African markets and business updates

As AI systems become more capable of reasoning and carrying out tasks with less human input, concerns are growing about what happens when humans can no longer fully control them. Will AI kill us all? It sounds like the plot of a science fiction movie, but in 2026, the question is being taken seriously by some of the people building the technology. As AI systems become more capable of reasoning and carrying out tasks with less human input, concerns are growing about what happens when humans can no longer fully control them.…

Cybastion, a US company that delivers digital and infrastructure solutions in Africa, has signed an agreement with Liberia’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to develop women's technology and business innovation hubs with child care centres across the country.

A 2025 Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) found that persons with disabilities are underrepresented in datasets used to train AI systems. Over 100 million Africans live with a disability, yet local sign languages, speech accents, and street layouts are virtually absent from global AI models. JOHN ADOYI, in this feature, writes about the Hub for AI and Disability Inclusion (HAIDI) and the African Disability Data Network (ADDN): the new pan-African coalition building the data rails needed to fix AI’s disability desert. When Francis Elendu, a secondary school teacher in Enugu, in southeastern Nigeria, wants to go out, he picks up his phone and his guide cane to aid his navigation.…

…New rate takes effect October 1…Applies to FG, states, FCT tax authorities By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief ABUJA — The Federal Government has reduced the interest rate payable by taxpayers for late settlement of their tax liabilities, with the new regime taking effect from October 1, 2026. Under the new arrangement, interest on tax […]

A year after Madagascar’s Gen Z-led protests forced President Andry Rajoelina from power, activists say they feel betrayed by the country’s new military-backed government.

Long registration queues and fragmented IT systems are holding back Nigerian universities. Is it time for a unified, cloud-native digital leap? Can functional AI and integrated campus operating systems reshape the future of African higher education? Nigeria is sitting on one of the greatest demographic dividends in the world. With over 60% of its population under 25 , the demand for higher education is surging at an unprecedented rate. To meet this demand, universities across the country are expanding curricula, launching new tech hubs, and pushing for global accreditation. But behind the ambitious academic goals lies a quiet operational crisis: the administrative bottleneck.…

Nearly a year after a ceasefire promised to end the war in Gaza, conditions remain dire for two million Palestinians living in the Strip, ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday.

Tigrayan authorities say they are responding to attacks by federal forces, while the federal government has described the Tigrayan military action as an offensive. Both sides have accused the other of triggering the latest escalation.

With emigration surging, a major issue in the vote is how to stop young people, who see no future at home, from leaving the country.

The result will determine which party gets the first opportunity to form a government, with the prime minister appointed by King Mohammed VI from the party that wins the most seats.