Africa’s start-up funding showed a slowdown in 2025, with investors increasingly concentrating capital at the seed and early stages amid rising market uncertainty. According to the African Private Capital Association (AVCA), venture capital activity in the nine months to September 30, 2025, was heavily focused on early growth phases, while late-stage activity was extremely limited,… [Read More]
Kenya
US Signs New Health Agreements with Nine African Countries Aligned with Trump-Era Priorities
The US government has signed health agreements with at least nine African countries as part of a new global health funding approach, reflecting the Trump administration’s priorities and aiming to provide less aid while emphasizing mutual benefits. Countries including Kenya, Nigeria, and Rwanda are among the first to enter agreements under this framework, which links… [Read More]
Driving Innovation: Fiscal Measures to Encourage Private Sector R&D in Kenya
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is inviting submissions by 16 January 2026 for a study designed to inform Kenya’s fiscal policy in support of research and development (R&D) and the implementation of its national innovation masterplan. R&D and innovation are widely recognised as critical drivers of economic growth, productivity, and global competitiveness,… [Read More]
From Global Advocacy to Safer Streets: Alliance Road Safety Achievements in 2025
In 2025, the Alliance advanced its strategic priorities by strengthening its global network, reinforcing advocacy and accountability, and building members’ capacity to translate evidence into action. Throughout the year, the Alliance amplified NGO voices in global policy spaces and local contexts, ensuring that international road safety commitments were grounded in lived realities and driven by… [Read More]
How Schools Adopt Electric Cooking: Key Lessons on Behavioral Change
Modern clean cooking technologies offer significant potential to address a long-standing challenge in Kenya, where most institutions still rely on polluting fuels. The MECS programme, in partnership with CLASP, has been working to introduce large-scale electric cookstoves as a clean and efficient alternative, with a particular focus on schools. This initiative goes beyond merely replacing… [Read More]
$311 Million Kenya Power Lines Project Backed by Africa Fund and Indian Company
Kenya has signed a $311 million agreement to construct two high-voltage electricity transmission lines in partnership with Africa50, a Morocco-based pan-African infrastructure fund, and PowerGrid Corporation of India. The project will be executed through a public-private partnership, reflecting Kenya’s strategy to fund infrastructure amid high public debt and constrained fiscal space. The agreement involves Africa50… [Read More]
Adapting for Impact: A Year of Uncertainty, Innovation, and Reinvention
As 2025 draws to a close, the social sector reflects on a year that has tested its foundations. Despite remarkable resilience in the face of shrinking resources, disrupted programs, and heightened pressure on underserved populations, the data confirms what we feel in practice: the sector is fighting to stay afloat. Yet survival is not our… [Read More]
New $75,000 Innovation Fund to Transform African Cities Through Collaboration
A major new grant initiative aimed at tackling urban challenges across Africa has been launched by the Million Lives Collective (MLC) and the Judith Neilson Foundation. The African Cities Innovation Fund (ACIF), unveiled at the International Development Innovation Alliance’s Global Summit in Nairobi, will open for applications in Spring 2026 and provide grants of up… [Read More]
African State-Owned Assets Set to Hit Record $1 Trillion Mark
African state-owned institutions are managing a record $1 trillion in assets, according to the latest report from sovereign fund tracker GlobalSWF. This growth reflects the continent’s increasing reliance on domestic investment amid reductions in concessional finance and foreign aid. Public pension funds, central banks, and sovereign wealth funds are playing a key role in mobilizing… [Read More]
Boosting Kenya’s Economic Progress Through Accelerated Procompetitive Reforms
Kenya’s economy is projected to grow by an average of 4.9% between 2025 and 2027, reflecting stronger-than-expected momentum supported by easing monetary policy and a rebound in the construction sector. Inflation remains within target, the exchange rate is stable, and foreign exchange reserves have reached record highs. Private sector credit is also recovering, growing 5%… [Read More]
Meet the HRE Network Advisory Group Driving Human Rights Education Forward
The Human Rights Education (HRE) Network Advisory Group (NAG) has been established to strengthen Amnesty International’s global HRE network and reinforce human rights education as a core capacity within the movement. This new collective brings together practitioners with diverse experiences, local knowledge, and innovative approaches, aiming to offer ideas, insights, and practical suggestions that reflect… [Read More]
Digital Suppression: How Kenyan Authorities Targeted Gen Z Protests Online
Amnesty International has documented a systematic campaign by Kenyan authorities to suppress Generation Z-led protests between June 2024 and July 2025, using technology-facilitated violence. The protests, largely organized online, opposed corruption, new tax legislation, and femicide, with demonstrations taking place across 44 of Kenya’s 47 counties. The report, titled “This fear, everyone is feeling it”:… [Read More]
