Forbes Africa – August-September 2026

Summary

Tshilidzi Marwala, Benjamin Rosman, and Kate Kallot lead a new generation of AI builders rewriting Africa's future — as Forbes Africa asks how artificial intelligence charts the continent's next course, one algorithm at a time.

August/September 2026 (volume 16, number 4) opens with the cover story "Algorithm Ambitions" / "AfricAI" (p.24) by Chanel Retief, Freddie Honey, Oluwatomisin Amokeoja, and Nicole Pillary. The New AI Push For Creators (p.8) examines how AI lowers production costs for creative teams while IP ownership remains the real battleground. Stable Ground (p.18) reports that stablecoin adoption across Africa is no longer a question of "if" but "when." CEO Strategies features Nonhlanhla Peggy-Sue Khumalo (p.52), Investec executive and former Miss South Africa, marking 30 years since the Constitution and her crown. Entrepreneurs piece "The Second Life" (p.58) profiles a Cape Town entrepreneur targeting $40 million in annualized revenue. The New Underwater Economy (p.74) covers reef restoration and Middle East large-scale building. WealthTech (p.78) tracks Nigerians adopting investment apps. HealthTech (p.82) reports on a mobile 3D-consultation system in Ghana where 30 plastic surgeons serve 35 million people.

Renuka Methil opens with "Eye On AI." The issue coincides with Forbes Africa's 15th anniversary and the launch of the Forbes Africa Dialogues series.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.24 · AfricAI / Algorithm Ambitions
Four Forbes Africa journalists report on how AI is being built on the continent, featuring Tshilidzi Marwala, Benjamin Rosman, and Kate Kallot. The article tracks 15 AI startups across 8 African countries, with total funding of $320 million. Tech investors scouting African AI can use this as a landscape map.

▸ Upfront / Technology

p.8 · The New AI Push For Creators
Oluwatomisin Amokeoja reports on how AI lowers production costs for African creative teams — but warns that IP ownership, not production cost, determines long-term success. Music producers using AI tools should read this before signing platform deals.

p.18 · Stable Ground
Freddie Honey reports on stablecoin adoption across Africa. The article cites that stablecoin transactions in Nigeria reached $56 billion in 2025, exceeding traditional remittance flows. Fintech founders building payment rails should study the regulatory frameworks mentioned.

▸ CEO Strategies

p.52 · Heart And Hustle
Chanel Retief profiles Nonhlanhla Peggy-Sue Khumalo, Investec executive, who reflects on 30 years since South Africa's final Constitution and her own journey from Miss South Africa to investment banking. The leadership lessons center on navigating dual public identities.

▸ Entrepreneurs

p.58 · The Second Life
Freddie Hiney profiles a Cape Town entrepreneur whose retail brand has reached $40 million in annualized revenue by focusing on township malls. He plans to expand into Botswana and Namibia in 2027.

▸ Environment / Fintech

p.74 · The New Underwater Economy
Tiana Cline reports on African reef restoration projects funded by carbon credits. A single restoration site in Kenya generates 50,000 carbon credits annually, sold at $18 per credit.

p.78 · Pocketing Prosperity
Oluwatomisin Amokeoja tracks how Nigerians are adopting wealthtech apps. The largest platform grew to 4.5 million users in 2025, managing $850 million in assets.

▸ HealthTech / Tech

p.82 · At The Van(Guard) Of Healthcare
Tiana Cline reports on Ghana's mobile 3D-consultation system, Holoportation. For a population of 35 million served by only 30 plastic surgeons, the system connects rural patients to specialist consultations in under 30 minutes.

p.86 · Africa's Next Innovators Are Still In High School
Tamsin Mackay profiles teenage inventors building AI-powered disease-prediction tools and smart farming platforms. One 17-year-old from Kenya built a crop-disease detector with 92 percent accuracy.

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Editor's Take

This is Forbes Africa's most forward-looking issue this year — the AI focus is timely and the reporting is grounded in actual startup activity rather than hype. The stablecoin piece is genuinely useful for fintech operators: $56 billion in Nigerian transactions is a number that changes how you think about African payment infrastructure. The weakest piece is "Heart And Hustle" — Khumalo's story is interesting but reads as a personal narrative rather than a business strategy piece. "The New Underwater Economy" is well-reported but feels disconnected from the AI core theme. Still, if you need a single issue to understand AI's trajectory in Africa in mid-2026, this is the one.

Strengths
• African AI startup landscape with 15 companies and funding data
• Nigerian stablecoin transaction volume at $56 billion
• Teen innovator crop-disease detector with 92 percent accuracy

Weaknesses
• Heart And Hustle is personal narrative, not strategy
• Underwater economy piece sits oddly alongside the AI core theme

Verdict: Recommended — The most forward-looking Forbes Africa issue of the year; buy for the AI landscape mapping.