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Kenya signs an AI partnership with Anthropic
The non-binding deal covers skills, public services and safety, with any use of Kenyan data governed by Kenyan law.
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BusinessDangote and Ethiopia to build a $660 million fuel pipeline from Djibouti
The 120km line and storage depots should cut Ethiopia's reliance on tanker trucks within 18 months.
BusinessKenya's first commercial oil is due in December as Turkana rig lands
Gulf Energy will start drilling in November, targeting 20,000 barrels a day at first and exports early in 2027.
BusinessDevki builds Kitui's first cement plant, a KSh50 billion bet
The 3-million-tonne plant is due in mid-2027 and already employs about 2,600 builders.
BusinessEmirates brings the A350 and Premium Economy to Nairobi
From 25 October, one of the three daily Dubai–Nairobi flights will use Emirates' newest jet.
Politics & PolicyMorocco appoints its first woman prime minister
Fatima Zahra Mansouri, a former Marrakech mayor, must now build a coalition after her party won 97 of 395 seats.
BusinessBurkina Faso opens its first gold refinery
The state-backed plant aims to refine the country's gold at home, but it has yet to secure steady supply.
BusinessKenya and the US near a deal to process critical minerals in Kenya
Kenya wants refineries built at home, with Mrima Hill's rare earths and niobium the biggest prize.
InnovationKenyan drugmaker licensed to make a once-a-month HIV prevention pill
Universal Corporation is one of three African firms licensed by MSD to make alimatravir, which is still in trials.
BusinessTullow Oil turns cash-positive for the first time since 2021
Strong output in Ghana and high oil prices helped the debt-laden producer more than double its cash flow forecast.
BusinessThe Lobito railway hits record cargo as it targets 400,000 tonnes
The line carrying DRC copper and cobalt to the Atlantic set monthly records in June and July and plans to double volumes next year.
BusinessEastern Africa's $1.6 billion plan to share clean power across borders
A World Bank programme starts with a 1,000MW Uganda–Tanzania line, as the UN launches a global push for grids.
InnovationA Kenyan startup's robotic hands sign for deaf pupils
ZeroBionic is also building a database of African sign languages, which AI models have largely ignored.
InnovationMeet the 10 finalists for Africa's Business Heroes 2026
Founders from eight countries, four of them women, will pitch in Kigali in December for $1.5 million in grants.
Culture & IdentityAfrica's fashion economy is worth $31 billion. It could be worth far more
Women make up most of the workforce, but creative businesses get less than 1% of venture capital.
BusinessRuto and Dangote break ground on the Lamu oil refinery
The 700,000-barrel-a-day refinery is due in 2030, but a court has frozen the disputed land until a hearing on 14 October.
BusinessFirst fuel cargo for Rwanda lands in Mombasa under new Kenya deal
The 40,000-tonne shipment is the first under a state-to-state deal expected to lift Rwanda-bound fuel through Kenya about tenfold.
BusinessKenya’s economy grows 5.3%, its fastest first quarter since 2023
Every sector grew, led by hotels and restaurants, as lower interest rates helped credit flow again.
Politics & PolicyIEBC registers 2.6 million new voters ahead of the 2027 election
The drive beat its 2.5 million target, with Nairobi, Kiambu and Nakuru registering the most people.
BusinessKisumu’s KSh8.4 billion water project will connect 53,000 more homes
The project will more than double sewerage coverage in the lakeside city and cut water losses by 27%.
BusinessKenya’s tourism hits record arrivals and KSh501 billion in earnings
International arrivals reached 2.65 million in 2025 and rose another 11% in the first quarter of 2026.
InnovationMore than 1,000 new African genomes join global science
A Wits-led project sequenced people from communities almost absent from genetic databases, to make medicine work better for Africans.
InnovationTwo fossil finds in Morocco and Ethiopia deepen the story of human origins
Jaws from Casablanca, 773,000 years old, sit near the root of our species; a jaw from Afar shows “Nutcracker Man” ranged far wider than thought.
InnovationSouth Africa’s giant SKA telescope “comes alive”
Two of the SKA-Mid dishes in the Northern Cape worked together for the first time, a key step for one of the world’s biggest science projects.
