Billboard launches Billboard Africa, a game-changer for the continent's music industry
More than only recognition, the initiative is about building infrastructure.
Brandon Martin, CEO of Global Venture Partners, emphasised the long-term vision: 'We're not only raising visibility for artists but laying the groundwork for an infrastructure that supports sustainable growth. Billboard Africa is about amplifying potential and encouraging investment in the continent's creative economy.'
At the helm of the ambitious rollout is Nkosiyati Khumalo, editor-in-chief of Billboard Africa, who brings a deep understanding of African culture and storytelling.
'Bringing Billboard's thought leadership home to Africa, and sharing more African stories with the world, is an immense honor,' said Nkosiyati. 'This is about supporting the diverse artists and professionals who drive African music forward.'
From curated events to awards shows, artist spotlights to industry insights, Billboard Africa is setting the stage for a cultural and economic renaissance. As the world tunes in, the continent's musicians are ready to turn up the volume.
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The Herald
32 minutes ago
- The Herald
Full potential of MBDA promises to be unleashed in 2026
On Friday June 27, the Mandela Bay Development Agency, an entity founded by the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality and the Industrial Development Corporation in 2003, held a milestone event to reflect on the agency's 22 years of existence. Founded on the back of a rapidly growing city population due to intra-province migration, a central business district that was suffering from the negative impact of capital flight, urban influx and a fast-contracting automotive economy, the MBDA was designed to be a turnkey project management house of the municipality. These were the words of the first democratic-era executive mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, Nceba Faku, who spoke at the event. Faku knows this very well because he and his colleagues in council back in 2003 had a vision: to create a trusted vehicle that could tackle the challenges of economic development while the municipality dealt with the mountain of the apartheid spatial planning backlog in service delivery. Faku said this was in line with the early thinking worldwide — for development agencies to complement the work of local government without adding bureaucracy and red tape. The MBDA enjoyed early success with major projects in the inner city, specifically in and around Central. Many of the initiatives were accelerated by the advent of the Fifa 2010 Soccer World Cup. The MBDA was also able to get a lot done with speed because it operated with the confidence of the city fathers. It received significant technical and financial support from development institutions, but most importantly the agency operated in a stable political environment. This upward trajectory changed in 2016 with the advent of coalition governments, particularly post- elections when the new establishment of the day championed a different path, less supportive of a development agency model. It was not long before funding for a robust security programme in Central was halted, a patrol and K-9-unit programme that was dealing efficiently with crime in the area. When this programme ended, rampant vandalism and a rapid decline of Central ensued because the criminals had no-one to fear. Today, several upgrades, including the Govan Mbeki Avenue and Parliament Street upgrades, are a shadow of what they were before 2016. Making a rare joint appearance at Friday's event were three generations of executive mayors — Faku, Zanoxolo Wayile and Gary van Niekerk. A shared view among them is that the historical mission of the MBDA has not yet been fully realised, and the council has all the keys to ensuring that the entity succeeds. A highlight of the evening was the recognition of a lifetime achievement award for Legacy in Action to Faku for his immense contribution to development and leading with vision. The award celebrates a special and outstanding individual whose long-standing work in local government has transformed communities, uplifted lives and driven sustainable programmes and progress in Nelson Mandela Bay. During his acceptance speech, and as a challenge to the present leadership, Faku pleaded with the council to reconnect with the vision that set off the MBDA, to dedicate time to understanding the entity, and to consciously strengthen it. It is befitting then that the MBDA closes 2025 with projected historic performance outcomes across all metrics. The agency's annual performance targets are set in consultation with the municipality, which monitors its performance on a quarterly basis. It is also subjected to the scrutiny of oversight bodies such as MPAC (Municipal Public Accounts Committee) and provincially by the co-operative governance department. In the six months, the MBDA hosted an oversight visit by the provincial co-operative governance standing committee and MPAC performed oversight over the agency through site visits in June. It is important to demonstrate once again that the MBDA prides itself on accountability as one of its values. For the period that ended on June 30, our interim performance projections are that we will exceed performance targets, both in terms of key performance indicators (KPIs) and budget performance, with more than 80% and 90%, respectively. These projections are historic when one considers the consistent rollovers that have been the norm over many years. On the ground, we also recently handed over several completed projects to the municipality and continue to activate the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium commercial plan. Recently we completed the NMB Stadium World of Windows conference facility, and in the past week we launched a new catalytic event, the North End Lake Jazz Concert, dedicated to activating the potential of the underutilised waterbody. Next Saturday, the mighty Springboks will face off with Italy in a historic Test match that's creating a rugby frenzy in the city, all in part because of the behind-the-scenes lobbying contributions of the MBDA. All our efforts, at the Tramways, Science Centre and at the NMB Stadium, are geared towards lessening the dependency on ratepayers and propelling the agency into becoming a sustainable entity. This is the historical mission Faku referred to — a municipal entity that can stimulate the economy of the Bay and create job opportunities for the city's citizens. If its 2024/2025 performance is a benchmark, then 2026 promises to unleash the full potential of the MBDA. Anele Qaba, MBDA chief executive The Herald
The South African
15 hours ago
- The South African
US redraws Africa policy map, what's in it for African leaders?
