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Nigeria-South Africa Chamber Celebrates Silver Jubilee of Bilateral Trade Ties
Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce (NSACC) celebrated its 25th anniversary with a high-profile dinner in Lagos, drawing corporate leaders, diplomats, and state officials to honour a quarter-century of robust bilateral economic relations.
L-R: Prince Adedapo Benjamin Adelegan, Former and 14th president and Chairman of the Council of the Nigeria British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC); Dr. Ije Jidenma, Chairman of the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce (NSACC); and Tobechukwu Okigbo, Chief Corporate Services & Sustainability Officer, MTN Nigeria at the Nigeria and South Africa Chamber of Commerce 25th Anniversary, in Lagos, Nigeria.
This milestone event, themed “Building Together,” served as a powerful testament to the resilience and deepening economic bond between Africa’s two largest economies.
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, whose address was delivered by the Commissioner for Commerce, Trade, and Investment, Folashade Ambrose-Mendebem, hailed the NSACC as a vital foundation for bilateral economic diplomacy.
He specifically emphasised the work of the Lagos State Government in promoting economic development and the Chamber’s crucial role in facilitating trade, investment, and market guidance, which has benefited South African enterprises operating within Lagos.
The Governor then issued a strategic call to action, urging the business community to pivot towards transformative investments in key emerging sectors.
These sectors, including manufacturing, fintech, entertainment, and green energy, represent the future of economic growth and diversification.
Taking the podium, the Chair of the NSACC, Dr. Ije Jidenma, framed the Chamber’s 25th anniversary as an acknowledgement of the maturity and strength of the Nigerian-South African economic bond.
“This 25-year milestone shows that despite the ups and downs, Nigeria and South Africa want to work together.
“We must go beyond perception and narrative; our people want collaboration,” she said.
Dr. Jidenma clarified that this milestone was less of a commemoration and more of a forward-looking approach towards achieving greater impact in Nigerian-South African relations.
She acknowledged the significant contributions of founding members and corporate partners, whose commitment sustained the institution through political and economic turbulence.
Looking ahead, Dr. Jidenma articulated a strategic plan centred on building trust and ensuring the NSACC makes a profound impact on the bilateral commercial relationship over the next five years.
Prof. Bobby Moroe, the South African Consul-General in Lagos, expressed that the Chamber’s silver jubilee was a cause for excitement, noting its timely alignment with 31 years of unbroken diplomatic relations between the two nations.
Prof. Moroe offered high praise to the NSACC for successfully “holding the fort” for 25 years, ensuring commercial relations were effectively harnessed even under difficult continental circumstances.
He took the opportunity to highlight the immense opportunity presented by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
In his closing remarks, he strongly encouraged business leaders in the room to leverage their combined strengths and the structures of the NSACC to push forward the agenda of continental economic integration.
A central feature of the evening was the prestigious awards ceremony, which celebrated individuals and organisations instrumental in strengthening Nigeria-South Africa ties.
Tobechukwu Okigbo, Chief Corporate Services & Sustainability Officer, MTN Nigeria, had the honour of presenting the awards, and MTN won the award for Exceptional Partnership
The evening concluded with high-level networking, reinforcing the spirit of continental brotherhood and shared optimism for a prosperous, integrated African economy as the NSACC embarks on its next 25 years of partnership and progress.
As Africa and MENA’s startup ecosystems transition from post-correction resilience into a new phase of disciplined growth, the Africa Startup & VC Landscape Preview (ASVLP 2026) will convene leading founders, investors, policymakers, and ecosystem builders on January 29, 2026, for its second annual, agenda-setting virtual forum.
Following a challenging global venture cycle, 2025 marked a notable rebound across the African ecosystem, with startups raising an estimated $3.2–$3.3 billion over the full year.
The recovery was accompanied by significant structural shifts: Kenya emerged as the leading destination among Africa’s “Big Four” markets for the first time, while Nigeria recorded a year-on-year funding decline, reflecting changing investor preferences, macroeconomic pressures, and a broader recalibration toward capital efficiency and sustainability.
Sectorally, fintech remained the most funded vertical, while climate & energy, AI-enabled solutions, healthtech, and infrastructure-adjacent businesses gained increasing attention. Across Africa and MENA, development finance institutions (DFIs) and family offices played a more pronounced role in anchoring funds, deploying catalytic capital, and supporting blended-finance structures, reshaping how early-stage and growth capital is mobilized.
ASVLP 2026 is designed to translate these data points into forward-looking strategy.
The forum will bring together venture capitalists, angel investors, LPs, DFIs, family offices, founders, corporate leaders, and regulators from Africa, MENA, Europe, and North America to assess 2025 outcomes and chart priorities for 2026.
