Flipkart, the Walmart-owned Indian e-commerce startup that closely fights Amazon in the South Asian market, is preparing to shift its headquarters back to India from Singapore as the company prepares to file for an IPO on Indian stock exchanges. Flipkart says the move “represents a natural evolution, aligning our holding structure with our core operations, the vast potential of the Indian economy.” The startup says the relocation is subject to requisite approvals without disclosing a specific ti...
Apr 23, 2025•1 min
Harvard University has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming that its freezing of federal grants worth billions of dollars is unlawful. Its president, Alan M Garber, announced the action to the university community,y which said the $2bn funding freeze would hamper critical disease research. Harvard, the world's richest university, last week rejected a list of demands that the Trump administration said was designed to curb diversity initiatives and fight anti-semitism at the ...
Apr 23, 2025•1 min
Global shipping giant DHL will “temporarily” suspend the shipping of parcels worth more than $800 from businesses to individuals in the United States citing delays in US customs clearances. DHL says that due to recent US Customs regulatory updates, we are experiencing multi-day transit delays to the US from any origin for shipments with a declared customs value exceeding USD 800. The company added that the suspension would not affect business-to-business shipments, though they may also face dela...
Apr 23, 2025•58 sec
Niger State has officially waived right-of-way (RoW) fees for fibre optic infrastructure, becoming the twelfth Nigerian state to implement the policy to incentivise telecom operators and expand internet access. The policy, formalised in a government gazette dated September 2, 2024, and signed by Governor Muhammed Umar Bago, is part of a broader effort to attract private-sector investment, extend internet access to remote communities, and digitise public services. Under the new policy, telecom op...
Apr 23, 2025•2 min
The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, generated N6.96bn in mining fees and registered 118 new private mineral buying centres in the first quarter of 2025. The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, says the revenue reflects the outcome of the Ministry’s efforts to raise awareness and attract investors. He says the mining fees collected by the licensing parastatal, Mining Cadastral Office, came from 955 applications for title grants. He noted ...
Apr 23, 2025•1 min
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that the US is immediately revoking visas issued to all South Sudanese passport holders due to the African nation refusing to accept its citizens who have been removed from the US. Rubio added that the US will also block any arriving citizens of South Sudan, the world's newest country, at US ports of entry. He blamed the failure of South Sudan's transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated citizens in a timely manner. He says It ...
Apr 08, 2025•1 min
Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa has announced he will suspend tariffs on goods imported from the US to build a "positive relationship" with President Donald Trump's administration. The move comes days after Trump imposed 18% tariffs on Zimbabwean exports to the US. Zimbabwe has had strained diplomatic relations with the US since it adopted a controversial land policy about 25 years ago, and because of its poor human rights record. Trade between the two countries amounted to only $111.6m ...
Apr 08, 2025•1 min
The Federal Government has raised concerns over the potential negative consequences of newly imposed U.S. tariffs on Nigerian exports. The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, warned that the move could significantly impact both oil and non-oil trade flows to one of Nigeria’s key markets. Oduwole emphasised that the newly introduced tariffs could undermine the competitiveness of Nigerian products in the U.S. market and disrupt business activities, particularly within t...
Apr 08, 2025•1 min
The National Health Insurance Authority has directed Health Management Organisations to authorise the treatment of patients within one hour from the time of requests by hospitals and other healthcare providers. A spokesperson for the NHIA, Emmanuel Ononokpono, says the authority's mandates included reducing delays in accessing services and ensuring that enrollees receive quality healthcare services. He says the delays in authorising treatment and issuing codes continue to negatively impact benef...
Apr 08, 2025•1 min
United States President Donald Trump says his soon-to-be-announced reciprocal tariffs will apply to all countries. Trump says that his long-anticipated tariff announcement on April 2 would “start” with all countries. Trump’s remarks come after his administration had played down the scope of the tariffs set to be unveiled on April 2, which the US president has dubbed liberation day. White House economics adviser Kevin Hassett suggested earlier this month that the measures would be heavily focused...
