Africa
SADC Invites Stakeholders to its Services Committee
The Secretariat of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) launched the first Sector Focus Group (SFG) – Business Services meeting from 9 – 11th May 2022. The SFG comprised of Member States’ representatives from Ministries of Trade as well as regional and national policy, regulatory and private sector stakeholders from professional services; computer and related…
Read MoreGoogle Sets up Product Development Centre in Kenya
Google has announced that it will build its first product development center in Africa in Nairobi. In 2018 the company announced a $1bn investment plan for Africa to capitalise on the growing number of internet users on the continent. Earlier this year, payments technology firm Visa and computer software giant Microsoft also opened innovation hubs…
Read MoreDiscrimination of Small Logistics Firms by Customs in the East Africa Community
Tralac has carried a story on how a few companies are able to get favours when clearing their goods. These companies have the corporate and financial muscle to convince customs of their ability to develop strong logistical systems. Interviews with some of the traders say there is no robust legal framework in any of the…
Read MoreNigeria, Egypt, South Africa and Kenya Remain Africa’s “Big Four” from a Funding Perspective
Investment into the African tech startup ecosystem almost trebled over the course of a record-breaking 2021 that saw total funding pass the $2bn mark for the first time. This is according to the 7th edition of the annual African Tech Startups Funding Report released by startup news and research portal Disrupt Africa, which is available…
Read MoreSome African Countries Are Still Not Engaging with the Continental Free Trade Pact
Both Botswana and Zambia remain outside the AfCFTA. Signals from the Zambian government indicate that it will delay committing to African free trade while the new government works on the planned transition to a more diversified, value-added economy. Minister of commerce Chipoka Mulenga this month said the country has requested more time before committing to…
Read MoreAfrica News
The Rapid Payment Programme and Other Payments Developments in SA Last year we reported that the Rapid Payment Programme (RPP) would be launched in May 2022 by PASA. Unfortunately, there have been some unforeseen delays to solve, such as standardisation and the last mile functions between the payment operators, and therefore deployment is now expected…
Read MoreSurvey on Women Leading Corporate Africa
Africa.com took a poll of over 1,000 senior c-suite executives. The poll asked 2 key questions about women in corporate Africa. First, “Compared to the rest of the world, climbing the corporate ladder for women in Africa is a) the same, b) harder, or c) easier. 84% indicated that it is harder. Second, “For black…
Read MoreMalware attacks are on the increase in Africa
The Newsletter has often stressed the need for greater vigilance against cybercrime. A new report from Kaspersky shows that over the last 18 months cybercriminals have taken advantage of digital transformation advancements and an increase in remote working to launch their assaults. Kaspersky recorded 85 million in the first half of 2021, representing a 5%…
Read MoreSocial media platforms are accelerating economic growth and opportunity across the continent
A new study by Genesis Analytics commissioned by Facebook (FB) and aimed at exploring the impact of the digital economy on small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) has been conducted in 8 African countries – SA, Kenya, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Nigeria, Ghana, and Mauritius. The survey explored the adoption and use of social media…
Read MoreNew SAIIA Paper on Regional Value Chains in Africa, and the Digital Economy
Michelle Chivunga and I have submitted another Occasional Paper to SAIIA (https://saiia.org.za/research/why-regional-value-chains-in-africa-need-to-go-digital/). See the event (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdaLZtxGUwo&t=2s) The paper points out that Africa has been dependent on foreign aid and the revenue generated by a limited export basket, comprising mainly primary goods. The continent has also been de-industrialising. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) provides…
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