Zimbabwe’s $650 million Kariba solar project has cleared key technical and regulatory steps, but funding delays are holding back construction. The 600 MW project could help ease pressure on hydropower as water allocations are expected to fall in 2027. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

Meta has released Muse Spark Open, an AI model designed for coding, visual analysis and multi-step tasks. Developers can now access its model weights for custom deployment, including on Macs. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

Absa is investing R13.5 million over three years to train 600 students for South Africa’s automotive industry. The programme will focus on skills needed as the sector shifts towards new energy vehicles. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

Startup Mondays: Managing customer concentration in a small business Having a steady base of reliable clients helps keep revenue consistent, but it can also make founders complacent about finding new business. Read more: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

BREAKING NEWS: 19 October 2026 Nigeria agent banking business Onafriq is closing BAXI after reviewing its strategy, saying that inflation, the depreciation of the Naira and rising operating costs made its agent network unsustainable. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

BREAKING NEWS: 19 October 2026 StartupSouth's founder, Uche Aniche, confirmed that the OffChat Nxt tech summit will run in Port Harcourt from the 27th to the 29th of October 2026, with a N30 million founder prize pool included this year. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

BREAKING NEWS: 19 October 2026 @dangoteRefine & Petrochemicals says that its IPO has received subscriptions from investors from more than 90 countries, including 51 of the 54 African countries. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

BREAKING NEWS: 19 October 2026 @OrionMinerals Limited announced that its $40 million Tranche-A financing from Glencore is now unconditional for the development of the Uppers at the Prieska Copper-Zinc Mine in the Northern Cape, South Africa. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

FOUNDER FRIDAY: Rhea A 3-month delay on soil results nearly derailed a project and now it is the seed of a startup. Rhea was founded when Priscilla conducted biotechnology research on bio-inoculants and how microbes can improve soil quality. During this research, she often had to wait three months between collecting the samples and waiting for results from the laboratory. If a researcher can't get timely soil data, what chance does a smallholder farmer have? Founded by Priscilla W. and Soinato Leboo, the Kenyan agricultural technology company that develops soil testing devices set out to address one critical problem for farmers - the need for practical soil information without long waits. Creating the hardware was hard, but they did it anyway in only three years, with four prototype iterations and a prototype that was assembled in a hotel room in Kigali using locally sourced parts. Rhea has projected yields of more than 10% in season one and up to more than 30% by season three based on the company's own estimates and depending on farm conditions but the direction is compelling. Soinato opened up and was candid about how hard it is to raise money as two female founders building hardware and software in climate tech. Her advice during these times is to wake up every day and do something that moves the business forward Read the full story here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

Vodacom is investing R1 billion in KwaZulu-Natal to improve connectivity and support businesses and communities that rely on reliable mobile networks. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

Vodacom is investing R1 billion in KwaZulu-Natal to improve connectivity and support businesses and communities that rely on reliable mobile networks. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

IFC and BlueOrchard plan a $2 billion fund to expand business lending and help companies access the financing they need to grow. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

Africa’s new $100 million nature fund aims to support land restoration, forest protection and carbon projects while creating opportunities for local businesses. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

Liberia has opened a licensing round for 15 offshore oil blocks, inviting interested companies to submit letters of intent by April 15, 2027. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

THIS WEEK'S EDITION OF THE MINING WRAP: - Swiss luxury group Richemont is in talks to join a consortium bidding for @AngloAmerican's 85% stake in @debeersgroup. - Ethiopia has launched a $50 million gold refinery that is majority-owned by the state-owned firm Ethiopian Investment Holdings (@EIHEthiopia) - Guinea has set a target for five alumina refineries operating by 2030, with three currently under construction, according to reports. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

BREAKING NEWS: 16 October 2026 Electrical logistics company @Bisedge_Limited has secured €10 million in debt financing from Finnfund to expand its electrical industrial equipment operations across Africa. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

BREAKING NEWS: 16 October 2026 Kenya is targeting an exit from the Financial Action Task Force grey list by April 2027 after addressing 19 or 21 action items required by the International Task Force on money laundering, as announced by the Director General Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

BREAKING NEWS: 16 October 2026 Gabon has raised $580 million through an eight-year Eurobond that was opened to the market yesterday, led by Finance Minister Thierry Mniko. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

Nearly $1 billion in leveraged crypto trades were liquidated in 24 hours as prices fell, with Bitcoin and Ether accounting for a large share. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…

South Africa’s EV industry welcomes a new association as high prices continue to limit wider electric vehicle adoption. Read more here: businesstechafrica.co.za/art…