Browsing: East Africa

As the rest of the country shuts down all entry ports, heavily reliant on tourism, the spice Isles of Zanzibar are allowing charter flights to land but with strict conditions.

Isles authorities have permitted charter flights bringing tourists to the island to land but on condition that all persons on board enter a 14 days quarantine stay, at their own expense.

This surprising turn of events happens in the backdrop of ongoing global threat of the spread of coronavirus. Even leading sports leagues have been cancelled and regional high profile meetings are been held on conference calls.

Across Africa, the tourism industry has come to an almost complete shutdown. It is time immemorial since a disease stopped people from touring and going for holidays, at least not since the deadly World War I and II power viruses.

With most all African countries eventually succumbing to the threat and finally closing …

There are now more than 100,000 mini-grid stations across Africa, these little power generation stations are serving to bridge Africa’s rural power gap and Tanzania is no exception.

While the country leads Africa in rural electrification efforts, there is still huge gap between demand and supply and the solution to cover it lays in mini-grids, small power stations that generate power at localized remote points.

To date, Tanzania has well over 100 mini-grids that provide electrical power to over 250,000 people in remote corners of the country. These mini-grids provide close to 200 MW using biomass, fossil fuel and solar systems as well as hybrids of these energy sources.

Tanzania’s national policies also support adoption of renewable energy technologies. Off-grid electrification using renewable energy technologies can offer a power solution to rural and remote areas. These efforts are inline with the global Sustainable Development Goals.

SDG number 7 calls for …

More than ever before, Tanzania and the rest of Africa need to employ rain harvesting technology. Global climate changing is drastically affecting weather patterns, rains are heavier or missing completely, droughts in otherwise tropical areas, cyclones and tornadoes ravaging through coastlines. Weather is now less predictable than ever before.

For both economic and social reasons, Tanzania needs to make the best of the rains when they come, Tanzania needs to harvest rain water.

While at national or even city levels, there are some sophisticated equations involved in rain harvesting, like building reservoirs and purification sites, but all in all, the science of rain harvesting technology is not all that complicated at all. It’s a simple three step investment, collect, store and purify.

Since economies rely on water for production and households depend on clean and safe water for daily survivor, harvesting rain water should not even be optional, it should …

When President Uhuru Kenyatta stepped out on his Harambee house offices to announce the measures to curb the spread of Novel Coronavirus, no one knew the effect it would have on the East African citizens. In his announcement, the President gave an allowance of 48 hours for non-Kenyans to arrive and be quarantined after which none will be allowed.

While the rules of engagement for a trade block like East African Community has been to allow the free movement of people, goods, and services, Coronavirus has stepped to challenge this notion, with most countries viciously guarding their borders against foreign entry.

In regional bodies like the European Union, the movement of people and goods across the region is becoming more difficult with border chaos being witnessed in countries traditionally with the easiest border crossing exercises.

In East Africa, crossing the boundary is even harder. After Kenya announced the crossing of …

From July, Importers in East Africa will operate under a common Customs bond, which guarantees uniform import duties and taxes across all partner states.

Currently, due to the application of different duty rates, valuation and sensitivity of goods,  the value of Customs bonds varies from country to country.

In Kenya, importers of transit goods are required to secure a Customs bond issued by an insurance company, while sensitive or delicate cargo requires a bank or cash guarantee.  In Rwanda and Uganda, an insurance company the issues custom bond with rates based on the taxes charged by the destination country.

The common Customs bond will reduce the cost of doing business and goods turnaround time, according to the East Africa Community Single Custom Territory Monitoring and Evaluation Committee.

During the Council of Ministers in July, this common Customs bond is expected to be adopted as part of the pillar to create …

Norfund, the Norwegian financial institution, an active strategic minority investor – wholly owned and funded by the Norwegian Government has unveiled its three-year strategy in East Africa. Norfund is a significant investor in the region, having been instrumental in realizing the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project and as a major investor in Equity Bank.

The fund’s new strategy incorporates scaling up investments in the manufacturing and agribusiness sectors, as well as a new investment pillar on green infrastructure, including waste management, access to clean water, transmission lines and power storage.

Norfund has been investing in East Africa for over 20 years with investments in clean energy constituting almost 40% of its portfolio in the region. Some of Norfund’s investments include projects such as Globeleq, Lake Turkana Wind Power, Bujagali Hydro Power and M-KOPA.

The new green infrastructure pillar which includes investments in waste management will complement Norfund’s existing investment focus …

Kenya’s low-cost carrier Jambojet on Monday made its first trip to Kigali International Airport as it launched scheduled flights between the Rwanda’s capital and Nairobi, bringing competition to RwandAir.

With the launch of once daily flights from its Jomo Kenyatta International Airport hub, Jambojet officially becomes the first low-cost carrier to fly the route.

READ ALSO:Jambojet cuts fares by 50 per cent in 72 hour sale offer

This now brings competition to RwandAir’s doorstep which also flies to Nairobi at least three times a day. It operates domestic and international services to East Africa, Central Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa, Europe the Middle East and Asia, from its main base at Kigali International Airport in Kigali.

READ ALSO:RwandAir eyes more presence in New Zealand and Australia

READ:Qatar Airways plans to buy shares from RwandAir

Jambojet which recently expanded their fleet with two brand new De Havilland Dash …

India’s national airline has re-launched commercial operations to Kenya’s capital Nairobi, making a return to the route it abandoned a decade ago.

Air lndia’s flight from Mumbai to Nairobi landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday with 100 passengers on board.

READ ALSO:KQ boosted by increased India flight deals

This marked the return of the airline to Kenya after 10 years.  It return is now seen a s a major boost for trade, investment and tourism activities between the two countries which have shared trade and economic ties for many years.

The airline will offer four direct flights a week-Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday with plans to offer additional flights in the pipeline, it said during the launch.

READ ALSO:Kenya woos India in agribusiness trade ties

According to tourism industry players, Air India will be instrumental in increasing uptake from both Tier I and II …

Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) Kenya has launched a prestigious product offering – the Standard Chartered Visa Infinite credit card.

The Standard Chartered Visa Infinite credit card, targets the affluent segment by offering a range of value added benefits, including best-in-class privileges.

Targeting high net-worth customers SCB Visa Infinite credit card, comes with unparalleled advantages and rewards.

“We are constantly working towards bringing to our clients the highest quality of services available on the global market. The launch of the Visa Infinite credit card shows our bank’s commitment to bringing payment solutions that meet and exceed the expectations of our ever-expanding clientele,” CEO Kariuki Ngari said on Wednesday.

“As a leading issuer of credit cards in Kenya, we continually look at ways of becoming more customer centric,” he added.

The new Standard Chartered Visa Infinite credit card is in-line with the bank’s strategy to consistently deliver premium services to its “valued …