Binance’s Top Crypto Crime Investigator Is Being Detained in Nigeria

In his years as a US federal agent, Tigran Gambaryan helped to lead landmark investigations that took down cryptocurrency thieves and money launderers, dark-web drug dealers, and even crypto-funded child exploitation networks. Now, in his post-government role at the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, he has become the target himself of a very different sort of federal … Read more

Why South Africa is facing a turning point in May’s national election and who the major players are

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Polls suggest South Africa will face a historic turning point in a national election in May as the ruling African National Congress could lose its majority for the first time since coming to power in the country’s first all-race vote at the end of apartheid in 1994. The ANC has … Read more

As military juntas rise In West Africa, U.S. struggles for influence

NIAMEY, Niger — U.S. officials are waging urgent diplomatic efforts in West Africa, searching during public tours and private meetings for ways to partner with military governments in a region where violence wrought by Islamic extremists is soaring and Russia’s influence is expanding. But the officials have struggled at times to articulate what that partnership … Read more

Hohm Energy to scale adoption of rooftop solar across South Africa, backed by $8M seed

In the face of South Africa’s worsening energy crisis, marked by increasingly severe power shortages, implementing daily electricity rationing has become imperative to avert the risk of a nationwide grid collapse. According to the state-owned power generator Eskom, the country witnesses a significant power deficit, surpassing 6,000 megawatts on occasion. This situation is similar in … Read more

South Africa sets May 29 elections that could be the most pivotal since apartheid ended

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South Africa will hold pivotal national elections May 29 as polls show the ruling African National Congress could lose its majority for the first time since it came to power with the fall of apartheid 30 years ago. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the date Tuesday as Africa’s most developed economy … Read more

Partech closes its second Africa fund at $300M+ to invest from seed to Series C

Partech has closed its second Africa fund, Partech Africa II, at €280 million ($300 million+), just one year after reaching its first close. At that size, Partech Africa, which originally targeted €230 million before its fundraising efforts started, solidifies its position as the largest fund dedicated to African startups.  Amidst a backdrop of global VCs … Read more

Mexico saw a huge increase in migrants from Africa and Venezuela in 2023, authorities say

MEXICO CITY — Mexican authorities say they saw a huge increase in the number of migrants from Africa and Venezuela entering the country in 2023. Those migrants generally enter Mexico from Central America, and cross the country in a bid to reach the U.S. border. Mexico’s Interior Department said year-end figures showed that nine times … Read more

Countries Are Building Giant ‘Sand Motors’ to Protect Their Coasts From Erosion

This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. When governments find themselves fighting the threat of coastal erosion, their default response tends to be pretty simple: If sand is disappearing from a beach, they pump in more sand to replace it. This strategy, known as “beach nourishment,” has become … Read more

Cocoa prices surge to all-time highs as bad weather hurts West Africa crop yield

The hand of Alain Kablan Porquet in dry cocoa beans, in Gagnoa, Ivory Coast, November 19 2023.  The Washington Post | Getty Images Cocoa prices have surged to all-time highs this week as bad weather conditions hammer crop yields in West Africa, home to three quarters of the world’s production. Cocoa futures prices have surged … Read more

West African coup juntas threaten to quit regional bloc: What it means

ACCRA, Ghana – ECOWAS flag with member flags at the second extraordinary summit on the political situation in Burkina Faso, in Accra, Ghana, on February 3, 2022. Photo by NIPAH DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images Three West African countries currently under the rule of military juntas have announced plans to exit the Economic Community of West … Read more