Nigeria’s growing natural hair industry includes enterprising professionals like Happiness Okorie, who recently styled Chimamanda Adichie’s hair. For years, Okorie had suffered from burns on her scalp due to using harsh relaxers. Then one day, she said ‘no more!’. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Happiness Okorie’s dream came true …
Read More »Africa moves to regulate digital credit
After years of rapid expansion driven by mobile money, Africa’s digital credit market is entering a regulatory phase. Governments across the continent are formalising loan apps through licensing and conduct standards to curb abuses without stalling access to credit. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Regulators are reasserting control over …
Read More »Car sales surge across Africa
New cars are hitting Africa’s roads faster than ever as local production rises and Chinese brands heat up competition with attractive prices.Morocco is speeding production at over 1 million units surpassing South Africa at nearly 600,000 units. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | After years of shortages, high prices and delayed …
Read More »Swapping antibiotics for cannabis in chicken feed
As demand for organic chicken rises in Morocco, researchers in the country are launching a study to examine the potential use of cannabis as a healthier alternative to antibiotics in poultry farming. Earlier studies have suggested that cannabis by-products could reduce mortality, improve the meat quality and gut health …
Read More »Smartphone upgrades are surging across Africa
Africa’s mobile phone market is experiencing a surge as consumers in the continent’s biggest cities increasingly opting for higher-spec devices previously considered out of reach. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Africa is witnessing a mobile phone upgrade cycle moment. The obvious trend has been that of feature phones losing …
Read More »IShowSpeed and African content creators go beyond “safaris and suffering”
IShowSpeed’s livestreamed Africa tour adds to the work that African digital influencers have been doing in recent years to capture the continent beyond clichéd images of poverty and conflict. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Under the bronze gaze of the African Renaissance Monument in Dakar, the American content creator …
Read More »Why East Africa tops Africa’s 2026 economic projections
The UN expects East Africa to lead Africa’s growth in 2026, powered by Ethiopia’s reform push and Kenya’s diversified economy. Big infrastructure bets are lifting the outlook, but high debt costs and tight global finance remain key constraints. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | East Africa is expected to …
Read More »Africa is rethinking how it funds infrastructure
With external borrowing under pressure, African states are redesigning how they fund infrastructure. Capital-market instruments, pooled funds and long-term domestic investors are emerging as central to the continent’s next build-out. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | African governments are increasingly exploring alternative ways to finance infrastructure, moving beyond conventional external …
Read More »Ruth Apondi’s Smart Route to Mobile Health
When Kenyan nursing graduate Ruth Apondi Omondi created Smart Mama as a simple telemedicine platform in 2024, she knew she was bridging a critical gap in maternal care. The 24-year-old launched the m-Health service in Nairobi to give pregnant women the reliable information they need to make better health decisions …
Read More »Local capital sparks Africa’s startup funding comeback
Africa’s startup ecosystem is bouncing back, with 2025 funding levels seen surpassing 2024 and 2023, driven largely by a surge of local investors taking charge. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Africa’s startup ecosystem is emerging from two difficult years with renewed momentum, buoyed by a funding rebound that is …
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