Author: Victor Olayiwola

South Africa’s leading mobile network operator, Vodacom Group Ltd., is set to gain majority control of Safaricom Plc, East Africa’s largest telecommunications company, in a landmark $2.4 billion transaction that is poised to reshape the region’s telecom landscape. Under the agreement, Vodacom will purchase a 15% stake in Safaricom from the Kenyan government along with an effective 5% stake from Vodafone International Holdings BV, bringing the total transaction value to $2.1 billion. In addition, Vodacom will make an upfront payment of 5.3 billion rand ($310 million) to secure the right to future Safaricom dividends that would otherwise be payable to…

Just two months after successfully closing its Series C funding round, Moniepoint is making a bold push to strengthen its presence in Nigeria’s business ecosystem with the launch of Moniebook, an integrated inventory-management and point-of-sale (POS) platform. This innovative tool is designed to provide business owners with real-time insights into sales, stock levels, payments, and customer interactions, offering a unified solution to streamline daily operations. Babatunde Olofin, Managing Director of Moniepoint MFB, explained that Moniebook is built to act as a strategic growth partner for entrepreneurs, delivering a single source of truth that empowers them to take full control of…

Junior Achievement (JA) Africa has reaffirmed its dedication to fostering a new generation of African entrepreneurs, emphasizing that the continent’s future relies heavily on equipping young people with the necessary skills, confidence, and opportunities to create innovative, solution-driven businesses. The announcement came during the opening of the 15th Company of the Year (COY) Competition in Abuja on Wednesday, where Asheesh Advani, President & CEO of JA Worldwide, stressed that the organisation’s mission goes beyond preparing youth for the future of work—it empowers them to actively shape it. The three-day event, running from December 3 to 5, 2025, focuses on showcasing…

KwaZulu-Natal is rapidly positioning itself as the new heartbeat of Africa’s business-tourism landscape, strengthened by the confirmation that the province will host Africa’s Travel Indaba (ATI) for the next five years. This long-term commitment transforms ATI from a Durban-focused showcase into a province-spanning economic engine driving year-round business activity. At the centre of this shift is the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (Durban ICC), already globally respected and now further elevated by its newly granted World Trade Centre (WTC) status. While Durban provides global credibility, KwaZulu-Natal is intentionally expanding the experience far beyond the beachfront — integrating destinations such…

A major milestone has been recorded in Africa’s growing fintech landscape as Black Swan, an emerging startup from Mauritius, has taken first place at the 2025 MEST Africa Challenge, one of the continent’s most competitive platforms for early-stage tech innovators. The company’s win was announced during the grand finale held at Innovation City, Cape Town, on November 26, 2025, solidifying its position as a rising force in financial-technology advancement. According to a statement reported on Tuesday by Technext, this year’s challenge placed a strong focus on fintech solutions pushing financial inclusion across Africa. The finals featured ten standout startups, each…

NBA Africa (www.NBA.com) today announced the five prize-winning startup companies from the second edition of NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator (https://TripleDoubleAccelerator.NBA.com), which the league launched last year to support the continent’s technology ecosystem and the next generation of African entrepreneurs. The five winning companies – 1) Reborn (Morocco), 2) Fitclan (Egypt), 3) Athlon Technology (Egypt), 4) Atsur (Nigeria) and 5) Songdis (Nigeria) – were awarded financial support and the opportunity to join Carnegie Mellon University Africa’s (CMU-Africa) 12-month Business Incubation Program as part of its Innovation Hub, which helps African tech startups transform proof-of-concept prototypes and preliminary market assessments into scalable,…

The Republic of Congo is entering a period of rapid growth, with upstream expansion across both the oil and natural gas industries positioning the country as a strategic anchor for Central Africa’s energy development. With the start of operations at Congo LNG Phase 2, goals to reach 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) in oil production and bold reforms across its regulatory landscape, the Republic of Congo is sending a strong message to foreign investors: Central Africa is open for business and committed to realizing large-scale projects. Natural Gas: A Cornerstone of Congo’s Energy Strategy Natural gas has emerged as a…

The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) (www.ITFC-IDB.org), a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, and the Trade and Development Bank Group (TDB Group) have been collaborating for several years financing the trade of commodities which are critical to the food and energy security of TDB Group Member States. Building on more than US$ 800 million in TDB participation in ITFC syndicated facilities, the multilateral financial institutions have committed to further expand their cooperation in 2026 and beyond.  Toward this end, the partners just signed, in Abuja, a framework agreement to grow an existing ITFC Murahaba facility to…

Africa’s Green Economy Summit (AGES 2026) is set to host an unparalleled showcase of investment-ready green economy projects from across the continent. With over 100 applications meticulously vetted by its expert investors committee, nearly 30 pioneering Pan-African initiatives have been selected to present their transformative solutions. This curated pipeline, spanning crucial sectors from clean energy to climate-smart agriculture, underscores Africa’s pivotal role in the global green transition and AGES 2026’s commitment to connecting global capital with impactful African ventures. Elodie Delagneau, Investment Project Lead at VUKA Group, emphasised the significance of this year’s selection: “The overwhelming response and the exceptional…

Mauritania has advanced its clean energy agenda with the August 2025 unveiling of a 160 MW solar plant, 60 MW wind farm and large-scale battery storage systems – all to be developed under a new public-private partnership framework. The announcement comes as the MSGBC basin undergoes rapid transformation in its energy sector, following the start of LNG production at the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project earlier this year – a milestone set to reshape regional power generation, industrial expansion and export potential. Amid this progress, the MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2025 conference and exhibition – taking place in Dakar from…