Land & Finance Reality Check: Research in rural South Africa finds over 70% of households don’t want formal title deeds, fearing new levies and taxes—challenging the assumption that land formalisation automatically boosts investment. Youth & Governance: Reach A Hand Africa’s B!LL!Now Now summit in Kampala pushes for real decision-making power for young people, not just “seats at the table.” Climate Negotiations: African climate negotiators meet in Accra to lock in priorities for COP31, focusing on climate finance, adaptation and the Global Just Transition Mechanism. Digital Health Commitments: Nigeria’s ILF 2026 in Abuja ends with 10 concrete pledges to accelerate Africa’s digital health transformation, with progress tracked annually. Kenya Trade Barriers: A World Bank-WTO scorecard ranks Kenya’s road freight regime as the third most “open” in the EAC, highlighting regulatory frictions that affect market access. Payments & Banking Infrastructure: IFC backs Kenya SME lending with first-loss guarantees for 4G Capital, Equity Bank and KCB, while SeerBit integrates PayPal to expand merchant payment options across Africa. Energy Utility Oversight: Nigeria’s NERC dissolves Kaduna Electricity Distribution’s board over debt and operational shortfalls, effective August 10. Investment Facilitation: Cape Town launches “Maya,” an AI investment concierge to guide investors through municipal processes in eight languages.