Via MIT Technology Review, an interesting report on how – in an attempt to protect its forests and famous wildlife – Virunga has become the first national park to run a Bitcoin mine: The AK-47 is heavy with extra clips strapped together, jungle style, but the man holding it doesn’t flinch as he patrols the […]
Read more »Via Africa: The Big Deal, a look at how Central Africa has claimed less than 1% of all the funding raised by start-ups on the continent since 2019: After covering Eastern, Northern, Western and Southern Africa, our last stop on our tour of the continent’s regional ecosystems naturally takes us to Central Africa. With only $82m+ raised by start-ups since 2019, the region […]
Read more »Via The Economist, a report on how Chinese companies have made their mark on the African continent: Outside a bar in Fungurume, a mining town in Congo, men caked in dust spit peanut shells onto the floor. Inside, where Chinese New Year lanterns hang from the walls, Emmanuel (not his real name) explains how things changed […]
Read more »Via Week In China, an article on the struggle for a “monster” lithium deposit in Africa: Chinese ambitions to take control of the biggest lithium mine in Africa looked dead in the water in April 2020 after Canberra blocked the ASX-listed miner AVZ Minerals from selling an 11.8% stake to Chinese firms including CATL (see […]
Read more »Via SportTechie, an article on a planned large-scale investment in the DRC: BlueTech Investments, a private equity firm led by Hall of Fame basketball player Dikembe Mutombo, is investing $1 billion toward ethical mining projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The funds aim to support conflict-free mining of copper, cobalt and other minerals needed […]
Read more »Via The Economist, an article on the ugly dash for cobalt in Congo: On the streets of Kolwezi, a mining city in the Democratic Republic of Congo, huge billboards advertise “executive” mobile-phone-data packages, a few gigabytes for a few dollars. They are popular not just with the suited types shown on the hoardings; they also […]
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