AGP Executive Report

Rural Broadband Push Meets Antitrust: South Africa’s biggest telcos, via ACT, are asking the competition watchdog to let rivals share limited planning info to speed up passive infrastructure rollouts in low-density areas. Vehicle Safety Rules Under Scrutiny: Ford Africa backs stronger safety regulations but warns they must be consistent and detailed to avoid price hikes that don’t translate into real protection. Counterfeit Crisis Hits Kids’ Toys: South Africa’s toy and games market is seeing a surge in fake products, with industry estimating about a quarter of sales are counterfeit and noncompliant—raising safety risks for children. Sovereign Wealth Fund Plan: DBSA starts feasibility work that could lead to South Africa’s first sovereign wealth fund, aiming to plug long-term infrastructure and climate financing gaps. Oil and Gas Hunt Gets Industry Support: EnerGeo Alliance argues exploration and seismic surveys should stay on the table while government finalises upstream petroleum rules for regulatory certainty. UN Map Overhaul: The UN General Assembly backs “Correct the Map,” pushing countries to use projections that show Africa’s true relative size; the US opposed. Green Transition Debate: Prof Fatima Denton says Africa must define its own green pathway beyond net-zero slogans, given electricity access and development needs. Digital ID Security: Madagascar advances its national digital ID with new cybercrime legislation and plans to strengthen investigation capacity. AI in Health and Farming: Uganda and Rwanda showcase AI tools for faster disease diagnosis and improved agriculture, including smartphone-linked microscopy for lab-light settings.

Climate & Industry Finance: Nigeria’s NGX-backed N-Zero initiative has started corporate baseline assessments to help firms measure emissions, plan transitions and tap carbon-market opportunities, with 50+ companies engaged and 17 onboarded. Education & Skills: Nigeria opens applications for its Student Venture Capital Grant (Next Moonshot) offering up to ₦50m equity-free to 50 STEM student ventures; WAEC says no WASSCE 2026 paper leaked and points to falling malpractice. Digital Infrastructure & Water: South African civil rights groups urge a pause on new data centres, citing unclear transparency over water and power use as the country pushes to be Africa’s data hub. Science & Space Policy: Namibia is drafting space science legislation to boost R&D and possible commercialisation after adopting its first space policy in 2021. Solar Boom (Hidden): A new analysis finds Africa’s PV growth is spreading fast, but much of it is “hidden” in distributed solar not captured in official stats. Security Tech: Namibia launches a Global Cybersecurity Initiative to connect governments and businesses across Africa, aiming to scale to 52 countries by 2029. Science Discovery: Fossils from Canada’s Yukon suggest the “American cheetah” was actually a puma relative that adapted to mostly fish.

HIV Manufacturing Shake-up (South Africa): Aspen Pharmacare has dropped plans to locally produce Gilead’s HIV prevention injection lenacapavir, saying government won’t guarantee purchase volumes, and is instead eyeing Merck’s experimental pill alimatravir—raising concerns for supply security in a country with the world’s biggest HIV burden. Consumer Tech Price War (South Africa): NielsenIQ reports Chinese brands are intensifying price pressure in appliances and consumer electronics as South Africans stretch replacement cycles; the T&D market fell 5.8% in value in H1 2026. Travel Booking Habits (South Africa): A study finds South Africans still prefer web browsers for flights and hotels (12.8%) versus apps (5.1%), a sign that “app-first” strategies may miss how people actually buy travel. Digital Infrastructure Boost (Africa): WIOCC secured $300m to expand open-access fibre, data centres and new subsea cable assets, aiming to close Africa’s connectivity gap for cloud and AI. Climate Risk Alert (Southern Africa): Eswatini braces for a very strong El Niño season (Oct 2026–Mar 2027), with a high chance of historic conditions and warmer, drier weather. Auto Skills Training (Ghana): Hyundai and KOICA will invest 5 billion won over five years to build and run two vehicle repair training centres, targeting jobs and youth opportunities. Regional Integration Stress (West Africa): Nigeria’s media adviser says Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger’s ECOWAS exit has weakened protocols for free movement and integration, contributing to a broader regional crisis. AI Brand Intelligence (Nigeria): FlashNarrative launched an AI platform that monitors local-language media and social chatter to flag reputational risks and emerging narratives.

