Author: Ewang Johnson
Onafriq now links 1 Billion Connected Mobile Wallets and 500 Million Bank Accounts Across Africa Onafriq, Africa’s largest digital payments network, is celebrating its 15-year anniversary by announcing a significant milestone: close to 1 billion mobile money wallets and 500 million bank accounts are now connected through its infrastructure. Starting as a mobile money switch, Onafriq has transformed into a full omnichannel payments network. It facilitates cross-border disbursements, collections, card issuance and processing, offline agent banking services, and FX & treasury services. At its core, Onafriq is providing digital interoperability across mobile wallets, bank accounts, cards, and offline payment channels…
Note: This article contains spoilers for the Mission: Impossible films, including the newest release, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.It began on television in 1966. A Cold War-era procedural, jazzy and lean, with tape recorders that smoked as messages self-destructed seconds after they were played. Mission: Impossible was never about one man. It was a team show, an ensemble built around deception and masks, with Dan Briggs (Steven Hill) and later Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) leading the charge.In its Cold War context, Mission: Impossible dramatized a very American kind of idealism: freedom through precision and deception in the name of…
British actor Tom Felton, who starred as Draco Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” movies, is returning to the role in a Broadway musical. “This is a full-circle moment for me,” he said. Source link
Africa’s Innovators Drive Change On June 4, 2025, Lagos, Nigeria, became the epicenter of African innovation as it hosted the Gates Foundation’s inaugural Goalkeepers event on the continent. Livestreamed by Africa.com, this landmark gathering, anchored by media personality Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, convened global leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and artists to spotlight African-led solutions driving progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With a focus on healthcare investment, localized artificial intelligence (AI), and sustainable partnerships, the event underscored Africa’s capacity to shape its own destiny. Key figures, including Bill Gates, Aliko Dangote, Governor Inuwa Yahaya, and innovators like Ifeoluwa Dare Johnson…
In this edition of arts24, Eve Jackson brings you a thrilling lineup of films and exhibitions shaking up the art and entertainment world. First up: a surprising box office showdown in France. Tom Cruise’s latest “Mission: Impossible” instalment faces off against a small blue alien – and “Stitch” wins, selling 1.3 million tickets in just one week. It’s the biggest box office opener of 2025 so far! How did this beloved Disney classic from 2002 out-muscle Hollywood’s biggest action star? Eve investigates. Source link
Alamy(Credit: Alamy)Darren Aronofsky’s radical drug-addiction drama was highly acclaimed and angrily slated when it came out in 2000. Today, this Hubert Selby Jr adaptation is no less contentious.When Requiem for a Dream debuted 25 years ago in May 2000, it drew both rave reviews and a firestorm of controversy. The midnight screening at the Cannes Film Festival culminated in a rapturous standing ovation from the auditorium’s 3000 spectators. When the lights came up on author Hubert Selby Jr – who had written the 1978 novel on which the film was based – tears were streaming down his face. Critical admiration…
Over the course of three days, this specialised trade exhibition will serve as a key platform for business networking and professional engagement within the coatings industry. Nigeria’s paints and coatings market is estimated to be valued at US$2.7 billion in 2025 and is forecasted to grow at an annual rate of 4%. Driven by rapid construction, urbanisation and increasing demand for eco-friendly products, the industry presents significant opportunities. Decorative paints dominate the market, while demand for protective coatings continues to rise in the oil, gas and infrastructure sectors. (Source: https://www.westafricacoatingsshow.com/market-report-west-africa/) Recognising the growth potential of Nigeria’s paints and coatings industry and its…
Ana de Armas takes on the high-octane stunts as a dancer-turned-assassin in the big-budget action thriller “Ballerina”. Film critic Emma Jones tells us why de Armas’s charisma and talent for physical feats make her a compelling lead for this detour within the John Wick universe. Source link
Eindhoven, Netherlands/ Stefano Boeri ArchitettiIt’s been 10 years since the creation of the first vertical forest, Milan’s Bosco Verticale. How has it inspired other buildings – and affected their residents’ happiness and health?In 2007, Italian architect Stefano Boeri witnessed the frantic construction of a city in the Dubai desert dominated by energy-wasting skyscrapers covered in glass, ceramic and metal. All these materials, he tells the BBC, “reflected sunlight, generating heat in the air and especially on the urban ground, where pedestrians walked”. Three thousand miles away, he had just begun working on his own design for two very tall buildings…
Africa’s first black billionaire, Patrice Motsepe, grew his fortune by $200 million in May, reaching a net worth of $3.2 billion. The uptick is tied to the solid performance of his mining firm, African Rainbow Minerals, which posted a 2% stock gain in May and a 5.37% rise year-to-date. The company remains popular among investors and was traded heavily between February and May. However, Motsepe’s influence extends beyond mining. He’s also a major investor in Tyme Group, a digital banking company that recently became Africa’s ninth unicorn after a major funding round, which saw its valuation rise to $1.5 billion. Motsepe’s…