Author: Elan

Africa’s newest executive leadership programme is making an unusually direct argument: the continent’s development ambitions will not be realised through leadership models designed outside Africa’s realities. That is the premise behind the Transformative African Leadership (TAL) programme. This new pan-African initiative is delivered through a partnership between the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar and the Institute for Development Studies at the University of Nairobi. The programme enters a growing debate around how African institutions prepare leaders for economic transformation, regional integration and governance reform. Dr Penny Parenzee, Senior Programme Manager at the Nelson Mandela…

** For the best experience, download the free Africa Private Equity News app Android | iOS **Barka Capital has committed to a joint equity investment in Laboratoires Adeba alongside CDC-CI Capital, Côte d’Ivoire’s sovereign investment arm. Founded by Linda Dempah, Adeba is building a premium Ivorian biocosmetics brand from West African botanicals, sourced from women smallholder farmers in Côte d’Ivoire.“This is exactly what we are built to back: founder led, locally rooted, internationally competitive,” Barka Capital said in a statement announcing the investment.Barka Capital, which operates from Abidjan, describes itself as an accelerator and seed impact fund.Want to know who…

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In brief OpenAI is aiming for a September IPO with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as underwriters, the Wall Street Journal reported. Elon Musk’s lawsuit challenging the AI company’s structure and finances failed Monday. Secondary market share prices value the firm above $900 billion. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is reportedly aiming for a September initial public offering, accelerating plans after Elon Musk’s failed lawsuit removed a key obstacle to the AI company’s public market debut.According to the Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the plans, the AI company has engaged Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to prepare IPO paperwork…

Uganda’s communications regulator has granted Starlink a provisional licence, marking a significant step in the satellite operator’s push into East Africa and reflecting a broader shift in how African regulators are approaching low-earth orbit (LEO) broadband connectivity. The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) issued the provisional licence to Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, while Airtel Uganda has simultaneously begun testing Starlink’s direct-to-cell (D2C) LEO satellite service. The direct-to-cell technology allows standard mobile handsets to connect directly to satellites without specialised equipment — a development that could significantly expand connectivity in areas where terrestrial network infrastructure is limited or absent. Airtel Uganda’s…

For today only, the 85-inch Samsung The Frame Pro (2025) is down to $2,799.99, saving you $1,500 on the huge art-style TV. Samsung had already lined up a promo price of $2,999.99 for this model in this week’s Memorial Day sale, but the extra flash sale discount brings it down another $200. It’s part of Samsung’s “20 Years on the 20th” promo, which marks the company’s claim of being the top global TV brand for 20 consecutive years. That means this better Frame Pro price disappears at 11:59 PM ET. The Frame Pro is Samsung’s more advanced take on its…

In 2008, Danladi Verheijen co-founded Verod Capital Management, a private equity investment firm focused on West Africa. Africa Private Equity News editor-in-chief Jaco Maritz interviewed him about his journey as an investor and the lessons he has learnt along the way.Topics discussed during the interview include:The deal that put Verod on the mapBacking Moniepoint, an African unicornWhy he likes the gym businessHis toughest moments as an investorLong-distance running as a metaphor for business

Jwaneng — Minister for State President, Defence and Security, Mr Moeti Mohwasa has called on the private sector to collaborate with the government in its development agenda. He made the appeal recently when touring Jwaneng police station, which is getting a facelift through the Ikageng Public Works Programme, in collaboration with Dulux Botswana and Jwaneng Technical College. He said owing to budgetary constraints, the government could not manage to drive service delivery alone, hence the need for private businesses to play a role. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines He applauded Dulux Botswana and other stakeholders…

Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) approved up to $100 million in investments for African technology fund managers. AFC made initial commitments to Lightrock Africa Fund II and Future Africa Fund III, including a planned $40 million investment in the latter. African tech startups raised $2.4 billion in equity financing in 2025, up 8% year-on-year, according to Partech Africa. Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has launched an investment program targeting African technology funds, with initial commitments to Lightrock and Future Africa, as the institution seeks to increase the share of African institutional capital in the continent’s venture capital ecosystem.…

The Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBoS) has raised concern over the country’s labour market structure, calling for urgent policy action to expand formal employment opportunities after new data revealed that informality continues to dominate work across the country. The latest report, The Gambia Labour Market: Progress and Trends (2022-2026), shows that 85.8 percent of employed persons were engaged in informal work in the first quarter of 2026 meaning fewer than two in ten workers are in secure, regulated employment with social protection benefits. According to the findings, the informal economy remains deeply entrenched across major sectors of the economy. Informality…