Author: Jack Oduor

• Kenya lands $ 1 billion investments for digital Infrastructure investment from Microsoft and G42.
• Among the top priorities is the construction of a green data center. This facility is to be built by G42 and its partners.
• The initiative will enhance internet connectivity through investments in marine and terrestrial fiber cable infrastructure.

During Kenyan President William Ruto’s visit to the US, Tech giant Microsoft & G42, an Emirati AI company, announced a $1B investment in Kenya to support its digital transformation.

This initiative, undertaken in collaboration with the Republic of Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy, is a milestone in the region’s technological advancement.

The collaboration will invest an initial $1 billion to support different components of the initiative.

Among the top priorities is the construction of a green data center. This facility, to be built by G42 and its partners, will host Microsoft Azure services in …

• The Africa Fintech Accelerator program has increased the number of women-led startups
• The Accelerator program, launched in June 2023, is aimed at uplifting the digital economy in Africa
• The list, is majorly dominated by West and Central African states that command 11 enterprises.

Only one Kenyan fintech startup has made it through into the second cohort of Visa’s Africa Fintech Accelerator program.

Out of the possible 20 only CheckUps Medical Hub, an Embedded health Kenyan startup, made it to the shortlist. Tanzania got two representatives and Ethiopia also got one.

The list is majorly dominated by West and Central African states that command 11 enterprises. While Southern Africa only has three two from South Africa and one from Zambia.

According to the digital payments firm, Cohort 2 startups operate across 28 African countries, a 55 per cent increase from Cohort 1 where the representatives operated across 18 countries. …

• Finance Bill 2024 Proposals seek to introduce a 25 per cent excise duty on vegetable oils, which KAM says will drive upwards the cost of cooking oil.
• The proposed finance law aims to expand Kenya’s tax base by bringing more economic activities into the tax net.
• This, according to KAM, will lower the cost of living for Kenyans and create prosperity for the country.

The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) has raised concerns over the state’s proposal to increase the Import Declaration Fund (IDF) from 2.5 per cent to 3 per cent.

In a raft of proposals to the government, the manufacturers highlighted some of the expected impacts of the proposed law on Businesses in the East African nation.

KAM argues that the imposition of IDF will significantly elevate the costs of raw materials, thereby stifling the manufacturing sector’s ability to add value.

In a statement on Monday, May 20, …

• 2024 Economic Survey says employment in the modern and informal sectors, excluding small-scale farming and pastoralist activities, went up from 19.1 million in 2022 to 20 million in 2023.
• The nominal wage bill rose by 7.3 per cent to Sh2.8.6 trillion in 2023.
• According to the 2024 Economic Survey, Real annual average earnings per employee in the private sector declined by 2.5 per cent

At least 848,200 new jobs were generated in Kenya last year despite a tough economy that saw firms resort to retrenchment to cut operating costs. The Kenya Economic Survey 2024 released today by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows the informal sector contributed the majority of the jobs at 720,900 or 85 per cent.

Employment in the modern and informal sectors, excluding small-scale farming and pastoralist activities, went up from 19.1 million in 2022 to 20 million in 2023.

In the year under review, …

• The Communications Authority of Kenya has finalised Phase I of the cellular mobile infrastructure project which connected 76 sub-locations.
• The authority also targets the expansion of the postal services and digitally empowering the youth.
• The Authority finalised the rollout of Internet connectivity in 886 public secondary schools spread across 47 counties.

The Communications Authority of Kenya will need at least Sh107 billion ($819.9 million) to protect consumers and foster competitive ICT markets in a bid to establish Kenya as a digital superhighway. While unveiling its five-year strategic for 2023-27, CA Director-General David Mugonyi said the authority would prioritise increased broadband penetration, adoption of emerging technologies and improvement of cyber security as a way of powering the government’s Bottom-Up Economic policies.