The program will feature keynotes, fireside chats, panels, and deep-dive roundtables, including discussions on:
· The 2026 Africa & MENA FinTech Landscape, focusing on security, profitability, regulation, and growth frontiers
· Emerging Fund Managers, capital formation, and LP alignment
· Talent, operator depth, and institutional capacity as constraints to scale
· Regulatory evolution and cross-border market integration
A major highlight of ASVLP 2026 will be the Final DealRoom Pitch Session, where a curated group of high-potential startups will present to an experienced panel of investors.
• Founders can apply to pitch via: bit.ly/ASVLP-DR-Founders
• Investors seeking DealRoom access can request entry via: bit.ly/ASVLP-DR-Investors
Confirmed speakers for ASVLP 2026 include Khaled Ismail (HIMangel), Idris Ayodeji Bello (LoftyInc Capital), Zachariah George (Launch Africa), Tosin Faniro-Dada (Breega), Selma Ribica (FirstCircle Capital), Maha Mandour (COREangels MEA), Joe Kinvi (Borderless), Remi Prunier (Orange Ventures MEA), Karima El Hakim (Plug and Play Tech Center), Souheil Guessoum (President, The Confederation of Citizen Employers – Algeria (CAPC)), Remi Prunier (Partner, Orange Ventures, MEA), Maha Mandour (COREAngels MEA), Ali Hussein (President, Kenyan FinTech Association), Patrick Okebu (CIO, Interswitch Group) among other leading voices shaping capital, policy, and innovation across the region.
“The conversation has shifted,” said Uche Aniche, Convener of ASVLP. “It’s no longer about whether capital will return to Africa and MENA, but what kind of capital, deployed with what discipline, and in service of which long-term outcomes. ASVLP exists to help the ecosystem make sense of that transition.”
Participation in ASVLP 2026 is free but strictly by invitation.
Interested participants are encouraged to repost the official announcement on LinkedIn and comment #ASVLP2026 to receive a private registration link. They could also email [email protected] and request invite.
Major social media giants Meta Platforms, TikTok and Alphabet’s YouTube will face a landmark jury trial this week in Los Angeles County Superior Court over allegations that their addictive designs have fuelled a youth mental health crisis, marking the first such case to reach this stage.
Social Media
The pivotal personal injury lawsuit centres on a 19-year-old Californian woman identified as K.G.M., who claims her childhood immersion in Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok—engineered with endless scrolls, autoplay videos, notifications and algorithms—sparked severe anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.
Dozens of similar suits have surged since 2022 from families, schools and states, accusing the firms of burying internal research on teen harms while prioritising ad revenue through youth-targeted engagement hooks, despite Section 230 protections for user content.
Plaintiffs seek damages and design overhauls, arguing platforms bypassed parents and preyed on vulnerable kids; defendants counter there’s no clinical “social media addiction” diagnosis, no proven causation—kids with issues often use less—and they’ve added safeguards like parental controls and time limits.
Echoing Australia’s under-16 bans, the trial will scrutinise thousands of internal documents, expert testimonies and K.G.M.’s story, potentially expanding tech liability amid debates where studies show complex links, not direct causation, between screen time and disorders like eating issues or self-harm.
A win could mandate warning labels, age gates or algorithm tweaks, reshaping global platforms as U.S. Surgeon General advisories and global scrutiny intensify pressure on Big Tech to prioritise child safety over profits.
Meta is gearing up to trial paid subscription services on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, aiming to diversify revenue streams beyond advertising while maintaining free core access for all users.
Meta
The subscriptions will offer enhanced tools tailored for everyday users, creators, and businesses, including advanced content creation, sharing, and workflow features distinct from the existing Meta Verified verification program. Unlike a uniform rollout, Meta plans varied testing formats per app to match diverse audiences, experimenting with feature bundles based on user feedback to refine the model.
A key element involves integrating Manus, the autonomous agent firm Meta acquired for $2 billion in December, into these apps alongside its enterprise sales. Manus enables complex task automation with minimal input, with early signs like Instagram shortcuts already spotted by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi.
Video tools feature prominently: Meta’s Vibes short-form video generator in the Meta AI app shifts to freemium, where paid tiers unlock higher monthly creation limits beyond the free baseline. On Instagram, subscriptions could enable unlimited audience lists, non-follower tracking, and anonymous Story views, though specifics for Facebook and WhatsApp remain under wraps.
Drawing from Meta Verified’s 2023 launch—which provides badges, support, and protection mainly for creators—these broader plans target wider appeal amid industry shifts. Ad growth slows against TikTok competition, while Snapchat+ boasts 16 million subscribers at $3.99 monthly, proving demand for value-driven paid perks despite subscription fatigue risks from streaming and storage fees.
Meta will phase tests gradually, prioritizing feedback to shape long-term viability without alienating free users.
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