On Tuesday 23rd March, the 400-meter, 224,000-tonne Ever Given container ship ran aground at the south end of the Suez Canal, blocking it completely. As it’s firmly grounded on both banks, efforts to refloat it are underway but it will take time. Some …

Facebook has announced the launch of Instagram Lite in sub-Saharan Africa. This lightweight version of the Instagram app, which is being rolled out in 170 countries, uses less data and is better suited for lower quality mobile networks. Instagram Lite …

Nestlé has announced bold plans to reach into 120,000 villages in India in the next two to three years. The Swiss giant estimates that the average size of the target villages is 5,000 people and that, if successful, it can …

Unilever engineers have created a prototype nano factory capable of fitting in a 40ft container. The prototype can take raw materials, process them, package and label them. It is currently being trialed in the Netherlands, producing liquid bouillon. Unilever says …

The boycott of French goods by consumers in Muslim countries has reached Egypt, a key market for French supermarket chain Carrefour, as well as several major French FMCG brands including Danone and L’Oréal. We think there is a risk the …

Jumia is opening up its logistics network to third party businesses in 11 countries. The move means the internet retailer will offer its platform and network, enabling companies to use its final mile delivery capabilities. Prior to the announcement, Jumia …

Egyptian cheese producer Domty and FrieslandCampina have signed an MoU to explore joint business opportunities in Africa. The companies plan to collaborate to export cheese to other African countries. Domty was founded in 1988 in Egypt. It is a leader in the Egyptian …

DHL Express has taken a minority stake in Link Commerce, the UK-based e-commerce platform that sits beneath MallforAfrica.com and DHL’s Africa eShop service. DHL is betting on a fundamental change in purchasing behaviours in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which …

At Trendtype we have decided to put our thoughts down on paper, as it were. Headline: there are lots of reasons to believe that African countries may emerge from COVID-19 in better (or less worse) shape than developed economies in …

The problem is retail development rankings are useless. Worse than useless, actually. We explain why we don’t trust AT Kearney’s Global Retail Development Index when it comes to Africa. A few years ago we wanted to build a retail market …

So here are our big themes in 2019 and a look ahead to 2020. It’s been another eventful year in African consumer and retail markets in 2019. Some big retail players coming unstuck In grocery retail, some big players have come …

Peer to peer farmer network and marketplace WeFarm has raised $13m in Series A round of funding. The round was led by True Ventures, with AgFunder and June Fund also investing. It means WeFarm has raised a total of $20m to …