Author: Elan
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…
Every year, millions of phone numbers get reassigned to strangers, and the accounts tied to them often stay behind. If you’re switching numbers or carriers, a short audit now can save you from handing someone the keys to your email, bank, and messaging apps. Why should you audit it? Recycled numbers turn forgotten logins into open doors A phone number feels like a personal possession, but treat it as a reusable resource. When you cancel a line or let a prepaid plan lapse, the number goes through an aging period and then returns to the pool. In the United States,…
Digital tools can help home-based makers test products and reach customers without opening a physical store. Image supplied by Cricut South Africa. A creative side hustle can start with a single personalised gift, a referral from a friend or an order placed through WhatsApp. Turning it into a sustainable business, however, requires more than creative ability: founders must understand their costs, price their time, develop reliable sales channels and recognise when the business is ready to scale. Side hustles have become an important part of the South African income landscape. According to the Old Mutual Savings and Investment Monitor 2026,…
By PwCIn a volatile deals market, successful acquirers are not simply those who find attractive targets. They are those who arrive prepared: clear on strategy, realistic about value, disciplined in diligence and ready to protect the business from disruption before, during and after the deal is done.Too often, buyers approach acquisitions through a narrow financial lens. Historical earnings remain essential, but they rarely tell the full story. A business’s value is often shaped by factors that do not appear clearly in the financials, including how it operates, how it serves customers, and the capabilities that underpin its performance. When these…
Femi Ogunjimi co-founded the Nigerian financial firm CardinalStone in 2008. He now focuses on its private equity arm, CardinalStone Capital Advisers, which invests in companies across West Africa. He spoke to How we made it in Africa editor-in-chief Jaco Maritz about his journey as an entrepreneur and investor.Topics discussed during the interview include:The 30-year plan Ogunjimi drew up for his lifeWhy he left Goldman Sachs to build an investment bank in NigeriaLaunching the firm in the middle of a stock market crashWhat investing in Nigerian companies has taught himLessons from building and running a business