Author: Kimani Chege

Alibaba Group and the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) will launch a digital map to track food-security issues across the globe. The “Hunger Map LIVE” will leverage artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics to predict and track the magnitude and severity of hunger in close to real-time in more than 90 countries. The map will allow the WFP, humanitarian-aid organizations and global leaders to identify negative trends early and enable better decision-making to improve response times and cut costs. “The Hunger Map LIVE is a visual wake-up call every day, showing us a real-time snapshot of the problem and…

Kenya is preparing to host several American companies during the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Kenya annual Business Summit that will be held on November 4 – 5, 2018 in Nairobi.  More than 200 American companies will participate in the meeting that seeks to explore investment opportunities in Africa. The Summit, now in its second year is held in partnership with the Kenya and U.S. governments as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and serves as an engagement platform for the U.S. and the greater East Africa region to focus on strengthening two-way, enterprise-driven, trade and investment, forging long-term…

Armadale Capital, a London Stock Exchange’s AIM-listed investment company focussed on resource projects in Africa has secured an MOU with a China-based technology company CoolRU Information Technology for 5,000tpa of graphite concentrate produced at Tanzania’s Mahenge Liandu over an initial five-year period. Armadale’s wholly-owned Mahenge Liandu Graphite Project is located in a highly prospective region, with a high-grade JORC compliant indicated and inferred mineral resource estimate announced February 2018 – 51.1Mt at 9.3% TGC. This includes 38.7Mt Indicted at 9.3% and 12.4Mt at 9.1% TGC, making it one of the largest high-grade resources in Tanzania. Armadale acquired a 100% interest…

Ugandan grown cocoa bean is producing one of kind chocolate that is about to make an inroad into USA providing the world with authentic African flavors through South African based chocolate maker De Villiers. Classed among the finest cocoa beans in the world, the crops grown in the tropical, rainy Bundibugyo district of Western Uganda produce a cocoa bean rich in the complexity of flavors. De Villiers Chocolate uses only these UTZ Certified beans because supporting sustainable cocoa farming is vitally important to Africa’s future. With their positioning as the first African-originated UTZ Certified chocolate brand, De Villiers are hoping to bring…

Dutch FMO and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have agreed to finance the construction and operation of two new solar photovoltaic plants in Kenya. EIB and FMO will each provide USD 53 million for the two projects, with the remainder of the USD 147 million total project cost provided by the project promoters Frontier Energy, David Langat, Chairman of the DL Group of Companies and Ayaz Merali, Managing Director of Paramount Bank. The new Radiant and Eldosol projects are amongst the first to generate utility-scale solar power in East Africa. The two schemes will diversify Kenya’s electricity supply away from…

Ethiopian Airlines is expanding its partnership with CellPoint Digital a leading provider of digital commerce and payment solutions for airlines, to offer more popular payment methods to its passengers with a specific interest to Chinese visitors. Last year, Ethiopian Airlines adopted CellPoint’s Velocity payment platform to implement a mobile-first payment strategy and create a more seamless customer experience in its mobile app. Ethiopian Airlines initially added Alipay and saw promising growth in bookings through its mobile app in some markets. Ethiopian Airlines is now introducing WeChat Pay and KNET to cater to the international travel market. China is set to displace the United States as the…

Credit Bank, a middle tier bank in Kenya is eagerly awaiting the Central Bank of Kenya approval to initiate a Ksh 1 Billion transaction signed last month. The bank has made an expression of intent in capturing the Small and Medium Entreprises (SMEs) segment by partnering with Netherlands based social impact investor Oikocredit by signing the Ksh. 1bn equity investment. The investment, which is subject to regulatory approvals, will see Oikocredit take a minority stake in Credit Bank. As an investor, Oikocredit will work with Credit Bank to mainstream social impact and impact measurement into Credit Bank’s lending activities. Speaking…

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is the 2nd fastest growing airport in the word cargo ranking. This has been revealed in the Airports Council International (ACI) latest World Airport Traffic Report, which highlights top airports for passengers, cargo and aircraft movements and showcases the world’s fastest-growing airports for 2018. JKIA was ranked 2nd in the ‘Fastest Growing Airports (Handing over 250,000 metric tons of air cargo)’ category, after handling over 342,000 metric tons of air cargo in 2018, a 25% growth from the what was reported in the year 2017. This ranking came as a surprise to many given the dwindling…

Smile Train, the world’s leading cleft organization, announced their partnership with the West African College of Surgeons (WACS) to launch the Smile Train-WACS Cleft Surgical Certification. The Certification will grant 6 surgeons per year over the next five years the opportunity to specialize in cleft care across West Africa. The one- year Post-Graduate Program will commence in February 2020. WACS will identify accredited centers to serve as training sites in Nigeria, Ghana and French West Africa. The Certification is open to applicants in all West African and CEMAC zone countries with priority being given to trainees from countries without significant Smile Train presence.…

AAR Insurance Kenya has launched a service that enables customers to manage medical expenses using their mobile phones. The new service replaces a smart card that clients have been using to access treatment at health facilities over the years. This will be implemented together with CarePay and is a modification of the old M-TIBA. AAR Insurance Kenya Managing Director, Nixon Shigoli, says the mobile platform, allows clients to access their medical benefits via their mobile phones, thus ensuring convenience. The new platform will also help curb fraud by creating transparency of medical expenses for the client, insurer, and provider. It…