South Africa: Strategy

South Africa has secured a groundbreaking trade agreement with China, opening new export channels for locally produced cherries and potentially blueberries. With established production infrastructure and a robust plant variety protection system under the 2018 Plant Breeders Rights Act, the country is positioning itself as a strategic global production base for commercial exploitation of new plant varieties, particularly for Northern Hemisphere markets during off-season periods.

Africa's legal profession has undergone significant transformation over the past decade, driven by technology, digital innovation, and evolving approaches to legal education and service delivery.

The South African Reserve Bank's Cash Smart Strategy challenges the assumption that digital payments will replace cash, instead proposing a hybrid system where both coexist. As digital infrastructure expands unevenly across South Africa's diverse economic landscape, the strategy addresses how to maintain affordable and accessible cash while modernizing payment systems, raising critical questions about financial inclusion, regulatory oversight, and the future of payment infrastructure in emerging markets.

Welcome to this week's East Africa Investment Brief, where we spotlight the latest opportunities shaping the continent's fastest-growing sectors.

The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has published Conduct Standard 3 of 2025 (CIS), titled Requirements for Managers of Collective Investment Schemes (the Conduct Standard), together with a Statement of Need and Impact and a Consultation Report.

Africa has the world's youngest population, with a median age of around 19 years. This demographic advantage means a growing labor force that can meet global demand for offshore services.

Africa's legal profession has undergone significant transformation over the past decade, driven by technology, digital innovation, and evolving approaches to legal education and service delivery.

Working in the oil and gas sector has taught attorney Amore Carstens Petersen that technical excellence is only one part of leadership in a commercially complex, technically demanding, and historically...

An experienced attorney at one of South Africa's Big Five law firms reflects on a pivotal conversation during her early career that shaped her perspective on balancing professional success with personal life. The discussion with her reporting director during her articles period left a lasting impression about navigating the demands of a legal career alongside family commitments.

An AI expert in legal technology examines her discomfort with the title and explores a concerning pattern emerging in the adoption of GenAI tools. The analysis reveals troubling disparities across race and gender lines in how legal professionals are engaging with artificial intelligence technologies.

Private bodies - such as hospitals, medical practices, banks and everyday employers - regularly receive requests for access to information under the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 ("PAIA"). Many recipients assume they have no choice but to comply with every request placed before them

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