Africa

1. Cocoa headache
2. Trash talk
3. Prodigal son
4. Cash is king
5. Passport control
6. Police v judges

Also, celebrating the life of an acclaimed Sierra Leonean-American ballerina.

Welcome to Semafor Africa, where we need to talk about Elon. So much has been written about the world’s richest man, from his handling of X to the billionaire’s political views. The fact that Elon Musk was born in South Africa, and spent his formative years in the country, is often glossed over. But it’s a connection Cyril Ramaphosa seems keen to capitalize on. South Africa’s president spoke to Musk recently and told reporters he encouraged Musk to “come home” to invest.

Ramaphosa is looking to increase the flow of investment into the country while Musk is, specifically, pushing for approval for his Starlink satellite broadband service to operate in Africa’s most industrialized economy. It’ll be fascinating to see how this progresses.

Musk is undoubtedly a controversial figure but it’s hard to argue with the riches and influence he offers. It would be a boon for South Africa if he starts paying attention to the country, potentially encouraging others to look at opportunities in the country. And South Africa’s approval could help to make other African countries less resistant to Starlink.

🟡 Starlink is one of the best known players offering internet connectivity in hard to reach areas. We’re expecting the company, and its competitors, to feature in our conversations about digital connectivity at our Next 3 Billion event on Sept. 24 in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

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Ghana’s cocoa output plummets

The amount of cocoa Ghana lost to smuggling in the 2023/2024 season, according to Reuters. The cocoa output for the season is set to be Ghana’s lowest in two decades. A senior official of the country’s cocoa marketing board said the military would join an anti-smuggling taskforce in a bid to tackle smuggling rings that capitalize on low local prices and payment delays.

Africa’s trash is on fire

Open burning is a more prevalent primary waste disposal method in Africa than in any other region in the world, a new report based on Gallup data shows. In eastern and central-western African countries, at least one in three households report open burning — setting waste on fire — to be their primary methods of disposing waste. The only region with a similar rate is Southeast Asia. Open burning is a risk to public safety because it can lead to “accidental fires and soil and water contamination” and worsens global warming by releasing more carbon into the atmosphere, the report by Lloyd’s Register Foundation says. It is rare in wealthy countries with 7%, 2%, and 1% prevalence among households in Latin America, North America, and Western Europe respectively. The southern African nation of Eswatini has the highest open burning prevalence in the world at 77% of the population. Chad, Uganda, Malawi and Kenya are the other African countries where over 50% of households lead with open burning.

South Africa woos its prodigal son

South Africa’s government plans to intensify discussions with billionaire Elon Musk about investing in his country of birth.

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently said he had a call with the world’s richest man after Starlink, Musk’s satellite internet service, approached the government about securing regulatory approval.

The president is looking forward to more talks with Musk as the government cranks up its efforts to attract investment, Ramaphosa’s spokesman Vincent Magwenya told Semafor Africa.

“The chat was not only about Starlink, it also covered a broader set of investments that could include Tesla and SpaceX,” said Magwenya.

Starlink delivers broadband internet from a network of more than 5,000 satellites deployed by sister company SpaceX.

It currently operates in more than a dozen African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Malawi, and Botswana. But it has failed to secure regulatory approval in a number of countries, including South Africa.

Ramaphosa, addressing reporters in Pretoria last week, said he told Musk: “I want you to come home and invest here.” The president added that he and Musk “are going to have a further discussion.”

— Sam Mkokeli in Johannesburg

Semafor Gulf launched this week, marking Semafor’s third global edition following the US and sub-Saharan Africa. Three times a week, the Semafor Gulf newsroom will bring you original reporting that examines how the region’s financial, business, and geopolitical decisions shape the world — from culture and investment to infrastructure, climate, and technology.

To drive its coverage, Semafor has assembled a world-class regional editorial team consisting of award-winning journalists and contributors who will provide in-depth coverage of the dramatic, high-stakes story unfolding in the Arabian Peninsula. Reporting from Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and across the region, they will work in concert with Semafor’s top- flight business reporters in New York, its technology journalists in San Francisco, and its Washington, D.C. bureau.

Join thousands of industry leaders who get Semafor Gulf in their inbox — read the latest edition here.

Why cash should be king

Rory Stewart led the UK’s international development ministry for two years and later became the Africa secretary. But after leaving government he became president of the cash transfer nonprofit GiveDirectly, which changed his perspective on aid.

Now Stewart wants the aid community to overhaul its collective approach. Rather than design complex programs to monitor, control, and train people in areas like agriculture, and health, he has a simpler solution: cash.

“In many, many cases, the most effective way of helping people in extreme poverty is simply to give them unconditional cash in a single lump sum transfer and get out the way,” said Stewart in an interview breaking down his recent TED talk on the same topic. His argument is that we can rely on people to spend the money far more efficiently and intelligently than well-meaning aid agencies might have planned.

The cash approach is not unique or unheard of, others have taken this approach particularly in crisis situations such as after a natural disaster or during conflict. But Stewart says evidence has shown that giving a more substantial one-time payment of around $1,000 can have a more transformative impact than smaller monthly amounts. “You can see people really beginning to put that money to work, turn their lives around, be it investing in a business or fixing their house, they’ll make capital decisions with it.”

