Africa’s cashless revolution is on, banking on virtual cards

By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency International card companies are vying for Africa's fast-evolving electronic payments market as middle-class incomes rise and the quest for cashless transactions intensifies. UnionPay International, a subsidiary of China's Union Pay, is the latest entrant in the African card payments market, warming up to face-off with Visa and Mastercard. Notably, UnionPay International is partnering with the Standard Bank Group, the largest bank in […]

January 23, 2024 24

Africa

Rwanda pushes Africa towards universal smartphone access

By Seth Onyango, via bird story agency Progressive policy reforms and the influx of budget-friendly smartphones are steering Africa towards complete digital connectivity in just over a decade. Rwanda's recently-announced, three-year target is the most ambitious on the continent, although statistics show that other nations are also rapidly closing in on similar milestones. As part of Kigali's innovative funding scheme, citizens can obtain handsets at the subsidised price of […]

January 22, 2024 25

Africa

Davos: Global economists see bright spots in Africa growth prospects

By Conrad Onyango, bird story agency Top economists agree that Africa's economic prospects for 2024 are positive, as small countries sparkle in the face of sluggish global growth projections. Chief economists from the World Economic Forum, World Bank and United Nations project Africa’s economy will defy the impacts of weak investments, debt crises, inflation, tight financial conditions and extreme weather patterns to record an improvement over 2023. A strong majority […]

January 19, 2024 28

Africa

Yango supports football fans and local talents during Africa’s biggest Football Festival

Yango, an international tech company and one of the leading ride-hailing services in Africa, is not standing on the sidelines of this African football celebration ongoing in Côte d'Ivoire. Football unites different nations and people. This championship is not only a celebration of football in Africa, but also a competition of national teams. To show its support and enhance the journey of the fans, Yango has produced an […]

January 19, 2024 20

Africa

Senegal’s pink lake is on the verge of disappearing – how to protect it

By El hadji Sow, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar Lake Retba, better known as Lac Rose (the Pink Lake), is located around 35km from the city of Dakar, Senegal. It sits in a depression with a shoreline 6.5 metres below sea level. The lake is isolated from the sea by about 1km of sand dunes. Its fresh water comes from the seasonal water table in the dunes, which […]

January 18, 2024 15

Africa

Rising megacities: A superhighway for Africa’s shared mobility market

By Conrad Onyango, bird story agency As Africa's urban centres continue to grow and with an increasing number of cities now expected to surpass 10 million residents, the shared mobility sector is expanding fast too, raising prospects of more income for cab-hailing companies and drivers. Global management firm, Oliver Wyman, has revealed in a new report that ride-hailing, scooter or e-bike rentals, and car-sharing, which together make up […]

January 18, 2024 15

Uncategorized

Africa’s 10 ‘most open’ countries for travel

By Conrad Onyango, via bird story agency In the past eight years, 35 countries have improved their visa policies and, since 2016, five countries have abolished all visa requirements for African travellers. As a result, citizens of at least five countries can now enjoy visa-free travel in 42 different countries, compared to just three in 2020. According to the Africa Development Bank's Africa Visa Openness Report 2023, most countries […]

January 17, 2024 4

Africa

Cabo Verde’s malaria victory is a blueprint for Africa

By Bonface Orucho, via bird story agency Cabo Verde has achieved a significant milestone in the battle against malaria, securing malaria-free certification from the World Health Organization (WHO). In news released on Friday, January 12, WHO explained that indigenous malaria transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes across the archipelago of 10 islands has been halted nationwide for the past three consecutive years. The country's certification is the fourth on the continent, […]

January 17, 2024 41

Opinion Pieces

More than 4 billion people are eligible to vote in an election in 2024. Is this democracy’s biggest test?

Shutterstock Nicholas Reece, The University of Melbourne 2024 is going to be democracy’s biggest year ever. In a remarkable milestone in human history, over four billion people – more than half of the world’s population across more than 40 countries – will go to the polls. National elections will be held in the United States, India, Indonesia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Mexico, and South Africa to name […]

January 15, 2024 7