- Through Naija Comm, Texas-based Eno Oduok is challenging career stigmas in the Nigerian community and educating people about professions they didn’t think existed. Providing alternative career options to professionals, first generation Nigerian-American Eno Oduok has broken the norm herself. She is…
- TOPLINE Trials of cutting-edge cancer vaccines could kick off in the U.K. as soon as September, German Covid vaccine maker BioNTech announced on Friday, part of a new government partnership to fast track development of the same mRNA technology behind the most successful coronavirus vaccines as…
- Venturing into the world of entrepreneurship is often strenuous and risky business. But the rewards far outweigh the costs. Since 2013, the added prize of being lauded as a ‘unicorn’, that is a business valued at $1 billion or more, has become highly coveted among the entrepreneurial class. On the…
- TOPLINE Yet another major cryptocurrency player is in serious danger of going under, as sources told the Wall Street Journal the embattled lender Genesis is weighing filing for bankruptcy, while the firm said Thursday it had drastically reduced its headcount. KEY FACTS Genesis laid off 30% of its…
- By Paula Slier THE POWER struggle for who will be South Africa’s next president is in full swing. In December, the country’s ruling party’s all-important African National Congress (ANC) conference elected a new national executive committee. [This was] set to be the most widely-contested elective…
- TOPLINE The Food and Drug Administration changed its regulations on Tuesday to now make it possible for abortion pills to be dispensed by retail pharmacies, further expanding access to medication abortion, as the drugs have become a more prominent abortion method in the wake of the Supreme Court…
- When employees at Shopify got back from their holiday break Tuesday morning, they started 2023 with some calendar relief. Every recurring meeting with three or more people, they were told, would be automatically cancelled by the end of the day, and they should not add them back for at least two…
- Jemima Kakizi Akimanizanye is adding to Rwanda’s aesthetic appeal with her transformative art and addressing the country’s youth population on the cusp of change. By Caissy Christine Nakure The tiny East African country of Rwanda is known for its rolling hills, verdant valleys and immaculate green…
- TOPLINE During the stock market’s worst year since 2008, energy stocks have greatly outperformed other assets, providing strong returns as investors piled into the sector amid political and economic turmoil. KEY FACTS The S&P 500 Energy index, composed of the energy companies listed on the…
- A persistent acne problem led Botswana’s Didintle Moreki to look for indigenous solutions in her backyard, and grow her skincare range into a successful business. Didintle Moreki’s entrepreneurial story literally took root in her past. In Botswana’s vast semi-arid shrub, grass and tree landscape,…
- TOPLINE James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water earned $18 million in the U.S. on New Year’s Eve, totaling $1.37 billion globally in the long-awaited sequel’s third week, as the movie earned $31 million more than the second-highest grossing film through Friday and Saturday. KEY FACTS Avatar: The…
- TOPLINE Shares of Tesla plunged to a fresh two-year low on Tuesday as the embattled automaker—already reeling from concerns chief Elon Musk has shifted too much focus to Twitter—reportedly faces a prolonged shutdown at a key factory next month and broader skepticism the electric vehicle industry…
- TOPLINE Pelé—believed by many to be the greatest soccer player ever who paved the way for the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo—died Thursday at age 82 after a long battle with colon cancer, according to his family. KEY FACTS “Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who…
- As co-founders of South Africa’s favorite load shedding app, Dan Southwood-Wells and Herman Maritz alert people about rampant power cuts so they can better plan their lives. THE PHONE GOES PING! AND THEN THE customary alert, that the country is going in to Stage 3 or Stage 4 or even Stage 6 ‘load…
- Wemimo Abbey Co-Founder, Esusu “We like to call ourselves [social] justice capitalists.” Wemimo Abbey, co-founder of Esusu, a company which reports rent payments to major credit bureaus helping renters establish their credit scores and owners maximize returns, says the company was born out of…
- TOPLINE Retail sales grew by 7.6% this holiday season compared to the same period last year according to a Monday Mastercard report, as customers took advantage of heavily discounted merchandise amid an overall slowdown in the retail sector over the past few months. KEY FACTS Restaurant spending…
