Meet Africa’s top young entrepreneurs for 2015

The Anzisha Prize, Africa’s premier award for entrepreneurs between the ages of 15 and 22, announced its 12 finalists for 2015. They represent nine African countries. The selection process has been rigorous: of the near 500 applicants, 77 were shortlisted for phone interviews, and 23 were later prioritised for site visits. But after careful deliberation,

Reverse the tide: African companies can also succeed in China

Over the last decade, numerous Chinese state-owned and private companies have invested in Africa. But there are also opportunities for African businesses to expand to China. Lawrence Morgan, COO of Hong Kong-based start-up accelerator Nest Investments, recently spoke to a group of entrepreneurs in Nairobi about the business opportunities in Asia. China is one of

AFRICA’S ROCKET SCIENCE: FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS

In many parts of Africa, the most difficult thing to do is not to break new bounds in science or institute new philosophical thought. It is ticking a box and having it accurately counted without controversy and violence. Elections, the simple democratic exercise of choosing public officials with the principle of one person and one

African Coffee Shops Boom Driven By Meals, Consumption Rise Slowly

“Coffee is driven by meals.” That is the explanation Charlse Kihiko, the founder of Kenya’s newest coffee shops chain, Urban Coffee, gave in an interview with Business Daily. Kihiko, who bought his first coffee shop from his former employer, Dormans, before it sold out to rival company ArtCaffe in 2012, has expanded the business to

How Much Do South African Universities Profit?

Police are clashing with South African university students protesting against proposed tuition hikes for 2016 that could raise fees by as much as 11.5 percent, Time reports. Demonstrations began at the University of the Witwatersrand last week, and quickly spread to other camouses including Stellenbosch, Rhodes and University of Cape Town, according to a report in BusinessTech. These

Ghana plans to remove English as a medium of instruction in schools

Ghana has announced a bold plan to eliminate English as the medium of instruction in its schools. The country’s Minister of Education, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, laid the blame mostly on the inability of the educated working class to develop the nation to the language used in teaching them in schools,GhanaWeb reported. Prof. Agyeman,

African feminists reclaim twitter with #FeministWhilstAfrican

The internet is increasingly a space for intellectual debates; with the ability to connect with like-minded people with similar interests, one can find people who enjoy discussing literature, scientific advancements or even the lastest piece of fluff holiday reading. Increased internet and mobile penetration in Africa has provided Africans a space to challenge dominant narratives

THIS NIGERIAN MAY BECOME THE FIRST BLACK AFRICAN TO TRAVEL TO SPACE

Nigerian-born Freeman Osonuga is on the verge of becoming the first Black African to travel to space. Freeman is a Medicine and Surgery graduate from Olabisi Onabanjo University. He was selected as one of the 30 people to participate in the Rising Star programme which was launched at the One Young World Summit 2014 in

NIGERIAN COMPANY DEVELOPS SOLAR-POWERED OUTDOOR FRIDGES TO HELP FARMERS

In a bid to save foods and farm produce from going bad, a Nigerian based company founded by Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu has developed an outdoor solar powered fridge called ColdHubs. The fridge is expected to help reduce post-harvest loss for small farmers by 80 percent. According to United Nations, in developing countries food waste and losses