Author: James Wambua

Across Africa’s fisheries value chains, a quiet but powerful economic engine pulses beneath the surface, women who process, trade, and preserve the catch that feeds millions. Yet despite their indispensable role, these women remain systematically excluded from the financial systems that could transform their enterprises from survival livelihoods into thriving businesses. In this segment of our interview, Dr. Christina Chemtai Hicks turns her attention to the gendered realities of fisheries finance, Professor at Lancaster University, Pew Marine Fellow, Oceana Board member and speaker at the ongoing One Ocean Conference in Mombasa, exposing a stark paradox: the very women who sustain…

As the 11th Our Ocean Conference convenes in Mombasa, the first time this global gathering has been held on African soil, the focus shifts to a continent blessed with both immense marine wealth and profound food system challenges. In this exclusive interview, The Exchange Africa sits down with Dr. Christina Chemtai Hicks, Professor at Lancaster University, Pew Marine Fellow, and Oceana Board member, to unpack a vision for African food systems that moves far beyond mere productivity. Dr. Hicks brings a rare perspective that bridges rigorous fisheries science with deep commitments to equity, human rights, and the lived realities of coastal…

As global food security systems reel from supply chain shocks, climate volatility, and geopolitical conflict, a quiet consensus is emerging among marine scientists and nutrition economists: Africa’s most resilient, nutrient-dense, and locally embedded food source is not a grain or tubers, it is fish. Yet for policymakers, fisheries remain stubbornly sidelined, treated as a rural subsistence activity rather than a strategic sector capable of feeding millions and buffering against external shocks. That perception gap is costing Africa. According to Dr. Christina Chemtai Hicks, a Professor at Lancaster University, Pew Marine Fellow, and member of Oceana’s Board of Directors fish are…

Pan-African banking giant Ecobank Group has announced the issuance of nature bond at the London Stock Exchange attracting global capital to help protect the continent’s increasingly fragile biodiversity amid adverse impact of climate change. In a market update, lender said its $450 million nature bond was priced following strong investor demand with the final orderbook exceeding $1.36 billion, reflecting 3.9x the original target size. The strength of demand enabled Ecobank to increase the transaction by $100 million and tighten pricing by 50 basis points. The transaction attracted support from both international and African investors, demonstrating Ecobank’s unique ability to mobilise…

At the inaugural AI Everything Kenya x Gitex Kenya conference in Nairobi, a single question haunted every panel and every talk: will Africa build the next wave of artificial intelligence, or simply consume it? For all the talk of Africa’s youth bulge and digital leapfrogging, the continent accounts for barely 1.3% of global patent filings, and a candid panel of financiers, data chiefs, and educators admitted the gap is not just technical, but structural. Inside a packed Sarit Centre hall, an investor from Goldman Sachs spelled out the cold arithmetic of the AI economy: if your intellectual property cannot stay…

East Africa’s largest AI and tech launch event concluded on Thursday with discussions on sovereign infrastructure, trusted digital systems, startup investment, scaling platforms and IP protection.  AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA concluded in Nairobi on Thursday as regional digital economy stakeholders and global tech leaders examined the foundations shaping Africa’s role in the emerging AI economy. Organised by inD, the global organiser of GITEX events, in partnership with the Office of the Special Envoy on Technology of the Republic of Kenya, AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA is East Africa’s largest AI and tech launch event, its inaugural edition…

When a continent spends $150Bn a year importing food it could grow itself, the problem isn’t a lack of intelligence, artificial or otherwise, it’s a catastrophic failure to scale the intelligence that already exists. At East Africa’s debut AI Everything Kenya x Gitex Kenya summit, agritech industry experts argue that smallholder farmers in the continent don’t need another app; they need the digital rails to turn fragmented contracts into one investable market. For all the talk of artificial intelligence (AI) upending global agriculture, a paradox lies at the farmlands where Africa’s agritech startups are gearing up to lead a new…

In partnership with the Office of the Special Envoy on Technology of the Republic of Kenya, East Africa’s largest AI and tech event takes place in Nairobi from 19–21 May 2026  The INCLUSIVE AI EVERYTHING SUMMIT launches landmark inaugural edition with East Africa’s biggest gathering of global AI stakeholders staging future-defining conversations An ambitious new chapter in East Africa’s quest to assert digital sovereignty, advance critical infrastructure, and chart its own AI destiny is officially underway as AI Everything Kenya x Gitex Kenya, East Africa’s largest tech and AI event, debuted in Nairobi on Tuesday. Organised by inD, the global…

An estimated 74% of businesses in the East African region rank cyber risks as a top priority, significantly above global averages. In partnership with the Office of the Special Envoy on Technology of the Republic of Kenya, the inaugural event takes place in Nairobi from 19–21 May. As cyber threats become more sophisticated and persistent, organisations across East Africa are placing cybersecurity at the centre of business strategy. According to PwC’s East Africa Digital Trust Insights survey, 74% of businesses in the region now rank cyber risks as a top priority, significantly above global averages, highlighting how cybersecurity has become…

In partnership with the Office of the Special Envoy on Technology of the Republic of Kenya, East Africa’s largest AI and tech launch event takes place in Nairobi from 19-21 May 2026.  Three-day event gathers tech ecosystem to debate and deploy AI solutions built for the continent, from food security and sovereign AI to financial inclusion and cybersecurity.  Kenya is set to catalyse a new phase of AI-driven digital transformation in East Africa as the region’s largest tech show, AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA, makes its debut next week in Nairobi to fast-track tech investment and cross-border collaboration in…