Author: Montage Africa

Prashant Byndoor, BPC Country Manager East Africa Rising transaction volumes, tighter regulation and growing competition are placing new demands on banks and cooperative lenders across Kenya and East Africa, while institutions adapt their payment operations to cope with sustained pressure. These pressures sit on top of very high transaction volumes. Real-time payment systems across Africa now process close to 64 billion transactions with cumulative flows approaching US $2 trillion, according to recent analysis. Banks, cooperative lenders and payment operators are already carrying this volume through their daily operations. Digital transactions sit behind activities such as member savings contributions, loan disbursements, merchant payments,…

By Rédaction Africanews with AFP One of the principal figures convicted in an infamous 2009 stadium massacre in Guinea died in custody Wednesday in the capital Conakry, the west African country’s prison service said. Aboubakar Sidiki Diakité, known as Toumba Diakité, was serving a 10-year sentence for his role in the September 2009 killing of 156 people and the rape of at least 109 women by pro-junta forces under then-dictator Moussa Dadis Camara. He is at least the second person convicted in connection with the massacre to have died in custody following that of Colonel Claude Pivi in January. Pivi…

The new phase introduces a single integration model to accelerate the launch of payment programmes across the region Mastercard and Scale are advancing their collaboration with the aim of simplifying card issuance for fintech companies and non-financial institutions (non-FIs) across Senegal, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This collaboration introduces a unified integration capability designed to help innovators bring virtual and physical card programmes to market more efficiently, reducing the complexity traditionally associated with launching issuing services. Across many African markets, organisations seeking to offer card-based payment solutions must coordinate with multiple stakeholders, including payment networks, BIN sponsors, and issuing…

By Rédaction Africanews with AP Mohamed Ali Nafti, Tunisian Foreign Minister, doubled down on Wednesday on his country’s voluntary returns policy. He said the country still supports the process of voluntary returns “as a mechanism for safekeeping irregular migrants on Tunisian land” rather than forced removals of Tunisian nationals suspected of crimes in Germany. Tunisia, a major North African has also been a stepping stone for migrants from other countries trying to reach Europe at risk of their lives. “We have done what we can, and have taken the responsibility that was forced on us,” Nafti said in reference to…

By Dominic Wabwireh with other agencies The World Trade Organization’s 166 members opened a key ministerial conference in Cameroon’s capital on Thursday, sharply divided over the future of the institution as geopolitical tensions, protectionism and the fallout from the Middle East war cast a shadow over global trade. A Western diplomatic source described the mood ahead of the meeting as “tense”, reflecting wider fractures within the global trading system. WTO Director‑General Ngozi Okonjo‑Iweala urged members to “launch the next chapter of the multilateral trading system”, criticising “the unilateralism we have been seeing” and a “collective failure” to address long‑standing frustrations.…

By Kehinde Ogunjobi, IWMI Country Representative for Ghana and West and Central Africa When people think about water insecurity in Africa, they often picture drought, failing rains, or dry riverbeds. They talk about infrastructure gaps, climate shocks and food insecurity. All of that matters. But one of the most important dimensions of the water crisis is still too often treated as secondary: gender. Across Africa, women and girls are disproportionately affected when water systems fail. In many communities, they are the ones who walk long distances to fetch water, manage household use, care for children and the sick, and keep…

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) says it will rule on Senegal’s appeal “as swiftly as possible” after they were stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title. Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in the final on 18 January, but that scoreline was changed to a 3-0 victory to Morocco. Senegal’s players walked off the pitch in protest when hosts Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty before eventually returning. Following an appeal by the Moroccan FA (FRMF), the Confederation of African Football (Caf) later ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match, with the “result being recorded as 3-0 in favour”…

By Dominic Wabwireh with other agencies Lansana Kouyaté, a former Guinean prime minister, has been tasked with re-establishing dialogue with Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso after their withdrawal from the regional bloc last year. West African states have appointed a new mediator to try to bridge the divide with three junta-led countries that quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in January 2025. Lansana Kouyaté, a former Guinean prime minister and ex-ECOWAS executive secretary, confirmed to AFP that he had been named “chief negotiator with the AES countries”. A fragmented region Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso—all ruled by…

On Saturday, 21 March 2026, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS), joined by partners the Robben Island Museum, Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages (CCPB), First National Bank (FNB), SANCCOB and the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, led a team of volunteers on a clean-up mission on Robben Island. Coinciding with Human Rights Day, this event is the second one in this partnership, which aims to clean up the Island and help protect it as an important National Heritage Site. Over 200 volunteers worked tirelessly on the day to collect many bags of litter. Provincial Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Ricardo…

Zimbabwe says that 15 of its nationals have been killed after being recruited to fight for Russia in its ongoing war with Ukraine, with more than 60 still trapped on the frontlines. Information Minister Zhemu Soda said the Zimbabweans had been lured by shadowy agencies promising lucrative jobs abroad using “social media platforms as their primary hunting ground”. “It is a sophisticated scheme of deception, exploitation, and human trafficking that has already resulted in the loss of Zimbabwean lives,” he said. The Zimbabwe government says it is in talks with the Russian authorities to ensure the bodies are repatriated and…