At this year’s Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, the tone around artificial intelligence and data infrastructure felt different. The conversation wasn’t about hype or next quarter’s returns. It was about building foundations for a digital future that could last decades. Investors, policymakers, and developers now see Saudi Arabia not simply
Ethiopia is intentionally using mega-projects, such as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and forthcoming plans for a nuclear power plant, a vast Bishoftu airport, and a major Dangote-backed fertiliser complex, as a deliberate strategy to translate mere claims of national sovereignty into tangible geopolitical and economic influence. The GERD’s
When Kazakhstan quietly achieved the World Health Organisation’s goal of reducing premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by 25%, as the first Central Asian nation to do so, global headlines have been quiet. One can only wonder if this is because this milestone signals something larger than public health success. It
Saudi Arabia’s manufacturing drive illustrates how strategic policy alignment between procurement, investment, and industrial innovation can rapidly build capacity in emerging economies. The country’s evolving industrial landscape offers valuable lessons for others across the Global South seeking to localise production, secure supply chains, and build technology-driven industries from within. Saudi
Africa is experiencing a significant surge in artificial intelligence (AI) with increasing market valuations, emerging national strategies, and growing investor interest. According to SAP Africa’s 2025 report, the African AI market is anticipated to reach approximately US$4.51 billion in 2025, with projections indicating a rise to around US$16.53 billion by
A significant build-up in global oil inventories is projected to trigger a substantial drop in crude oil prices over the coming months. This outlook emerges even as Nigeria’s landmark Dangote refinery announces ambitious plans to become the world’s largest processing facility, betting on long-term regional demand. Dangote’s Refinery Expansion
The European Commission has granted unconditional antitrust clearance for the proposed $1.44 billion merger between American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) Holdings and the UK’s Dowlais Group (a specialist engineering group focused on the automotive sector, whose businesses are GKN Automotive and GKN Powder Metallurgy). This significant regulatory milestone moves the
History teaches that: Pandemics return, wars re-emerge, economies rise and fall, and new technologies disrupt established orders. While the pattern of global events echoes across centuries, artificial intelligence (AI) marks a new inflection point. Now, disruption is cognitive and social at scale, altering how nations engage, how economies grow, and
The South African government says it has received distress calls from 17 South African men who are trapped in the war-torn Donbas region of Ukraine after being lured to join mercenary forces under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts. The men, aged between 20 and 39, have appealed for assistance
US President Donald Trump has launched a blistering attack on South Africa, saying the country “shouldn’t even be in the G’s anymore” and declaring he will not attend the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) summit to be hosted in Johannesburg later this month (https://iol.co.za/news/politics/2025-11-04-gauteng-ready-to-host-g20-summit-says-lesufi/). Speaking at a business forum in