Author: Ableditor

Ethiopia is making one of Africa’s biggest bets on aviation, and the project could reshape the way passengers and cargo move across the continent. Construction of the Bishoftu International Airport, about 40 kilometres southwest of Addis Ababa, began in January 2026 as Ethiopia seeks to expand its aviation capacity beyond the increasingly busy Bole International Airport. The first phase of the new airport is estimated at about $12.5 billion and is expected to accommodate up to 60 million passengers annually when completed around 2030. At full development, the airport is designed to handle up to 110 million passengers a year.…

Ethiopia’s economic influence in East Africa is increasingly visible through companies expanding beyond their home market. The most prominent example is Ethiopian Airlines, which has built an extensive regional network and invested in partnerships with airlines in other African countries. Other Ethiopian businesses are making more targeted moves into tourism, hospitality, construction and investment. The expansion comes as Kenya, Ethiopia and their neighbours seek to deepen trade and investment ties. But the scale of Ethiopian corporate influence varies significantly by sector. While Ethiopian Airlines is already a major regional player, most other companies are still testing opportunities outside Ethiopia. Ethiopian…

For many Kenyans, the words El Niño immediately evoke memories of flooded roads, collapsed bridges, displaced families and farms submerged under water. The memories are not misplaced. Kenya has experienced several significant El Niño episodes, but the phenomenon has not affected the country in exactly the same way each time. That distinction is important as Kenya prepares for another period of heightened El Niño activity. The Kenya Meteorological Department says the current El Niño signal is established and expected to persist into 2027. However, meteorologists caution that the present event should not automatically be compared with the devastating 1997-98 episode…

Sickle cell disease is more than an occasional pain episode. It is an inherited blood disorder that can affect almost every part of the body, from the blood and bones to the lungs, kidneys, eyes and brain. For families living with sickle cell disease, understanding the condition, recognising warning signs and getting appropriate medical care early can make a significant difference. The condition occurs when a person inherits abnormal haemoglobin genes from both parents. The resulting red blood cells can become hard, sticky and sickle-shaped, making it difficult for them to move through small blood vessels. This can restrict blood…

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, an opportunity to encourage men to pay closer attention to their prostate health and to understand when a seemingly ordinary urinary change deserves medical attention. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting men worldwide. In 2024, more than 1.5 million cases were diagnosed globally, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Yet one of the biggest challenges with prostate cancer is that early-stage disease may cause no symptoms at all. This means waiting until there is pain or significant difficulty passing urine may allow a potentially serious condition…

Few Kenyan start-ups have attracted as much attention, capital and ambition as Twiga Foods. Founded in 2014 by Peter Njonjo and Grant Brooke, Twiga Foods set out to solve a problem hiding in plain sight: the inefficiency of Kenya’s food distribution system. For decades, food moved through a long chain of farmers, brokers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers before reaching consumers. For smallholder farmers, this often meant weak bargaining power and uncertain markets. For small shopkeepers and market traders, it meant unpredictable prices, inconsistent supply and limited access to quality produce. Twiga’s proposition was simple but ambitious: use technology to shorten…

Explore South African start-ups that failed, including WhereIsMyTransport, Zulzi, Afristay, Momint and Livestock Wealth, and the key reasons behind their collapse, from funding challenges to weak unit economics, market disruption and financial distress. South Africa has one of Africa’s most sophisticated start-up ecosystems. Cape Town and Johannesburg have produced technology companies attracting international investors, developing innovative products and expanding into markets across the continent. But the country’s start-up success stories have an often-overlooked counterpart: companies that raised millions of dollars, attracted major customers and appeared to have promising futures before shutting down or entering liquidation. The failures provide valuable lessons…

West Africa has emerged as one of Africa’s most important start-up hubs, with Nigeria and Ghana attracting billions of dollars in venture capital over the past decade. Lagos, Accra and other technology centres have produced ambitious companies attempting to transform banking, healthcare, education, logistics, agriculture and commerce. Yet behind the success stories is a less celebrated reality: many of the region’s most promising start-ups have failed. Some collapsed after running out of funding. Others were undermined by weak business models, regulatory challenges, foreign-exchange pressures or an inability to convert impressive user numbers into sustainable revenue. A few were brought down…

Kenya has earned its reputation as one of Africa’s leading start-up hubs. Nairobi, often described as the continent’s “Silicon Savannah”, has produced businesses that attracted international investors, built sophisticated technology platforms and attempted to solve some of the country’s most persistent problems. But behind the success stories is a less glamorous reality: raising money is not the same as building a sustainable business. Over the past few years, a number of promising Kenyan start-ups have shut down, entered administration or abandoned major parts of their businesses. Some had raised millions of dollars. Others had thousands of customers, large teams and…

The story of Bidco Africa is, at its heart, a story about seeing opportunity where others saw risk. When Vimal Shah talks about the early days of the business, he does not describe a carefully funded corporate venture with a guaranteed market. He remembers a young entrepreneur with an idea, limited experience and banks that were unwilling to take a chance. “I started small and aimed high,” Shah has recalled of those early years. It is perhaps the simplest description of the philosophy that would eventually transform Bidco from a family manufacturing business into one of East Africa’s most diversified…