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The idea of saving is “nice to have”, but is difficult to practice for many of us.

As we navigate the early days of the New Year, this is the perfect time to implement your long-term plan you had postponed to start saving. With accrued debts from previous year(s) and financial challenges that you could have avoided if only you saved a few coins a month, you still have the power to make the next eleven months,if not years, a success.

My relationship with finances is complex. I am still learning to work out how to manage my money in the best way possible. It has taken me several years to learn the discipline of saving when all I want to do is splurge it.

Do you wish to retire young and spend your time doing what you love, relaxing and planning for your next vacation? Is this even doable?…

The East Africa 15 (EA15) highlights on 15 of the most traded and highly capitalized stocks in the region on a monthly basis. The primary purpose of the EA15 is to give investors a description and perspective of the regional stock markets’ performance.

EAC countries’ economies had a turbulent time in 2019 characterized by rising public debt against missed revenue targets,slow private sector growth and under-par performance of traditional key sectors of the economy such as tourism, agriculture and manufacturing. Further, regional trade which was earmarked as crucial to economic development has been marred by trade spatssuch as protectionism resulting in a decline involume and value of intra-regional trade.

The region is looking to maintain a loose monetary stance to boost private sector growth and more importantly,resolve disputes in order to intensify regional trade. Despite the tough economic environment, the region’s GDP is projected to grow the fastest in sub-Saharan …

He was the world’s most eligible bachelor with tons of efforts being made to ensure his safety.  As fate would have it, Sudan, the last northern white rhino male died in March 2018 at his home in Ol Pajeta Conservatory in Kenya.

Semen was collected in 2014 when Sudan was over 40 years old.

What followed have been efforts by scientists to ensure there is a continuation of the white rhino generation. So far, two embryos have been passed on to females and a third one has just been released.

In August 2019 a team of scientists and conservationists broke new ground in saving the northern white rhinoceros from extinction when they harvested eggs from the two remaining females, artificially inseminated those using frozen sperm from deceased males and created two viable northern white rhino embryos.

With great support from the Kenyan Government and in the presence of Hon Najib …

East Africa continues to draw attention due to its high growth rate. The positive growth has been projected by both national and multilateral agencies like IMF and World Bank. The growth is expected in both agricultural and manufacturing sectors with great support from the service industry. To harness the power of all this growth is a budding bourse across the region. In this issue, we focus on how the stock markets are expected to behave this year.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) released a report at the end of 2019 which showed that East Africa’s economy is expected to continue expanding at an average of 6.3 per cent in 2020, with that of Rwanda expected to lead at eight per cent from 7.8 per cent. Kenya’s economy is expected to expand in the margins of six per cent while that of Uganda and Tanzania is …

The expansion of Africa’s economy—exemplified by East Africa’s vibrant economies(Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda) by adopting the manufacturing industry landscape and marrying it with high-end technological developments have both triggered a demand for more power,currently leaning towards renewable energy—all the while grappling with the challenge of high unemployment rates.

The United Nations 25^thConference of Parties (COP 25) on climate change highlighted strictly on nations mitigating greenhouse gas emissions by adapting to renewable energy in their economies.

Morocco and Zambia are now embracing the adoption of wind and solar power with assistance from Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

GCF and AfDB supported Zambia with a $154 million renewable energy fund to finance its framework, and lift the nation from electricity demand challenges, as the country relies on hydropower generation for 90 per cent of its needs.

Renewable energy in Africa could be a mighty saving …

The East African Community (EAC) is regressing with Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania leading the pack.

It is gross discouragement to hardworking East Africans who are seeing their countries’ economies continue on a downward trend despite the much-hailed talk of GDP growth.

Coupled with unfavourable economic conditions globally, the EAC economies are degenerating, leading to chaotic disruptions of livelihoods of the majority poor.

Kenya’s debts, theft of public resources

Kenya is East Africa’s economic hub but with the goings-on lately, it seems like the centre is no longer holding.

A Gallup International annual End of Year Survey released in 2002 showed that Kenyans were the most optimistic people on earth and in 2019 the Global Optimism Outlook Survey found that 70 per cent of Kenyans viewed themselves as optimists.

This average was above the global standing at 56 per cent and continental Africa’s average of 64 per cent.

For a country …

Already, the decision is sending shockwaves around the chocolate world with those opposed to the move painting a doom and gloom picture of why the plan cannot work.…

The Finance Bill, among other things, proposed an increase in the Value Added Tax (VAT) rate from 5 per cent to 7.5 per cent. The additional revenue from the increase in VAT rate would be used to fund healthcare, education and infrastructure. The Government intends to mitigate the impact of the VAT rate increase by introducing a VAT exemption threshold for businesses with a turnover of less than N25 million per annum, and expanding the list of VAT-exempt items to include the following:

1. Brown and white bread;
2. cereals including maize, rice, wheat, millet, barley and sorghum;
3. fish of all kinds;
4. flour and starch meals;
5. fruits, nuts, pulses and vegetables of various kinds;
6. roots such as yam, cocoyam, sweet and Irish potatoes;
7. meat and poultry products including eggs;
8. milk;
9. salt and herbs of various kinds; and
10. natural water and table water.

The Bill was signed into law by the President, Muhammadu …

On Monday, the South Africa’s rand firmed back to below the key 15.00 per dollar mark, which is mostly on profit-taking and month-end positioning after a sustaining a steep slide triggered by the Wuhan coronavirus shaking the world, Reuters reveals.

At 0700 GMT the rand was 0.43 per cent firmer at 14.9650 per dollar, having ended at 15.0300 on Friday. The coronavirus dragged the currency to its weakest level in three months—traded at 14.4800 last Monday, which was 0.59 per cent lower than its New York Close on Friday, January 24.

Reuters reported that investors concerned about the spread of the coronavirus wiped more than $400 billion off the value of China’s stocks in the first trading session in two weeks after an extended Lunar New Year break as the death toll from the epidemic rose to 361.

READ:Coronavirus and the Implications for Emerging Markets

The rand has tumbled …

Ethiopian Airlines is staying ahead of the competition and has launched a cold chain air freight for transporting temperature-sensitive medicines.…