Apr 07, 2025•58 sec
Tunisia’s transport ministry says it has seized 12 million dinars ($3.8 million) from accounts linked to several platforms, including Bolt, claiming the funds were illegally transferred abroad. Bolt says the accusations are “completely unfounded” and that the government’s actions are procedurally flawed adding that all local authority actions have been taken without the involvement of an investigating judge. The transport ministry claims its actions are part of a broader effort to “reform the tr...
Apr 07, 2025•1 min
Marketforce has been ordered to pay $16,000 to a former employee for wrongful termination. In 2024, ex-employees filed a now-dismissed case against Wasoko, a B2B e-commerce company, which merged with Egypt’s MaxAB in August 2024, while former business process outsourcing company Sama faces an ongoing lawsuit from its former employees. This ruling is a rare win for workers in a space where startups usually hold all the power. It sends a message: employees can push back, and courts are willing to ...
Apr 07, 2025•59 sec
Five months after blocking the Vodacom-Maziv merger deal, South Africa’s Competition Commission is standing firm on its decision to prevent the country’s second-largest telecom operator’s attempt to acquire a co-controlling stake in Maziv, the parent company of Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa. The anti-competition watchdog argued that allowing Vodacom to take control would cement its dominance in mobile and give it undue influence over the fibre market, an industry over which it previously had lim...
Apr 07, 2025•1 min
Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland has rejected an attempt by the central government to give the US exclusive control of a port and airbase in Berbera. The city lies on the strategic Gulf of Aden, on the northern coast of Somaliland. The territory, which declared independence in 1991 as Somalia descended into civil war, says the facilities are not Mogadishu's to give away. Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud also offered port and airbase within Somalia, saying all four would strength...
Apr 07, 2025•1 min
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative has recovered $4.85 billion from unpaid liabilities owed by oil and gas companies in the country. NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Orji Orji, disclosed that the recovery is part of the total $8.26 billion identified in its 2021 oil and gas audit report. He stated that the development demonstrates the agency’s commitment to transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s extractive sector. He says while significant progress has been made in r...
Apr 07, 2025•1 min
Taara Lightbridge, a project originally developed under its X “moonshot” division, will become a standalone company, challenging Starlink in the race to connect underserved regions with high-speed internet. Taara’suses Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) technology to beam high-speed internet through light over long distances, unlike satellite broadband. The move signals Alphabet’s renewed push into connectivity solutions after the closure of its Project Loon balloon venture in 2021. CEO Mah...
Mar 25, 2025•1 min
MTN is cutting back on network investments in South Africa, reducing its core network investments by $225 million in 2025 which brings its budget to between $313 million and $367 million about 19% of the group’s total capital expenditure. The company says its network has enough capacity and that it needs to see returns on the $247 million it spent on its network resilience during load-shedding. MTN’s move in South Africa is surprising because MTN Nigeria, its subsidiary business—which lost its s...
Mar 25, 2025•1 min
Namibia's new president was sworn in to lead a country facing high rates of unemployment, inequality and poverty. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah told BBC's Africa Daily podcast that she will be dealing with it with the additional burden of being only Africa's second-ever directly elected female president and Namibia's first female head of state and If things go well then it will be seen as a good example, Nandi-Ndaitwah has been a long-term loyalist of the South West Africa People's Organisation (Swapo)...
Mar 25, 2025•1 min
The Federal Government says it will learn power generation and transmission from Egypt which it described as a role model in the sector. The government also has reaffirmed its commitment to rural development through improved electricity access, The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, says that the meeting centred on strengthening bilateral cooperation in energy expansion, focusing on renewable energy and rural electrification. Adelabu commended Egypt’s achievements in the energy sector and descr...
Mar 25, 2025•1 min
The Nigerian Bar Association has reiterated its position that the removal of the Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, by President Bola Tinubu is unconstitutional and has called on the President to reverse that decision. The President declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending the governor, his deputy and all the members of the House of Assembly over the political crisis rocking the oil-rich state. Osigwe says that they expect the president to restore Fubara back to power hav...