Stewart points to examples of projects in Liberia, Rwanda, and Uganda where GiveDirectly, where he is still a senior advisor, has taken this approach. Mobile money has been key to scaling up this approach because using phone networks makes it “much easier logistically” to reach those most in need.

— Yinka Adegoke

West Africa’s newest passport

The alliance formed last year by three junta-led West African nations — Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger — plans to launch a new passport.

Mali’s military head of state Assimi Goita said on Sunday that the passport for the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) members is aimed at “harmonizing travel documents in our common area.” Goita reportedly said it would be rolled out “in the coming days.” The passport announcement came as the AES countries marked the first anniversary of the alliance being formed.

The countries left West Africa’s economic bloc, Ecowas, earlier this year. Until their departure, citizens of the three nations held the same passport as the subregion’s 12 other members. Floating a passport marks another point of departure for the fledgling alliance, which left Ecowas after the bloc imposed sanctions as punishment for coups.

The new development comes as the United States, in a statement on Monday, confirmed the completion of its withdrawal from Niger.

— Alexander Onukwue in Lagos

Kenyan judiciary criticizes police

Kenya’s National Police Service (NPS) is locked in a standoff with the judiciary after the country’s police chief was sentenced to six months in prison. It comes as pressure mounts on President William Ruto to hold police accountable for alleged extrajudicial killings during anti-government protests in June and July.

The judiciary has accused the police of retaliating by withdrawing the security of the judge who last week delivered the ruling on acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli for contempt of court. Kenya’s top judge, Chief Justice Martha Koome, said the withdrawal “sends a chilling message to the judiciary and the public at large.”

With the police chief yet to be arrested or turn himself in, civil society groups and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) have vowed to pursue further legal action to ensure he complies with the ruling.

The police force said security officers were moved as part of a routine training program, promising in a statement on Tuesday that the judge’s security would be restored.

Masengeli was found guilty of contempt of court last week for failing to appear in court for a case concerning the alleged abduction of three activists during recent protests about tax hikes in which at least 60 people were killed.

Relatives of the activists want the police to answer questions over their disappearance. The police chief, criticizing the ruling, said he was represented by another senior officer.

— Martin K.N Siele in Nairobi

Stay ahead with the Africa.com Top10 Newsletters, the daily source for the most impactful news across the continent. From business breakthroughs to political developments, these expertly curated newsletters deliver the top stories shaping Africa every day. Thousands of readers trust Africa.com for their daily news digest, ensuring they never miss the stories that matter.

Governance

🇿🇦 South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday signed an education bill into law despite opposition from the Democratic Alliance coalition partner which claims the legislation threatens schools that teach in Afrikaans.

🇨🇩 A military court in DR Congo sentenced 37 people — including American, British, Belgian and Canadian nationals — to death over an attempt to overthrow President Félix Tshisekedi in May.

🇸🇸 South Sudan’s government announced that its long-delayed national election would be postponed by two years, until December 2026.

🇧🇼 Botswana’s ex-president Ian Khama appeared in court on Friday to face charges that include unlawful possession of a firearm and receiving stolen property. He returned from three years in exile, mostly in neighboring South Africa.

Geopolitics

🇦🇴 US President Joe Biden is set to visit Angola in the coming weeks, his first trip to Africa since becoming president, sources told Reuters.

🇩🇯 Djibouti’s prime minister met with his Qatari counterpart on Sunday to discuss ways to develop relations between the two countries.

Energy

🇳🇬 Nigeria state oil firm NNPC on Monday increased the price of petrol by 11%, a day after it started purchasing fuel from the Dangote oil refinery. It is the second increase in two weeks, deepening the country’s cost of living crisis.

🇹🇿 Tanzania’s government said it has entered initial agreements with Uganda, Kenya, the DR Congo, and Zambia for the sale of natural gas.

Tech

🇿🇦 Snatcher, a South African online electronics store, said it has shut down this month after eight years of operation due to a high rate of inventory theft by staff.

🇰🇪 Asset financing company M-Kopa lost an appeal against paying taxes in Kenya on the argument that it was managed in the UK. A tribunal said it failed to prove it was not a resident in Kenya.

🇳🇬 Chinese digital banking startup PalmPay introduced USSD — a short message service feature based on short codes — in its Nigeria market to reach users who lack a regular internet connection.

The life of Sierra Leonean-American ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince reads like a princess fairytale — and then she became one on the stage. Born as Mabinty Bangura in the eastern Sierra Leonean city of Kenema in 1995, she was brought to an orphanage at the age of three by her uncle during the country’s devastating civil war after her parents were killed. In 1999, she was adopted at the age of four by an American couple Elaine and Charles DePrince. By 14, DePrince had won a scholarship to study ballet and was soon breaking barriers for Black ballerinas in the US and beyond when she later joined the Boston Ballet. Outside of the traditional world of ballet, she’s perhaps best remembered for her major mainstream pop moments, including performing in Beyonce’s Lemonade video. DePrince died on Sept. 10 at the age of 29.

• Welcome to Semafor Gulf.
• The UAE wants to transform climate finance.
• Alleged Trump gunman touted his Capitol Hill contacts.
• China’s economy may be slowing, but Beijing isn’t budging.

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— Yinka, Alexis, Alexander Onukwue, Martin Siele, and Muchira Gachenge