Month: January 2020

China is on an economic dalliance with Africa where trade between the country of the dragon and the ‘Dark Continent’ has hit US$188 billion from a meagre US$13 billion in 2001…

Norfund, the Norwegian financial institution, an active strategic minority investor – wholly owned and funded by the Norwegian Government has unveiled its three-year strategy in East Africa. Norfund is a significant investor in the region, having been instrumental in realizing the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project and as a major investor in Equity Bank.

The fund’s new strategy incorporates scaling up investments in the manufacturing and agribusiness sectors, as well as a new investment pillar on green infrastructure, including waste management, access to clean water, transmission lines and power storage.

Norfund has been investing in East Africa for over 20 years with investments in clean energy constituting almost 40% of its portfolio in the region. Some of Norfund’s investments include projects such as Globeleq, Lake Turkana Wind Power, Bujagali Hydro Power and M-KOPA.

The new green infrastructure pillar which includes investments in waste management will complement Norfund’s existing investment focus …

Fintechs in Sub-Saharan Africa have recorded a 24 per cent Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the past decade…

In addition to the tragic toll on human lives, the coronavirus outbreak in China brings potential economic and market implications for China and beyond. Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity team has been monitoring the situation and weighs in with some thoughts, comparing it to the outbreak of SARS in 2003.

We are closely monitoring the impact on emerging market economies and equity markets from the outbreak of the coronavirus in China and other parts of the world. The situation is at an early stage and is evolving quickly. Both market and macro implications depend on the severity and duration of this epidemic episode.

What We Know So Far

• Since the first cases of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) were notified to the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31, 2019, over 4,500 confirmed cases have been reported in China, with over 5,700 suspected cases and 106 deaths.¹Based on

UAE has prioritised its relations with African countries based on mutual respect and common interests in order to achieve their country’s goals for development, progress and prosperity said his Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

Over the past years, UAE has made progress in this goal deepening its overall relations with African countries, he added.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed made this statement during a meeting at the Emirates Palace with Roch Marc Christian Kabore, President of Burkina Faso, who was visiting the country.

Also Read: UAE targets Kenya in a new chamber partnership

During the meeting, both heads of states discussed their bilateral relations and ways of improving and developing them in various areas. They also discussed the situation in the Middle East and Africa and regional and international issues of common concern.

The Emirati leader further added that the relations between the UAE …

Jumia Kenya has opened up its online platform to brands and corporate organizations for advertising.

In a move to optimise customer data, the company is marketing itself as a highly targeted platform promising great exposure to those who will take up the service.

The company’s CEO, Sam Chappatte, made the disclosure during the launch of Jumia Advertising Services (JAS) on Friday (today).

“20 per cent of active internet users in Kenya are on Jumia each month. We know our customers well – what they shop, how much they spend, etc – and can use this to present relevant adverts to them. This can enable our customers to discover relevant products & services, and will become a powerful digital marketing channel for advertisers,” said Chappatte.

Chappatte emphasized that their messages will reach highly targeted segments, right at the moment of purchase – e.g for DSTV the ads will be presented to …

Uganda leads East Africa in ease of access to foreign exchange, according to Absa Africa Financial Market Index 2019.

According to the index, Uganda scored 70 out of 100 points compared to Rwanda with 66, Kenya with 65 and Tanzania with 60. Burundi was not surveyed.

Foreign exchange access continues to be a pillar growth across the African continent.

Also Read: Uganda Umeme secures $70m loan for investment

The Absa Africa Financial Markets Index highlights economies with the clearest growth prospects and evaluates financial market development in 20 countries.

The index seeks to show how economies can improve market frameworks to meet investor expectations and sustainable growth.

“Uganda performs strongly … with almost the same score as top-ranked South Africa. It has a high level of foreign reserves relative to net portfolio investment flows and enough reserves to cover more than four months of imports,” said Mr Jeff Gable, the …

African Development Bank (AfDB) approved a $22 million Senior Loan to help corporate leasing company (Corplease) expand its lending to SMEs in Egypt.

The decision signalled confidence in the growing local market and in Egypt’s economy as a whole.
Out of the $22 million, African Development Bank will mobilize $7 million from the Africa Growing Together Fund (AGTF), a co-financing fund, established with the People’s Bank of China.

Corplease is a leading non-bank financial institution that provides diverse leasing products and services to SMEs and larger corporates, through sale, direct leasing and leaseback, as well as structured finance products. to address funding constraints in the private sector in Egypt, corp lease seeks to provide alternative financing through leases.

Also Read: African Development Bank $1m grant to Burundi

“The need for leasing products in Egypt is growing consistently on an annual basis to meet the acute demand by small, medium and …

As of 2018, trade between Pakistan and Africa stood at US$3.6 billion with Pakistan exporting a volume of US$1.4 billion while importing a volume of US$ 2.2 billion from Africa.…

Ethiopian Airlines is staying ahead of the competition and has launched a cold chain air freight for transporting temperature-sensitive medicines.…