Saturday, May 18

Economic Growth

Pullman Hotel Nairobi
  • Pullman Hotel Nairobi will begin operations in June 2024
  • Kenya has 31 hotels with a total of 4,268 rooms in the pipeline with an average room size of approximately 138 square feet.
  • Pullman Hotel Nairobi Upper Hill has similarly adopted the concept of “workspitality” under the co-working spaces brand WOJO.

French multinational hospitality group, Accor will unveil its first premium Pullman branded hotel in Kenya next month. This will add to Accor’s offering in the Kenyan market, which includes Fairmont the Nofolk and Mövenpick Hotel & Residences in Nairobi among others.

According to Pullman Hotels & Resorts Director of Sales and Marketing Susan Waringa, the Pullman Hotel Nairobi Upper Hill which is set to open its doors to guests in June this year will have 162 rooms offering premium hospitality.

“We’re excited about the opening of Pullman Hotel Nairobi Upper Hill, catering to the needs of the hyper-connected business and …

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Hotel room developments
  • New hotel room developments in Kenya have dropped.
  • With continued signing activity (19 hotels with about 5,200 rooms in 2023) Egypt now accounts for 28 per cent of the total pipeline.
  • When it comes to hotels under construction, Marriott International leads the way, with 138 hotels (15,011 rooms) currently being built.

Kenya has ranked seventh in Africa among the countries with the highest number of hotel room developments by international hotel chains, a drop from position five in 2022.

This is according to the latest survey by Lagos-based W Hospitality Group, in association with the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum (AHIF). From the survey, Kenya has 31 hotels with a total of 4,268 rooms on the pipeline with an average room size in these hotels is approximately 138 square feet.

North Africa continues to dominate the planned supply, with Morocco and Egypt together comprising almost 31 per cent of the …

Uganda National Oil Company
  • The Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) is directly importing petroleum products from Vitol Bahrain, aiming to reduce reliance on Kenyan firms and mitigate high fuel prices. 
  • UNOC’s direct importation and sale of fuel to OMCs in Tanzania and Uganda is a significant step towards fostering stronger regional ties, promoting economic growth, and ensuring energy security. 

Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) has started the sale of petroleum products to oil marketing companies in both Uganda and Tanzania.

This is part of a broader strategy to test the waters before UNOC embarks on a direct importation agreement with the global oil titan, Vitol Bahrain. This maneuver signals a new era in East Africa’s energy dynamics, especially following a cooling of relations between Uganda and Kenya over fuel supply mechanisms.

Breaking New Ground: Uganda National Oil Company Direct Importation Deal

For years, Uganda’s fuel supply chain was heavily dependent on Kenyan OMCs. However, …

Zimbabwe is cracking down on individuals it terms illegal forex traders. www.theexchange.africa

If you received your salary on the 1st of January in ZWL, you would struggle to pay for goods and services in February. This volatile situation results in consumers seeing value eroded from their bank balances at an astonishing rate.

We see wages struggle to keep up with inflation, a phenomenon similar to 2008. Most people buy USD from the black market to retain some semblance of value in these balances.

Zimbabwe has a currency crisis, and the Authorities seem to be struggling to deal with it. The rate at which the Zimbabwe dollar is depreciating signifies the state of the economy. Much of this is being blamed on the countries foreign currency auction system.…

Dr. Zanetor Agyeman – Rawlings. She says there still are many challenges of global governance and gender. www.theexchange.africa

The Vienna World Conference on Human Rights in 1993 was forced to address women’s rights as a human rights issues because of the violence and sexual abuse against women occurring in Yugoslavia at the time.

The Fourth International Women’s Conference was held in Beijing in 1995 made human rights and women’s participation in decision making at all levels key. One of the recommendations was for the countries to have gender desks in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies including Security Services. It cautioned against the specific establishment of Women’s Ministries as these would take gender issues to the periphery as that ministry would be saddled with all matters gender-related.

The conference also discussed the eradication of poverty, women in armed conflict and violence against women. …

Russia's inaugural Africa summit. Russia is expanding brisk business with Africa. www.theexchange.africa

Apart from the absence of a public strategy for the continent, there is a lack of coordination among various state and para-state institutions working with Africa.

Despite the growth of external players’ influence and presence in Africa, Russia has to intensify and redefine its parameters. Russia’s foreign policy strategy regarding Africa has to spell out and incorporate the development needs of African countries.

Unlike most competitors, Russia has to promote an understandable agenda for Africa: working more on sovereignty, continental integration, infrastructure development, human development (education and medicine), security (including the fight against hunger and epidemics), normal universal human values, the idea that people should live with dignity and feel protected.…

Solar Power Africa event is set for 16 to 18 February 2022. www.theexchange.africa

The South African solar photovoltaic (PV) market is increasing exponentially.

Solar Power Market outlook expects the solar market to register a CAGR of over 10 per cent from 2021 – 2026, reaching an installed capacity of more than 3.6 GW by 2026, up from 1.48 GW in 2019.

Solar power production in South Africa comes when the country is aligning to reduce carbon emissions through a transition from coal to other clean energy sources. This step is not an easy fit.…

Bboxx Kenya will use the US$14 million loan to connect 470,000 Kenyan households to renewable energy sources. www.theexchange.africa
  • Data by the World Bank Group reveals that Kenya’s electrification rate currently stands at 70 per cent
  • Easing the financial access barrier for end-users has improved the uptake of home solar systems over the past decade. 
  • The Kenya National Electrification Strategy highlights the Kenyan government’s plans to scale up off-grid electrification with ambitions to establish two million new connections through standalone solar home systems by 2022. 

Bboxx Kenya is set to receive a US$14 million (Ksh1.6 billion) loan facility from SBM Bank Kenya aimed at connecting 470,000 Kenyan households to renewable energy sources.

GuarantCo, a fund backed by the governments of UK, Switzerland and Australia among others, is guaranteeing Ksh1.2 billion or 75 percent of the loans.

“SBM Bank is elated to spur the growth of the energy sector in Kenya through partnerships with like-minded entities such as Bboxx and GuarantCo,” SBM Bank Kenya’s deputy chief executive officer Jotham Mutoka …

A morsel of bread. Kenya needs political will to ensure that agricultural productivity increases to stave off hunger. www.theexchange.africa

The KNBS report shows that the price of onions (leeks and bulbs), white bread, cooking oil (salad) and tomatoes increased by 7.46, 4.71, 4.62 and 4.55 per cent, respectively, in December 2021. Interestingly, these are the most basic household food items you will find in most homes.

When prices go up as much as they have done, it means that most households will either have to find alternatives or make do without these basic food items altogether.

In an election year, this is not something that Kenyans are prepared for especially with the decimation of job opportunities and livelihoods caused by the pandemic.

On another front, the country faces further hardships as consumer power declines. With food becoming scarce, the country is in dire straits already. Food production in Kenya is far behind demand. …

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