Picture: EDF Renewables EDF Renewables in South Africa is spearheading the construction of nearly 1.2 GW of low-carbon power generation capacity, comprising 763 MW of wind power, 355 MW of solar PV, and 75 MW of battery storage. This ambitious initiative, encompassing eight sites across the Northern and Eastern Cape Provinces, represents a significant step towards addressing South Africa’s power shortage. The new build program, developed in collaboration with EDF Renewables’ partners, has reached Financial Close between November 2022 and February 2024. These projects are poised to swiftly alle ..read more

Picture: Sungrow Sungrow, the world’s leading provider of PV inverters and energy storage systems, has recently unveiled its annual report for 2023, marking a year of unprecedented success. Bolstered by robust demand across diverse global markets, Sungrow achieved remarkable revenues and profits, solidifying its position as an industry leader in the renewable energy sector. In 2023, amidst a global surge in renewable energy adoption, Sungrow prioritized its core business, emphasizing innovation, and investing heavily in research and development to meet evolving market demands. The company’s st ..read more

Picture: ESCROWSURE In recent weeks, South Africa experienced disruptions in its digital infrastructure due to multiple ‘undersea events’ impacting fibre optic cables off the coast of West Africa and the Red Sea. These incidents, caused by dragging anchors, resulted in prolonged latency issues, hindering access to essential cloud-based services such as Microsoft Teams and Outlook. For businesses relying on these services, the disruptions posed serious risks to productivity, revenue, and profit. Cloud computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) have emerged as pivotal drivers of digital transfor ..read more

Picture: Medium In the realm of innovation, knowledge reigns supreme. It serves as the currency that fuels collaboration, generates wealth, and transforms ideas into tangible assets. At the heart of this transformation lie intellectual property (IP) rights, providing essential legal safeguards to protect innovations and foster an environment conducive to inventors and investors alike. As the world marks World IP Day on April 26, the theme “Building Our Common Future with Innovation and Creativity” underscores the pivotal role of robust IP frameworks in driving sustainable economic development ..read more

The recently launched show, STARTUP CAPS, aims to celebrate the startup ecosystem across the continent and is now airing on CNBC Africa. Backed by Africa’s leading digital payments gateway Onafriq, the show will tackle the latest happenings in the African startup space as well as profiling investors, startup founders, and other significant players in the ecosystem.  Each episode in the first season of the show will encompass an important theme within the continental startup space, ranging from specific technology sectors (such as fintech and agritech) to ecommerce, female founders, and a ..read more

Picture: Kelston Tyres In a trend that is reshaping the automotive market in South Africa, it is projected that within the next five years, seven out of every 10 vehicles will be equipped with lower-priced imported tyres. This forecast comes as a result of a notable shift observed in 2021, where these imported tyres, predominantly sourced from China, accounted for over 50% of the local tyre market circulation, according to research conducted by the South African Tyre Manufacturers Conference (SATMC). Werner du Preez, the general manager of Eastern Cape-based Kelston Tyres, attributes the rapid ..read more

Picture: Arrow Electronics In a recent report by the International Data Corporation (IDC) Semiannual Software Tracker for 2023H2, Veeam® Software has clinched the top spot as the #1 global provider for Data Replication & Protection software. The tracker highlights Veeam’s outstanding performance, with a year-over-year growth rate of 15.9%, surpassing the growth rates of the other top five vendors and the overall market average in the second half of 2023. Moreover, Veeam’s revenue soared by 16.7% sequentially over the first half of 2023. Anand Eswaran, CEO at Veeam, attributes the company’s ..read more

Picture: LinkedIn Despite the president’s assurances that the efforts to rescue Eskom are gradually yielding results, South Africa continues to grapple with severe economic challenges exacerbated by debilitating power outages, the highest interest rates since the global recession, unsustainable levels of unemployment, and other issues. Businesses are experiencing significant pressure as they strive to reduce costs in a climate where consumers are reluctant to spend freely. Additionally, they face the challenge of retaining employees who are also struggling to make ends meet and are frequently ..read more

Picture: Mondelēz Unathi Mhlatyana has been named as the Managing Director for Southern Africa at Mondelēz International, starting from March 1, 2024. With over 22 years of leadership experience in the FMCG sector, Mhlatyana brings substantial expertise in crafting and executing strategic initiatives to his latest position. Mhlatyana’s assignation forms part of Mondelēz International’s drive to make strategic leadership appointments that advance growth of the snacking leader’s Sub-Saharan Africa business unit. He joins Mondelēz International after three years as Managing Director at McCain Foo ..read more

Picture: DBSA In a landmark partnership with the MAMAS Alliance, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) embarked on a groundbreaking initiative to revolutionize early education in Mpumalanga. The recent CSI Handover ceremony, spanning from 8 to 10 April 2024, heralded a significant milestone as the DBSA, alongside Mama’s Alliance and TREE (Teaching Resources for Early Education), unveiled the culmination of their joint efforts. With a generous contribution of R10 million to TREE, facilitated by the DBSA, the alliance aimed to fortify ten rural Early Childhood Development (ECD) centers ..read more