Author: Elan
The Regional Stock Exchange (BRVM) marked its 29th anniversary on December 18, underscoring its role as a shared capital market for the eight member states of the West African Economic and Monetary Union. Created in 1996, the BRVM remains one of the few fully regional stock exchanges in the world, serving as a single marketplace for government and corporate financing across the bloc. Over nearly three decades, the exchange has become a core funding channel for WAEMU economies. Governments have relied on it to issue sovereign bonds to finance public spending, while companies have used equity and debt listings to…
In brief Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) announced she won’t seek reelection when her Senate term ends next year. Lummis was a central force behind major crypto efforts, including passage of the GENIUS Act and ongoing market structure bill talks. She has also been a particularly avid supporter of Bitcoin. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), one of the crypto industry’s most reliable and powerful allies on Capitol Hill, announced Friday that she will not seek reelection when her term expires next year.“Deciding not to run for reelection does represent a change of heart for me, but in the difficult, exhausting session weeks…
From a subscriber’s perspective, making a phone call is a simple action. But after many years in the telecoms space, Ibikunle Peters understands just how critical calls are and the complex mechanics that make them possible. He explains why connectivity must be up and running at all times. “Imagine the whole of the MTN network goes down, and people can’t make calls. A lot of panic will ensue across the country,” he says. Peters has spent more than a decade as an IT and telecoms infrastructure expert working to ensure such panic does not occur. What he describes simply as…
Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7523 (KB5072043) to the Dev and Beta Channels, based on version 25H2. The update introduces several Copilot-related additions to the taskbar, expands accessibility controls in Narrator, tweaks input and widgets, and delivers a long list of fixes. The same build is available in both channels for now, which also opens a temporary window for Dev Channel users to switch to Beta without reinstalling. The release follows Microsoft’s current Insider strategy: features are split between those rolling out gradually to systems with the “get the latest updates as they are available” toggle enabled,…
Affiong Williams, CEO of Nigeria-based dried fruit snacks producer ReelFruit This article is an excerpt from our latest book ‘How we made it in Africa II: Real stories of entrepreneurs turning opportunity into profit‘ Affiong Williams, founder and CEO of Nigerian dried fruit and snacks company ReelFruit, has long viewed international markets as a major opportunity for her business. With the opening of its new factory and greater production capacity, that ambition has begun to materialise. The company has signed agreements with two distributors in Europe and a large retail group in the US, along with other export deals. In…
From listening to action – African Business From listening to action – African Business
US spot crypto ETFs have attracted more than $70 billion in net inflows since January 2024, making traditional financial investment vehicles the primary entry point for new money into the emerging industry.That surge, driven by products linked to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and more recently Solana and XRP, has validated the industry’s view that many investors will buy crypto only through regulated structures they already use for stocks and bonds.Notably, Schwab Asset Management recently found that 45% of ETF investors plan to purchase crypto ETFs, a figure that now ties with interest in bond ETFs.Schwabs ETF Survey (Source: Eric Balchunas)However, with the…
For most Nigerian content creators, staying online is often the easiest part of the job. The real struggle happens in the background: creators wrestle with erratic data connections and the daunting task of tailoring global technology to a local audience. For years, the solution was simply to work harder, but in 2025, the game changed. This year, artificial intelligence (AI) moved from a playground for the curious to the engine room for the productive. With limited infrastructure, rising data costs, and intense competition for attention, efficiency is no longer optional but essential to survival and growth. AI offers creators practical…
If you told me last year that one of my favorite tech decisions would involve removing something from my phone, I would have laughed. Yet here I am, proudly declaring that buying an eSIM-only iPhone 17 Pro was the best choice I made this year. No tray, no ejector tool, and no tiny piece of plastic to worry about. I’ll be honest. I’ve always looked at the removal of the SIM tray as a downgrade, but having switched to an eSIM-only phone, I can see why it’s the future. It simplifies hardware, makes room for a bigger battery, improves durability,…
Lagos, Nigeria** 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 $15 million in the CCA Growth Fund II, managed by CardinalStone Capital Advisers.The generalist fund will make equity investments in SMEs across Nigeria and Ghana, as well as opportunistically in Francophone West Africa. It targets a diverse range of sectors, including consumer goods, industrials, healthcare, agribusiness, and financial services. Want to know who is raising, investing, and exiting in Africa? Get Africa Private Equity News’ monthly Dealmaker’s Log – a database…