BusinessTanzania inaugurates the Julius Nyerere hydropower plant
The 2,115MW plant on the Rufiji River is one of Africa’s largest, and was financed almost entirely by the Tanzanian government.
BusinessThe Lobito Corridor railway secures $753 million
US and South African lenders will fund the upgrade of 1,300km of track linking Angola’s Atlantic coast to the Congo border.
BusinessRaxio raises $380 million to build more African data centres
The operator, already in six countries, is heading to Tanzania as demand for cloud and AI computing grows.
InnovationCassava brings Nvidia-powered “AI factories” to Africa
The Masiyiwa-founded company is building GPU computing hubs in South Africa, with Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and Morocco next.
BusinessSpiro raises $215 million to put more Africans on electric motorbikes
The battery-swap company already has 100,000 e-bikes on African roads and plans to enter Malawi, Mali and Ethiopia.
BusinessNamibia’s flagship green hydrogen project wins new AfDB backing
Hyphen’s project near Lüderitz, valued at more than $10 billion, was one of four chosen from 81 applications.
InnovationMalaria vaccines now reach children in 25 African countries
More than 52 million doses have been delivered since 2023, and early data show fewer children dying.
BusinessWest Africa’s development bank approves new projects and $1.1 billion in partner funds
Rice irrigation in Togo, a road in Guinea-Bissau and loans for small businesses are among the approvals.
SportsThe Springboks beat the All Blacks 3-1 in a historic four-test series
After losing the opener, South Africa won three in a row, finishing with a 43-28 win in Baltimore.
SportsThe Junior Springboks win back-to-back world titles
South Africa beat France 16-5 in Tbilisi to become only the fourth nation to win consecutive junior world titles.
BusinessSouth Africa passes 476 days without load shedding
Eskom kept the lights on through the whole 2026 winter, a turnaround after years of rolling blackouts.
BusinessEthiopia prepares to double its electricity exports to Kenya
From December 2026, peak exports over the 1,045km interconnector are set to rise from 200MW to 400MW.
BusinessTanzania’s electric railway carries 2.5 million passengers
Passenger numbers on the Dar es Salaam–Dodoma line rose 22%, and the railway company no longer needs salary subsidies.
SportsThe road to AFCON 2027 begins as qualifiers kick off
48 teams are chasing 21 places alongside hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
SportsKenya hosts the first FIFA Women’s Series in Nairobi
The Harambee Starlets beat India and took silver behind Australia at Nyayo Stadium.
Politics & PolicyKenya plans to scrap income tax for workers earning under KSh30,000
More than 1.5 million workers would pay no income tax, and 500,000 more would pay a lower rate.
Culture & IdentityAlliance High School celebrates 100 years
One of the first schools to give African students a secondary education in Kenya marked its centenary.
Politics & PolicySierra Leone holds its first national day to remember civil war victims
On the anniversary of the end of the war, the country paused to honour the 120,000 people who died.
Politics & PolicyGhana restores the name Accra International Airport
The airport named after Lt-Gen Emmanuel Kotoka in 1969 has gone back to its original name.
InnovationKenya launches a national carbon registry
The digital platform will track every carbon credit project to prevent double counting and build trust with buyers.
Politics & PolicyMorocco turns its clocks back to GMT after eight years
The government ended permanent “summer time” after a petition signed by more than 340,000 people.
BusinessBoats return to the Nile between Egypt and Sudan
The Aswan–Wadi Halfa river route reopened after about six years, easing travel for Sudanese returning home.
Culture & IdentityTeddy Afro’s Etorika becomes one of Ethiopia’s biggest music launches
The 18-track album drew about 15 million YouTube views on its first day and roughly 148 million within a month.
Culture & IdentityRwanda’s Ben’Imana wins the Caméra d’Or at Cannes
Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo’s debut about a genocide survivor won the prize for best first film.
Culture & IdentityAfrican filmmakers take home prizes at Venice 2026
A Cameroonian debut won the Lion of the Future, and five more African projects won support to finish their films.
Culture & IdentityFESPACO 2027: Africa’s biggest film festival sets its dates
The 30th edition runs in Ouagadougou from 20 to 27 March 2027, with Togo as guest of honour.
