Author: The Exchange

Businesses are expanding across borders, new trade corridors are emerging, and regional ambition remains strong, but liquidity, payments and execution challenges continue to shape the reality of doing business across Africa. Six months into 2026, African trade appears to be telling two stories at once. The first is one of momentum. Businesses are expanding beyond domestic markets, regional trade corridors continue to develop, and the ambition behind initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) remains firmly intact. The second story is more complicated. Many of the practical challenges that have historically constrained trade across the continent remain…

Zhu Ruowan, the Editor, CGTN Global Business, argues that China’s new investment rules are designed to build clear guardrails, not close doors. China announced a new regulation on outbound investment, issued through a State Council decree and effective from July 1, 2026. Consisting of 34 articles outlining provisions for the promotion, services, safeguards, management and legal responsibilities of outbound investment, the regulation is better understood as a direct answer to a hard question: how can cross-border capital remain stable, lawful and secure when it increasingly intersects with technology, data and national security? Some international reports, including one by Bloomberg, have…

East Africa’s Kenya and Tanzania are among the strongest value creators in Africa over three years, a new BCG survey has establishes. While financial institutions in Tanzania deliver 59% Total Shareholder Returns (TSR); their peers in Kenya reaches 36%, both ahead of the 23% global average. New report calls on banks to prioritise a focused set of CEO-Owned AI investments delivered with discipline to maximise impact.  Tanzania and Kenya have emerged as Africa’s top-performing financial services markets, delivering Total Shareholder Returns (TSR) that surpass both the continental average and the global average. While financial institutions in Tanzania posted 59 per…

Kenya still sets the pace in East African horticulture exports. However, Uganda’s crop mix, new cargo capacity and tighter traceability are slowly narrowing the gap. For close to three decades, Kenya has been East Africa’s horticulture powerhouse, sending French beans, snow peas and roses into European supermarkets by the planeload. A mix of new cargo capacity and rising diaspora demand is now turning its landlocked neighbour, Uganda, into a more serious competitor. The question for the region is not whether Uganda can overtake Kenya, because it cannot yet, but where it can realistically win. The scale gap is real. Kenya…

Oceana ambassador highlights urgent need to progress 30×30, advance high seas protection, and elevate women’s leadership in ocean conservation. At a defining moment for the future of the world’s oceans, actress, advocate, and Oceana ambassador Kate Walsh joined global leaders, policymakers, scientists, conservationists, and coastal communities at the 11th Our Ocean Conference (OOC11) in Mombasa, Kenya. During a keynote address, Walsh called for urgent action to protect marine ecosystems, strengthen coastal livelihoods, and accelerate progress toward protecting at least 30 per cent of the world’s oceans by 2030. “A few years ago, world leaders came together around an extraordinary commitment…

When Safaricom launched Ziidi Trader through M-Pesa in early 2026, the story was not simply about another investment product entering the market. Within a short period, the service was reportedly responsible for around 40% of trading activity on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The figure drew attention because it showed how quickly financial products can gain traction when access barriers are reduced. As more people compare legit trading platforms in kenya, the discussion has become less about access and more about verification. Finding a platform is relatively easy. Confirming who sits behind it is a different task. A market where opening an…

Africa’s growth in 2025 was supported by improved macroeconomic management, stronger agricultural output, elevated commodity prices, and ongoing structural reforms. The continent recorded an estimated average GDP growth of 4.4% in 2025, with 22 economies posting rates above 5%. In 2026, Africa is projected to grow at 4.2%, despite heightened geopolitical tensions and global supply shocks. Central Africa is expected to see growth rising to 3.8% in 2026 from 3.6% in 2025, buoyed by sustained high oil prices. Africa’s growth is projected to average 4.2 percent this year, moderating slightly from 4.4 percent in 2025, before rebounding to 4.4 percent…

At the AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA, Thule Lenneiye of AGRA explains why East Africa’s agricultural transformation depends on calibrated AI that is regionally owned and globally scalable. Africa’s agricultural AI opportunity sits at a defining crossroads. While African agriculture contributes roughly 25% of GDP, employs 60% of the population, and holds approximately 65% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, structural constraints continue to limit productivity, resilience, and food security. Although the region is not short of agricultural AI innovation, less than 10% of African farms currently use precision farming tools, even as Africa spends more than US$90 billion…

The launch by Nothing took place during AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA 2026 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi. Nothing has built its name around simple design, transparent-looking hardware, clean software and a wider ecosystem of phones, earphones and connected devices. Its products are aimed at users who want technology that feels fresh, stylish and easy to use, without the heavy visual clutter found in many devices. London-based consumer technology brand Nothing has launched its full product range in Kenya, marking a new phase in the country’s fast-growing smartphone and connected device market. The launch took place during AI EVERYTHING…

Global and regional stakeholders explore AI technologies redefining East Africa’s digital landscape – from cloud regions to hyperscale data centres and AI sovereignty frameworks. From hyperscale data centres to AI sovereignty frameworks, the second day of AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA shifted the conversation from strategy to infrastructure, as global and regional players gathered at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) to demonstrate the technologies reshaping East Africa’s AI economy.  Organised by inD, the global organiser of GITEX events, in partnership with the Office of the Special Envoy on Technology of the Republic of Kenya, AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX…