South Africa’s Black Female Architects Build on Social Justice
Black female architects are a rare breed in South Africa, and they know all too well that their under-representation in design translates into buildings that fall short in meeting their needs. In keeping with movements across the globe to improve diversity and promote community-centric design, however, there are glimmers of hope for broader participation.Buildings are […]
Inspiring Spaces
South Africa is a hotbed of design, which is celebrated annually by Design Indaba’s naming of the country’s “emerging creatives.” What distinguishes this group of talents is their ability to inspire us with designs that represent the perfect union between form and function. Magrietha Labuschagne’s current collection, Nomad, makes a strong visual impact due to […]
The Africa Soft Power Project Virtual Summit
Coinciding with Africa Month, The Africa Soft Power Project is a virtual summit bringing together some of the world’s best minds for a series of online talks. By harnessing the talents of some of the continent’s top creatives, the goal is to launch powerful initiatives to advance Africa. This grand global gathering, themed ‘The Bridge: […]
Accra’s Rental System is Designed to Break Tenants
Ghana’s government has announced a loan scheme to help tenants pay the hefty advance rent (often covering two years) to private landlords. Advance rent is also prevalent in several other African countries. The Ghana Rent Act of 1963 (as amended) states that a deposit of six months is the maximum that a landlord can request […]
A Fund to Attract Investors to the African Fashion Market
Sub-Saharan Africa’s apparel, textile, and footwear market is estimated to be worth $31 billion, and its fashions are often an inspiration for international designers. But many of its entrepreneurs operate in the informal sector. A lack of wide access to capital, low production capacities, and small distribution networks limit the industry’s growth potential. In response […]
Resolving the Challenges of Grant-making in Africa
With the virus leading to increased vulnerabilities in several key sectors of economies, African governments have become inundated with many infrastructural challenges affecting their respective populations. In the wake of the widening gap, non-profit organizations are stepping in to ensure the most vulnerable in society do not get left behind, and they are doing this […]
Microcredit, in Rwanda and Many Other Parts of Africa, has Lost its Original Aim
The evidence against the effectiveness of microcredit as an engine of small-business growth continues to mount with the publication of David Poole’s excellent book ‘Entrepreneurs and SMEs in Rwanda: The Model Pupil Paradox’ (Bloomsbury, 2021). In the case of Rwanda, the country’s post-genocide development plan laid down in 2000 targeted the creation of an entrepreneurial […]
Nigeria’s Securities Commission Aims to Curb the Growing Number of Online Brokers
Nigeria is taking another stab at trying to cool off demand for foreign stocks with tighter regulatory oversight of local brokers. The Abuja-based Securities and Exchange Commission now plans to register brokers selling stocks of foreign companies as more Nigerians pile into the assets to hedge against inflation and currency weakness. An earlier effort last […]
The Potential of Private Equity Remains Largely Untapped in Southern Africa
Three hundred and sixty-four deals worth $4.4bn were recorded in the region between 2015 and 2020, according to the African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association’s 2020 Annual African Private Equity Data Tracker, released in March, but 69% of the deals and 64% of the deal value were registered in South Africa alone. The Covid-19 […]
Five Trends That Will Influence Post-Pandemic Business Strategy
By David Shapiro, chief global equity strategist at Sasfin Wealth As South Africa heads into winter, the northern hemisphere heads into summer – but regardless of where you live, everything is different all over again, with experts seeming to agree that we’re closer to the end of the pandemic than we are to the beginning. Global […]
