Zimbabwe’s 15% Digital Services Tax Is Africa’s Most Aggressive Platform Levy
UphivaBETAR
Zimbabwe has enacted a 15% withholding tax on digital services — the highest platform levy on the continent and a warning to others.
Month: March 2026
493 posts
South Africa’s Draft AI Policy: What the Consultation Document Actually Proposes
South Africa’s draft National AI Policy is open for consultation. We break down what it proposes — and what it avoids.
Africa’s Social Commerce Boom: What Creators Are Actually Earning on TikTok and WhatsApp
TikTok Shop and WhatsApp Channels are reshaping how African creators monetise their audiences. The economics are more complex than they look.
Africa’s Green Bond Premium: Why Borrowing to Go Green Costs Five Times More in Lagos Than London
African governments pay a premium to issue green bonds that European counterparts do not — not because their climate projects are riskier, but because global capital markets treat African sovereign debt as inherently more expensive to service.
Africa Has 349 Million Gamers. African Developers Capture Less Than 1% of the Revenue.
Africa has 349 million gamers and the fastest-growing gaming market by user count in the world. African game developers earn less than 1% of the revenue generated on the continent. The gap is structural — and closing it requires more than better games.
Southern Africa Hydropower Crisis: When Climate Change Kills the Continent’s Baseload
Southern Africa’s hydropower system — built over decades to be the continent’s most reliable clean energy source — is failing. Kariba and Cahora Bassa, which together supply power to five countries, are operating at a fraction of capacity after four consecutive drought years.
America’s Africa Energy Pivot: Clean Cooking and Critical Minerals Instead of Climate Finance
The Trump administration has not abandoned Africa’s energy sector — it has rebranded it. USAID grants are out. EXIM Bank commercial credit is in. What this means for governments that built energy plans around US concessional finance.
Africa Banking Sector FY2025 Earnings Round-Up: Who Won, Who Struggled, and What the Numbers Reveal
Africa 2025 full-year bank results reveal a continental divide: record profits in East and Southern Africa, profit compression in Nigeria.
Africa’s Series A Drought Is Real. Local VCs Are Filling the Gap.
Foreign VC retreat from African Series A rounds has created a funding gap — and local capital managers are moving to fill it.
Kenya Has Africa’s Greenest Grid. Why Is Electricity Still Unaffordable?
93% renewable generation, but industrial tariffs among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. The paradox of Kenya’s clean, expensive power.
