Author: Kevin Odero

On 6 March 2026, the Court of Appeal in Nairobi issued a landmark decision on the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act (2018) (Act). The Court held that sections 22 and 23 of the Act – which criminalised publication of certain forms of ‘false’ information – are unconstitutional. The Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE), backed by media and civil society groups including Article 19 East Africa, the Kenya Union of Journalists, and the Law Society of Kenya, argued that large portions of the Act violated fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, privacy, and fair trial protections. The Attorney General, the Speaker…

Africa’s largest lender posts R49.2 billion (about $3 billion) headline earnings, hikes dividend 12%, and signals confidence with new R450 billion ($26.3 billion) sustainability target. Standard Bank Group delivered a strong performance in 2025, blowing past the financial targets it set four years ago and rewarding shareholders with a double-digit dividend payout even as it resets its ambitions for the next cycle. The Johannesburg-based lender, Africa’s largest by assets, reported headline earnings of R49.2 billion ($3 billion) for the year ended December 2025, pushing return on equity (ROE) to 19.3 per cent, the top end of its 2025 target range…

At the Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX), over 45 financial services prospectuses are under review, with major listings from Awash, Dashen, and Bank of Abyssinia imminent, offering investors exposure to Ethiopia’s most profitable and best-capitalised institutions. International investors can participate through licensed local brokers, subject to sectoral limits (notably 40% in banking). The broader liberalisation agenda, including FX reform and foreign bank entry, is creating a more accessible environment. The ESX has launched “Neway,” a mobile trading app, and prioritised dematerialised securities. With indices planned for mid-2026 and a growing roster of licensed intermediaries, the market is building the plumbing needed…

The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development’s decision to exit a 66-year investment in East Africa’s largest media house marks a watershed moment and places Tanzania’s first dollar billionaire Rostam Azizi at the heart of the region’s media future. On March 10, 2026, when the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) confirmed it would sell its entire 54.08 per cent stake in Nation Media Group (NMG) to a little-known investment vehicle called Taarifa Ltd, the East African business establishment reached for its corporate directories. Who, exactly, is Rostam Azizi, the man behind Taarifa Ltd? The answer leads to Rostam…

The U.S.-African Union Strategic Investment Working Group (SIWG) replaces traditional aid with private-sector-led investment, targeting Africa’s $68-$108 billion annual infrastructure gap through U.S. capital and innovative financing tools. The initiative directly challenges Beijing’s two-decade dominance in African infrastructure, leveraging U.S. financial leverage rather than physical infrastructure, a model that will be tested against China’s deeply entrenched road-and-rail presence. Priority sectors of transport, energy, digital infrastructure, and critical minerals offer entry points for U.S. private capital, with early movers positioned to benefit from regulatory harmonization under the AfCFTA. Early this year, a strategic shift in U.S.-Africa economic relations took place. The…

The U.S., through the Orion Critical Mineral Consortium and Glencore, has secured its first major foothold in DRC’s copper and cobalt mines, directly challenging China’s two-decade vice like grip on critical mineral wealth powering the global green revolution. While China built roads, railways and deep political ties through infrastructure-for-resource deals, the U.S. is betting on a different model, that is using government-backed financing and offtake agreements to secure critical minerals without taking on the risks of direct mine ownership. Kinshasa is expertly playing both sides, leveraging U.S. interest to squeeze better terms from China, while keeping Chinese investment flowing. The…

Africa’s export trade with Asian partners is gaining momentum, driven by competitive pricing and supply-chain reliability, as uncertainty over U.S. trade policy and the future of AGOA erodes confidence in the transatlantic corridor, the latest Standard Bank Africa Trade Barometer reveals. For the first time, a significant number of firms in Africa now view Asia, led by economic giant China, as their most critical trading partner, the latest Standard Bank Africa Trade Barometer shows. This shift is accelerated by the tariff-heavy policies of U.S. President Donald Trump administration and the uncertainly surrounding the short-term nature of the renewed U.S. trade…

As remittances hit a record $5 billion, a new breed of knowledge worker in Kenya is bypassing traditional money transfers altogether, by keeping their pay cheques in U.S. dollars while staying put in Nairobi. In February 2026, the Central Bank of Kenya reported something remarkable. Diaspora remittances had crossed the $5 billion annual threshold for the first time, hitting $5.04 billion in 2025 before settling into a steady $411.3 million monthly flow. For decades, this data point has told a familiar story: Kenyans leave for overseas destinations, work hard and send money home. For about 4 million Kenyan in the…

As the Strait of Hormuz chokes and Brent crude spikes, African central banks face a cruel dilemma: halt the interest rate relief they had promised, or watch inflation surge anew. For households already stretched thin, the Middle East war is no longer distant geopolitics, it is the price of bread, the cost of transport and the fading hope of cheaper money. The timing of the escalating U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict could not be more punishing for Africa. Just as Africa’s central banks were preparing to declare victory in their two-year war against inflation, just as the South African Reserve Bank signaled…

The “fintech-ification” of African banking is accelerating with Sitoyo Lopokoiyit’s move from Safaricom PLC’s fintech arm M-PESA to Absa Group. We analyze why traditional lenders are raiding the telecom sector for leadership talent. As the architect of M-PESA’s super-app strategy crosses into traditional banking as South Africa-based banking giant Absa Group bets that Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, can reinvent relationship banking for Africa’s affluent customers. The move signals a broader industry reckoning: in the war for the customer interface, banks are no longer just hiring bankers. Sitoyo Lopokoiyit walks into Absa Group’s Johannesburg headquarters on 1st April 2026 carrying something no previous…