Sharpeville Justice Push: Survivors of South Africa’s 1960 Sharpeville massacre and relatives have filed a class-action lawsuit seeking to overturn the 1961 Indemnity Act that blocked compensation claims for more than six decades. Food Systems Investment: African leaders meeting in Kigali called for urgent action and bigger public-private funding to turn agri-food pledges into results, focusing on seeds, fertiliser, irrigation, mechanisation, tech and markets. Security Partnerships: Digicloud Africa is recruiting and onboarding managed security providers to distribute Google Security Operations across the continent, aiming to lower the barrier for dedicated security practices. Digital Health & Rights: Guinea hosted a regional conference on sexual and reproductive health and rights for adolescents and young people, stressing education, protection and access to care amid crises and funding cuts. Fuel Cost Shock: South Africa says the Middle East conflict has added about R56.3bn to fuel import costs since February, underlining exposure to global oil disruptions. Blockchain Funding: Africa Blockchain Festival launched a 2026 fellowship to connect AI/blockchain founders with investors and mentorship in Nairobi.

Digital Infrastructure Boost: WIOCC secured a $300M investment from Africa Finance Corporation and Vision Invest to expand open-access fibre, data centres and subsea connectivity across Africa, with AI-ready infrastructure in focus. AI & Telecom Capacity: MTN Digital Infrastructure partnered with a UAE data-centre investor to build “AI-ready” platforms, initially targeting South Africa and Nigeria. Payments & Cross-Border Trade: Reeple says it’s helping African SMEs move money across 50+ countries faster and cheaper, tackling FX and settlement delays. Ride-Hailing Exit: Uber will wind down ride-hailing in Nigeria and Uganda after 12 years, citing rising costs, regulation and security pressures. Public Health: WHO warns DRC’s Ebola outbreak has surpassed 3,000 deaths, urging faster tracking of transmission chains. Child Safety Online: UNICEF estimates 20M internet-using children in 21 countries faced online sexual exploitation or abuse, with social media driving most cases. Climate Watch: Oceans hit record heat and El Niño is intensifying, raising risks of extreme weather and coastal impacts. HIV Prevention in SA: Western Cape rollout of lenacapavir for HIV prevention grows amid supply constraints.

Energy & Power Infrastructure: South Africa’s Eskom RT&D Centre is being positioned as a “heart and brain” for energy-transition tech, while a SIDSSA panel stressed the real bottleneck is distribution and municipal-level execution, not just new generation. Renewables Financing: Yellow Door Energy and Nedbank CIB reached financial close on the 49MWp Lion Thorn solar park, with construction starting in September 2026 and commissioning expected in 2028. Distributed Solar Push: Odyssey Energy Solutions raised $74m to scale distributed renewable energy financing across Africa and beyond. Digital Connectivity: Orange partnered on the ReuNION submarine cable linking La Réunion to boost resilience and lower latency. Cybersecurity: Westcon-Comstor will distribute SonarQube across EMEA and APAC. Health Research Funding: South Africa’s HIV surveillance and genetic testing work is being squeezed by US funding cuts, forcing researchers to find replacement money. Governance & Trust: Stats SA found many South Africans don’t report crime because they believe police won’t act. Politics & Tech Systems: The IEC rejected ANC claims of “technical glitches” after missed municipal candidate-list deadlines. Sports & Identity: Gabon captain Aubameyang says he’s stepping away from the national team ahead of qualifiers after how authorities handled him.

