Spurred by a rapid digital transformation, competition in South Africa’s internet market keeps getting tougher. Several industry players are consolidating to improve the quality of their services in this challenging landscape. Afrihost, the South African internet service provider (ISP) can now acquire its rival, CipherWave Home-Connect, from CipherWave Networks. The ISP obtained the approval...

Over the past three years, Helios Towers acquired several telecom towers in South Africa, Senegal, Madagascar, Malawi, Chad, Gabon, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Back in June 2021, the company raised $160 million to finance its expansion. Helios Towers, an independent telecom infrastructure manager focused on Africa, is preparing to extend its operations into the...

HUAWEI CLOUD announced that a paper about its breakthrough Pangu Weather AI model has been published by Nature, one of the world's top scientific journals. The publication marks the first time that employees of a Chinese technology company are the sole authors of a Nature paper, according to Nature Index. The paper, describing how to develop a precise and accurate global AI weather forecast...

The fund will catalyse further investment flows into critical infrastructure, including energy, transportation, telecommunications, and water Prominent African and global institutional investors have signed on to the new $500 million Africa50 Infrastructure Acceleration Fund - a move described as an unprecedented milestone for Africa. The fund is the first private vehicle infrastructure...

The African Development Bank has restated its support for the Libyan Government’s agenda to boost food security and build resilience in the North African country. Malinne Blomberg, the Bank’s Deputy Director General for Northern Africa, gave the assurance during a coordination meeting on the Food Security Agenda in Libya. “Food security is a prerequisite for economic...

The ATU aims to promote the rapid development of ICT in Africa. It currently has 51 member states and 61 associate members, including telecom operators. Togo recently adopted a law to join the Union as well. The Malawi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nancy Tembo (see picture), signed and ratified the Constitution and Convention of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), as reported by the local...

In their pursuit of lasting stability in Central Africa, the Central African Republic (CAR) and Gabon are joining forces. The two countries formally signed a military cooperation agreement, marking a significant milestone. Last Saturday, July 1, the Gabonese Minister of Defense, Félicité Ongouori Ngoubili, and the CAR Minister of Defense, Rameaux Claude Bireau, signed a new military...

Relations between Egypt and Turkey have been improving since 2021, reflecting better diplomatic ties. To sustain and bolster the dynamic, Turkish and Egyptian authorities appointed new ambassadors. After several years of political and diplomatic tensions, Egypt and Turkey decided to bolster their diplomatic relations by appointing ambassadors. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs released...

The removal of roaming charges is a significant concern in various economic zones in Africa. Just like ECOWAS, EAC, and SADC, they are increasing initiatives to establish a single network among their respective members. Community roaming is now in effect between Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Officially launched on June 14th, the initiative helps citizens of either country traveling to the other to...

Initiated last March, the takeover of NME, one of Côte d’Ivoire’s top packaging companies, was just completed this month. AFIG Funds, a fund manager, and Norfund from Norway are among its new owners.  On July 3, 2023, a group of investors comprising the Advanced Finance and Investment Group (AFIG Funds) and the Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries (Norfund) finalized the...