African startups can now apply for the AgriBlue.AI accelerator, a global program run by UK-based Bright Tide that supports early-stage companies using AI to transform agriculture and aquaculture. The initiative seeks startups working on smart feeding, water quality monitoring, disease detection, and biodiversity tracking for land and ocean-based food systems. It aims to boost scalable, […]

SMag’s annual June Youth issue, coinciding with International Pride Month, is unapologetically young, black and queer.

Before you learn how to fly, you first have to learn how to fall. Paul Simon documents that mood and journey in his 1973 song Learn How to Fall.

Galaletsang “Gina” Koffman has opened up about the messy truth about the acting industry away from the glamorous lens.

British-based Jamaican DJ and producer Skyla Tylaa is the next big thing. The 24-year-old international DJ, born Lucy Batty, continues with her global takeover with her genre-defying sound that heavily infuses amapiano.

Clint Brink has captured television viewers for 25 years as a crossover star appearing in shows like Backstage, Scandal!, Rockville, Generations and Binnelanders.

EPFL and Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) have joined a €10-million Africa-EU initiative to scale an AI-powered tool that improves tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis across the continent. The funding – awarded by the EU’s Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking – will support the development and deployment of ULTR-AI, a portable AI-based lung ultrasound tool that meets and […]

AI is no longer just a buzzword – it’s driving the next wave of transformation, says Timo Elliott, vice president and global innovation evangelist at SAP. Speaking at Saphila Transcend, Elliott likened AI to previous tech waves like the PC and Internet, warning that without preparation, “the wave can come crashing down.” The biggest challenge? […]

Botlhale AI, a South African startup founded in 2019, is helping enterprises understand what’s said in the 70% of customer calls that aren’t in English. The company builds speech recognition and analytics tools in African languages – like isiZulu, Sesotho, and Setswana – designed for enterprise call centers. Its suite includes speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and natural […]

In the world of AI, forecasts aren’t just data – they’re belief. That’s the insight behind 4C Predictions, a South African startup building a transparent, AI-powered prediction marketplace with global ambitions. While much of the AI spotlight shines on Silicon Valley or Shenzhen, 4C is proving that deep tech can thrive in Cape Town too. […]

Africa’s first multilingual small language model, InkubaLM, has been compressed by 75% without losing performance – making it more efficient for low-resource environments. The breakthrough came from the Buzuzu-Mavi Challenge, a global competition hosted by Lelapa AI in partnership with Zindi. The challenge drew 490 participants from 61 countries to reduce the size of InkubaLM, […]

Sam Nhlengethwa strongly believes that now more than ever the world is ready for home-grown artwork and young artists should continue to carry that with pride.

Broadcaster Relebogile Mabotja is zooming in on some of the messiest celebrity break-ups in her new TV show Untied. The new Showmax eight-part talk show will premiere on June 24.

Ghana’s Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations (MoCDTI) has begun a two-day strategic workshop with Parliament’s Select Committee on Information and Communications to align on the Ministry’s 2025 programs and policy priorities. The meeting includes key agencies such as the National Communications Authority (NCA), Cyber Security Authority (CSA), Ghana Post, and the...

Absa Bank has become the first financial institution in Africa – and one of the first globally – to deploy agentic AI for customer use, according to Salesforce. The announcement was made at the Agentforce World Tour in Johannesburg this week. The bank’s AI-powered chatbot, Abby, runs on Salesforce’s Agentforce platform and offers dynamic, contextual […]

Applications are now open for the 2025 Llama Impact Accelerator, an AI-focused program supporting startups in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Senegal. The initiative aims to help founders build scalable, locally relevant solutions using Meta’s open-source Llama language models. The 8-month program includes a 6-week intensive accelerator and six months of post-program support. Startups...

For Kope “Tswyza” Makgae, reinvention was paramount when he exited Generations: The Legacy last year after playing fan-favourite Mrekza for eight years.The 39-year-old actor found that career revival in his popular podcast The Tswyza Show, where he refreshingly interviews guests through freestyle rap.

Moustapha Cissé sees artificial intelligence not as a looming threat but as a tool to uplift Africa. A trailblazing AI researcher, Cissé has spent years proving that technology can address the continent’s unique challenges—healthcare gaps, agricultural inefficiencies, and educational barriers—while dismantling biases that often plague AI systems. After leading Google’s AI Center in...

Ben Shneiderman, a titan in the world of computer science, has spent decades reshaping how humans interact with technology. As a pioneer in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), his work has not only defined the field but also set the stage for the ethical and practical evolution of Artificial Intelligence. From intuitive interfaces to groundbreaking visualization tools, […]

In a landmark policy shift, Egypt’s Supreme Council of Universities has approved direct admission for technical school graduates into university programs in computer science and artificial intelligence—removing a long-standing barrier that required complex equivalency procedures. This reform allows graduates from five-year and three-year technical schools, applied technology schools, and...