Agro-Industry Push: Zimbabwe’s University of Zimbabwe says its “Heritage-Based Education 5.0” drive is now producing 4,000 litres of cooking oil daily, 110,000 chickens per cycle and 25,000 loaves of bread, as leaders tour its innovation and production hub. Regional Energy Security: Mozambique and Zimbabwe plan to launch the second phase of the Beira-Feruka pipeline upgrade, lifting pumping capacity from 3m to 5m cubic metres and boosting fuel supply across SADC. Labour Tensions: Sibanye says it will implement its “last, best, final” contract offer after a third rejection, with a union strike set for Sept. 3. Digital Money Growth: Kenya’s Upesi surpasses Sh20bn in cumulative cross-border transfers, reflecting rising demand for faster, more secure digital payments. Public Health Research: A new study estimates snakebite’s global toll is far higher than previously tracked, with sub-Saharan Africa carrying the biggest burden. AI in Practice: South Africa’s “AI paradox” debate grows as firms invest heavily but struggle to turn AI projects into real earnings. Governance & Delivery: South Africa’s IEC rejects claims of extra time for party candidate lists, stressing deadlines stand.

Somalia–Yemen Security Links: A Wall Street Journal investigation says Yemen’s Houthis have moved beyond arms middlemen, sending a delegation to al-Shabaab’s southern Somalia stronghold for weapons supply, drone training and instruction for fighters. Wildlife Tech in the Congo Basin: Vertically stacked infrared camera traps in the DRC revealed 47 mammal types and how animals use different forest layers, strengthening conservation planning. Nigeria Digital Infrastructure Push: Nigeria targets $750m in private cloud investment and plans a 90,000km fibre rollout to expand data and cloud services nationwide. Cyber Resilience Deal: Mindware signed with Veeam to distribute backup and recovery tools across the Middle East and Africa, aiming to improve recovery after ransomware. Solar for Communities: All On and Energise Africa invested $4m to expand solar mini-grids in 19 Nigerian communities, targeting nearly 100,000 people. Health Supply Chains with AI: A SAPICS conference report highlights AI cutting forecasting, procurement and invoice delays in Ethiopia, Nigeria and Kenya. Energy Accountability in Court: South Africa’s civil society continues using litigation to block and challenge major energy projects, including a recent court halt to Wild Coast exploration. Bafana Coaching Update: Pitso Mosimane confirmed his staff but says an assistant coach role is still being filled ahead of 2027 qualifiers. SCO Tech and Security: SCO leaders adopted the Bishkek Declaration to deepen cooperation on security, trade and technology.

Traditional Medicine Push: WHO and African Traditional Medicine Day speakers urged more investment in research, regulation and innovation to help traditional care support universal health coverage. Science Park Diplomacy: Taiwan proposed funding an Eswatini science and technology park to deepen ties and expand Taiwanese business in Africa. Food Systems Focus: AGRA says Africa’s food systems should be judged by what farmers earn, warning that progress won’t stick without better transformation of agrifood value chains. Energy Affordability: Cape Town signed two 20-year deals to buy 70MW of cheaper power from independent solar producers, aiming to cut reliance on Eskom and stabilize prices. Solar Skills Gap: Lagos’ shift from generators to solar is constrained by a workforce shortage, with only 58% of technicians trained for solar work. Health & Safety Warning: Kenya’s mitumba secondhand clothing boom is also raising public health concerns, as some textile waste may carry disease-causing microbes. Wild Coast Oil-Gas: South Africa’s court ruling on seismic testing is framed as a procedural setback, not the end of offshore exploration, as industry argues for missed jobs and GDP potential. Digital Infrastructure: Nigeria plans $750m in private cloud investment and a 90,000km fibre rollout to build a more sovereign AI and digital services ecosystem.

