Author: Elan
By Sarah Mbabazi Uganda’s growing public debt should no longer be viewed as a concern for economists and policymakers alone. It is a national issue whose consequences touch every citizen. According to the Ministry of Finance, Uganda’s public debt stood at approximately Shs116.2 trillion (US$32.3 billion) by June 2025, representing 51.3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The debt stock had risen from Shs94.7 trillion a year earlier, with domestic debt accounting for Shs60.3 trillion and external debt Shs55.9 trillion. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines While borrowing has enabled the Government to finance roads,…
OPay is installed on 69% of smartphones used in Nigeria, making it the most widely present banking and fintech app in the country, according to the Nigeria Smartphone Study 2025 released by Orange Group and KPMG. The figure places OPay far ahead of every other financial app captured in the study. PalmPay ranks second at 29%, while Access Bank records 16% and Moniepoint 14%. UBA and GTBank follow at 11% each, FirstBank at 10%, Zenith Bank at 9%, and Kuda at 8%. PayPal trails with 7%. The report identifies OPay, PalmPay and Moniepoint as the three most common banking and…
Nearly every smartphone in Nigeria has the WhatsApp app. The instant messaging app is installed on 95% of the devices sampled in the Nigeria Smartphone Study 2025, an Orange Group and KPMG report, giving it a reach no other consumer app in the country comes close to matching. Its closest rival among messaging platforms is Facebook Messenger, at 32%, with Telegram at 27%. Meta’s broader footprint is just as stark: Facebook itself sits on 87% of smartphones surveyed, reinforcing the company’s hold over Nigeria’s digital channels. The numbers point to something larger than chat. Messaging apps in Nigeria function less…
For an average user, I wouldn’t recommend manually overclocking your PC’s components, since tweaking voltage and frequency settings can sometimes lead to disastrous results. Fortunately, manufacturers offer first-party programs that make overclocking easier, like AMD’s Ryzen Master and Intel’s XTU, which can apply predefined tuning for automated overclocking. On my AMD setup, I use Ryzen Master for a completely different reason than you’d think: I undervolt my PC with the Curve Optimizer feature. Related I disabled one hidden Windows setting and freed up CPU performance instantly If you’ve got a good CPU and don’t mind some warmth, give this a…
Northern promise Nigeria’s former vice president and presidential candidate of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has unveiled a ‘lean’ campaign team for his 2027 presidential bid, naming veteran Borno politician Kashim Ibrahim-Imam as director general. By Oladimeji Ramon Nigerian Borno-based veteran politician Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, newly named as director general for African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar. © Facebook/Kashim Ibrahim-Imam Published on September 25, 2026 at 16:23 pm (GMT +1) The announcement on Thursday, 24 September, places Ibrahim-Imam at the centre of Atiku’s effort to challenge President Bola Tinubu‘s reelection bid.
Listen to this article Tokyo is redefining its engagement with Africa, transitioning from traditional aid-based approaches to strategic venture capital (VC) investments focused on long-term partnerships, innovation and capacity building. Several Japanese private companies are making Japan’s presence felt in Africa’s VC landscape, particularly in high-growth sectors such as fintech, climate tech and mobility. Growing demand for innovative, technology-driven solutions in Africa has drawn increasing interest from international investors. VC funding in Africa rose from over US$2 billion in 2019 to a peak of US$5.2 billion in 2022. Though investment declined to around US$3.6 billion in 2023, the continent’s start-up…
“As African tech funding continues its recovery and investors become more selective rather than simply more active, IP diligence is likely to get more rigorous, not less.” African tech funding just had its strongest year since the 2022 peak. According to Partech Africa’s 2025 Africa Tech Venture Capital Report, startups across the continent raised a combined $4.1 billion in equity and debt (a 25% increase over 2024), with Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria together accounting for roughly seven in ten of those dollars. Debt financing hit a record $1.64 billion, and equity funding stabilized with real recovery at the…
S&P seeks to ward off critics with African acquisition – African Business S&P seeks to ward off critics with African acquisition – African Business
In brief The Federal Reserve proposed rules requiring Board-supervised payment stablecoin issuers to fully back their tokens with permissible assets like short-term Treasury bills, plus standardized capital requirements, risk-management standards and rules for safekeeping reserves. A second proposal would create a tailored application process for Board-supervised banks seeking to issue stablecoins, with procedures for appeals and hearings; the comment period closes 60 days after Federal Register publication. The move adds the Fed’s piece to a multi-agency GENIUS Act rollout, alongside the OCC’s November push and Treasury’s restrictions on noncompliant stablecoins. The Federal Reserve is moving to set the ground rules…
Dar Ventures, the venture capital arm of design and engineering firm Dar, has partnered with Plug and Play, a global open innovation and early-stage venture platform, to expand its startup programme for technology companies working across architecture, engineering, construction and the wider built environment across Africa and other markets. The partnership will give the programme, DarE, access to Plug and Play’s global network of startups, investors and corporate partners. Its 12-week hybrid programme will target pre-seed to pre-Series A companies with a minimum viable product (MVP) or market-ready product, primarily across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, while remaining open…