Author: Opinion

By Julia Greenland – CEO, In Their Hands Living in Africa, I have watched the explosion of COVID 19 in Asia, Europe and America like a horror movie. We watched as country after country introduced social distancing measures too late and thousands of cases emerge. In the back of my mind, I kept thinking – what will happen when it reaches us, with our small number of ventilators and millions without running water? So, like everyone else, I have been relieved to see East Africa’s governments respond quickly – closing schools, limiting entry and restricting movement. Yes, we are doing…

By Eric Osiakwan When I postulated the digital economy in Africa in 2013 as a precursor to becoming a fulltime angel investor and subsequently writing about its KINGS in 2016, it never crossed my mind that in 2020 COVID-19 would be the SPEEDING agent. Who could have predicted COVID-19 except Bill Gates who alluded to a viral outbreak in his 2015 TED talk whiles George Bush and Barack Obama were more accurate in prospecting 2020 as the year? However, none of them envisaged the extent of this epidemic which has pretty much collapsed the capital markets and slowed down the economies of many countries with…

It goes without saying that during a crisis such as the pandemic the world is currently facing; clear, consistent and concise communications can be an effective tool in curbing the spread of diseases such as COVID-19. But innovative communication has always been an Achilles heel for leaders in a crisis, and Africa is no exception, says political campaigner, Madelain Roscher, CEO of Status (Pty) Ltd. “Giving credit where credit is due, some African leaders have stepped up with regards to taking decisive action to stop the viral spread of the Coronavirus by partially or wholly placing their countries in lockdown…

By Anusha, Anusha Lalani, Communications Fellow at Aga Khan Academies, Mombasa, Kenya. Since 16 March 2020, the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa has been closed due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Within two days after the government’s announcement to have all schools closed, the Academy managed to send its 260 residential students back to their home countries, such as Uganda, Pakistan, Tanzania and more. While students were on their way home, Academy teachers underwent extensive professional development within five days in relation to online learning. One week later, on 23 March 2020, the online ‘doors’ to the Academy opened and…

Both small and big companies are at risk as the number of attacks will increase during this lock down period. All over the world businesses are urged to embrace online engagement with their customers, and sale of their products.Banking security experts are advising that businesses of all sizes need a plan to defend cybersecurity threats. The following are tips on how to protect data, assets and transactions with any business—small or big, and in any sector. Cyber-attacks may be launched over the internet or rely on someone with physical access to a company’s premises by using: emails that contain malicious…

I have been working in the investment industry for nearly 33 years. Over that time I have made a few mistakes and have had many successes. This week one of my clients, a very successful young Kampala man, told me that whilst he had made a lot of money in business he had lost a lot of money that he had invested. He asked me what advice I would give him to help him make better investments. Based on my experience here are ten “DO´s and DON´Ts” for successful investment: DON´T do it if you don´t fully understand it If…

In the Kenya Gazette of 14th November 1944, the Governor of the Colony and Protectorate of Kenya approved a bill to make provision against Third Party risks arising out of the use of motor vehicles. This Ordinance was cited as the Motor Vehicles Insurance (Third Party Risks) Ordinance, 1944. Section 4 Subsection 1 of the Ordinance says,“Subject to the provisions of this Ordinance it shall not be lawful for any person to use, or to cause or permit any other person to use, a motor vehicle on a road unless there is in force in relation to the user of…

By Sachen Gudka Coronavirus is our wake-up call. No one could have predicted its disastrous impact. But that is the nature of disasters; most are sudden, unpredictable and leave in their wake unimaginable misery and loss. We have been quite rudely awakened to the essentiality of disaster resilience. Anything that we do from now on, any buildings, any plans and any developments as a country have to be done through a disaster resilience lens. Any policies developed and implemented should be able to answer the questions: ‘Will they help us get through the next disaster shock with minimal loss? Will…

If any of us were given a warning by an alien, in a language we did not understand, with symbols we had never seen before, we would not emerge warned–which is a fact that is now driving legislative reform in Kenya to ensure warnings on pest control products are understandable to every farmer. The aim is to ensure farmers reap far higher yields without causing any damage to themselves or their land. As it is, pest control products used in Kenya have been through around nine years of safety testing and more than 100 kinds of tests in order to…

The growth and development of the banking and financial sector has been propelled by factors driven by market demand and supply forces. We have seen banks coming up with various products not only to meet client demands but also as a means of remaining competitive given the number of players within the banking sector. Comparatively, customers now have a wider range of selection when it comes to choice of a banker. Taking advantage of the technology banks have no choice but to keep on being creative and innovative on product development and service delivery channels. A review of financial performance…