The authority also targets the expansion of the postal services and digitally empowering the youth, women and people living with disabilities. “The goals are backed by a robust implementation plan …

• Sustainable Trade in Tanzania seeks to integrate the strengths of private sectors and civil society organisations to promote green growth.
• The plan seeks to grow trade practices that are both inclusive and environmentally sustainable.
• The project seeks to improve trade resilience to climate change by advocating for sustainable trade practices.

The Foundation for Civil Society (FCS) and TradeMark Africa have sealed a grant agreement to launch a $ 900,000 Private Sector and CSOs project to drive sustainable Sustainable Trade in Tanzania and inclusive business practices, addressing the significant systemic challenges in Tanzania’s trade sector.

Funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Ireland, and Norway, the TZS2.3 billion ($900,000), the project seeks to integrate the strengths of private sectors and civil society organisations to promote green economic growth.

Many women in Tanzania remain in the informal trading sector, facing barriers such as limited access to finance and inadequate training …

• Estimates show that family planning in Kenya prevented 2.4 million pregnancies in 2023.
• The 2023 report shows significant achievements in family planning across the globe, even in the face of stagnant funding.
• The contraceptives were procured by UNFPA with more than KES57 Million (£348,000) funding from the UK.

Efforts to make family planning more accessible to women in Kenya received a boost with the handover of 450,000 doses of Subcutaneous Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA-SC), a self-injectable contraceptive that simplifies and enhances the accessibility of family planning.

The contraceptives were procured by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) with more than $378,151 (KES57 Million) funding from the UK Government, and will be distributed by the Ministry of Health to health facilities across the country.

DMPA-SC is a user-friendly injectable contraceptive that can be administered by trained individuals, including community health workers and women themselves, thereby expanding access to family planning …

• Kenyan home buyers are looking for cheaper houses despite an overall drop in real estate property prices
• In addition, there was a slight activity increase in the high-market section, to account for 17 per cent in quarter four from 15.2 per cent in the third quarter.
• These variations underscore the segmented nature of the housing market, influenced by both region and house type.

Kenyan home buyers sought cheaper houses despite an overall drop in real estate property prices throughout last the year, according to a new report.

The latest Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) Housing Price Index shows that the low market segment (Affordable Housing) recorded high demand in the last quarter, accounting for 62.3 per cent.

The shift to the low end was a steep rise compared to 48 per cent recorded in the previous quarter.

Price reduction came amidst challenges like high inflation and a weak shilling, which reduced …

• Kenya’s Green Jobs Potential will be key in  preserving the country’s natural heritage and combating the challenges posed by climate change.
• PS Labour and Skills Development Shadrack Mwadime warned that the transition to green economy has far reaching implications for the world of work
• Green jobs are becoming a crucial driver of sustainable development in Kenya,

Stakeholders in the environment conservation sectors are deliberating on ways to unlock Kenya’s potential as a global hub for digital work and green jobs. The government, jointly with Jacob’s Ladder Africa, International Labour Organisation, United Nations Environment Programme and United Nations Children’s Fund, are in talks in Nairobi to align government priorities with the demands of the green job market.

Kenya National Green Jobs and Skills Development Workshop, brings together stakeholders from government, academia, private sector, finance, and youth-led groups to address the critical need for green jobs and skills development in …

• Kenya Apparel Exports currently stand at about Sh51 billion, according to a Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) report.
• Kenya is one of the global suppliers of big fashion brands in America, such as H&M, Levi’s, JCPenny, and Wrangler.
• Youngone intends to start a vertically integrated manufacturing factory, from knitting to dyeing to manufacturing of garments.

Top Global apparel and footwear manufacturer Youngone will set up a factory in Kenya at the Athi River Export Processing Zone (EPZ), Cabinet Secretary for Trade and Industrialization Rebecca Miano has revealed.

The CS said the Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA) had received a Manufacturing application form with all the required attachments from Youngone Kenya EPZ Limited (Proposed) by April 21, 2024, and issued an Approval in Principle Letter on 25 April 2024.

This comes as the government, through the Ministry of Trade, has been seeking more investors in the textile industry to drive local …