Thursday, March 28

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Funds to bail out small businesses in Uganda

The 97Fund, a Ugandan based Open-end Investment Vehicle (HoldCo) launched a $1 Million COVID-19 Relief Fund (the “Fund”) to bail out small businesses in Uganda that have been affected by the pandemic.

The 97Fund invests in high growth early-stage companies in Africa and is managed by Ortus Africa Capital.

The fund targets companies in sectors such as  healthcare, tourism, education, finance, New Ways of working (NWoW) such as supply chains and logistics and the digital economy providing market places to businesses.

Kenneth Legesi, Manager of the 97Fund said that the pandemic has  disrupted Uganda’s social and economic landscape as seen through the different sectors across the board.

“The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development projected economic growth would decline from 6 per cent to 5.2 per cent, with an estimate of 2.5 million Ugandans likely to fall back into poverty due to the pandemic. Businesses are feeling the effects …

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In this column called “The Indicator,” we will be taking an economic or financial statistic from East Africa and breaking it down into bite-sized nuggets of knowledge for investors. 

This month’s indicator figure is 816. 

816 of what? 

There are a total 816 innovation professionals in East African Community (EAC) countries as identified by inclusion of the word “innovation” in their current public job description according to a series of searches using the popular professional social networking site, LinkedIn.     

This Indicator figure certainly does not incorporate all people involved in innovation, but seeks to use this metric as a rubric to stimulate discussion on the importance of innovation in East Africa for business competitiveness.   

What do you mean by innovation professionals?  

Innovation is defined as the process of creating a new method, process, product, or service.      

People whose job is focused on innovation are considered innovation professionals who are typically

UN releases $106m for Angola’s socio-economic sector

The United Nations will invest a total of $106 million in the social and economic projects of Angola until 2021.

The outgoing UN resident coordinator in Angola, Paolo Balladelli said the organization intends to invest $53 million per year.

He said that Angola needs billions of dollars to solve major problems and the UN will continue to support. He said that funds will help implement academic, government and civil society programmes.

Mr Balladelli also added that the UN agencies are promoting various initiatives to support Angolan government in social and economic areas with a focus on projects supporting the fight against COVID-19  and prevention programme.

The UN official praised the Government of Angola for putting in place measures to prevent and combat the COVID-19 pandemic, most importantly the timely adoption of the State of Emergency, which allowed the postponement of the spread of the new coronavirus and prepare material …

Kenyan banking platform Kwara unveils online Saccos digital site

Kenyan based Digital banking platform Kwara has announced the launch of its Kwara Pronto digital banking platform which is planned to help SACCOs at risk of disruption from the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) to quickly go digital, remain in operation and continue serving members.

The platform will be offered free for 3 months and will be available for the first 50 SACCOs who qualify.

Due to government-enforced restrictions on movement and social distancing measures during COVID-19, SACCOs are unable to operate at full capacity. As a result, members face challenges applying for loans, transacting and accessing their funds.

Kwara is offering access to an essential version of its core digital banking platform, which will enable SACCOs who qualify to quickly onboard and bring their operations online, at no cost, for the next 3 months. This is an effort to enable SACCOs and their members to keep transacting while observing social distancing.…

E.A Trends

The economies of the East African region have for a long time recorded impressive growths among other African peers. They have been expanding at an average rate of 6.3 percent, with that of Rwanda expected to lead at eight percent from 7.8 percent. This growth, however, is facing one of its biggest challenges with the emergence of the Novel Coronavirus, scientifically referred to as COVID-19 as well as local challenges including political processes and the recent locust invasion. These effects are likely to cut down on any projected growth and gains made over the years. Kenya, the largest economy in the region, will most likely be hit hard with the halting of international flights and tourism. The bourse has already recorded a bear run, similar to other markets in the region. Burundi and Tanzania are preparing for elections, Kenya is seeking constitutional changes and Uganda is looking for ways to

Egyptian bank plans entry to Kenya with eye on East Africa

Banque Misr, Egypt’s second-largest bank, has announced plans to enter the Kenyan market as it seeks lending deals in East Africa and serving Egyptian firms operating in the region.

To fund the Kenya expansion the state-run bank plans to borrow $250 million from international lenders this year. The Kenyan expansion will also coincide with planned entry into Somalia and Djibouti.

“We are in talks with two international institutions on loans with competitive interest rates,” said Mohamed Eletreby, Banque Misr chairman.

Mr Eletreby added that Banque Misr could enter Kenya through setting up branches or representative offices.

Also Read: Absa Kenya’s US$ 100 million kitty for women entrepreneurs

The bank has branches in the UAE and France, as well as units in Lebanon and Germany and representative offices in China, Russia, South Korea and Italy.

The Banque Misr announcement marks the latest declaration of interest by an Egyptian lender to enter

PEPFAR Program

Rwanda’s Human Resources for Health (HRH) Program funded in part by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) from 2012 to 2017 increased Medical Specialist says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

According to the report, the program more than tripled the country’s physician specialist workforce and produced major increases in the numbers and qualifications of nurses and midwives.

The report recommended that future investments in health professional education should be designed within a more comprehensive approach to human resources for health and institutional capacity building, which would strengthen the health system to meet both HIV and more general health needs.

“People with HIV are living longer, which means they have long-term HIV care needs while also needing the care to manage other diseases and to enhance their quality of life. Supporting the entirety of their needs depends on the same strong …

IFC partners with Africa CEO Forum 2020 - The Exchange

International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, announced that it will co-host the AFRICA CEO FORUM 2020.

IFC’s support for the event shows its increasing commitment to help Africa’s governments, businesses, and entrepreneurs overcome challenges, increase trade, create jobs and drive innovation.

The Africa CEO Forum will be held on March 9 to 10 next year in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

It is the leading international conference dedicated to supporting private sector-led growth on the continent.

The upcoming 8th edition of the AFRICA CEO FORUM will focus on regional integration, the impact of technological advances, infrastructure development and jobs.

It will also cover other areas relevant to unlocking the continent’s economic potential and helping improve lives.

IFC which has co-hosted the FORUM since 2018, is at the centre of discussions on these and other development topics which will help drive economic transformation in the …

Egypt is Germany’s third-largest trade partner - The Exchange

Egypt is Germany’s third-largest trade partner in the Middle East, with a trade exchange worth $3.6 billion.

According to a report by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, trade between the two countries increased by $43 million during the first nine months of 2019 to $3.622 billion, compared to about $3.579 billion recorded during the same period in 2018.

In 2017, the trade exchange between Egypt and Germany reached its highest level at 5.8 billion euros.

Germany’s total investment in Egypt currently stands at about $7.4 billion across various fields, including construction, industry, tourism, the service sector, agriculture, and information and technology.

In German investment guarantees, Egypt also ranks among the top ten recipients with 18 guarantees worth 1.4 billion euros.

During Mostafa Madbouly, Egyp’st Prime Minister visit to Germany last June, he signed a memorandum of understanding with Bosch to build a factory in an area of 120,000 square …

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