Author: The Exchange

Human Rights Watch claims Rwandan-backed M23 group summarily executed over 140 civilians in July 2025, mainly ethnic Hutu people, in at least 14 villages and small farming communities in eastern DRC. The killings appear to be part of a military campaign against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a mostly Rwandan Hutu armed group formed by participants in Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, and other opposing armed groups. The UN Security Council and governments should impose further sanctions on those responsible for grave abuses, and seek prosecution of commanders implicated in war crimes. A new report by Human Rights Watch…

Kakuzi avocado and tea export earnings for the half to June 30th, 2025, negatively affected by lower prices in the firm’s traditional market Europe. Company’s avocado division experienced a decline in half-year profit to KES395 million compared to a half-year profit of KES951 million posted in 2024. Kakuzi’s tea business recorded a bigger half-year loss of KES27.5 million compared to a loss of KES3.5 million suffered in June 2024. A decrease in international prices of avocado and tea across Europe has seen Kenya’s agribusiness company Kakuzi PLC’s net profit for the six months to June 30th, 2025 dip by 14.9…

Authorities in Burkina Faso have kicked out UN diplomat saying they were not briefed on the outcomes of “Children and Armed Conflict in Burkana Faso” report. UN’s regional coordinator Carol Flore-Smereczniak declared “persona non grata” for “compiling data without objective sources, and conveying serious and false information.” UN report details the killing and maiming of a total of 1,386 children, attacks on schools, rape, and recruitment of child soldiers. Burkina Faso has declared United Nations regional coordinator Carol Flore-Smereczniak persona non grata citing an April 2025 UN report that accused the country’s security forces of grave violations against children, including…

Ethiopian Airlines: “With forecasts projecting up to 60 million passengers annually by 2040, expanding Bole International Airport further is not feasible, making a new mega-hub airport essential.” Groundworks for Ethiopian Airlines new address, Bishoftu International Airport, are expected to start late 2025, with phase one set for completion by November 2029. The $10 billion project will include an airport city complete with shopping malls, hotels, recreation areas, as well as direct rail and expressway links to Addis Ababa. Ethiopian Airlines ambition to turn into a global aviation giant has received a boost after authorities in the country entered into a…

Paul Biya’s plan to seek re-election has brought up debate among African scholars, who have long cautioned against the dangers of overstaying in office, but these warnings have often been ignored. Scholar Thabang Motswaledi cites leaders such as the late Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Paul Biya of Cameroon as examples of entrenched leadership styles that stifle development. Thabang Motswaledi: “The character of these governments is embedded with underdevelopment, dictatorship, elite rule and corruption.” The recent announcement by Cameroon’s 92-year-old President,…

African startups under cleantech lead in attracting financing with two massive funding deals sealed by Sun King and d.light. FinTech follows in funding volume reported, while African startups with a focus on big data and analytics are equally gaining momentum. Across July, six acquisitions were recorded in the industry, including Meta’s buyout of Egyptian AI startup PlayAI, reflecting the highest mergers and acquisitions activity so far this year. Startups in Africa attracted over $2 billion in fresh capital injection in seven months to July, 2025, with enterprises in clean teach taking the lions share, a new report by startup financing…

Equity Group CEO Dr. James Mwangi says regional lender experienced the biggest transformation in Tanzania business, hitting 4% return on assets and 27% return on equity during the six months ended June 30, 2025. Equity’s Tanzania subsidiary’s net profit surged by 75% to $8.5 million (KES1.1Bn) up from $4.6 million (KES600M) reported in June 2024. However, bank says regional economies suffered depressed GDP numbers, high interest rates, volatile exchange rates and high inflation during the period. For Equity Group, its strategy to grow regional footprint beyond Kenya has continued to pay off with the bank’s subsidiaries accounting for half of…

Airtel Africa and Vodacom Group ink infrastructure sharing plan to speed up connectivity and digital inclusion across Mozambique, Tanzania and DRC. Vodacom Group says agreement aligns with its ambition to connect 260 million customers by 2030. The telcos’ cooperation is modelled to increase subscriber connectivity in a design that cuts investment costs. Telco giants Airtel Africa and Vodacom Group have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at fostering infrastructure sharing systems across key markets as part of a broad plan to enhance access to connectivity for millions of underserved subscribers. In an update to stakeholders, the two companies said the…

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana have set the groundwork for nuclear energy plants. Investments in nuclear will see these countries meet rising electricity demand, diversify energy mix, fortify energy security, and cut emissions. Currently, South Africa is the only country in the continent with an active nuclear power production system. For an increasing number of economies in Africa keen on plugging persistent electricity supply gap, nuclear energy is fast emerging as a good option given that globally, the continent supplies 14 per cent of Uranium—the critical mineral used in nuclear power production. Other…

Triumph over sleeping sickness scourge sees Kenya join Benin, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Rwanda, Togo and Uganda in eradicating the disease. Health authorities in Kenya have not reported any indigenous new cases of sleeping sickness since 2009. Sleeping sickness, which is only prevalent in Africa, is caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (r-HAT) and often progresses fast, attacking multiple organs in human body including the brain. Kenya has been declared free of sleeping sickness disease, joining 10 other countries in Africa which have received similar certification from the World Health Organization (WHO). In an update, the UN health…