Author: Kawira Mutisya

In the East African community trading bloc, poor infrastructure continues to be a huge trade barrier and a major constraint to regional integration and development.

This especially affects shippers who rely on road transport to get goods distributed across the region. Poor infrastructure increases dwell time on the roar which means higher costs making goods to compete unfairly with imports from around the world.

According to a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s Review of Maritime Transport last year, restrictions affecting inland transportation have created some challenges to cross-border crossings.

“For example, in some African countries, the time taken to pick up cargo after customs release increased in 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. Trucks took longer times to return to their departure points due to the restrictions imposed to contain the pandemic. Such disruptions led …

Since covid-19 was first reportd in Kenya in March last year, a series of challenges have affected several sectors. Agriculture sector has not been spared either.

In Kenya agriculture is the engine of economic growth in Kenya. According to data from Food and Agriculture organization (FAO), about 75 per cent of Kenyans earn all or part of their income from this sector.

Agriculture accounts for 33 per cent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).  Despite continuous population growth, agricultural productivity has stagnated in recent years.  Only 20 per cent of Kenyan land is suitable for farming and that land is not utilized efficiently.

To this end, the United States International University-Africa (USIU-A), through support provided by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research through their Cultivate Africa’s Future initiative, has been providing young agripreneurs, aged 18-35 years, with access to business training, finance …

Selected industry players in the maritime sector will be feted for remaining resilient in the hard economic times dotted by global pandemic.

Kenya Ports Authority’s second East Africa Maritime Awards (EAMA) ceremony is scheduled to take place on May 21, 2021 in Mombasa, Kenya.

The Awards which seek to recognize and award notable users of the Port of Mombasa and individual players are open to companies from across the breadth of the maritime sector, comprising the shipping, ports, services, engineering, and leisure marine industries with operations in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Speaking in Mombasa, Kenya Ports Authority Ag. Managing Director Eng. Rashid Salim said the Awards had come at a time the local, regional and global economies were facing a period of significant challenge following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has tested all sectors of the …

Business Membership Organizations (BMOs) in the East African region are adopting Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software technologies, in a bid to improve service provision to businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

This follows a two-day training by the East African Business Council (EABC) in partnership with GIZ- Business Scouts for Development and the Federation of German Industries (BDI), on using a CRM software set to improve the capacity of BMOs in processing data and communicating effectively with members of the business community.

Speaking during the opening session of the training, EABC CEO Dr. Peter Mathuki urged East African companies to adopt digital business models to improve business resilience and continuity amid the pandemic.

“COVID-19 has brought forth opportunities in e-commerce, which have significantly scaled down the cost of doing business by automating manual office operations and reducing human interaction hence increasing productivity and efficiency,” he said.

Dr. Mathuki also noted that …

Eldoret based Tech Hub EldoHub in partnership with Thunderbird School of Global Management and with support from the UK Kenya Tech have launched a Digital Apprenticeship Programme targeting tech professionals.

The programme is aimed at equipping young tech professionals with the necessary skills they need for the job market.

According to Eldohub Founder and Managing Director Magdaline Chepkemoi, the move is aimed at bridging the skills gap in the industry.

“Kenya is known as the Silicon Savannah for numerous reasons and what cements this reputation is her youthful, tech savvy population. Whilst this kind of talent can and should be propelling Kenya’s future, the reality is that many techies lack real work practical experience.  On the other hand businesses that are hiring, want more experienced techies with at least a few years under their belt.  How will these junior techies ever get hired without experience,” she said.

Also read: Kenyan

NCBA Bank has signed up a partnership with Shelter Afrique to provide mortgage finance to buyers in five counties.

Under the agreement, NCBA will offer mortgage finance to over 200 housing units developed by Shelter Afrique and spread across Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Kiambu and Machakos counties.

The developments include maisonettes and apartments ranging from Ksh5.5 million ($49,931) to Ksh 20.25 million ($183,840).

Commenting on the agreement, NCBA’s Head of Property Finance Stella Mutai said the bank will continue to seek partnerships in order to improve access to housing within the country and the region.

“This is an exciting partnership with Shelter Afrique as we work together to bridge the housing gap across the country and the region,” said Stella.

Stella added: “The huge volume of houses that our country needs will require closer partnerships to help meet the growing housing needs in our major cities and towns.”

Speaking on the …

Unemployment remains one of the biggest socio-economic challenges in current times. This has been made worse with the recent hit that countries have experienced due to the global pandemic that has significantly slowed down the growth of economies across the globe.  

Many people have lost their jobs while others have had their salaries reduced; all of this is putting pressure on employees to meet the expenses and demands of basic living. This is why people are now turning to entrepreneurship to make a living or expand their income by running a ‘business on the side’. Our Reporter Kawira Mutisya has researched and come up with several pointers on what makes an entrepreneur. These should play a role in guiding those just joining the bandwagon.   …

Reducing greenhouse emissions will reduce the impact and costs associated with climate change, but the world must also plan for, finance and implement, climate change adaptation measures or face serious costs, losses and damages. 

This is according to a recent report released by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The study highlights some of the challenges faced by countries that are likely to slow down the reduction of greenhouse emissions.  …

While insurers have been able to absorb the underwriting impacts of large loss events such as COVID-19, the impact on insurance companies’ profitability is still uncertain. 

This is according to a recent report by Deloitte, which states that despite the efforts put in place by governments to cushion the public from the adverse economic effects of the pandemic, the outlook on long-term impacts and recovery from the pandemic is still uncertain as it will take time for businesses to recover.  

“With stock markets showing declines in performance and flattening yield curves, insurers are set to experience poor performance in their investments and this will flow through to their bottom line results.”  …

The third cohort of the One Planet Fellowship has been announced. The fellowship under investing in the next generation of African scientists, African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) targets high potential scientists in a career acceleration process.

According to a statement from the firm, the US$19.2 million One Planet Fellowship seeks to invest in over 630 agricultural scientists, fostering their leadership expertise, strengthening their research skills, including integrating gender into their work, and catalyzing partnerships in Africa and between Africa and Europe. Since launching the inaugural call in 2019, AWARD has received over 2400 applications and, to date, 89 outstanding scientists from 14 African countries have been offered the One Planet Fellowship.

Selected candidates participate in an intensive, three-year non-residential, career acceleration process and those who complete it will become One Planet Laureates. “The One Planet Fellowship has made me appreciate the critical role of women in science …