Early in July 2025, the White House announced that it would hold a US-Africa conference with five African states. According to Semafor and Reuters , the conference will take place in Washington, D.C., from 9 to 11 July 2025. Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal are among the invited leaders. The news of the summit comes after a series of US diplomatic engagements with African leaders, including Trump's meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in May 2025. According to officials, the summit would prioritise business over aid, which is consistent with Trump's bid for a second term. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that the United States will no longer fund charity-based aid programs. According to Rubio, when the United States distributes aid in the future, it will give preference to nations that exhibit self-sufficiency and a dedication to reform. The senior bureau official for African Affairs at the US State Department, Troy Fitrell, announced the evaluation of ambassadors based on commercial partnership. At the AmCham meeting in Côte d'Ivoire, Fitrell gave a presentation on a six-point trade strategy. Furthermore, to improve trade between the US and Africa, the strategy includes tariff reform and infrastructure investment. Following the US-mediated DRC-Rwanda peace deal on 27 June 2025, the meeting, which focuses on trade and investment, highlights the Trump administration's strategy of linking peace and stability in Africa to economic opportunities and access to vital resources. The conference marks a continuation of increased US-African engagement. Unlike his predecessors, Trump did not hold an African summit in his first term in office. Trump is scheduled to meet with African leaders in a multilateral setting for the first time after his reelection. The goal of the Trump administration is to replace humanitarian initiatives with business partnerships. The summit will amplify cooperation on regional security and resource access in West Africa. U.S. leaders emphasise private sector-led development as a means of fostering collaborative prosperity. Furthermore, African leaders will be proposing investment reforms. The outcomes will impact future US-African relations, according to the White House. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Mail & Guardian
20 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
Humans must be the decisionmakers when AI is used in legal proceedings
The use of artificial intelligence in arbitration may support justice, but it cannot replace those who are tasked with safeguarding it South Africa has no legal framework to govern artificial intelligence (AI) use in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) proceedings, placing at risk the preservation of the principles of fairness, accountability, transparency and confidentiality when machines join the table. To offer much-needed direction for parties and tribunals integrating AI into adjudications and arbitration, the Association of Arbitrators (Southern Africa) (AASA) issued AI guidelines in May 2025 on the use of AI tools in this environment. AI tools are already embedded in arbitration proceedings in South Africa and are assisting with numerous legal tasks. Such tasks include collating and sequencing complex case facts and chronologies; managing documents and expediting the review of large volumes of content; conducting legal research and sourcing precedents; drafting text (for example, legal submissions or procedural documents); and facilitating real-time translation or transcription during hearings. While the new AI guidelines are not exhaustive nor a substitute for legal advice, they provide a helpful framework to promote responsible AI use, protect the integrity of proceedings and balance innovation with ethical awareness and risk-management. As a starting point, the guidelines stress the importance of parties reaching agreement upfront on the use of AI, including whether the arbitrator or tribunal has the power to issue directives regarding their use. The use of AI in arbitration proceedings can easily result in confidentiality and data security risks. One of the key advantages of arbitration is the confidentiality of the proceedings that it offers, as opposed to public court proceedings. This can be threatened by irresponsible use of AI by the parties or the tribunal, and expose the parties to risk. The use of AI tools can also result in technical limitations and wavering reliability. AI tools can produce flawed or 'hallucinated' results, especially in complex or novel fact patterns. This can lead to misleading outputs or fabricated references. AI tools are well known to fabricate case law references to answer legal questions posed to them. The AI guidelines highlight core principles that should be upheld whenever AI is used. These include that tribunals and arbitrators must be accountable and must not cede their adjudicative responsibilities to software. Humans ultimately bear responsibility for the outcome of a dispute. Ensuring confidentiality and security is also a key principle. For example, public AI models sometimes use user inputs for further 'training', which raises the risk that sensitive information could inadvertently be exposed. The need for transparency and disclosure is also important and parties and tribunals should consider whether AI usage needs to be disclosed to all participants. Finally, fairness in decision-making is paramount. There is a risk of underlying biases or inaccuracies in AI-generated outputs due to training data biases. Human oversight of any AI-driven analysis is indispensable to ensure just and equitable results. The guidelines advise tribunals to adopt a transparent approach to AI usage throughout proceedings, whether deployed by the tribunal itself or by the parties. Tribunals should also consider obtaining explicit agreement on whether, and how, AI-based tools may be used and determine upfront if disclosure of the use of AI tools is required. Safeguarding confidentiality should be considered upfront and throughout the proceedings, and agreement should be reached on what information can be shared with what AI tools to ensure parties are protected. During hearings, any AI-driven transcription or translation services should be thoroughly vetted to preserve both accuracy and confidentiality. Equal access to AI tools for all parties should be ensured so that no party is prejudiced. Ultimately, the arbitrator's or adjudicator's independent professional judgment must determine the outcome of any proceeding, even if certain AI-generated analyses or texts help shape the final award. As disputes become ever more data-intensive and as technological solutions proliferate, parties, counsel and tribunals must consider how best to incorporate AI tools into their processes. The guidelines affirm that human adjudicators remain the ultimate decision-makers. Vanessa Jacklin-Levin is a partner and Rachel Potter a senior associate at Bowmans South Africa.