- A methamphetamine and cocaine gang operating across the U.S., Mexico, Europe and Australia used the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange Binance to launder tens of millions in drug proceeds, according to an ongoing investigation by the US Drug Enforcement Administration. Between $15 and $40…
- Melvyn Lubega Co-founder, Head of Strategic Partnerships and Director, Go1 “I’m an African passionate about solving significant problems with technology.” In 2021, just six years after its founding, eLearning platform Go1 became South Africa’s first tech scale-up to be valued at more than $1…
- Everywhere you go, the smell of woodfire reminds you that you’re deep in Africa. But signs of progress are slowly emerging in the Central African Republic, as this writer found. By Paula Slier It never ceases to amaze me when I travel abroad and tell people I’m from South Africa that there is…
- The Royal African Society, which celebrated its 120th birthday recently, continues to be a catalyst for positive change promoting African voices in the United Kingdom and globally. You feel a deeply inspiring and immersive connection with Africa every time you speak with Arunma Oteh. And when the…
- By Paula Slier As predicted, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has won the presidency of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) for a second term. Even the markets appreciated the news with the South African rand strengthening against the dollar. But judging from how ANC delegates behaved…
- While researchers applaud Amazon’s safeguards to ensure the tech is safe for kids, some experts are concerned that generative AI could lead children to believe these algorithms are more intelligent than they actually are. Generative AI, which is known for churning out fantastical art based on text…
- Mitchell Elegbe Co-founder and CEO, Interswitch “If you know you only have one opportunity, the way you use it is quite different but if you felt you could squander this one and get another opportunity, then your approach will be different.” For Mitchell Elegbe, the journey to building one of…
- With all the attention being paid to OpenAI’s ChatGPT—the chatbot that headlines are blaring could kill the student essay or offer a substitute for writers—the debate over whether robots are going to replace skilled jobs is getting revived again. Who knows what impact the chatbot will ultimately…
- South African design collective Always Welcome will soon be in Namibia too. Their designers share information about manufacturing and collaborate to bring beautiful local ideas to life. Garreth van Niekerk and Alan Hayward, co-founders and directors of the South African design store, Always Welcome…
- By Ross Holland ’Tis the season to be jolly, but that does not mean the festivities should result in the bathroom scale swinging the wrong way. FORBES AFRICA reached out to two professionals to find out how to keep the holiday weight off, whilst partaking of every joyful activity. Persuade Makore…
- Billionaire money manager Ron Baron has overseen decades of stellar returns, in large part because he is an optimist. He has remained steadfastly bullish in his approach to long-term investing in stocks, which have risen greatly since he started his fund 40 years ago. The mutual fund manager he…
- Compiled by: Nafisa Akabor Jura Z10 The Jura Z10 coffee machine is a must for any smart home. This top-of-the-range model makes a slew of specialty drinks at the touch of a button, or using a smartphone app. Expect espressos, flat whites, cortados and macchiatos on tap, but additionally, specialty…
- One of the hottest trends in finance is prepaid muni bonds structured to help local utilities buy decades worth of renewable electricity. They’re good for the environment, but even better for the banks that will profit from cheap financing, trading profits and federal tax breaks. Socially…
- Daniel Marfo is managing operations in Africa for Zipline, ensuring that life-saving medical products are sent almost instantly to inaccessible areas using drones. The company has operated 300,000 flights in Ghana and Rwanda over the last five years. Up next: Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire, also…
- In its bankruptcy filing last week, New Jersey-based BlockFi attempted to paint itself as a responsible lender hit by plummeting crypto prices and the collapse of crypto brokerage FTX and its affiliated trading firm, Alameda. But a closer look at the company’s history reveals that its…
- The pre-owned luxury fashion market is gaining currency in South Africa. We dig out helpful hints for prospective buyers – and resellers – and the trend towards conscientious fashion over conspicuous consumption. Customers are able to earn a profit when reselling due to the appreciating value of…
- Africa shone in Washington this past week, as the US wooed African heads of state at the US-Africa Leaders Summit underlining the continent’s significance and committing to invest in its future with renewed vigor. What’s next? More in this exclusive FORBES AFRICA interview. The United States…
