Gebeya, the leading provider of an ecosystem for Africa’s service economy, has been selected as a finalist in the inaugural Afreximbank Accelerator Programme, a flagship initiative of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) designed to drive innovation in intra-African trade.

Afreximbank announced the top eight finalists selected for the first cohort of the three-month accelerator, which kicks off in March 2026. The programme is aimed at empowering high-potential startups in developing scalable solutions that advance intra-African trade, industrialisation, and economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Gebeya was chosen as a finalist from a highly competitive pool of over 1,600 applications drawn from across Africa, the diaspora, and the Caribbean (CARICOM). Selection followed a rigorous, multi-stage process including in-depth business assessments, interviews and pitch sessions, overseen by Afreximbank trade specialists alongside external experts from the venture capital and innovation ecosystem.

The Republic of South Africa has today officially acceded to the Establishment Agreement of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Africa’s leading Multilateral Financial Institution, marking the formal entry of one of Africa’s largest economies into the Bank’s membership, heralding deeper financial sovereignty. 

The accession follows the South African Parliament’s historic approval of the accession in 2025, cementing a strategic partnership between Africa’s leading multilateral Bank and the continent’s industrial powerhouse. South Africa becomes the 54^th state to accede to the Bank’s Establishment Agreement, which constitutes a historic milestone as the two partners seek to unlock trade opportunities within a global financial architecture that is rapidly fragmenting due to protectionist policies and shifting trade blocks.

To operationalise this partnership, Afreximbank will launch major financial interventions in the Country. This includes a new US$8 billion Country Programme designed to deepen the South African economy. These programmes are tailored to expand the Bank’s developmental impact; enhance industrial development and regional supply chains and significantly boost intra-African trade and investment flows. This support is strategically aligned with South Africa’s economic ambitions.

Africa is facing a mathematical impossibility that threatens to dismantle decades of public health progress. As the continent’s leaders prepare to gather in Addis Ababa for the AU Heads of State Summit, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) is blowing the whistle on a looming fiscal cliff.

Over the past 4 years, Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Africa contracted by 70 percent—the largest decline in recent history. Simultaneously, the continent has seen a 41 percent surge in disease outbreaks. While the threats are multiplying, the chequebook is closing.

On 5th February 2026, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Africa, in collaboration with Africa REACH, WACI Health, an Africa regional advocacy organization, and Resilience Action Network Africa (RANA), an independent African CSO advocacy network, will convene a high-level webinar to address the “$17 Question“. Currently, total health spending across many African nations averages just $17 per person per year. The minimum required for essential services? $60.

“We cannot beg our way out of a $43 per person deficit,” says Dr Penninah Iutung, the AHF Executive Vice President. “With donor priorities shifting and assistance declining, Africa must pivot from reliance to sovereignty. This isn’t just about health; it’s about continental security.”

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the 2026 World Cargo Symposium (WCS) will focus on “Advancing Air Cargo in a Dynamic World”. Under this theme, the symposium will take stock of changing global trade conditions as it examines regulatory priorities, developments in special cargo, and progress on digitalization in specialized streams. WCS will be held in Lima, Peru from 10 to 12 March hosted by LATAM Cargo. It is the first time the event will be held in South America. 

“Tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty have reshaped global trade and supply chains. The 3.4% growth pattern in air cargo demand in 2025 was strongly influenced by these developments and we can expect more of the same for 2026. This year’s WCS will focus on further strengthening air cargo’s ability to respond quickly and effectively as trade lanes shift and the value of speed and reliability across the supply chain grows,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.