Author: James Wambua

The key highlight of the AIM Congress 2024 is the Investment Awards, scheduled for the opening day, May 7th. These awards celebrate top direct investment (FDI) projects from around the globe. The awards underline the diverse ways investment can contribute to economic progress with categories ranging from Innovation and Research to Sustainability and Local Linkages. As the global investment contours keep evolving, the AIM Congress 2024 is taking shape as a critical platform to foster global investment innovations and sustainability. Set to convene in Abu Dhabi from May 7-9, the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) Congress promises to be a crucial…

Ventures interested in applying for the Investment Showcase can submit applications here by 2nd May. To qualify, the ventures must be African, have at least one African co-founder or be headquartered in Africa. They must also offer a product or service designed for scalability, and be able to present in person at the Africa Tech Summit (ATS) London. On June 7th, 2024, the Africa Tech Summit (ATS) London will convene at the London Stock Exchange for its eighth edition, continuing its tradition of fostering business and investment opportunities in Africa and around the world. This tech conference, known for its…

Exclusive pre-congress workshop launched to elevate startups for the global stage This year’s startup competition has attracted entrants from 53 countries. With cash prizes amounting $60,000, the stakes are high for participants to showcase their innovations. As the global business community looks forward to the AIM Congress 2024, an exclusive startup workshop has been announced to prepare tech entrepreneurs for the grand stage. Scheduled for May 7-9, the AIM Congress is set to be a pivotal gathering for industry leaders, policymakers, investors, and innovative startups under the theme “Adapting to a shifting investment landscape: Harnessing new potential for global economic…

A total of 77 people, including 22 Chinese and a Cameroonian, all suspects in an elaborate cybercrime ring in Zambia targeting thousands of people across the world, have been arrested in a crackdown.  Masquerading as call centre agents, Zambian youth were recruited into conning people via Telegram and WhatsApp platforms. Authorities in Zambia say the scam affected people in Singapore, Peru, the UAE, and some African countries. In Zambia’s posh Roma district, the morning African sun barely peeked through the offices of Golden Top Support Services. This company had promised scores of respectable jobs to young Zambians as call centre…

121 African startups secured $466M, marking a 27 per cent drop from the previous quarter; women-led startups got 6.5 per cent of the capital. About 87 per cent of startup funding in the three months to March went to entities in Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa. Gender imbalance persists as only 6.5 per cent of the financing went to female-led startups in Africa. The big four economies of Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Egypt continue to attract the highest share of funding going to startups in Africa, even as the ecosystem suffered a 27 per cent drop in financing…

AFC’s landmark wind farm in Djibouti set the country on a path to becoming the first African country fully powered by renewable energy. Last year, the corporation committed to overhauling Kinshasa’s mass transit system to enhance mobility. 2023 saw the AFC welcome three new members—Ethiopia, Burundi, and Sao Tome and Principe. As the world looks into Africa to launch the next development phase, the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) is increasingly emerging as a participant and a pacesetter in African infrastructure investments. Last year marked a watershed moment for the organization, as AFC’s impact was evident in an ambitious slate of projects…

Three decades later, the Rwanda genocide elicits several unanswered questions about the events leading up to, during, and after the killings. Who was responsible for shooting down President Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane? Nine years after the closure of the ICTR tribunal, high-profile fugitives remain at large, and many survivors continue to seek justice. It is that time of the year again, April 7, when the world marks a somber remembrance of the Rwanda genocide. This year, as we observe the 30th anniversary of the genocide that ripped through the heart of this small East African country, the world is yet to…

Ghana-based Zeepay has secured support from Africa50, Oikocredit, Injaro, Verdant Capital Hybrid Fund, and I&P. The firm is set to ehancing its offerings to International Money Transfer Organizations, senders and recipients of remittances. Last year, the company processed 10 million remittance transactions amounting to over $3 billion. Cash transfer giant Zeepay has successfully closed a substantial equity investment round that is poised to power its business in new territories. Led by Pan-African investment heavyweights including Africa50, Oikocredit, Injaro, Verdant Capital Hybrid Fund, and Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P), this financial infusion is poised to turbocharge Zeepay’s ambitious expansion across Africa and…

Kenyan doctors have rejected a $18.3 million (KES2.4 billion) offer to return to work. The top demands of over 7,000 medics include immediate hiring of trainee doctors, adequate medical insurance coverage for doctors and their dependents, and fixing delays in pay. The labour boycott also calls for paying doctors working in public hospitals as part of their higher degree courses. In a move that further throws Kenya’s healthcare system into a spin, public hospital doctors under the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KPMDU) lobby have rejected a $18.3 million (KES2.4 billion) offer to leave the streets and go…

Across Ghana and Ivory Coast, climate change, illegal mining, cocoa industry woes, and a devastating disease known as swollen shoot have conspired to end West Africa’s cocoa supremacy. In Ivory Coast, 30% of cocoa plantations are infected by swollen shoot disease. Upto 600,000 hectares under Cocoa in Ghana are infected, too. The crisis in West Africa is offering opportunity to Ecuador, Brazil and Peru to become global cocoa production titans. A double whammy of a devastating disease coupled with unchecked gold mining activities has set up a storm that is fast threatening to kill West Africa’s Cocoa supremacy. For decades,…