Breaking News Today – Friday 15 May 2026

African Start-up News Headlines:

• Digital Africa has launched the Digital Africa Seed Fund (DASF), a EUR 30–50 M pan-African vehicle unveiled at the Africa Forward Summit 2026 on 12 May 2026. The fund will invest EUR 300,000–EUR 2 M tickets into 30 startups across 20 underserved African markets, targeting sectors like AI, fintech, healthtech, climate tech, space, and digital infrastructure.
• JuiceMe, a HR and payroll company has announced the acquisition of Ajiraworks, a compliance-led employment firm operating across the UK and Kenya. The company also announced the appointment of its founder, Catherine Ochako, as Global Director, Employer of Record (EOR). Ochako also joins JuiceMe as a board member and shareholder. The transaction brings proven operational assets, compliance infrastructure, and cross-border employment intellectual property (IP) directly into JuiceMe’s core business.

Business News Today 

Naked Insurance Launches World First Native AI App

South African insurance platform, Naked, has become a global leader in AI developments for insurance and is the first company in the world to successfully develop and deploy a native app in ChatGPT that can provide a final, binding car insurance quote. The launch makes Naked the first South African company to release a native app in ChatGPT, representing an early step towards a future where consumers are likely to be using AI assistants to understand, compare and manage financial products.

The App connects directly to the company’s live underwriting and rating engine that provides insurance quotes and finalises contracts on its website and app. This then provides a final premium quote generated from the app in the ChatGPT interface, and not an indicative estimate that then requires additional quoting process later. Alex Thomson, co-founder of Naked Insurance: commented saying, “Our app and website are still the best way to use Naked today. But we believe AI assistants will, in time, become one of the primary ways people interact with financial products and we want to be ready for that next industry shift.”

Cameroon Shuts Down Foreign Illegal Mining Operations

An investigation into Cameroon’s gold mining sector has uncovered more than 200 illegal artisanal mining companies, most of them foreign-owned, the country’s mines ministry said. The investigation was launched after huge discrepancies emerged between Cameroon’s official gold exports and far higher import figures reported by other countries, in particular the United Arab Emirates. “About 200 illegal companies have been identified in the eastern and Adamawa regions in the country. More than 95 percent of them foreign firms,” the ministry said in a statement. According to a list published by the ministry, many of the companies are run by Chinese nationals. Authorities have called on the firms to “immediately halt mining activities” but did not mention possible sanctions or legal action.

Angola Continues A Downward Interest Rate Trajectory

The National Bank of Angola cut its key interest rate by 50 bps to 17% during its May 2026 meeting, following a pause in March. The decision was driven by the recent benign inflation trajectory and expectations of subdued inflationary pressures in the near term, alongside the need to support economic activity amid heightened global uncertainty linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict. Inflation fell to 11.58% in April from 12.42% in March, its lowest level since June 2023, extending the disinflation trend observed since mid-2024. Against this backdrop, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) lowered its 2026 inflation forecast to 11.5% while maintaining its GDP growth projection at 3.5%.

Breaking Business and Market News Shorts:  

• The annual inflation rate in Botswana surged to 10.3% in April 2026 from 4.2% in March 2026. This marked the highest reading since December 2022, largely driven by a sharp rise in transport costs, which climbed 28.5% (6.4% in March), following significant increases in retail fuel prices and public transport fares.
• Cocoa futures fell toward $4,220 per tonne, reversing from a 3.5-month high of $4,709 per tonne hit on May 11. Price was pressured by forecasts of higher cocoa deliveries from the Ivory Coast. The top grower now projects cocoa output of 2.2 MMT for the 2025/26 season, up from a previous projection of 1.8-1.9 MMT, citing favourable weather. 
• US equities rose further yesterday as gains in artificial intelligence infrastructure companies continued to offset macroeconomic headwinds. The S&P 500 jumped 0.8% to cross 7,500 for the first time, while the Nasdaq advanced past 29,500 and the Dow crossed 50,000. 
• The South African rand traded around 16.4 per USD late yesterday, holding near its strongest level since April 20 and proving resilient amid domestic political risks. Traders appear to be taking a wait-and-see approach amid renewed scrutiny of President Cyril Ramaphosa through a parliamentary impeachment process. The currency has softened this morning to around R16.54
• Honda has made its first annual loss in 70 years as its investments in the electric vehicle (EV) market failed to pay off. Demand for EVs has not been as strong as the company forecast, with Honda reporting a total operating loss for the year ending March 2026 of ¥423bn ($2.68bn: £1.99bn.).The firm said it was scrapping some of its EV production targets and would source parts from China, where prices are lower, to keep costs down.

Markets by Numbers 

Currency markets indicate the US dollar strengthening against major currencies today. The Greenback is trading against the Euro at 1.16510 while trading against the Pound at 1.33692. The Yen is currently trading at 158.50 to the dollar. The rand (ZAR), is currently trading around the 16.56 mark against the US dollar this morning.

Commodities:  

• Gold futures are trending around -0.8% lower this morning, and currently trading at around $4611.22 per ounce.  
• Copper prices have slid by around -2.7% today, with prices currently around $6.3846 per pound
• Silver futures are trending around -2.3% lower today, and currently trading at around $81.375 per ounce.
• Platinum futures have fallen by around -3% this morning, and currently trading at $2027.10, While Palladium prices are trending -1.98% lower, and currently trading around $1433.00 per ounce.
• Brent crude oil prices are trending 1% higher, and currently trading around $106.97. WTI is trading lower at $102.51 currently
• Cocoa futures have plunged by around -4% this morning, with prices currently around $4189 per ton. 
• Coffee futures are trending around -1.8% lower today, and currently trading at around $2.7570 per pound

Crypto Currencies: 

• Bitcoin prices are trending marginally lower this morning, and trading at around $80 904 per coin currently 
• Ether prices are trending -0.6% lowwer today, and currently trading around $2267.07
• $Trumpcoin are currently trading lower at around $2.355

(All prices quoted at approximately 06H45 Central African Time) 

African General News Briefs:

• Members of South African opposition parties, yesterday walked out of the South African Parliament during a question and answer session by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The president is facing mounting pressure and possible impeachment, over claims of misconduct by hiding from police and tax authorities a 2020 break-in at one of his homes, and theft of large sums of undeclared foreign currency. Ramaphosa denies wrongdoing in the scandal, but parliament is planning impeachment proceedings.
• A Nigerian court has sentenced former power minister Saleh Mamman to 75 years in jail for siphoning off millions of dollars from hydro-electricity projects. Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said Mamman was found guilty of laundering 33.8 billion naira ($24.6 million).Nigeria is Africa’s fourth-largest economy and the continent’s top oil producer, but it suffers from acute electricity shortages due to a crumbling grid and inadequate output.
• Kenya hiked its retail fuel prices ​yesterday, by as much as 23.5%, after raising them by 24.2% in April, due to ongoing global crude supply shortages ​and high energy prices caused ​by the Middle East conflict. In ⁠a statement released by the Energy and ​Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), it said that a litre of petrol ​was going to cost 214.25 ​Kenyan shillings ($1.66), up from 206.97 shillings.