World Creativity and Innovation Day is prompting renewed debate about the role creativity can play in shaping societies and economies, especially as uncertainty, technological disruption and overlapping global crises force governments and businesses to rethink long‑held assumptions.

Calls to shut down South Africa’s (SA) Department of Small Business Development are intensifying, with critics arguing that the department has failed to deliver meaningful support to small enterprises amid a tough economic climate.

A United Nations (UN) task force has been set up to secure the safe passage of fertilisers and key raw materials through the Strait of Hormuz, as tanker traffic through the corridor remains severely disrupted and planting seasons advance across Africa and Asia.