Tag: innovation

FY26 marked a year of delivery, with strong results, disciplined capital allocation and accelerating Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovation. Prosus delivered across its AI-powered Lifestyle Ecosystem of delivery, finance and experiences, while all regional ecosystems achieved profitability.

FY26 was a year of delivery: strong results, disciplined capital allocation and accelerating Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovation. Naspers delivered across its AI-powered Lifestyle Ecosystem of delivery, finance and experiences, with all regional ecosystems profitable.

There is a narrative building around artificial intelligence (AI) that deeply concerns me. It is a narrative rooted in fear. People fear being replaced. They fear being left behind. They fear not understanding the technology. They also fear experimenting and getting it wrong. Yet, from where I sit, AI is not something we can afford to fear from the sidelines. Instead, we need to engage with it. We need to learn from it, play with it, challenge it, shape it and adopt it.

As gene therapy technologies continue to reshape modern medicine, patent law increasingly faces a difficult task. Courts must distinguish products of nature from genuine biological engineering. They frequently decide whether inventions involving genetic material represent technological innovation or merely identify naturally occurring biological features.

Nobody likes a know-it-all. In Shirley Valentine, the British cult classic, a headmistress asks her class, “What is man’s greatest invention?” Answers fly - Sputnik, the Hoover, the aeroplane, the internal combustion engine. Shirley knows the answer but is ignored in favour of the usual teacher’s pets. Only when no raised hands remain does the headmistress relent: “Oh, very well, Shirley. You might as well get it wrong along with everybody else.”

Read our exclusive cover story titled Elevated innovation – the brakes that accelerated wealth? by Jason Spilkin, Co-Portfolio Manager, Credo, plus a host of other topical management articles written by professionals, consultants and academics.

In a low-growth economy, organisations struggle to expand revenue. They therefore face increasing pressure to unlock efficiencies and do more with less. Consider a major South African bank. It recently celebrated a successful AI-powered fraud detection pilot. The results looked impressive. The system delivered faster detection, fewer false positives and measurable savings. Leadership felt energised.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, one of the most revolutionary ideas in human history emerged - the corporation. Today, the concept seems entirely ordinary. Companies own assets, enter into contracts, raise capital, employ people, and continue operating long after their founders have passed away.

As consumer demand shifts towards healthier lifestyles, the food industry is rapidly evolving beyond traditional nutrition. Diet trends such as keto, vegan and other wellness-focused regimes are driving investment into products that offer more than basic sustenance. These include functional beverages, plant-based alternatives, enhanced infant formulas and botanically enriched foods.

Across Africa’s food and feed processing sectors, sustainability is increasingly moving to the centre of operational decision-making. Importantly, this shift is not being driven by environmental commitments alone. Instead, many businesses are driving it through more immediate priorities. These priorities include operational efficiency, profitability, resilience and long-term competitiveness.