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Innovators are Africa’s only real hope for prosperity
As the wave of independence swept across Africa in the late 1950s, many geopolitical watchers speculated the region would soon become a significant economic and political powerhouse. There was hope...
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Tech savvy innovators are in a race to save their African languages and boost...
This year, scientists discovered the oldest drawing made by humans—a 73,000-year-old design of parallel and oblique lines. The red ochre on rock has value far beyond its historical significance—it...
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Africa’s ancient practices are being digitized for the future
The digital revolution, often described as “leapfrogging,” has brought real change to Africa. In finance, communication, and entertainment, technology has allowed African innovators to skip a step,...
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Africa’s fintech startups are innovating out of need and global investors are...
It is hard to miss news of the several funding rounds recently raised by fintech startups in Africa. After pulling in almost a third of total funding raised by startups on the continent in 2017, the...
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Quartz Africa Innovators 2018: A list of 30 pioneers
This is the fourth edition of the Quartz Africa Innovators, our annual series identifying some of the most ambitious and imaginative minds on the continent. The 30 movers and thinkers on this list...
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The danger of the innovation narrative becoming a distraction in Africa
In some striking ways Africa is the most “stable” economic region of the world. (Whilst most of our comments could apply to Africa as a whole, for the most part we are concerned with Sub-Sahara...
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Kenya has lifted a ban on a lesbian love story movie—just long enough to...
For only seven days, Kenyans will have the chance to watch Rafiki, the local film that has made waves around the world. Released in April, the Kenyan Film Classification Board banned the coming-of-age...
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African fashion brands bring sustainability to the runway, but can they scale...
At New York Fashion Week this month, clothing made from cotton grown and handwoven in Burkina Faso and cut and sewn in Ghana featured on the ramp in a victory lap for sustainable fashion. With their...
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Nigerian travel startups are getting millennials to pick local tourism over...
Last year, when Tolu Sofoluwe wanted a holiday away from Lagos and the high-stress, non-stop world of corporate consulting she’s worked for 13 years, she did not opt for Dubai as she’s done in the...
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An Ethiopian shoe worn all over the world shows how you do sustainable...
For decades, the image of Ethiopia in the rest of the world’s imagination was one of poverty, a people entirely dependent on the aid from Western countries. Of course Ethiopia struggled under desperate...
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How the hottest sound in pop exploded thanks to social media and a...
It’s been remarkable to watch a sound from the streets of Lagos and Accra spread to the US Billboard charts and London clubs and festivals to become a cultural phenomenon around the world. Too often...
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A leading Nigerian fintech startup has raised $20 million but is losing its...
For the second time in less than five years, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji—one of the most prominent names in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem—is stepping down from a successful company he co-founded. Aboyeji, a 2016...
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Somalia’s e-commerce businesses are rising against all odds
Abdi Addow likes to have oodkac for breakfast, the jerky-style beef cubes that Somalis usually eat with injera flatbread. Addow especially loves his mother’s serving, but since he doesn’t live with her...
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This Ethiopian homegrown coffee brand is opening 100 cafés in China
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu has a dream: that everyone should one day taste hand-roasted Ethiopian coffee. Widely acknowledged as the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia is one of the world’s largest coffee...
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Naspers is spending over $300 million seeking its first major African tech...
Africa’s most valuable company is putting more of its vast war-chest of investment dollars to work in South Africa. Naspers, the Cape-Town based giant, has announced plans to invest $314 million in...
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Kenya is planning to launch its own locally-built mobile phone
Kenya is joining a short list of African countries trying to develop their own locally-made phones. The government is putting aside one billion shillings ($10 million) to boost startups working in the...
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African phone companies are evolving into 21st century conglomerates out of...
Telecoms operators behind Africa’s mobile phone boom over the past decade are increasingly getting into sectors beyond the traditional communications business. Among many examples, MTN, the continent’s...
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African scientists are closer than ever to developing a malaria vaccine
Malaria is still a major problem in Africa. There are over 200 million clinical cases each year and approximately half a million deaths. There are different ways in which malaria can be controlled....
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These designers are forcing the world to rethink what African furniture...
Culturally, Africa is having a real moment. In the last few years, fashion, films, music and art from the continent have punctured the outdated image the west has of an African aesthetic. Now, the...
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African entrepreneurs, governments and operators are all vying to make an...
The race to dominate Africa’s mobile hardware market is gathering pace. Over the last few years, entrepreneurs, multinationals, governments, and telecom companies have waded into the sector with the...
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