Tourist arrivals to Africa rose 8% in 2025, the highest global increase. The continent welcomed 81 million international tourists during the year. Global tourism arrivals rose 4% to 1.52 billion. Africa recorded an 8% increase in international tourist arrivals in 2025 compared with 2024. This was the strongest growth rate worldwide, based on data released on Wednesday, January 21, by UN...

CBE introduced CBE Connect in partnership with fintech StarPay. The platform enables cross-border transfers and multiple financial services. The initiative targets formalization of remittances and financial inclusion. Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), the country’s second-largest state-owned bank, said it has launched CBE Connect, a new digital platform developed with local fintech...

Algeria and Italy signed university partnerships to strengthen research, entrepreneurship, and academic mobility between the two countries. The agreements involve Algerian institutions including Médéa, Ouargla, Tlemcen, Oran 1, Constantine 3, USTHB, and ENP El Harrach, and Italy’s University of Genoa. The move aims to address Algeria’s high youth unemployment, where 29.3% of...

TVS Motors is in discussions to build its first African motorcycle and tricycle manufacturing plant in Egypt, according to the Egyptian Investment Ministry. The project aims to create Africa’s largest motorcycle and three-wheeler manufacturing hub, leveraging local labor competitiveness and free-trade agreements. Africa’s two-wheeler market is projected to reach $7.29...

Tanzania plans to commission the MV Mwanza ferry on January 23, 2026, enhancing regional connectivity and supporting cross-border trade. The vessel can carry 1,200 passengers, 400 tons of cargo, 20 light vehicles, and three trucks, linking ports in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. The ferry cost 120 billion Tanzanian shillings ($46.9 million) and is part of Tanzania’s broader strategy...

Camtel secured $80.3 million (44.884 billion FCFA) in syndicated financing from Commercial Bank Cameroon to fund the first phase of its Mobile Network Expansion (MNE) project. The MNE aims to extend 2G, 3G, and 4G coverage in regional capitals, university towns, strategic economic zones, and underserved rural areas. Cameroon had 29 million active mobile lines in 2025, but only...

BEN–Valio partner for an exclusive AI licensing deal in Africa to deliver sovereignty-aligned, compliant AI solutions. Initiatives like AfricAI (Next Digital, Lakeba, AqlanX, Agentic Dynamic), Cassava–Accenture rollout, and UNESCO’s AI for Africa Initiative highlight growing corporate alliances and regulated ecosystem development. PwC projects Africa’s GDP could rise 4.9% by...

Corr-Serve became the sole distributor of Seceon’s AI-driven cybersecurity solutions in Southern Africa, with South Africa as the rollout hub for SADC. Africa’s digital growth (57% urban internet use in 2024) has fueled rising cyber risks. South Africa alone recorded 18,000 ransomware incidents and ranked high in password-stealer detections. Similar partnerships are spreading...

Deloitte expects ransomware and phishing attacks to intensify in Nigeria in 2026 as services and data move online. Nigeria ranked third in Africa for phishing cases in 2024, with 3,459 incidents recorded, according to Interpol. Cybercrime caused more than $3 billion in losses between 2019 and 2025, with annual losses of about $500 million. Ransomware and phishing...

The African Development Bank approved a $16.5 million loan to support the 35-MW OrPower Twenty-Two geothermal project in Kenya. The Menengai geothermal field will reach 105 MW in its first phase, supplying 301 GWh per year under a 25-year power purchase agreement. Kenya targets an expansion of geothermal capacity from 940 MW to 1,824 MW by 2030. Kenya continues to rely on...