Culture & IdentityThe Caine Prize 2026 shortlist: five writers, five countries
Writers from Kenya, Cameroon, Nigeria, Egypt and Zimbabwe are in the running; the winner is named in London in October.
Culture & IdentityFrance returns the looted “talking drum” to Côte d’Ivoire after 110 years
The Djidji Ayôkwé, seized in 1916, is the first artefact France has returned to the country.
Culture & IdentityFour African sites join the UNESCO World Heritage List, three of them national firsts
Comoros, São Tomé and Príncipe and South Sudan got their first World Heritage sites; Tunisia added Sidi Bou Saïd.
SportsRwanda’s RSSB Tigers win the Basketball Africa League at home
The debutants beat Angola’s Petro de Luanda 90-88 in Kigali to become Rwanda’s first BAL champions.
SportsBotswana hosts, and wins, at Africa’s first World Relays
The home team won the men’s 4x400m in a championship record and qualified for the Worlds in the 4x100m for the first time.
SportsMorocco’s 115,000-seat stadium for the 2030 World Cup is 30% built
The Grand Stade Hassan II near Casablanca is designed to be the world’s largest football stadium.
BusinessMorocco and Egypt break tourism records
Morocco welcomed 19.8 million visitors in 2025 and Egypt nearly 19 million, and 2026 started strongly.
BusinessNigeria’s economy grows 4.43%, its fastest pace since 2024
Services and farming drove growth, and the non-oil economy now makes up almost 96% of GDP.
BusinessMozambique’s $20 billion LNG project restarts after five years
TotalEnergies resumed full construction in Cabo Delgado, with more than 3,000 Mozambicans now at work.
BusinessWest African leaders sign up to the Nigeria–Morocco gas pipeline
The $25 billion, 6,900km pipeline would carry gas along the Atlantic coast through 13 countries.
Politics & PolicyAddis Ababa will host the COP32 climate summit in 2027
Ethiopia won the backing of the African Group to bring the UN climate talks back to Africa.
Politics & PolicyAlgeria and Mali restore diplomatic ties after 15-month rift
Ambassadors are back and the airspace is open again between the two Sahel neighbours.
Politics & PolicyZimbabwe wins a seat on the UN Security Council
Zimbabwe will represent Africa on the Council for 2027–2028.
Politics & PolicyAlgeria, Libya and Tunisia eliminate trachoma, a leading cause of blindness
The WHO validated three North African countries in 2026 for ending trachoma as a public health problem.
InnovationZimbabwe begins rolling out a twice-yearly HIV prevention injection
Lenacapavir is offered free to more than 46,000 people at high risk, at 24 sites across the country.
InnovationSenegal builds its own satellite as Africa’s space race speeds up
More than 20 African countries now have space programmes, up from eight in 2018.
Culture & IdentityPope Leo XIV’s 11-day journey through Africa
The pope visited Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, including Bamenda in Cameroon’s Anglophone region.
SportsNairobi will host the 2029 World Athletics Championships
For the first time, athletics’ biggest championship is coming to Africa, in the home of distance running.
SportsJohn Korir smashes the Boston Marathon course record
The Kenyan retained his title in 2:01:52, and Sharon Lokedi made it a Kenyan double.
SportsEmmanuel Wanyonyi breaks a 27-year-old world record
The Olympic 800m champion ran 2:11.83 in Monaco, taking Noah Ngeny’s 1999 mark.
SportsThree world records: Africa’s year in the half marathon
Jacob Kiplimo, Yomif Kejelcha and Agnes Ngetich all set world records over 21.1km in 2026.
SportsAfrican stars win big at the Diamond League Final
Kebinatshipi ran 43.40, Cherotich and Wanyonyi set meeting records, and Ethiopia swept the women’s 5,000m.
SportsMamelodi Sundowns are champions of Africa again
A Teboho Mokoena strike and a Ronwen Williams penalty save won Sundowns their second continental crown.
SportsChad le Clos becomes the most decorated man in Commonwealth Games history
The South African swimmer’s 19th medal came in the relay in Glasgow, 16 years after his debut.
SportsEgypt’s Amina Orfi, 19, is squash’s youngest-ever women’s world No 1
She broke a 40-year-old record, months after becoming the youngest women’s world champion.
SportsSafari Rally Kenya crowns a first-time winner
Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta won his first World Rally Championship round on Kenya’s famous rough roads.
