close funding, partnerships, and market-entry deals, according to ecosystem data and industry analysts. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Africa’s tech startup ecosystem is increasingly being organised around large, high-visibility festivals. From …
Read More »‘Anywhere in seconds’: instant payments in Africa hit nearly $2 trillion
Once a premium service, instant payments, now worth nearly $2 trillion USD according to a new report, are a financial lifeline for everyday use throughout Africa. The surge is powered by lower transaction costs and rising smartphone use that enables even low-income users to transact in real time. SPECIAL REPORT …
Read More »
The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price