Author: Elan
As Gen Z continues to dominate cultural conversation and spending power, Penquin, one of South Africa’s leading brand and communication agencies, is urging brands to rethink how they show up in 2026. According to Nicole Glover, Executive Creative Director – Digital at Penquin, the old playbook of flashy campaigns and creator collabs is losing its grip. “Gen Z isn’t waiting to be entertained by brands,” says Glover. “They’re watching how brands behave when no one’s clapping. They don’t cancel brands anymore, they mute them. Quietly. Permanently. If your values disappear the moment they threaten profit, Gen Z sees that instantly, and…
African startups raised $3.9 billion across more than 500 deals in 2025, according to a report by the African Private Capital Association. The industry group for venture capital and private equity investors said the year’s performance signaled that Africa’s startup scene had entered “a phase of disciplined stabilization” after previous years marked by declining investment. African investors accounted for a new high of 45% of the total sum raised — up from an average of 23% between 2022 and 2024 — with corporates and African development finance institutions leading the charge. Another notable trend in 2025 was that venture debt…
Qatar Airways looks to build on Kenya Airways partnership – African Business Qatar Airways looks to build on Kenya Airways partnership – African Business
Leading tower infrastructure company IHS Tower has announced a proposed agreement that will seal its merger with MTN Group. The deal, valued at approximately $6.2 billion, will see MTN take full control of the entire stake. According to a disclosure on Tuesday, seen by Technext, IHS Towers noted that its Board of Directors has “unanimously” approved the agreement and the transaction, and has recommended the same move to its stakeholders. The tower company explained that both MTN and Wendel, a long-term IHS Towers shareholder, have voted in support of the transaction. With both votes, over 40% shareholder support is needed…
On January 23, during the centenary celebrations at Mang’u High School, one of Kenya’s oldest national schools, about 50 kilometres from Nairobi, three banking booths drew steady traffic from students and parents. Representatives from Co-operative Bank of Kenya, Equity Bank and KCB Group were issuing prepaid cards pitched as a modern way for parents to manage pocket money. I passed through each booth where desk agents explained the mechanics and pricing. Co-operative’s CoopPay card costs KES 350 ($2.17), Equity’s student prepaid card costs KES 500 ($3.88), and KCB’s equivalent costs KES 600 ($4.65). The products look similar on the surface,…
Your AMD Ryzen processor almost certainly isn’t running as fast as it could, and the fix is a single BIOS toggle you’ve likely never touched. Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) is one of several BIOS settings that can hold back your CPU’s full potential. It lets your CPU push past its default power limits to boost for longer, yet most motherboards ship with it disabled. I’ve had PBO enabled on my Ryzen processor for a while now, and I think leaving it off is a waste of perfectly good performance. It’s free headroom that your chip already supports, and I see…
Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes, founder and managing partner of Aruwa Capital Management** For the best experience, download the free Africa Private Equity News app Android | iOS **The International Finance Corporation has disclosed a proposed investment of up to $8 million in the Aruwa Capital Fund II, managed by Aruwa Capital Management.Aruwa Capital Fund II is a generalist private equity fund focused on small and medium enterprises in Nigeria and Ghana. The fund has a target of $50 million with a hard cap of $60 million.IFC’s proposed commitment would be in the form of equity and would not exceed 20% of…
A new book, How we made it in Africa II, by South African author Jaco Maritz, chronicles the journeys of entrepreneurs building remarkable companies across the continent. Commissioned by the NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies, the book was officially launched in Singapore on Friday, 6 February.** Africa Private Equity News readers can now purchase the ebook or paperback at a 15% discount with voucher code APEN. Click here to buy the book.**Building on the success of the acclaimed first edition, Maritz returns with 15 fresh case studies of founders creating successful businesses. The entrepreneurs featured come from a variety of…
Partner content: Africa’s Business Heroes Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH), the flagship philanthropic initiative of Alibaba Philanthropy, concluded its 7th edition in Kigali on 13th December 2025 with Diana Orembe, Co-Founder and CEO of NovFeed from Tanzania, emerging as the overall winner and Africa’s Business Hero. Diana was recognised for her pioneering biotech innovation that transforms organic waste into sustainable protein for animal feed. Her solution earned the Grand Prize of $300,000, reflecting its potential to strengthen agricultural systems and promote sustainability across the continent. Her win marked the culmination of an inspiring Grand Finale held at the Kigali Convention Center, which…
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