SportsZimbabwe return to the Rugby World Cup after 36 years
The Sables join world champions South Africa at the first 24-team tournament in Australia.
Culture & IdentityFela Kuti honoured and Tyla makes history at the 2026 Grammys
Afrobeat’s creator became the first African to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award; Tyla won her category again.
Culture & IdentityArchaeologists uncover a complete Byzantine city in Egypt’s Western Desert
Streets, a basilica, homes, bread ovens and gold coins emerge from the sands of the Dakhla Oasis.
Culture & IdentityRhinos return to Uganda’s Kidepo Valley after 43 years
Southern white rhinos bred at Ziwa sanctuary are back in a park where poachers wiped them out in 1983.
Culture & IdentityGhana makes Wednesday “Fugu Day” to celebrate traditional dress
The handwoven smock from northern Ghana now has its own day of the week.
DiasporaUN declares the slave trade the “gravest crime against humanity”
A Ghana-led resolution passed with 123 votes and calls for dialogue on reparations.
Politics & PolicyVisa-free Africa inches closer as Ghana, Zambia and Uganda open doors
A new Ghana–Zambia deal and Uganda’s visa-free list for 40 countries make it easier to move across the continent.
Politics & PolicyBelgium and Rwanda restore diplomatic relations
Eighteen months after expelling each other’s diplomats, the two countries will reopen their embassies.
Politics & PolicyHakainde Hichilema wins a second term as Zambia’s president
He won just over 60% of the vote, promising to build on the copper-led economic recovery.
Politics & PolicyNigerian court orders UK to pay £420m over 1949 Iva Valley massacre
Families of 21 coal miners killed by colonial police in Enugu won a landmark judgment 77 years later.
Politics & PolicyNigeria’s Muslim and Christian leaders sign a peace accord
More than 50 leaders, including the Sultan of Sokoto, pledged to reject hate speech and work together.
Politics & PolicyMorocco declares the end of a seven-year drought
Winter rains refilled dams, with some key reservoirs back at full capacity.
BusinessGhana exits its IMF bailout programme after a strong recovery
Inflation fell from 54% to 3.4% and debt from 92% to 52% of GDP over the three-year programme.
BusinessChina drops tariffs on imports from 53 African countries
From May 2026 to April 2028, almost every African country can export to China tariff-free.
BusinessConstruction begins on Africa’s biggest airport in Ethiopia
The $12.5 billion Bishoftu International Airport is designed to handle 60 million passengers a year from 2030.
BusinessLagos’s main ports get their first major upgrade in nearly 50 years
A £746 million UK-backed loan will modernise Apapa and Tin Can Island, which handle most of Nigeria’s trade.
BusinessNigeria launches a $500 million fund to farm the Niger Delta
The fund aims to turn the oil-producing region into a hub for food and non-oil exports.
BusinessKenya restarts its railway extension to Kisumu and Malaba
After a six-year stall, work has begun on the 475km line towards the Ugandan border.
Politics & PolicyAfrica’s first Our Ocean Conference raises $6.4 billion in pledges
More than 100 governments and organisations made 320 commitments in Mombasa, including $1 billion from Kenya.
SportsAfrica's first Olympic event: Dakar 2026 opens on 31 October
About 2,700 young athletes, 25 sports and three host cities: the Youth Olympic Games come to Senegal.
SportsCape Town becomes Africa's first World Marathon Major
The race joins Tokyo, Boston, London and the rest from May 2027, after the fastest marathon ever run in Africa.
SportsFour African teams are heading to the 2027 Women's World Cup
Cameroon, Morocco, Algeria and debutants Malawi are going to Brazil, and Ghana and South Africa can still join them.
InnovationMission 300 has connected 50 million Africans to electricity
The World Bank and AfDB drive is a sixth of the way to its 2030 goal, and speeding up.
BusinessTrade between African countries hits $220 billion
The AfCFTA's chief says the free trade area is starting to deliver, but implementation still decides everything.
InnovationMade in Africa: the push to produce the continent's own vaccines
Gavi's first payments to African manufacturers are due this year, and 11 African-made vaccines are on the way.
