African markets and business updates

Across Africa, policymakers increasingly agree on one point: the continent's economic transformation will depend not only on investment in infrastructure or natural resources, but on the skills of its people. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems have therefore become central to development strategies, from renewable energy and agriculture to tourism and manufacturing. Yet despite growing recognition of the importance of skills…

Over the past 15 years Brand Africa has been researching and ranking the most admired brands in the continent. In that period, non-African brands have dominated the list, with an average 80% share of Africa's most admired brands. Nike has led the rankings for the past eight years overall, and MTN and Dangote have dominated the rankings of African brands. Behind these brands are respected and admired African marketing operations. Until now, there has not been a comprehensive record of the people behind these brands.…

For centuries the story of classical music has predominantly been told as a European one. Bach, Mozart and Beethoven form the backbone of concert programmes across the world (perhaps also including artists like Tchaikovsky or Haydn) whereas music from other countries or nations has often been treated as peripheral on the Western stage. Yet the narrative is beginning to shift, and Nigerian pianist and curator Rebeca Omordia…

From Nairobi to Lagos, from Kigali to Tunis, a quiet revolution is underway. African policymakers, technologists and civil society leaders are no longer willing to accept global AI standards handed down from Washington, Brussels or Beijing. Instead, they are building their own frameworks, and the Africa AI Governance Forum (AAGF) has emerged as one of the most visible expressions of this ambition. The Forum, which has been gathering momentum across the continent, brings together governments, private sector actors…

Africa's growth story over the past two decades is real, but it is not yet transformative. Across the continent, GDP has risen on the back of more workers, more capital and a commodity super-cycle, rather than through genuine gains in productivity and innovation. Too little labour has moved out of subsistence agriculture into higher-productivity manufacturing and modern services. As the recent Africa Business Forum concluded in Addis Ababa…

Africa's growth story over the past two decades is real, but it is not yet transformative. Across the continent, GDP has risen on the back of more workers, more capital and a commodity super-cycle, rather than through genuine gains in productivity and innovation. Too little labour has moved out of subsistence agriculture into higher-productivity manufacturing and modern services. As the recent Africa Business Forum concluded in Addis Ababa…

Nigeria's tax reforms have generated high hopes of increased revenues for the state, as well as a more streamlined general system. What are the issues involved and how are they being addressed? Nigeria's tax landscape was changed by four interconnected Tax Reform Acts, which were signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on 26 June, 2025, and became effective from 1 January, 2026. These acts unified more than a dozen legacy federal tax laws, including the former Companies Income Tax Act…

Football is a sport where the winner is often decided late in the game. But rarely has a title changed hands some two months after the final whistle. Senegal lifted the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy in January, after beating host nation Morocco with an extra time winner in Rabat. Yet an appeal board established by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) sensationally intervened to strip the Teranga Lions of their prize…

Kenya has called for increased African self-reliance and continued adherence to multilateral norms and institutions, amid worsening global fragmentation sparked by conflict in Iran. Speaking at Chatham House in London, Kenya's prime cabinet secretary and cabinet secretary for foreign and diaspora affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, described the current international environment as a historic inflection point. "We have entered a more complex, perilous and contested global order," he said.…

The French government has launched the "Africa France Impact Coalition," a new forum bringing together French political leaders and prominent African entrepreneurs, as Paris continues to redefine its approach to the African continent. French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Nigerian billionaire Tony Elumelu (pictured above right with Macron in November 2024) to lead the Coalition, which is designed to be a catalyst for closer private sector collaboration between France and Africa.…