BUSINESS - The African Mirror

Oct

28

2025

South Sudanese telco challenges old players

BUSINESS

SOUTH Sudan’s telecommunications sector, long dominated by foreign multinationals, has a new contender as local operator Digitel makes inroads into one of the world’s least connected countries. The 2021 upstart helmed by De Chan Awuol from a Spartan Juba outpost is clawing market share from the better entrenched MTN and Zain through aggressive capex and subscriber poaching. Internal tallies show it is outstripping rivals' net additions in a subscriber pool hovering at 4.4 million mobiles and 1.9 million internet users as of early 2025. Digitel’s initial bragging rights included the deployment of its own infrastructure and a 5G pilot conducted…

Oct

27

2025

By ISAAC ABOTEBUNO AKOLGO

Ghana’s banks are not lending enough to sectors where it matters most, like agriculture and manufacturing

BUSINESS

BANK lending is a major source of funding for businesses in Ghana. It helps pay for operational expenditure and investment in the expansion of productive capacity. Therefore, it is important that there is substantial, affordable, and accessible financial credit for all businesses in the medium to long term. More than this, it matters which sectors of the country’s economy receive most of its bank credit. In a recent study of the sectoral distribution of bank lending in Ghana, I found that for two and a half decades, bank lending to the agricultural and manufacturing enterprises has been in sharp decline.…

Oct

27

2025

By TANYA ZACK

Ethiopian quarter: how migrants have shaped a thriving shopping district in South Africa’s city of gold

BUSINESS

SINCE its founding in 1886, Johannesburg has been a city of migrants, internal and international. But the economic capital of South Africa has undergone big changes since 1994, when South Africa became a democracy. One such change involves migration into the city by people from other African countries. A new book, The Chaos Precinct: Johannesburg as a port city, by Tanya Zack, traces how migrant Ethiopians have shaped a trading post in Johannesburg’s inner city. Zack, a planner who specialises in urban policy, regeneration, informality and sustainable development, explains how the Ethiopians did it. What space have Ethiopian migrants carved…

Oct

25

2025

By KAITANO DUBE

Africa’s air links are poor: can the G20 push for more direct flights to improve tourism and trade?

BUSINESS

IN Africa, less than one in five continental airline routes are direct. Air connections are decided by factors like trade levels, diplomatic relations, and whether there’s enough demand to make a route financially worthwhile. Because there are so few direct connections in Africa, getting from one country to another often requires travellers to fly to Europe or the Middle East and transit there. This increases the costs of travel within Africa and limits tourism and investment flows. The G20 group of the world’s most powerful economies is led in 2025 by South Africa. One of its top four tourism priorities…

Oct

24

2025

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Among Africa’s top performing currencies — Zambian kwacha

BUSINESS

THE kwacha of Zambia has soared to the highest point in almost two years on the hope that the copper industry will recover and investor confidence in the second-largest producer of the metal will be restored in Africa. Early October saw the currency gain 0.7% to approximately 22.76 to every US dollar, increasing its year-to-date earnings to approximately 23, as per Bloomberg figures on October 10. "It has climbed the most among African currencies so far this year," according to a Bloomberg report. According to the World Bank’s Africa’s Pulse report for October 2025, the Zambian kwacha is Africa’s second-highest…

Oct

24

2025

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Businesses flock to Ethiopia’s newly-opened banking market

BUSINESS

ETHIOPIA’S banking market, once sealed off to foreign participation, has become the continent’s next major frontier. Following a series of sweeping reforms, the country is now inviting regional banks to invest and compete in one of Africa's least-penetrated — and what could potentially be one of the continent's largest due to its population — financial markets. In a June 2025 directive, the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) formally allowed foreign banks to apply for local licences. The change follows years of incremental liberalisation under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration, including the partial float of the birr in 2024 and the…

Oct

24

2025

By BUSINESS REPORTER

Durban container terminal deploys R967m ship-to-shore cranes to boost capacity

BUSINESS

TRANSNET SOC Ltd has launched four new ship-to-shore cranes worth R967 million at Durban Container Terminal Pier 2, replacing ageing equipment that had reached end-of-life as part of efforts to enhance cargo-handling capacity at Africa's busiest container facility. Two of the cranes are being commissioned, with endurance testing and operational handover scheduled to begin in the last week of October. The remaining two cranes are undergoing assembly and are expected to be commissioned and handed over by the end of November, the state-owned ports and rail operator said. The new fleet forms part of Transnet Port Terminals' capital expenditure program…

Oct

18

2025

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

New mining deals, more profit for Africa

BUSINESS

THE mining industry in Africa is entering a new phase of consolidation that could redefine who controls and profits from the continent’s most valuable resources. Mergers and acquisitions are shifting ownership while introducing new capital into the region’s mineral economy. Analysts say the ongoing wave of mergers marks more than just corporate reshuffling; it reflects a recalibration of strategy across Africa’s mining value chain. According to Joel Amutola, a senior researcher at the African Natural Resources Management and Investment Centre, the rate and intentionality of mining M&A in Africa this year is “indicative of a realignment between opportunistic deals and…

Oct

18

2025

By GRACE NSOMBA and SIMON ROBERTS

High food prices in east and southern Africa: four steps to boost production and make markets work better

BUSINESS

COUNTRIES in east and southern Africa have continued to experience high and volatile food prices despite good harvests in 2025. This is especially alarming as climate-related weather shocks will be deeper and more frequent. Yet the region does not lack the potential to expand agriculture. Parts of the region have abundant arable land and water resources. The G20 Food Security Task Force, convened by South Africa as part of its G20 presidency, has recognised the wide and persistent extent of hunger and malnutrition in most sub-regions of Africa. The task force highlighted excessive price volatility and food inflation despite sufficient…

Oct

17

2025

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Tax reforms pave Africa’s road to fiscal independence

BUSINESS

TAX reforms and digital systems are reshaping how some African economies finance their budgets and strengthen fiscal independence. Improved administration, data integration, and digital enforcement in tax systems are helping governments collect more while managing tight budgets. The changes are augmenting fiscal resilience. According to Jared Mokoema Shiswe, a policy analyst at the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), this shift is significant because it enhances “Africa’s capacity to finance its own priorities.” “It is evidence that with the right systems, countries can reduce debt dependency and invest sustainably in sectors like health, education, and infrastructure,” he added. “Improved domestic resource…