Gender-Based Violence: South Africa’s first national Gender-Based Violence and Femicide prevalence study says 7.3 million women (18+) have experienced physical violence, as the newly formed National Council on GBVF holds its inaugural meeting in Pretoria. Public Safety Tech: Cape Town launched a Joint Public Safety Operations Centre, pooling emergency services, SAPS and traffic officials, with real-time information sharing and more body-worn cameras aimed at tackling violent crime. HIV Care Gaps: Women still carry a disproportionate HIV burden in South Africa, while treatment collection shortfalls in provinces like KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng show persistent gaps despite progress. Cybercrime: A Midlands State University computer science student in Zimbabwe is accused of hacking CABS and stealing over US$1.1 million via fraudulent card and ZIPIT transactions. Open-Source Software: LibreOffice 26.8 rolls out with improved right-to-left support, script handling for N’Ko and Adlam, and a new paragraph layout algorithm. AI in Healthcare: New analysis highlights how AI is reshaping pathology services toward automated diagnostics, backed by rising investment and regulatory approvals. Climate Finance: Niger State unveiled a Climate Change Policy and Action Plan plus a climate development and investment platform to move projects toward bankability.

G20 Finance Track: Finance ministers and central bank governors meet in Asheville, with growth, fair trade, supply-chain resilience and sovereign debt on the agenda as the US pushes “back to basics.” Nigeria Ports Boost: Nigeria’s ports logged a Q2 2026 surge—cargo throughput up 12.3% and ocean-going vessels up 14.4%—as reforms improve capacity and competitiveness. South Africa Procurement Scandal: Allegations of a R154m land deal and a R67m “facilitation fee” highlight deep problems in public procurement, now under Hawks scrutiny. Trade & Digital Links: Nigeria and Canada plan to deepen trade ties around culture and investment, while telecoms warn that power and fibre damage are driving up operating costs. Health & Food Security Debate: UNICEF data challenges Gaza famine claims, pointing instead to a new concern: rising obesity among young children. Science & Agriculture Tech: Chulalongkorn researchers developed a synthetic boar scent to trigger estrus in pig breeding, aiming to cut disease risk from direct boar contact. Climate-Ready Cities: Lagos property leaders are urged to build flood resilience into estate design from day one. Maritime & Energy: Colombo Port climbs into the world’s top 20 as container volumes jump, while Nigeria’s refining push is framed as a path to broader industrial growth.

Digital Infrastructure & AI: MTN is teaming up with UAE data-centre investor Bayobab/“Africa Data Hub” partners to build AI-ready cloud and data infrastructure across Africa, starting with South Africa and Nigeria. Cybersecurity & Media Piracy: Canal+, the new owner of MultiChoice, says it’s using forensic watermarking plus ISP blocking and enforcement to disrupt DStv/GOtv streaming pirates across the continent. Agritech Research: A potato study highlights WRKY genes as a “master control” for boosting tolerance to heat, drought, cold, heavy metals and pathogens—aimed at stabilising yields under climate stress. Payments & Policy: A Jackson Hole symposium argues currency power now depends on liquidity and the networks that move money, including instant payments, stablecoins and tokenised assets. Public Safety & Aviation: Airlink’s very-low flyover over Cape Town’s DHL Stadium sparked backlash online, though the airline says it stayed within approved limits. Health Justice: Research in South Africa explores using specially trained courthouse dogs to reduce secondary trauma in sexual violence cases. Space & Disaster Monitoring: Coverage from Europe’s Kourou launch describes Ariane 6 placing a new weather satellite into orbit to improve mapping for disaster prevention.

South Africa’s Rugby Showdown: Springboks level the series 1-1 after a 33-26 win over the All Blacks, with Rassie Erasmus defending late front-row changes based on dry conditions—while Dave Rennie complains about scrum tactics. Green Power for Industry: SMEs in Machakos, Kenya are being urged to cut costs and boost reliability by switching to rooftop solar and mini-grids. Food Waste vs Hunger: South Africa produces enough food, but millions still face hunger as an estimated 10.3m tonnes of food are wasted each year, with losses tied to harvesting, transport and cold-chain gaps. Connectivity Shift: Stats show cellphone-only households surged to 93.8% by 2025, leaving landlines behind—along with new risks like scams and cybercrime. DR Congo River Trade: Research highlights how small baleinières wooden riverboats keep cities like Kinshasa and Kisangani supplied. UNCCD Drought Funding: UNCCD COP17 ends with a $1.3bn land restoration and drought-resilience financing push. ECOWAS Health Policy Pilot: Guinea-Bissau is set to pilot a new community health policy as WAHO begins high-level talks.