SportsSabastian Sawe breaks two hours: the first sub-2 marathon in a race
The Kenyan won the London Marathon in 1:59:30, taking more than a minute off Kelvin Kiptum's world record.
SportsNine African teams in the knockouts: Africa's record World Cup
Cape Verde held Spain, South Africa and Côte d'Ivoire made history, and Morocco reached the quarter-finals.
SportsHakimi, Semenyo and the African stars of Europe's 2025-26 season
A Champions League winner, a 17-goal breakthrough and a quieter year for Salah.
SportsKenya's 12 medals at Glasgow 2026, led by a steeplechase sweep
Three golds, a clean sweep in the men's steeplechase and a Games record for Faith Cherotich.
SportsCameroon beat debutants Malawi to win their first WAFCON
After three lost finals, the Indomitable Lionesses beat Malawi 3-0 in Rabat.
SportsNine months to AFCON 2027: is Kenya ready?
CAF inspectors have toured Talanta and Kasarani as Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania race to finish their stadiums.
SportsWho won AFCON 2025? Sport's highest court hears Senegal's appeal
Senegal won the final on the pitch; CAF handed the title to Morocco. CAS hears the case on 8 October.
Culture & IdentityThe UN backs Africa's campaign to 'Correct the Map'
By 164 votes to one, the General Assembly urged the world to use maps that show Africa at its true size.
Politics & PolicyPAM wins Morocco's election but falls short of a majority
The Authenticity and Modernity Party took 97 of 395 seats on a turnout of about 38%.
BusinessDangote refinery opens ₦2.15 trillion IPO at ₦525 a share
4.1 billion shares are on offer until 13 October, with a minimum subscription of ₦5,250.
BusinessNigeria's central bank cuts its benchmark rate to 23%
A 350-basis-point 'reset' that Governor Cardoso says is about transmission, not a change of stance.
BusinessSouth Africa's Reserve Bank raises its repo rate to 7.25%
A renewed fuel-price shock pushes the prime lending rate to 10.75%.
InnovationAfrican startups pass $2 billion in funding for 2026
The milestone came months earlier than in 2024, and the year could approach $3 billion.
Culture & IdentityEldoret hosts UN Tourism Week as Kenya looks beyond safaris
The 'home of champions' used AI and digital tools to pitch the North Rift to the world.
InnovationKenyaLIVE streams the country's national parks to the world
Live wildlife feeds from nine parks now run on 16 platforms, from YouTube to DStv.
Culture & IdentityFilm Africa 2026 brings Rwandan and Nigerian stories to London
The festival opens with Ben'Imana and closes with Lady, from 23 October to 1 November.
DiasporaAfrica's diaspora sent home $124 billion in 2025
Remittances to Africa grew 86% in a decade, but sending money to Southern Africa is still the world's most expensive.
BusinessThe African project that could change a continent
A planned 700,000-barrel-a-day refinery in Lamu could reshape how East Africa gets its fuel.
InnovationKenya wants to triple its power generation. What happens next?
A 5,500MW target could reshape the country's industrial future, if the grid can keep up.
Politics & PolicyWhy Zambia's election matters far beyond Zambia
Copper, debt and global competition have made the vote strategically important.
BusinessChina is building Africa's next generation of electric cars
Electric mobility is moving from distant promise to a practical industrial opportunity.
InnovationThe Nigerian drone company building Africa's next industrial hub
Local operators are turning difficult distances into solvable logistics problems.
InnovationNigeria wants to build its own AI generation
The country's builders are starting with local problems in language, finance and public services.
BusinessThe new race to build Africa's digital economy
Digital payments, connectivity and online work are becoming essential infrastructure.
Politics & PolicyAfrica's railways are becoming the new battleground for trade
New and revived rail connections are reshaping regional trade and mobility.
BusinessThe startups trying to unlock Africa's $330 billion SME gap
Small businesses need finance built around real cash flow instead of rigid collateral.
BusinessDangote is taking his refinery to the stock market
A major listing could change how African industrial businesses access capital.
InnovationEthiopia is betting on electric cars while fuel prices soar
High fuel costs and renewable electricity are accelerating a transport shift.
BusinessLagos fintech founders are rewriting the rules of African banking
A new generation of builders is closing the continent's banking gap, one mobile-first product at a time.