Aug 23 (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc GOOGL.O launched Google Wallet in South Africa on Tuesday, as the tech giant tries to gain a foothold in the country’s rapidly growing digital payments space. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift to digital transactions and people increasingly prefer making contactless payments via their smart devices. High smartphone penetration has also helped…
In an audacious appointment, Somalia’s new government has included a former al-Shabab militant, who once fought against the authorities, in the cabinet, but the weekend’s deadly hotel siege is a reminder of the tough task ahead for those in power. When Somalia’s new President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took office in May he declared a top…
Angola’s election on Wednesday is expected to be the most closely fought since independence in 1975. With the MPLA in charge for more than four decades, it might be hard to imagine that it could lose its place at the pinnacle of power. But it is facing a growing wave of discontent fuelled by high…
It was once a jewel of West Africa — the “Pearl of Lagoons,” people liked to call it. Today, the vast Ebrie lagoon which abuts Ivory Coast’s economic capital Abidjan is a sick and sorry sight, choked by plastic pollution and ravaged by sand extraction and unbridled development. Named after an ethnic group that lives…
The Pan African Parliament (PAP) will reconvene in Midrand, north of Johannesburg, on Tuesday as Africa faces a litany of challenges. Members of Parliaments from the continent will look at ways to revive the institution. PAP President Chief Fortune Charumbira says they are on course to reposition the parliament to represent the interests of Africans.…
The CSIR and SIU have signed a memorandum of understanding. In terms of the agreement, the organisations share expertise and skills. It will also allow for increased research in data science and cyber security. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) have joined forces to curb fraud, corruption,…
The World Bank on Monday signed off a $300m (£255m) grant to Mozambique, marking the resumption of aid to the country since 2016 after the hidden debt scandal. Mozambique Finance Minister Max Tonela said the money will be used to improve living conditions in areas such as health, education, social protection, access to energy and…
By José Kundy and João Peseiro Monteiro ANGOLA UNITA ends the electoral campaign appealing to Angolans to vote for change. In Cazenga, on the outskirts of Luanda, thousands of supporters of Adalberto Costa Júnior gathered. The presidential candidate attacked MPLA’s governance and listed several problems of the country. UNITA’s leader appealed to citizens to make sure…
Kenya’s defeated presidential candidate Raila Odinga filed a petition to the country’s top court Monday, challenging the outcome of the August 9 election in what he called a fight for “democracy and good governance”. Odinga, a veteran opposition leader who ran with the backing of President Uhuru Kenyatta and the ruling party, has rejected the…
Former Guinea minister Lounceny Camara died in prison. He was jailed on embezzling public money. Colonel Mamady Doumbouya seized power in September 2021. A former minister imprisoned by the military regime running Guinea has died in prison, his brother has announced. Lounceny Camara, 62, was among several former ministers and senior figures accused of having…