- Backed by Timbaland and Nas, Imelda Walavalkar’s Los Angeles-based cannabis brand leans into the joy of getting stoned and having fun. In 2017, three friends from New York moved to Los Angeles to reimagine the cigarette. But the kind of smokes Imelda Walavalkar, her husband, Tracy Anderson, and art…
- Aliko Dangote’s just-launched fertilizer plant expected to help earn Nigeria about $5 billion in export revenue. IN MARCH, AFRICA’S RICHEST MAN, ALIKO DANGOTE, opened A $2.5 billion urea and ammonia fertilizer plant in Nigeria commissioned by the country’s President Muhammadu Buhari. In an…
- TOPLINE NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday that Russia’s war in Ukraine could last for years, but he urged countries to continue providing support to Ukraine, even as the war drags on for nearly four months and pushes up global food and energy prices. KEY FACTS Stoltenberg told…
- TOPLINE The international governing body for swimming voted Sunday to largely restrict transgender athletes from competing in the elite level of women’s swimming, but will consider setting up new “open competition” events, a decision that follows months of controversy and was cast by the…
- Having grown up as a conservative Northern Nigerian, it was ingrained in Fatima Babakura that at a certain age, inevitably, she would have to finish school and then get married “to someone rich who can take care of you”. But Babakura was never going to let this happen. “Living in Lagos gave me a…
- Topline FIFA on Thursday announced the 16 North American venues that will host games in the 2026 men’s World Cup, including 11 in the U.S., three in Mexico and two in Canada–here are the cities where the action in the world’s biggest sporting event will take place. KEY FACTS FIFA grouped the host…
- Radisson Blu sets a new standard in contemporary luxury and a personalized ‘Yes I Can!’ spirit with its very first hotel in Kigali, Rwanda. The Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre, Kigali, incorporates all facilities and functional technology with an apparent reference to the culture and…
- TOPLINE A previous Covid infection provided more “durable” protection against infection with the omicron variant than two or three doses of Pfizer or Moderna’s vaccines—but protection was strongest after both vaccination and an earlier infection, according to a study published in the New England…
- THE FORBES AFRICA 30 UNDER 30 CLASS OF 2022 CARE ABOUT BEING VISIONARIES OF CHANGE AND CATALYSTS FOR INNOVATION. BEING ON THE MOST-ANTICIPATED LIST ON THE CONTINENT, FOR THESE YOUNG TRAILBLAZERS, IS NOT JUST ABOUT COMMERCE AND CLOUT BUT ABOUT ENSURING THEY REPRESENT WELL THEIR COUNTRIES AND THE…
- Yet another out of the box initiative to raise awareness by Senator Rasha Kelej, a strong advocate for transforming patient care, a voice of the voiceless for many who are stigmatized due to pertinent social issues in Africa and the CEO of Merck Foundation, the Most Influential Foundation whose…
- TOPLINE The newly-released fourth season of Netflix’s Stranger Things officially became the streaming service’s most watched English-language series ever Tuesday, breaking a record held by the second season of Bridgerton in less than three weeks. KEY FACTS Over 781 million hours of Stranger Things…
- The Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting in Kigali is expected to be the largest in-person gathering of government businesses and civil society across the Commonwealth since the pandemic. Among those confirmed to attend are Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. BY RIDHIMA SHUKLA THE…
- TOPLINE The cryptocurrency market fell victim to a massive selloff on Monday as several large exchanges either halted sales or announced layoffs, and with Bitcoin plunging to its lowest price in 18 months, experts warn that the ongoing “bloodbath” will only result in more selling pressure on stocks…
- With more demand for e-mobility options in recent times, a South African startup is now driving e-bikes as a game-changer in the delivery industry. MOTORBIKES ARE UBIQUITOUS IN AFRICA, weaving through traffic as a mandatory motif in the continent’s bustling bazaars and raucous streets. Consider the…
- This one is for luxury seekers wanting to experience southern Africa by rail. In August and September this year, the Shongololo Express provides a special touring experience for visitors to southern Africa exploring South Africa, Namibia, eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), Mozambique and Zimbabwe by…
- TOPLINE Consumer prices rose 8.6% in the 12 months ending in May, unexpectedly returning to record levels—and climbing at the quickest pace in four decades—amid an unprecedented surge in gas prices. KEY FACTS Overall prices rose 1% from April—surpassing the 0.7% economists were expecting and much…
- “RISKING YOUR JOB FOR 10 MINUTES OF SLEEP… THAT’S CALLED SACRIFICE…” says Majimbo, donning her iconic sunglasses. “If I get up on time then what is the snooze button for,” she asks, proceeding to crunch on a crisp, perfectly-rounded potato chip. When you think of that Kenyan accent, the 90s-themed…
