BUSINESS - The African Mirror

Dec

03

2025

African Development Bank bars Togolese firm, executive for fraud in Mali water project

BUSINESS

THE African Development Bank Group has debarred a Togolese company and its general manager for 18 months following fraudulent practices in a Mali water supply project tender. The Bank said Yessan Sarlu, a company registered in Togo, and its general manager, Ayitévi Yao Mawulolo Amadote, committed fraudulent practices during bidding for water distribution kits under the Projet d'alimentation en eau potable de la ville de Bamako, according to an investigation by the bank's Office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption. The project involves the construction of water pumping and distribution facilities near Bamako, Mali's capital. During the debarment period, Yessan Sarlu, Amadote…

Dec

02

2025

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Rwanda is turning domestic digital platforms into export products

BUSINESS

RWANDA is turning its domestic digital reforms into an exportable model for governments abroad. Its tech agencies and private firms increasingly deliver software and digital services beyond the continent, proving that African-built public systems can compete on performance and reliability. In a sign of growing South-South engagement, the country’s latest contract gives Rwanda a foothold in the Caribbean. It will design, develop, and implement Jamaica’s Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS), a digital platform connecting all components of the justice chain. According to the Jamaican news service, the Jamaica Gleaner, the US$4.6 million agreement covers the full delivery cycle, including…

Nov

28

2025

By IDONGESIT ESSIEN, BIRD STORY AGENCY

This woman entrepreneur makes doing business easier in Nigeria

BUSINESS

"EVERYTHING happens in Lagos," said Amanda Etuk as she drove in her chauffeured car through a busy dockyard in Lagos, Nigeria's dynamic commercial heart, after checking on an export company's operations. Lagos serves not only as Etuk's base of operations, but also her inspiration. "I see so many people complain about Lagos, but I've got the most opportunities in my life here… So there's always something to, as our people would say, 'ginger' you in Lagos. Nobody's ever resting on their oars." In the highly competitive and fast-evolving landscape of Nigerian venture capital, Etuk has become something of a rare…

Nov

27

2025

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

How Africa’s telcos are leading the satellite push

BUSINESS

VODACOM’S recent partnership with Starlink signals a structural shift in Africa’s connectivity model, where telcos are increasingly at the centre of how satellite capacity is deployed, commercialised, and scaled across the continent. In November 2025, Vodacom Group signed an agreement with Starlink to integrate LEO satellite backhaul into its mobile network and to resell Starlink hardware and services to enterprise and SME clients across multiple African markets. Both companies framed the deal as a way to accelerate network expansion, especially in rural areas, where towers remain costly to build, and fibre backhaul is often impossible. According to sector analysts, the…

Nov

25

2025

By LILAC NACHUM

Agricultural exports from Africa are not doing well. Four ways to change that

BUSINESS

AFRICA is the world’s most endowed continent in agricultural potential, yet it remains a marginal player in global agribusiness. This paradox lies at the heart of Africa’s development challenge. Africa’s land accounts for nearly half of the global total. Most of it can be used for growing crops. It is also largely unprotected and not forested, with low population density. The continent’s climate supports the growth of 80% of the foods consumed globally. Economic theory would predict that these conditions would lead to a strong export performance. Yet Africa’s share of global agricultural exports is the lowest worldwide. It fell…

Nov

19

2025

By MISHECK MUTIZE

Senegal’s credit rating: Moody’s latest downgrade was questionable – here’s why

BUSINESS

THE decision by the rating agency Moody’s to downgrade Senegal’s sovereign credit rating in late October 2025 triggered an immediate week-long sell-off in Senegal’s Eurobonds. This was the third downgrade in one year. It left the country’s 16-year bond trading at a 40% discount to its face value. Meaning, for every one dollar denominated bond, it was being sold for 60c on the market. Moody’s decision once again raised questions about the accuracy of decisions taken by the world’s three biggest rating agencies – Moody’s, Standard and Poor’s, and Fitch – when it comes to African countries. One of the…

Nov

17

2025

By DANNY BRADLOW

Africa has a debt crisis: momentum from G20 in South Africa can help find solutions

BUSINESS

THE end of South Africa’s G20 presidency does not mean the end of its ability or responsibility to promote the issues it prioritised during 2025. It can still advocate for action on some of these issues through its further participation in the G20 and in other international and regional forums. In this article, I argue that going forward, South Africa should prioritise the financial challenges confronting Africa that it championed in 2025. South Africa established four overarching priorities for its G20 presidency. Two of them dealt with finance. One sought to “ensure debt sustainability for low-income countries”. The other was…

Nov

18

2025

By CONRAD ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Women are shaping Africa’s agribusinesses

BUSINESS

WOMEN across Africa are fast taking up space in processing, packaging, distribution and food service businesses, driven by shifting diets as incomes grow and cities expand. Gender experts say a rising middle class and 'new economic' realities are reshaping how the continent eats, with a growing appetite for convenience opening new opportunities in the informal food economy where women are already dominant. AGRA’s Lead on Gender Integration, Winnie Osulah, told bird that several forces have come together to propel women into off-farm agribusiness. “First, urbanisation has changed diets, cities want more processed and prepared foods, so demand has exploded for…

Nov

17

2025

By STAFF REPORTER

Breaking barriers: $310 million game-changer set to unleash Africa’s hidden economic powerhouse

BUSINESS

IN a bold move that signals unwavering faith in Africa's entrepreneurial spirit, the African Development Bank has just lit a fire under South Africa's economic transformation – and women are holding the match. The African Development Bank Group's Board of Directors has approved a monumental $310 million financial package to FirstRand Bank, one of Africa's financial giants. But this isn't just another banking transaction – it's a deliberate strike against the chains that have held back millions of Africa's most promising entrepreneurs. A Triple-Threat Strategy for Transformation This isn't scattered funding hoping for the best. The African Development Bank has…

Nov

13

2025

By STAFF REPORTER

South Africa unveils R6.7bn savings plan in medium-term budget

BUSINESS

SOUTH Africa's Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has revealed medium-term savings of R6.7 billion through a new initiative targeting waste and fraud in government spending, as the country moves to stabilise public debt for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis. The savings were achieved through a special programme, called the Targeted and Responsible Savings (TARS) programme, which closes or scales down low-priority and underperforming programmes, with more than half the savings coming from cracking down on social grants fraud and eliminating double-dipping beneficiaries. The announcement was part of Godongwana’s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, which came amid ongoing global economic…