Kenya Hawker Crackdown: President William Ruto ordered authorities to shut down small businesses run by foreign nationals from Sept. 7, saying hawking and small retail should be reserved for Kenyans, with a Local Content Bill in Parliament proposing limits on what foreigners can do and targets for Kenyan staffing and local sourcing. SME Funding Push (South Africa): NSBC Africa and TransUnion Africa launched Access to Finance™ to help SMEs understand funding needs and match with aligned funders at The Business Show: Africa 2026 in Johannesburg. Social Finance for Inclusion (Africa): JUMO and Standard Bank unveiled a Social Finance Framework to scale social loans and bonds via JUMO’s platform, targeting underserved individuals, microenterprises and SMEs across nine markets. WhatsApp Business Costs (Tanzania): Meta’s new charges for certain business messages via WhatsApp Business Platform/API will start Oct. 1, raising concerns for SMEs that rely on WhatsApp for customer support and sales. Power for Small Businesses (CAR): A 50MW solar plant with 15MWh storage in Sakai, Central African Republic, is set to boost generation capacity by 60% and supply power to 300,000 households. Digital Trust for Jobs (Nigeria): Senate and NITDA backed Sky ID, a telecom-led identity platform aimed at strengthening business trust, formalising the informal sector and supporting youth job creation. Inland Connectivity (East Africa): Seacom’s Digital Infrastructure chief argues that Africa’s digital future depends on resilience beyond submarine cables, since outages can quickly disrupt payments and inventory for small retailers.