Mar 25, 2025•58 sec
Israel ordered all of Gaza's electricity supply to be cut off on Sunday in an effort to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining Israeli hostages held in the territory. Energy minister Eli Cohen's announcement came a week after Israel cut off all aid supplies to the territory, which has a population of more than two million people. The decision to cut electricity is expected to primarily affect the operation of desalination plants which are crucial for providing clean drinking water. The gove...
Mar 10, 2025•1 min
The South African government says it will not take part in counterproductive megaphone diplomacy following a fresh social media post by US President Donald Trump repeating his claim that Pretoria was confiscating land. Trump extended his invitation to relocate those seeking to flee [South Africa] for reasons of safety to all farmers and offered them citizenship. The government said South Africa was still committed to building a mutually beneficial trade, political and diplomatic relationship wit...
Mar 10, 2025•1 min
The Democratic Republic of Congo government has offered a reward of $5m for help arresting three leaders of a rebel group which has seized much of the east of the country this year. Corneille Nangaa, a former head of DR Congo's electoral commission, now leads the Congo River Alliance, which includes the M23 rebel group. The bounty is also on offer for M23 leaders Sultani Makenga and Bertrand Bisimwa. A reward of $4m was also offered for the arrest of two journalists living in exile, and others t...
Mar 10, 2025•58 sec
Market data shows that Bitcoin’s price plummeted to $82,267 marking a 5% decline over the past 24 hours. = The development comes as uncertainty surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump’s economic policies continues to ripple through the market. The overall cryptocurrency market experienced a 5% drop, reducing its valuation to about $2.77 trillion. Solana recorded 7% loss, while XRP recorded 5% losses, while Ethereum fell 5%, trading near the $2,000 mark. The downturn has been further fueled by a ...
Mar 10, 2025•1 min
Carbon, the Nigerian digital bank known for its loans-led approach to banking, has partnered with Verve, the Interswitch-owned card scheme, to resume issuing debit cards nine months after pausing card operations. Carbon operates without an agent network or physical branches, limiting channels for cash withdrawals and online shopping. The company says discontinuing cards further limited its channels and the resumption of card issuance shows that despite the rise of contactless payments and bank t...
Mar 10, 2025•1 min
The Federal Government has adopted the Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) in Ijagun, Ogun State as a Federal University. President Tinubu approved the adoption on Friday and thanked the Ogun State Government for inviting the Federal Government to take over the school, one of the state’s best educational assets. He says it is an opportunity for the Federal Government to honour Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who began the revolutionary free education programme in Western Nigeria and Dr Tai Solar...
Mar 10, 2025•1 min
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a four-point plan to work with Ukraine to end the war and defend the country from Russia. The UK, France and other countries will step up their efforts in a coalition of the willing" and seek to involve the US in their support for Ukraine after calling a summit of 18 leaders - mostly from Europe and including Volodymyr Zelensky - three days earlier. Zelensky says Kyiv felt "strong support" and the gathering showed "European unity at an extremely high ...
Mar 03, 2025•1 min
The Democratic Republic of Congo is standing firm on its decision not to have direct talks with the M23 rebel group that has made major advances in the east of the country in recent months. DR Congo Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka says her government wants to negotiate with neighbouring Rwanda, which it accuses of backing the M23. She says the fact remains that the aggressor of the territorial integrity and of the sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of Congo is Rwanda. Become a supporter...
Mar 03, 2025•56 sec
The Nigeria Labour Congress has vowed to mobilise workers and citizens for a nationwide protest if the Federal Government proceeds with its proposed electricity tariff hike, describing it as “economic violence against the working class and broader Nigerian populace.” The National Union of Electricity Employees accused the Ministry of Power and NERC of attempting to force consumers into higher tariff bands under the pretext of service improvement while, in reality, deepening economic hardship. Th...
Mar 03, 2025•1 min
MTN Nigeria, the country’s largest operator, has claimed back ₦32 billion from banks, a partial recovery of the ₦74 billion owed in USSD service charges. In December 2024, the regulators, the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Communications Commission, ordered banks to pay 85% of their ₦250 billion debt to telcos before year-end or face fines and service restrictions. The crackdown forced banks to act, but not quickly enough for MTN, which still classifies the unpaid sum as “receivables” ...
Mar 03, 2025•1 min