- “I am honored to have adjudicated the Business and [Technology] Innovation category for this year’s FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30 list. The list comprises impressive young visionaries and risk-takers who are transforming business and society. This year’s cohort bears testament to the potential of…
- TOPLINE The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has assembled a team to study unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) – popularly described as UFOs, or unidentified flying objects – the agency announced Thursday, a year after a highly anticipated report from U.S. intelligence agencies into a…
- Since the start of the tech boom in Africa, the financial sector has enjoyed tremendous hype, with news of African fintech companies raising funds being a dime a dozen in tech media. It’s a true reflection of how much the fintech sector has been a funding magnet from venture capitalists and…
- SOUTH AFRICA’S NORTHERN CAPE PROVINCE seems to stretch endlessly, the largest in the country at almost 400,000sqkm. Relatively flat land gives way to farm after farm, with maize, sheep and cattle amongst thousands of plants and livestock under yield. Responsible for 12% of the country’s food…
- TOPLINE Shares of energy giant Exxon Mobil surged to a new all-time high on Wednesday, continuing a stellar run this year on the back of rising oil and gas prices, which analysts warn could remain elevated well into late 2022. KEY FACTS Shares of Exxon Mobil jumped over 1% to a new record high on…
- TOPLINE A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee on Tuesday voted unanimously to endorse Novavax’s protein-based Covid-19 vaccine, bringing the shot one step closer to becoming the fourth FDA-approved coronavirus shot for adults. KEY FACTS The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products…
- THE WORLD Health Organization (WHO) stated recently that we are still in the first phase of theCovid-19 pandemic. The five stages determined by WHO are ‘Pandemic, Deceleration, Control, Elimination and Eradication’. While this projection did create debate from various groups, it’s complex to…
- A pair of twentysomethings from Uganda and Ghana thought there was a fortune to be made bringing transnational financial services to Africa’s 1.2 billion people. With 5 million users, San Francisco-based Chipper Cash is just getting started. It was the summer of 2018, and Ham Serunjogi, a 24-year-…
- Two of the Gupta brothers who have been charged with fraud and money laundering in South Africa have been arrested under an Interpol red notice in Dubai. In one of the most prominent breakthroughs in South Africa’s attempt to bring perpetrators of state capture to justice, brothers Atul and Rajesh…
- BY TIANA CLINE According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, microchips are the world’s most complex, costly, and research- intensive product humankind has ever manufactured. Microchips, also known as chips or semiconductors, are packed with tens of billions of transistors on a piece of…
- “It has been a privilege to have participated in this honorable and important project. I’ve taken the last week of our European Tour reading and re-reading details provided and juxtaposing as much as possible [of] the various talents, making it very difficult [as] an exercise as each and every one…
- South Africa’s mining industry is the backbone of the country’s GDP, proving that the future of the economy lies in the energy and natural resources sector. With the mining industry being central to this sector, SNG Grant Thornton is focused on helping this industry grow and ensuring that the…
- TOPLINE The Covid-19 pandemic caused millions of women—especially Hispanic women and those with lower incomes—to forgo breast and cervical cancer screenings in 2020, according to researchers from the American Cancer Society, who suggested obstacles such as financial difficulties and broader social…
- The FORBES AFRICA 30 UNDER 30 Class of 2022 care about being visionaries of change and catalysts for innovation. Being on the most-anticipated list on the continent, for these young trailblazers, is not just about commerce and clout but about ensuring they represent well their countries and the…
- TOPLINE Tesla CEO Elon Musk wants to lay off around 10% of Tesla’s workforce due to his concerns about the state of the global economy, Reuters reported on Friday citing an internal email sent to company executives, a move that could see thousands of workers at the electric car maker lose their…
- By Gary Martin If you are like most people, in recent times, you’ve spent considerable time glued to a variety of screens including smartphones, laptops, tablets, computer screens or TVs. Lockdowns, periods of isolation and the need for social distancing were collectively responsible for our…
