SME Finance & Jobs: South Africa’s unemployment picture stays grim, with the official rate rising to 32.7% and youth joblessness climbing sharply—putting more pressure on small businesses to create work. Anti-Corruption: Five Vanderbijlpark police sergeants face court over an alleged R100,000 bribe demand tied to a 2024 raid on a local supermarket. Infrastructure for Business: Kisumu launched a Sh306m non-motorised transport expansion to improve walkways, cycle lanes and drainage—aimed at making the city safer and more investor-friendly. Construction Sector Protection: South Africa’s Cabinet approved a binding Integrated Social Facilitation Framework to standardise community engagement and curb “construction mafia” disruptions before projects start. Energy & Legal Risk: Ugandan farmers filed a UK High Court challenge to stop the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, arguing decisions should be made in Uganda, not London. Digital Skills Push: Telkom pledged R100m to set up a Telkom AI Institute to close the “connectivity without capability” gap for South Africans. Islamic Finance Expansion: KCB launched the Shariah-compliant Sahl Card and expanded agency banking to widen access to ethical financial services in Kenya. Clean Energy for SMEs: CLASP says eight Nigerian firms secured $1.5m under its Productive Use Financing Facility to deploy solar-powered productive appliances and create green jobs. SME Ecosystem Leadership: AAASME inaugurated a Continental Advisory Council to help harmonise positions across Africa’s SME associations and mobilise 125m SMEs into its UbuntuSusu fund.