AFRICA

December is particularly busy, as families prepare for holidays, travel and back-to-school expenses NEWS ANALYSIS | AGENCIES |  Africa’s mobile money industry is preparing for its busiest month of the year, with December transactions expected to push 2025’s total beyond the $81bn processed in 2024. But alongside the rise in …

UVIRA, DR Congo | Xinhua |  Along the road linking Bukavu to Uvira in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the marks of war remain stark and unmistakable following a series of offensives by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels, who recently claimed they had taken control of …

  COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI | On the occasion of Congo’s independence in June 1960, King Baudouin addressed the people of the Congo, declaring, in a condescending tone, “The independence of Congo is the end result of the work started with the exceptional personality of King Leopold II, which he …

    Lagos, Nigeria | THE INDEPENDENT | Continental Reinsurance Holdings, a leading African reinsurance group, has moved its Group Holding Company from Mauritius to Botswana, in a strategic decision aimed at consolidating its continental footprint and strengthening operational resilience. Founded in Nigeria four decades ago, Continental Reinsurance serves clients across …

Kenya’s foreign minister said some 200 Kenyans were known to be fighting for Russia and acknowledged that recruitment networks were still active NEWS ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | David Kuloba’s mother warned him about going to Russia after he accepted a job as a security guard advertised by a recruitment agency in …

HARARE | TASS | The updated US National Security Strategy, published on December 5, shows Washington’s determination to turn Africa into a geo-economic battleground, Zimbabwe’s government newspaper, The Herald, wrote. US plans with regard to Africa are concerning, the newspaper says. The updated strategy shows that Washington’s policy on the …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT  |  The long-awaited announcement arrived on 2 December 2025 — a moment that Uganda’s tourism industry had been yearning for since 2023. The United Kingdom officially lifted its travel advisory against Queen Elizabeth National Park and Semuliki National Park, ending more than two years of …

KAMPALA, UGANDA | Xinhua | Uganda has received eight southern white rhinos from South Africa to boost long-term population growth of the species in the East African country. Basil Ajer, director of tourism development, received the rhinos at Entebbe International Airport, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said in a statement issued …

BUJUMBURA | Xinhua | Burundi has closed its border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels advanced into Uvira, a strategic city in eastern DRC located near Burundi’s economic capital, Bujumbura, Congolese security sources said Wednesday. The M23 said in a statement …

The South African telco will own 55% of Safaricom after buying further stakes from the Kenyan government and parent Vodafone Nairobi, Kenya | DAVID THOMAS | South Africa’s Vodacom Group is to acquire 15% of Kenya’s Safaricom from the Kenyan government and an additional 5% from parent company Vodafone in …