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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

In anticipation of an extreme business environment brought about by the Coronavirus, various players in the African region are rolling out rescue plans for businesses. Economists have voiced their concerns of an extremely difficult economic situation and have urged players to brace for a rough 2020.

Heeding such calls is EquaLife Capital, the East African based fund managers which has announced plans to roll out a $20MM Africa Venture Debt Relief Fund by April 15th for venture businesses starting with a preliminary focus on the East African region.

“The Relief Fund is created and structured by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs as we understand the need to act quickly to ensure businesses can survive, and then thrive again, minimizing impact and economic development opportunity lost to unforeseen business cycle pressures,” a statement calling for international venture capitalist read.

“The Relief Fund will provide short-term debt on concessional venture debt terms by utilizing

The COVID-19 has ravaged the world changing the lives of millions and devastating economies across
the world. With actual infections reaching over half a million people, the focus has now shifted to the
role trade in wildlife contributes to such epidemics.

Just like COVID-19, other previous emergencies in the world can be directly traced to wildlife trade.
From HIV, to Ebola, Rift Valley fever, SARS, pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, yellow fever, avian influenza
(H5N1) and (H7N9), West Nile virus and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)
reported in the recent past.

World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that globally, about one billion cases of illnesses and
millions of deaths occur every year from zoonosis.

Some 60% of emerging infectious diseases that are
reported globally are zoonosis.

Over 30 new human pathogens have been detected in the last three
decades, 75% of which have originated in animals.

Zoonotic diseases are as

A new study has placed Nairobi at the peak of the African continent as having most English proficient speakers.

According to the English Proficiency Index 2019 (EPI), residents of Nairobi were found to have the highest knowledge of spoken and written English at 61.94 per cent for any African city.

Out of the 100 countries that were ranked as well as regions, only Nairobi and Lagos (which scored 58.47 per cent) are in high aptitude level. 13 African countries took part in the survey.

Although Nairobi ranked the best as a city, Kenya itself came in second after South Africa globally at position 18 and six respectively.

In addition to ranking countries, the EPI also looked at the correlation between English proficiency and its impact on the economic competitiveness of a country including increased labour productivity as well as higher income. While there is no direct evidence that English proficiency

I have been working in the investment industry for nearly 33 years. Over that time I have made a few mistakes and have had many successes. This week one of my clients, a very successful young Kampala man, told me that whilst he had made a lot of money in business he had lost a lot of money that he had invested. He asked me what advice I would give him to help him make better investments. Based on my experience here are ten “DO´s and DON´Ts” for successful investment:

1. DON´T do it if you don´t fully understand it

If you don´t understand EXACTLY how an investment works then either you are being scammed or the person promoting the investment isn´t competent enough to trust with your money. If you are unsure about any aspect of the investment don´t do it!!!!

2. DON´T ever invest money that you may need quickly

If any of us were given a warning by an alien, in a language we did not understand, with symbols we had never seen before, we would not emerge warned–which is a fact that is now driving legislative reform in Kenya to ensure warnings on pest control products are understandable to every farmer. The aim is to ensure farmers reap far higher yields without causing any damage to themselves or their land.

As it is, pest control products used in Kenya have been through around nine years of safety testing and more than 100 kinds of tests in order to gain approval for use in their countries of origin, such as the US, Australia and other national regimes that only approve pesticides when they are proven to be risk-free for the prescribed use.

Until they have achieved that, Kenya’s law prohibits their use in Kenya.

But even once they have…

The growth and development of the banking and financial sector has been propelled by factors driven by market demand and supply forces. We have seen banks coming up with various products not only to meet client demands but also as a means of remaining competitive given the number of players within the banking sector. Comparatively, customers now have a wider range of selection when it comes to choice of a banker.

Taking advantage of the technology banks have no choice but to keep on being creative and innovative on product development and service delivery channels. A review of financial performance of most banks reveals that lending/credit accounts for over 50% of the banks’ revenues. However, lending has increasingly become riskier thus pushing banks to equip themselves more on risk management through strengthening of credit culture where everyone, regardless of their roles, understands the need to drive revenue growth while also…

Climate change is hurting the world including Africa. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change noted that Africa is the most vulnerable continent to climate change impacts, and it is weak on various angles including having less strong adaptation capacities, and high dependence on natural ecosystems for the livelihood of its populations.

As the world strives to set the greenhouse emissions to at least 1.5 centigrade –the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) argues that in all African regions, negative climate change impacts would progressively compound and lead to decreasing GDP per capita.

The warming scenarios entail losses by 2030 (as compared to a baseline GDP per capita scenario) that range from -0.6 per cent in Northern Africa in the low-warming scenario, to -3.6 per cent in Eastern African in the high-warming scenario.

However, in the current world where research and development as well as technological advancement simplifies life and…

It is not only smiling for the camera that makes photos important to us but also—photography is a means to earn a living. The industry has drawn over $77.66 billion market value in 2015 and is expected to reach $110.79 billion by 2021, according to Zion Market Research.

With less than 200 years since its inception, photography is the real example of a technological breakthrough, from using crude processes of using chemicals to simpler processes, taking less than one minute, where instant high-quality photos can be taken via our handheld gadgets— our smartphones.

The photography industry has evolved remarkably over the years, sweeping away some jobs along other blunt lines of the industry, such as photo processing workers, film lab technicians and photography equipment repairers, who are now replaced by more robust and efficient digital technology processes.

Photography as the activity or job of taking photographs or filming is practised…

It may be located hundreds of kilometres away from the former capital city Dar es Salaam, with its skyscrapers and high influx of people, Dodoma is Tanzania’s new primary geographical status. After more than 45 years of attempting to move, the relocation is real this time.

Dodoma is the capital city of Tanzania, with over 2.4 million people and with a landmass of about 41,000 square Kilometers, according to Tanzania’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Since 1973 Dodoma was declared to be Tanzania’s capital city by the first President Julius Nyerere.

However—the move from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma took several twists, until the current President John Magufuli, unequivocally vowed to fulfil the declaration in 2016 (when government ministries started to move) and officially moved to Dodoma in October 2019.

After President Magufuli ordered various bodies of the government to initiate their move to Dodoma in July 2016, indispensable relocation…