Southern Africa
Everything Africa’s Point publishes on Southern Africa, written for professionals who need the decision and the number, not the noise.
MTN eyes banking licences for lending
MTN is exploring banking licences in markets where its Mobile Money service has significant reach, a move that could let it take deposits and lend directly from its own balance sheet. Chief executive Ralph Mupita named…
Angola’s economy breaks free of oil
Angola’s economy expanded 5.3% year on year in Q1 2026, its strongest quarterly performance since Q2 2024. The non-oil sector grew 6.2% while oil…
Botswana and Namibia’s $4bn refinery pact
Botswana and Namibia signed a bilateral agreement on May 28 at the AfDB Annual Meetings in Brazzaville to jointly develop a $4 billion oil refinery.…
$2bn railway rewires Southern Africa
Zimbabwe and Zambia signed a $2.18 billion MoU on April 11 to build the 311-kilometre Lion’s Den to Kafue railway, cutting distance to Beira Port by…
World Bank funds Malawi cyber response team
The World Bank has renewed technical support for Malawi’s cybersecurity agenda, backing the establishment of an independent Data Protection…
Ford builds Mandela-signed truck for children
IN SHORT: Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa has donated a one-of-a-kind Ford Ranger Wildtrak X bearing Nelson Mandela’s authorised signature to…
South Africa ranked among world’s most polite nations
A global Remitly survey has placed South Africa in the top 10 most polite nations in the world, with 1.82% of over 4,600 respondents recognising its…
All four SA banks are chasing Kenya
All four of South Africa’s biggest banks are targeting Kenya simultaneously. Nedbank is buying NCBA. Absa, Standard Bank and FirstRand are all…
South Africa backs Senegal against Morocco ruling
South African Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie pledged legal support for Senegal on the morning Morocco celebrated its restored AFCON title,…
South African takes charge of world’s biggest miner
KwaZulu-Natal-born Brandon Craig becomes CEO of BHP, the world’s largest miner, on July 1. He joins fellow South Africans Natascha Viljoen at…
Mastercard pays $1.8bn for South African fintech
Mastercard is acquiring BVNK, the stablecoin infrastructure company founded by three South Africans, for up to $1.8 billion — the largest stablecoin…
Momentum doubles down on Southern Africa
Momentum Group is concentrating its Africa investment in Southern Africa, selling its Ghana and Zambia operations to double down on Namibia,…
Mozambique pitches $57bn energy vision in Brussels
President Daniel Chapo opened Mozambique’s energy investment forum in Brussels on March 18 with a $20 billion TotalEnergies commitment confirmed and…
Zambia brings AI into the classroom
Zambia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UK-based Obrizum Group to pilot artificial intelligence in its secondary schools and TEVET…
Ericsson and Econet sign 5G AI deal
Ericsson and Econet Wireless Zimbabwe have signed a memorandum of understanding at MWC Barcelona 2026 to jointly test and deploy AI-driven network…
Malawi cuts rates for first time in two years
The Reserve Bank of Malawi cut its policy rate by 200 basis points to 24% on March 5, the first adjustment in almost two years, as headline…
Zimbabwe Caps Municipal Business Fees to Cut Costs
Zimbabwe has gazetted Model Fees By-Laws capping most business licences at US$500 per year and cutting hotel compliance fees by 50%, in a government…
South Africa’s Data Hosting Shift Turns Compliance Into Strategy
South Africa’s tightening data governance framework, led by POPIA and the National Cloud and Data Policy, is pushing businesses from offshore…
Karooooo Billionaire Calisto Moves Into Car Insurance
South Africa’s Competition Commission has backed Karooooo billionaire Zak Calisto’s bid to buy into King Price insurer via two acquiring entities,…
South Africa’s Debt Crisis Has Peaked
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana told Parliament that South Africa has turned a corner on debt, with the ratio expected to fall from 78% of GDP in…
Zimbabwe Opens Tobacco Floors on 4 March
Zimbabwe’s tobacco auction floors open on 4 March 2026, with 115,121 farmers registered and a projected crop of 400 million kilograms as the country…
Anglo American Takes $2.3 Billion Hit on De Beers as Sale Process Nears Completion
Anglo American has booked a second consecutive multi-billion-dollar impairment on De Beers — $2.3 billion in 2025 after $2.9 billion in 2024 — as…
Zambia Rejects $1 Billion US Health Deal Over Secret Mining Demands
Zambia has pushed back on a $1 billion US health funding agreement over a hidden clause tying the aid to mining sector collaboration and sensitive…
Zimbabwe Halts All Raw Mineral Exports to Force Processing at Home
Zimbabwe has suspended exports of all raw minerals and lithium concentrates with immediate effect, including consignments already in transit, in a…