- Seven years ago, FORBES AFRICA interviewed Letty Ngobeni on her rise to successful entrepreneurship despite her disadvantaged background. Now, she is running not one, but multiple businesses that survived the onslaught of Covid-19. This is a story of how South Africa has had its share of survivors…
- Event space, hotel lobby, living room—companies are rethinking how they use their workplaces, drawing inspiration from non-offices for a new hybrid work era. But while businesses try to design more social spaces, they shouldn’t forget that—more than anything else—employees want a place to get their…
- WCEF presents the world’s leading circular economy solutions with business leaders, policymakers and experts participating from around the world. In attendance in Rwanda from 6th to 8th of December was Josephine Wawira, the Communications Lead at Sustainable Inclusive Business, the Knowledge Center…
- Being the first of anything may always feel like an honor but there is a different sort of pressure that comes with that label. Just ask Nonkululeko Gobodo, who in 1987, became the first black female chartered accountant in South Africa. “So, when I completed my studies, I was really protesting,”…
- Topline As 433 million Spotify users across the world get a peek at what their most popular songs are in 2022 as per ‘Spotify Wrapped’, it does come as a surprise that in sub-Saharan Africa, there’s been a 93% year-on-year increase in the popularity of K-Pop streams. Key Background According to…
- “It is in the character of growth that we should learn from both pleasant and unpleasant experiences.” – Nelson Mandela Formulating Sustainable Healthcare – A Balancing Act. “Healthcare is not just an industry; it’s an equality booster and an economy contributor,” shares Dr. Nicholas Crisp from the…
- TOPLINE Twitter will relaunch Blue—its subscription service that offers verification badges to users who pay a monthly fee—on Monday, the company announced Saturday, a much-delayed move that comes more than a month after the original rollout of the service was plagued by “verified” impersonator…
- Covering five of South Africa’s nine provinces, FORBES AFRICA looks at some gorgeous getaways as the year wraps up and it’s time to hit the road. If you’re looking for forest trails, waterfalls and rock pools, sand dunes by the sea, mountains and majestic views, long plains and starlit nights, or…
- TOPLINE Netflix’s stock extended its rally Friday as investors continue to slowly regain confidence in the streaming giant after a decline in subscriber growth earlier this year fueled market panic. KEY FACTS Netflix shares rose 5% to $326 Friday, outpacing a largely flat market, after analysts at…
- “I hope it will serve to show others that this is actually a really big opportunity. I think we’re still in the early innings.” Ham Serunjogi and Maijid MoujaledCEO and President (respectively), ChipperCash By Marie Shabaya THE UGANDAN-BORN CEO OF FINTECH unicorn, Chipper Cash, Ham Serunjogi, grew…
- TOPLINE Disney’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever continued to top the U.S. box office charts for the fifth consecutive week by raking in an estimated $11.1 million this weekend, according to Box Office Mojo, a streak that is all but certain to be broken next week with the release of James Cameron’s…
- TOPLINE Morocco advanced to the World Cup semifinals on Saturday, defeating Portugal 1-0 and becoming the first Arab and African country to make it to the round of four in tournament history KEY FACTS Morocco’s Youssef En-Nesyri scored the lone goal of the match, heading a cross from Yahya Attiyat…
- While the African beauty industry is largely dominated by international beauty conglomerates, Belle Nubian seeks to not only challenge these statistics, but also help the continent reclaim and redefine what it considers to be true African beauty. As beauty ideals begin to shift around the world,…
- Applied Machine Learning Days (AMLD) Africa, a free Machine Learning conference, makes it possible for anyone in Africa to learn about AI and interact with world-class speakers and entities. In 2020, AMLD Africa was founded to #DemocratizeMachineLearning in Africa. Two years later, AMLD Africa…
- Venturing into the world of entrepreneurship is often strenuous and risky business. But the rewards far outweigh the costs. Since 2013, the added prize of being lauded as a ‘unicorn’, that is a business valued at $1 billion or more, has become highly coveted among the entrepreneurial class. On the…
- TOPLINE Just a handful of games remain in the 2022 Qatar World Cup as the stakes grow higher for the eight teams still with a chance to win the world’s biggest sporting event, but there will likely be drama both on and off the scoresheet in the quarterfinals. KEY FACTS Messi’s last stand: 35-year-…