Kenya’s Senate Speaker Urges African Researchers to Drive Local Health Solutions
The Speaker of the Kenyan Senate, Rt. Hon. Amason Jeffah Kingi, urged African nations to adopt bold, homegrown strategies to address the continent’s persistent health challenges during the Inaugural Africa Health Summit in Kampala. He stressed that Africa must shift from merely identifying health problems to actively developing and implementing large-scale, African-led solutions. Hon. Kingi… [Read More]
Kenya’s New Cybercrime Law Threatens Freedom of Expression, Human Rights Watch Warns
Kenya’s recently enacted Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes (Amendments) Act, 2025 has raised serious concerns over potential threats to online freedom of expression. Passed by Parliament and assented to by President William Ruto on October 15, the amendments broaden an already controversial 2018 law, risking the criminalization of legitimate online speech. Human Rights Watch has called… [Read More]
M Ventures Launches Support Program for Menstrual Health Enterprises in East Africa
Applications are now open for M Ventures, a new enterprise support program under Capital M, the Sanitation and Hygiene Fund’s market-led initiative for menstrual health. The program is designed to help menstrual health enterprises strengthen commercial strategies and user-pays models, enhance product quality and manufacturing processes, and expand access to affordable, high-quality, and sustainable menstrual… [Read More]
Yango Group Partners with Kenyan Fintech Zanifu to Strengthen SME Growth in Africa
Yango Group, a UAE-based technology company, has announced a strategic investment in Zanifu, a leading Kenyan fintech platform dedicated to improving access to working capital for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Beyond providing financial backing, Yango will support Zanifu in refining its long-term business model and growth strategy, leveraging its operational expertise from more than… [Read More]
EU Launches €618 Million Initiative to Scale Up African Renewables, Announced by von der Leyen
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a €618 million Team Europe package to accelerate Africa’s clean energy transition during the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels. This funding forms part of the “Scaling Up Renewables in Africa” campaign, co-hosted with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and coordinated with the international advocacy organisation Global Citizen…. [Read More]
Kenya Court Upholds Women’s Rights: Restrictive Abortion Clause Struck Down
On October 2, 2025, the High Court of Kenya struck down Paragraph 12 of Clause 3.4.1 of the National Reproductive Health Policy 2022–2032, which sought to restrict access to safe and legal abortion by prioritizing the highest attainable standard of health of the foetus over the pregnant woman. The court found that this clause contradicted… [Read More]
Ecuador Leads Migration Governance with New GCM Implementation Strategy
The UN Network on Migration and the Government of Ecuador convened a high-level dialogue on 9 October 2025 with GCM champion countries, donors, and partners to discuss the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) through National Implementation Plans. The forum highlighted how cooperation, partnerships, and targeted support are helping… [Read More]
Kenya to Launch Sovereign Wealth Fund and Infrastructure Fund for National Development
Kenyan President William Ruto has unveiled plans to establish a sovereign wealth fund and an infrastructure fund, aiming to increase investment in key sectors while avoiding further public debt accumulation. This move comes as Kenya seeks a more sustainable financing strategy after years of borrowing to fund large-scale infrastructure projects, which has left the country… [Read More]
The Final Frontier: UN Highlights Space Innovation and International Collaboration
The 2025 theme “Living in Space” celebrates how scientific innovation, international law, and global collaboration are shaping the next chapter of human history beyond Earth while also driving technological advances that benefit life on our planet. Established by the UN in 1999, the annual commemoration runs from 4 to 10 October, linking two historic milestones:… [Read More]
Haiti: UN Security Council Authorizes ‘Suppression Force’ to Combat Rising Gang Attacks
The UN Security Council has authorized the creation of a new multinational Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti to replace the Kenyan-led security support mission, amid escalating gang violence, widespread human rights abuses, and a severe humanitarian crisis affecting all aspects of life in the country. The resolution, co-sponsored by Panama and the United States… [Read More]
What Happens to African Trade if AGOA Comes to an End?
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is a US trade preference program launched in May 2000 to support sub-Saharan African economies. It provides duty-free access to the US market for over 1,800 products from eligible African countries. Currently, 32 countries benefit from AGOA, with 21 “lesser developed countries” also receiving special preferential treatment for… [Read More]
