• Collaboration marks a step towards leveraging stablecoins and blockchain infrastructure to boost Onafriq’s payment network.
• Companies say by integrating USDC, they seek to simplify financial transactions for institutions and individuals, reduce costs, and strengthen trust.
• Currently, over 80% of intra-African payments are routed through correspondent banks outside the continent and settled in foreign currencies.

Payments company Onafriq has joined hands with Circle, stablecoin market leader and issuer of USDC, in a deal aimed at transforming cross-border payments and digital financial services across Africa.

In a statement, the two firms noted that their collaboration marks a significant step towards compliantly leveraging stablecoins and blockchain infrastructure to boost Onafriq’s payment network, positioning it at the forefront of the digital payment’s revolution for real-world financial applications.

“Our partnership with Circle is an important milestone, reinforcing Onafriq’s commitment to harnessing technology to remove complexity from cross-border payments. By integrating USDC, we aim to simplify …

• At AIM Congress 2025, the Africa Regional Forum under the theme “From Zones to Impact: African SEZs Reimagined” gathered key voices to discuss the evolution of SEZs into innovation-driven, inclusive, and integrated economic ecosystems.
• “While the world races on 5G, we’re already building 6G infrastructure to power next-gen smart cities,” said Miho Sato of Yokosuka Research Park (YRP).
• Leaders say that with AfCFTA creating a $3.4 trillion market, Africa’s SEZs are ripe for Japanese precision and Emirati capital.

The Africa Regional Forum at AIM Congress 2025, themed “From Zones to Impact: African SEZs Reimagined,” set the stage for a groundbreaking dialogue on redefining Special Economic Zones (SEZs) as innovation hubs, not just industrial enclaves.

With Africa’s SEZs ballooning from 20 in the 1990s to over 237 today, the continent is at a pivotal moment—balancing rapid expansion with the need for smarter, more inclusive economic ecosystems.

Laura Paez of the UN …

• Customer experience roles, which account for 44% of jobs in the BPO industry, are among the most affected, with half of tasks in these roles being automatable.
• Finance and accounting positions in the BPO sector face similar challenges, with nearly two-thirds of junior-level tasks at risk.
• Tasks performed by women in the BPO industry are on average 10% more susceptible to automation than those by men.

Kenya’s Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) market is undergoing tectonic shifts with revenues expected to reach $272.10 million in 2025 with an annual growth rate of 5.96 per cent. This change has resulted in a projected market volume of $343.00 million by 2029.

To harness the growth potential of this industry, policymakers in the government of Kenya plans to create one million BPO/ Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) jobs in the next five years through supportive policies and incentives.

However, the rise of automation …

• Availability of mobile phones, internet increasing agriculture digitization.
• Smallholder farmers still lag in adapting digital solutions in farming.
• Policymakers urged to prioritize digitalization  interventions for smallholder farmers.

Across Africa, a new era of agriculture is unfolding, driven by the rise of farming AI (artificial intelligence)—a powerful tool that promises to revolutionize food production and meet the demands of a growing population. Increasingly, farming Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the ‘future present’ of agriculture development as rising number of smallholder farmers in Africa adopt various digital solutions to increase productivity.

In a recent research that looked into rural farmers’ experiences and attitudes toward digital tools and services in Africa, the findings show that the trend is less than promising, comparatively speaking.

“We like to look at how the adoption and application of digital services, and digital solutions directly and/or indirectly to agricultural processes and how farmers are fairing, if at all,” explains …

• Laser-powered Taara Lightbridge, an firm owned by Google, is competing with Elon Musk’s Starlink to advance access to internet services in Africa.
• Taara is targeting some 860 million people in Africa who currently go without reliable internet access.
• Taara Lightbridge offers affordable, high-speed internet that rivals satellite broadband solutions.

As Elon Musk’s satellite internet services firm Starlink grows its footprint in Africa, rival Google’s Taara Lightbridge has stepped in for a share of the growing number of consumers in the vast continent.

Taara Lightbridge is the brainchild of Alphabet, the parent company of tech giant Google and is envisioned to become “a standalone company,” as it takes on Starlink “in the race to connect underserved regions with high-speed internet.”

Taara Lightbridge uses Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) technology to beam high-speed internet through light over long distances, unlike satellite broadband that Elon Musk’s Starlink uses.

The move into Africa’s …

• At AIM Congress 2025, PAL-V will be showcasing the PAL-V Liberty, the world’s first FlyDrive vehicle.
• This vehicle combines the convenience of traditional driving with the freedom of flying, presenting a practical vision for the future of mobility.
• “We are bringing the future of mobility to reality—creating seamless, efficient, and flexible transportation,” said Robert Dingemanse, Founder and CEO of PAL-V.

AIM Congress 2025, in its 14th edition, will highlight the latest global innovations in the mobility sector under the Future Cities Portfolio, bringing together industry leaders, investors, and policymakers to explore the future of advanced transportation.

Among this year’s most prominent participants is PAL-V, showcasing the PAL-V Liberty, the world’s first FlyDrive vehicle. This revolutionary vehicle combines the convenience of traditional driving with the freedom of flying, presenting a practical vision for the future of mobility.

As transportation systems face increasing challenges, such as traffic congestion and intercity travel …