Author: Elan

The Toyota Corolla Cross has quietly become one of the brand’s bigger success stories, with sales jumping from 56,666 units in 2022 to nearly 100,000 in 2024. Oddly enough, most buyers are still skipping the hybrid model, even though it improves on the standard SUV in almost every meaningful way. The Corolla Cross Hybrid gets better fuel economy, more horsepower, and standard all-wheel drive without turning ownership into a science project. It’s still a simple, easy-to-live-with Toyota SUV—just one that happens to save you more money at the pump. That’s what makes it such an underrated pick right now. While…

By Tony Anscombe, Chief Security Evangelist at ESET South African businesses have evolved alongside the reality of the country’s physical infrastructure challenges. Organisations instinctively build redundancies for power, whether that takes the form of solar installations and battery back-up solutions, UPS systems or generators. When the grid fails, the failover kicks in. Related to this, most businesses have multiple connectivity failovers because everyone understands operational disruption intimately. And yet, when it comes to digital infrastructure, many businesses treat “security” as a separate, IT-delegated silo rather than a core pillar of operational performance and, in the worst-case scenario, survival. This is…

BFREE founders Julian Flosbach, Moses Nmor and Chukwudi Enyi** For the best experience, download the free Africa Private Equity News app Android | iOS **AfricInvest, through its Financial Inclusion Vehicle (FIVE), has led an investment round in BFREE, a pan-African investor in distressed retail and SME loans. Algebra Ventures joined as a new institutional investor, alongside existing investors Capria Ventures, VestedWorld, Axian CVC, Angaza Capital, 4Di Capital, DotExe Ventures, and other strategic individual investors.BFREE was founded to address a structural gap in African credit markets. For most lenders, non-performing unsecured digital retail and SME loans have had no practical resolution…

African startups raised $110 million in April 2026, down 27.1% from March and the lowest monthly total since March 2025. Startups across the continent secured $708 million through 124 deals during the first four months of 2026, compared with $813 million across 180 deals a year earlier. Investors continued to favor lower-risk and more profitable business models amid high global interest rates. African startups raised $110 million in April 2026, representing a 27.1% decline from March’s $151 million, according to data compiled by Africa: The Big Deal, which tracks transactions above $100,000. The figure marked the lowest monthly fundraising total since March 2025, when startups…

MiniPay, the Opera-backed stablecoin wallet and payments app that operates in seven African markets, has crossed 15 million activated wallets, more than double from the previous year.The 123% year-on-year jump extends the app’s growth after it crossed 13 million wallets by the end of 2025, according to Opera’s Q1 2026 report.Launched in Nigeria in September 2023 as part of the Opera Mini browser before becoming a standalone app last year, MiniPay has emerged as one of the most widely used stablecoin payment products focused on emerging markets, with the majority of its users in Africa, according to Opera. It underscores…

Expedier processed more than $150 million in transaction volume in FY2025, marking a year of steady growth as more individuals and businesses turned to the platform for faster and more cost-efficient international payments. Over the same period, the company grew its user base to more than 200,000, with over 70,000 monthly active users. The platform also recorded an average monthly growth rate of 23.8%, reflecting both continued user acquisition and deeper engagement from existing customers. “Our focus has always been on solving a real problem—cross-border payments that are too slow, too expensive, and too unpredictable,” said Kingsley Madu, Chief Executive…

Design always starts with function — function shapes form. But if that function can’t be made completely invisible and people still have to interact with it, it inevitably becomes part of their experience. In this article, Kyrylo Levashov explains why the question has shifted from, “Should your utility software feel better to use?” to “Can your utility software afford not to?“Your grandmother’s vacuum was a trusty but ugly workhorse hidden in a dark closet. Dyson turned that practical tool into an aspirational product, one you love leaving out even when guests come over. Dish soap was just dish soap until…

By Intercontinental Trust LtdAt Intercontinental Trust Ltd, keeping our clients informed about Mauritius’ economic and regulatory landscape is a priority. We are pleased to share some positive highlights from Moody’s latest issuer comment on the Government of Mauritius, published on 4 May 2026.Mauritius retains its investment grade status – and the fiscal data behind that decision tells an encouraging storyMoody’s confirms that Mauritius continues to hold its investment grade rating. Retaining this status is not a given in today’s global environment – it signals to international businesses and investors that Mauritius remains a credible, well-managed jurisdiction. Meaningful progress on fiscal…

Abuja — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that it cannot conduct elections in Nigeria without the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), formally requesting the deployment of over 1.4 million corps members for the 2027 general election. INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan made the disclosure on Monday when he paid a courtesy visit to NYSC Director-General Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu at the corps’ headquarters, Yakubu Gowon House, in Abuja. “You provide the heartbeat of our field operations. When we speak of election manpower, we are essentially speaking of your corps members. They are the most dedicated, educated, and…

Nairobi — Kenyan specialty tea farmers are set to access premium international markets following a new export and marketing agreement involving French tea company Palais des Thés, Gatanga Industries and Equity Group. The deal, signed in Nairobi ahead of the Africa Forward Summit and witnessed by Presidents William Ruto and Emmanuel Macron, will see Palais des Thés purchase Kenyan specialty teas including Purple White, Purple Golden, Purple Simba and Purple Black varieties for international markets. The agreement is expected to boost earnings for smallholder tea farmers by increasing access to high-value specialty tea markets in Europe while promoting Kenyan tea…