South Africa bets big on natural gas as it begins a belated push to revamp its energy supplies and slash emissions, bolstered by EU endorsement of investments in gas.

South Africa bets big on natural gas as it begins a belated push to revamp its energy supplies and slash emissions, bolstered by EU endorsement of investments in gas.

By Seth Onyango, bird story agency South Africa is emerging as an early beneficiary of the European Parliament’s vote last July to designate natural gas and nuclear projects as “green energy” investments. The vote was seen as an opportunity for natural gas-endowed states in Africa to continue ploughing billions from the sale of the commodity into their economies. The recent unveiling of a gas terminal project in South Africa led […]

January 25, 2024 6

Africa

Blinken sees growing partner in Angola on Africa democracy tour

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday will explore greater coordination with emerging regional partner Angola, capping a tour of Africa to champion US-friendly democracies as global crises mount. After years of estrangement with Washington during the Cold War, Angola has seen growing common ground with the United States including by working together to address violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Blinken arrived late Wednesday in the oil-rich […]

January 25, 2024 7

Africa

African startups turn to debt as equity powder dries up

By Conrad Onyango, via bird story agency In 2022, when funding from venture capitalists began to dry up in Africa, Treepz, a shared mobility startup, was faced with a difficult decision... throw in the towel or grow the business without new investors. As part of their decision to keep going, they changed their core business model. “Towards the end of 2022, we knew the funding draught would happen […]

January 24, 2024 14

Africa

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 30

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 31

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 30

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 24

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 19

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 23