Growing competitiveness, a roller coaster of fuel prices, labor unions, and especially the phenomenon of low-cost carriers have made it all the more difficult to reach positive earnings pretty much in every route.

With a number of countries sporting continental distances, Africa has been an exciting promise for air carriers, but not without its challenges. Poor infrastructure and the high cost of maintenance and logistics have plagued the development of an effective air grid in the continent. Nevertheless, a great opportunity remains.

At the beginning of the last decade, South African Airways was a dominant force, carrying some 9 million passengers yearly while Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines combined were just shy of 6 million yearly passengers. However, poor management choices combined with borderline irresponsible behavior from …

On 1^st of April, as I was publishing my Uniconization of African Fintech piece[1], Mastercard was busy announcing their $100 million investment into Airtel Money (Airtel Africa’s mobile money subsidiary) to acquire a minority position – half what TPG Capital did[2]. Even though I had gotten wind of the transaction knowing that Mastercard was already in bed with Airtel Money[3] – some part of me thought of it as an April fools joke…. On the 12^th of April 2021, Mobile Telecom Network (MTN) announced the valuation of their mobile money business at $5 billion making it the 7^th African fintech unicorn with plans to bring in minority shareholders before going public[4]. Given that Visa is already in bed with MPESA (Vodacom and Safaricom’s mobile money business)[5], it is a matter of time before Visa also invests. The unicornization …

Cash in lieu in insurance means where the insurance company exercises the option of giving you cash for repair of your car instead of them having it repaired for you. There are a number of ways an insurance company can settle a motor insurance claim: by having your car repaired, or by giving you compensation in case of total loss or giving you cash for repairs. Insurance companies are technically liable for poor car repairs should you suffer injuries as a result. 

Thus for an insurance company to remove themselves from the latter kind of situation they should just be liable for the cost of repairs and not arranging for repairs. That is different in Kenya and elsewhere where insurance companies arrange for the cost of repair in a bid to save a few shillings. An insurance company can opt for …

For over a century, Kenya and the United Kingdom have enjoyed strong ties hinged on trust, enhanced cooperation and mutual benefit across key sectors, among them trade, tourism, security, health and education. 

The UK views Kenya as a strategic partner due to her wealth of agricultural materials, booming services sector and for being a gateway to other markets in the East African community. It has therefore over the decades invested in growing Kenya to become the region’s economic powerhouse. Indeed UK remains one of the largest foreign investors in Kenya with a portfolio approximated at £2.7 billion. More than 200 British companies have set up shop in Kenya opening up the country to increased employment opportunities and economic growth. 

Kenya on the other hand has found a key export market in the UK for its products, among them tea, coffee, flowers and other horticultural produce. For millions of  farmers …

Sahera Sumar is the epitome of what a global citizen represents. Having travelled to over 25 countries and delivered programs to diverse industries, sectors and cultures, Sumar has become a beacon of strength, knowledge and hope for women all over the world.

Equipped with her passion for capacity building and her expertise in leadership, talent and organisational development, Sumar is set to embark on her next big project.

The project; Worldwide SHEroes, will see successful global leaders engage, empower, enable and mentor women leaders; sculpting them into women who are admired or idealised for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

Worldwide SHEroes will provide women around the world with a global network of mentors and leaders who will share their collective wisdom. The goal of the platform is to accelerate the journey of women into positions of leadership and influence while at the same time improving their economic equity …

On 1 January 2021, trade began within the African Continental Free Trade Area (‘AfCFTA’). After years of preparation, and being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, AfCFTA becomes the largest free trade area in the world based on the number of participating countries since the World Trade Organization (‘WTO’) was formed and connects some 1.3 billion people across the African continent.

Among many other key developments under the AfCFTA, member states have agreed to remove 90 per cent of tariff lines on non–sensitive products within five years for developing countries and within ten years for least developed countries.

The AfCFTA seeks to provide member states a comprehensive and mutually beneficial trade agreement that aims to boost intra-African trade. As noted by the World Bank, “[a]s the global economy is in turmoil due to the COVID-19 pandemic, creation of the vast AfCFTA regional market serves as a major opportunity to …