African Union Conflict Prevention: Angola urged the AU to turn political will into concrete action to prevent conflicts, ahead of a Luanda meeting on financing and strengthening prevention and resolution mechanisms. Climate Preparedness: SADC’s SARCOF-33 in Swakopmund reviewed the 2025/26 rainfall season, assessed El Niño impacts, and mapped early actions for agriculture, water, health and disaster risk for 2026/27. Health & Access: South Africa’s first approved GLP-1 generic weight-loss drugs are landing as SAHPRA reviews more applications, raising hopes for lower prices. Public Health Research: Uganda’s adolescent reproductive health policies are strong on paper but uneven in clinics, according to a new qualitative study. Wildlife & Cities: Cape Town residents are being asked to report African harrier-hawk sightings to help track how the species is adapting to urban life. Standards & Trade: Delayed harmonised standards are still inflating trade costs and slowing intra-Africa movement under AfCFTA. AI & Creativity: Nigerian filmmaker Tunde Kelani says AI should enhance African creativity, not erase languages or history. Regional Security Analysis: ECOWAS exits and the Sahel rival security bloc are deepening fragmentation as jihadist threats spread toward the coast.

Sleeping Sickness Elimination: DRC is still hunting the last cases of sleeping sickness, with mobile teams tracking the remaining carriers as WHO targets full elimination by 2030. Diabetes Forecast: New modelling for the EASD meeting estimates type 1 diabetes will rise 29% worldwide by 2049, adding pressure on health systems. Ebola Response in DRC: The DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak keeps spreading, with WHO and partners stressing community-led action to speed containment. Health Data Infrastructure: WHO Africa launched a Regional Health Data Hub to unite fragmented health records across 47 countries for faster, better decisions. Wildlife Conservation: A cheetah, Nirwa, was found safe after 21 days in Kuno after a collar failure disrupted monitoring. Digital Governance & Health Tech: Nigeria’s government procurement controversy claims 57% of tech bought is refurbished as new, while South Africa pushes automation in air traffic control and better health readiness. Food & Jobs Tech: East Africa’s fish distribution is getting a boost from digital-first models, turning small orders into scalable businesses.

Integrated Transport: South Africa’s Gautrain boss Prof Mfanelo Ntsobi says the country’s transport system is too fragmented and argues for “one commuter, one journey” via an integrated mobility network linking rail, buses, minibus taxis, e-hailing, roads and walking. Cancer Care Investment: Nigeria’s health minister Iziaq Salako urged more investment in radiopharmaceutical therapy to strengthen precision oncology and build local capacity in Lagos. Solar Push: Africa is on track for a record 17GW of solar installations in 2026, up 45% year-on-year, as off-grid mini-grids expand access across Francophone West Africa. Green Hydrogen in Namibia: CMB.TECH started operations at a Walvis Bay green hydrogen facility using off-grid solar and a PEM electrolyser, with plans to scale up and test hydrogen for transport. Research Leadership: South Africa’s NRF appointed Dr Ashley Naidoo as Managing Director of NRF-SAEON from 1 October 2026 to lead earth observation and environmental science. Urban Safety Tech: Cape Town’s inner city added 1.1km of LED pedestrian lighting to make routes safer after dark, with Women’s Month spotlighting how lighting affects movement. Standards for Trade: Kenya’s Felix Koskei was named ARSO goodwill ambassador to help harmonise standards and reduce border trade friction.