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Google promises 300,000 jobs in South Africa

South Africa’s official unemployment rate was last reported at 31.9%, with youth unemployment for those aged between 15 and 35 sitting at 44.6%, according to Statistics South Africa’s labour force survey for Q4 2024.

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Google says its investment in data centre infrastructure in Johannesburg, part of a greater R18 billion investment in Africa, should help create 300,000 jobs and contribute R1.7 trillion to the South African economy by 2030.

Mybroadband reports that the tech powerhouse added that South Africa also has the unique opportunity to rapidly develop its nascent artificial intelligence sector to become an AI leader on the African continent and the global stage, given its youth bulge and high unemployment rate.

This is according to Google’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa President Tara Brady, who spoke during a press conference on Wednesday at the launch of the company’s Johannesburg cloud region.

“I do believe that when you have a large number of organisations willing to invest in training, you could leapfrog many other countries and become an AI leader,” Brady said. Brady was commenting on the 300,000 jobs Google said their infrastructure investment in Johannesburg would help create by 2030.

He added that Google has identified a unique advantage in South Africa due to its high unemployment rate, which is not seen in other countries around the world.

“When you have such high unemployment, it means that we can put those people to work, which is an opportunity that we don’t have in other regions,” Brady said.

“So if South Africa wants to, we are prepared to invest in AI together here.

South Africa’s official unemployment rate was last reported at 31.9%, with youth unemployment for those aged between 15 and 35 sitting at 44.6%, according to Statistics South Africa’s labour force survey for Q4 2024.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced in 2021 that the tech giant would invest $1 billion (R18 billion) over five years in digital transformation on the continent.

Brady said that while a “large chunk” of this was dedicated to the cloud region, it also focused on skilling people in Africa and aiding tech startups in the region.

South Africa’s minister of communications and digital technologies, Solly Malatsi, who did not attend the event but delivered a prerecorded address, emphasised the importance of these skilling initiatives in the country’s vision of a digital future.

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Reps summon Dangote and NMDPRA over fuel imports feud

The lawmakers have formally invited both parties to provide detailed explanations, stressing that only a full understanding of the issues will allow the National Assembly to broker lasting solutions.

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The House of Representatives Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream and Midstream) has intervened to halt rising tensions between the Dangote Refinery group and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The joint committee on Monday summoned Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the NMDPRA leadership to present their grievances before the committee, while both sides are ordered to cease all media hostilities pending a swift investigation.

The committees, jointly led by Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere and Hon. Henry Okogie, convened an emergency meeting to address what they described as “growing tension” threatening the stability of the downstream petroleum sector.

Ugochinyere said that the intervention was necessary to prevent further escalation at a critical time when government and industry stakeholders are working to stabilise supply, pricing, and regulation in the post-subsidy era.

“The renewed tension in the downstream sector, stemming from allegations by Alhaji Aliko Dangote against the NMDPRA, demanded urgent attention,” he said.

“The committee is committed to protecting the stability achieved in the sector.”

The lawmakers have formally invited both parties to provide detailed explanations, stressing that only a full understanding of the issues will allow the National Assembly to broker lasting solutions.

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Dangote appoints ex-CBN director Mahmud Hassan, as chief economist

In his new role, Hassan will serve as the Group’s top adviser on economic strategy, market trends, and policy implications, reporting directly to the President of the Group, Aliko Dangote.

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The Dangote Group has appointed renowned economist and former Central Bank of Nigeria Director, Dr Mahmud Hassan, as its Group Chief Economist.

In a statement released on Monday, the Group said the appointment would strengthen its economic advisory capacity at a time of heightened global and domestic market volatility.

In his new role, Hassan will serve as the Group’s top adviser on economic strategy, market trends, and policy implications, reporting directly to the President of the Group, Aliko Dangote.

Dangote Group said Hassan brings more than 30 years of experience in economic policy formulation, financial sector regulation, and central banking to his new role.

During his long career at the CBN, he held several senior positions, including Director of the Trade and Exchange Department and Director of the Monetary Policy Department.

He also served as Secretary to the Monetary Policy Committee and as Special Assistant on Economic Policy and Research to the CBN Governor

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Business

NBS says rebasing behind inflation’s dropping

NBS, in the report published on its website on Monday, headline inflation further declined to 14.45 percent compared with 16.05 percent recorded in October 2025.

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The National Bureau of Statistics (nbs) attributes the droppings in headline inflation to the rebasing exercise it carried out five months ago, with the new base year set at 2024 instead of 2009.

NBS, in the report published on its website on Monday, headline inflation further declined to 14.45 percent compared with 16.05 percent recorded in October 2025.

NBS said that the Consumer Price Index rose to 130.5 points in November 2025 from 128.9 points in October, reflecting a 1.6-point increase from the preceding month (128.9).“

Looking at the movement, the November 2025 Headline inflation rate showed a decrease of 1.6 per cent compared to the October 2025 Headline inflation rate,” the NBS report read.

On a month-on-month basis, headline inflation stood at 1.22 per cent in November, higher than the 0.93 per cent recorded in October, indicating that average prices still increased at a faster pace during the month despite the moderation in annual inflation.

The statistical agency noted that on a year-on-year basis, headline inflation in November 2025 was 20.15 percentage points lower than the 34.60 per cent recorded in November 2024, largely reflecting the effect of the rebasing exercise, with the new base year set at 2024 instead of 2009.

Data from the report showed that the average CPI for the twelve months ending November 2025 increased by 20.41 per cent compared with the average of the preceding twelve months, representing a sharp slowdown from the 32.77 per cent recorded in November 2024.

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