- TOPLINE Pfizer has asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize its three-dose Covid-19 vaccine for children under 5, the company announced Wednesday evening, a move that could extend protection against the coronavirus to the U.S.’s 18 million young children. KEY FACTS The request came just…
- Family Governance is not a buzzword. It has global economic relevance. Stellenbosch Institute for Family Governance, by SFO, partners with Stellenbosch Business School to pilot AffinityLab; a family focused research incubator to nurture and stimulate familial cooperation in Ultra-High-Net-Worth (…
- “This is the time to stand together and get connected. It’s time to bury our differences, show love to one another and look forward with confidence.” H.E Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of Tanzania Located on the east coast of Africa and south of the equator, Tanzania is home to some of the world’s…
- By Shehryar Ali, Country Manager for East Africa Mastercard Sustainability has risen to the top of the economic agenda globally as consumers become more focused on reducing their carbon footprint. According to a global consumer survey commissioned by Mastercard, consumers demand that brands be more…
- TOPLINE People experiencing a rebound Covid-19 infection after taking the antiviral therapy medication Paxlovid can be contagious even before experiencing symptoms, according to a paper written by a team of researchers at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System and Columbia University,…
- TOPLINE Iran has amassed enough enriched uranium to make a nuclear weapon, according to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency viewed by several media outlets Monday, as the IAEA presses Iran to cooperate with a probe into its nuclear program and the United States seeks to re-enter a…
- Topline With higher fuel prices driven by international shortages, a weaker Rand and years of excessive levy increases, reports are that the government in South Africa is set to announce further interventions on the petrol price as the country faces a potential record hike of R4 ($0.25) per liter…
- Djenne, the city with over 2,000 mudbrick houses in Mali, boasts a grand mosque and the extraordinary sophistication of African civilization with some impressive history chapters, as this writer found. WORDS AND PHOTO BY RAMDAS IYER THE OLDEST KNOWN CITY IN SUB-SAHARAN Africa is the adobe city of…
- Now in its fourth year, the “Africa’s Business Heroes” (ABH) grant spotlights the most talented entrepreneurs and small businesses from across the continent. We look at some of the recent successes of the ABH heroes and how they are reshaping entrepreneurship in Africa. Entrepreneurship in Africa…
- TOPLINE Outbreaks across Europe and North America of monkeypox—a rare virus not normally found outside parts of Africa— have governments spooked and scrambling to secure supplies of treatments and vaccines to contain the disease. KEY FACTS Bavarian Nordic, a Danish biotech that manufactures the…
- Through her new luxury game lodge in Zimbabwe, Vimbai Masiyiwa, the daughter of billionaire businessman Strive Masiyiwa, hopes to empower and bring change to local communities. “I think nature has a special way of helping us heal and recover, helping us reflect and refresh.” Vimbai Masiyiwa may be…
- Topline This week, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed that there are currently no monkeypox cases in South Africa. As of May 23, the institute further confirmed that 15 countries have collectively reported more than 140 cases, none of which are African countries. Key…
- TOPLINE Turkey is engaged in discussions with Russia and Ukraine to establish a corridor to resume Ukrainian grain exports, Reuters reported Thursday morning, a crucial step in ending a global food supply crisis due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. KEY FACTS Turkey is in talks to open a route for…
- We asked some of the top CMOs – all women from a cross-section of industries – for their sterling views. The corner office is not just the prized preserve of the CEO. A new band of C-suite executives has emerged in the last two years of the pandemic with growing significance as any big company’s […]
- Elon Musk will drop one of the riskier components behind his $44 billion bid for Twitter, a move you can read as a smart one given the single direction markets have moved over the past few weeks: down, down, down. Musk has scrapped a plan to take out a margin loan as part of his […]
- BY ALASTAIR HAGGER AFRICA FASHION MEANS THE past, the future and the present at the same time” is the apposite sentiment by Moroccan designer Artsi, fronting the publicity for a major new exhibition launching in July this year at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). As the world finally…
- Outstanding people management, leadership and Human Capital strategies have earned the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) the honour of being certified as a Top Employer in 2022 as recognised by the Top Employers Institute that recognises high performing organisations in South Africa. As one of South…
