In SummaryAfrica’s furniture industry in 2025 is booming, driven by urbanization, a rising middle class, and demand for locally made products.Top African-owned companies like Pepkor Holdings, Taeillo, and Latex Foam lead through innovation, digital retail, and large-scale production.These firms boost employment, sustainability, and global recognition of Africa’s design and manufacturing excellence.Deep Dive!!Africa’s furniture industry in 2025 stands as a dynamic reflection of the continent’s economic growth, creativity, and manufacturing resilience. With rapid urbanization, a rising middle class, and renewed interest in locally made products, African-owned furniture companies are redefining modern living spaces. These enterprises combine craftsmanship with innovation, leveraging technology,…
Author: King Jaja
The Nigerian women’s national rugby league team, the Green Falcons, have arrived in Canada ahead of their historic participation in the 2025 International Rugby League (IRL) Women’s World Series. Led by captain Blessing Aladeyelu, the 19-player squad touched down in Brampton, Ontario, where they will open their campaign against Ireland on Tuesday, 21 October at the Terry Fox Stadium. The encounter, scheduled for 3:30 p.m., marks Nigeria’s first-ever appearance at the global rugby league tournament. The Green Falcons, who qualified as Middle East and Africa champions, will also face either Fiji or hosts Canada, depending on the outcome of their…
In SummaryChris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in South Africa leading the list, followed by Kenyatta National Hospital in Kenya and Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana.The hospitals provide specialized services across multiple medical disciplines, including cardiology, oncology, pediatrics, and trauma care.Beyond patient care, these hospitals play a crucial role in medical education, training thousands of doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals, while contributing to research and innovations in healthcare delivery across the continent.Deep Dive!!Africa’s healthcare landscape is as diverse as its population, with hospitals ranging from small community clinics to sprawling medical complexes that serve millions. In recent years, the continent…
Emerging fashion designer Nicole Tikolo is capturing attention across the UK and beyond as a finalist in the prestigious 2025 Fashanne Awards under the Womenswear Design category.Currently pursuing her fashion studies at Nottingham Trent University, Tikolo’s standout collection, Urembo wa Pwani Swahili for The Beauty of the Coast, is also in contention for the People’s Choice Award.Emerging Kenyan fashion designer Nicole Tikolo, a student at Nottingham Trent University, has achieved finalist status in the Womenswear Design category at the 2025 Fashanne Awards in the UK.#nairobifashionhub— Nairobi Fashion Hub (@nairobifashionhub.bsky.social) 2025-06-30T14:08:37.509ZInspired by her Taita heritage and childhood memories of Kenya’s coastal…
A poem by Peter Kidi. I. A Cry for BreadWe marched with empty stomachs,our shadows thinner than our hope,our feet carving pleas into the dust,But the wind swallowed our voices whole.We asked for bread,but the air turned to smoke,and the sky rained bullets instead.Tell me, who knew hunger was a crime? II. A Thirst UnquenchedOur lips, cracked like the earth beneath,whispered prayers to a silent God.Water—just a drop—yet the well of mercy had run dry.Ten liters, they say.For a child, a mother, a father, a dream.How do you break a fast with dust?How do you quench a soul with empty…
Recently, I attended the Africa’s Gift to Nicaea conference, where pastors, theologians, and worshippers from across South Africa gathered at the Reformed Church of Hout Bay, Cape Town. The intention of the conference was to look back 1700 years, to the Council of Nicaea, where the Church defended the truth that Jesus is “of one substance with the Father.” But we also looked around; and we looked forward. In one session, Paul Hartwig remarked, “Most of us worship a Triune God but live monotheistic lives.” The room fell silent. It was a diagnosis as sharp as it was true. We…
Some holidays are about choices: beach or mountains, wine or wildlife, pinot or chardonnay. In South Africa, however, there’s no such thing… This is a country in which you can spend your mornings tracking lions across the Kruger’s iconic golden grasslands before settling down with a Chardonnay on a sun-drenched terrace in the heart of the Cape Winelands by the afternoon. A classic Kruger and Winelands itinerary is one of our favourite ways to explore the country with something a little wild and a little indulgent, all in one. In fact, it’s one of the easiest combinations to put together…
There has been commendable progress towards implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area, but for it to meet its potential and for its members to fully reap its benefits, Bereket Alemayehu Hagos argues more still needs to be done. The end of 2025 will mark five years since trading officially commenced under the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Such milestones often serve as opportunities to appraise a project’s progress, not least for a grandiose project like the AfCFTA. The Agreement, which lays the foundations for the AfCFTA, envisions its review every five years to ensure its…
The hopes of Nigeria becoming the first African hosts of the Commonwealth Games have suffered a major setback following the announcement of Ahmedabad as the official host of the 2030 centenary edition. The decision, confirmed on Wednesday by the Executive Board of Commonwealth Sport, effectively ended Abuja’s bold and ambitious quest to bring the Games to African soil for the very first time. The Indian city, located in the western state of Gujarat, beat Abuja in a fiercely contested bid that came down to the wire. The decision will be ratified at the Commonwealth Sport General Assembly in Glasgow on…
Pottery by Osa’s clay works might be influenced by African culture but they have a distinctly unique mass appeal that’s universal and lasting. Osa Atoe is a Nigerian-American ceramicist with a degree in Sociology who left her then career after taking community pottery classes in 2013. Her pottery practice eventually grew out of her kitchen in New Orleans, Louisiana and now occupies a full-sized studio at her current home in Sarasota, Florida. To fully understand the scope and influence of Atoe’s work, we can be moved to reflect on the complex history of African pottery and Black artists. In the…