Livia app to provide Kenyans digital platform to purchase medication

 

Director of Curative Science, Dr Izaq Odongo together with
 Dr. Samier Muravvej, CEO, Neotech Kenya
 goes through a LiviaApp demo during the launch today

In a move expected to disrupt the retail pharmacy business, Neotech Kenya has today officially launched a mobile app that will empower Kenyans to buy medicine and personal care items via a mobile app.

The app, called Livia, is available on the Google Playstore and Apple Appstore. It will allow users to get the best possible price on medicine and personal care items from a wide selection of chemists that have been on boarded on the app.

Speaking during the launch in Nairobi, Dr. Samier Muravvej, Chief Executive Officer of Neotech, said: “Livia is to the retail pharmacy industry, what Uber is to the taxi industry. We have signed up reputable chemists in Nairobi and Mombasa as Livia Partner Chemists. As partners, they receive an instant alert when a customer makes an order for medicine or personal care items via the app and are invited to submit quotations. Chemists that offer the most competitive price are then linked with the customers.”

Livia is designed to benefit both the partner chemist and the end-user. Chemists that offer competitive pricing are able to liquidate their stock through the app, while customers who use the app access quality drugs affordably and conveniently.

“Think about a young parent who needs drugs delivered for their child at home and does not want to spend time looking for the chemist with the best price. Livia allows them to make the order via their phone and arrange for delivery,” said Dr. Muravvej.

“We have seen innovation sprouting up at the government, corporate and non-governmental level, using technology to ease the burden of access to healthcare and medication across the country and Livia app is one such promising technology,” said Director of Curative Science, Dr Izaq Odongo in his speech at the launch.

To promote safety and build customer trust, Livia ensures its partner chemists go through a rigorous vetting process to ascertain that they can supply safe drugs. The app has also secured the endorsement of the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya.

“Safety is naturally a key concern for our customers and for us as well. This why we working closely with the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya and vetting our partner chemists,” said Dr. Muravvej.

Livia is also actively engaging with insurers with a view to securing partnerships. “Insurers who partner with us will not have to deal directly with chemists as through the app, we will be able to create the largest pharmaceutical network that they can tap into.”

Though Livia is currently only available in Kenya, it will ultimately be introduced to other markets such as Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and ultimately Ghana and Nigeria in West Africa. “We will commence this expansion once we hit our target of 100,000 active users here in Kenya,” he said.

The next target for Dr. Muravvej is a Livia app specifically targeted for doctors. It will allow doctors to generate prescriptions on the Livia app and tag patients. This is currently under development.

World Bank Hosts Global Launch of Book on ‘Africa’s Financial Sector’

-          Equity Bank featured in the book as a Case Study for Best Practice in Africa.

Equity Group Director of Strategy, Mary Wamae and other panelists during a panel discussion at the World Bank  global book launch that took place this week in Washington DC. In the book on ‘Africa’s Financial Sector’, Equity Bank was featured as a best practice case study for banking in Africa.

The global book launch of “Developing Africa’s Financial Services - The Importance of High-Impact Entrepreneurship” took place on June 6, 2017, at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Equity Bank, which is featured in the book as one of the best practice case studies was represented by the Group’s Director of Strategy, Mrs Mary Wamae. 

Speaking during a panel discussion at the ceremony, she discussed the Bank in the context of the financial sector in sub-Saharan Africa. “When Equity started, only 4 percent of the population had bank accounts. There was a lot of “mattress banking. Equity had to have a strategy to compete with “mattress banking” by challenging old banking norms in order to remove roadblocks to financial inclusion” Mrs Wamae said.

She also noted that the Bank’s model has evolved over time. “Equity started with brick and mortar approach, opening branches in all regions including the remote areas, but could never be close enough to people. The bigger question was how to get even closer to the people? This led to the introduction of the Agency Banking model. Now the banker is the shopkeeper next to them, and going to a bank has become much less intimidating,” she said.

“We are seeing very interesting dynamics developing out of mobile banking driven by the needs of the young population in our markets. We are making banking part of their lifestyle by affording them the choice and control over their financial needs so that they can free up their time. We are transforming the bank from ‘a place you go’ to ‘an activity that you do. Our Vision is to be the social economic champion for the people in Africa, through financial intermediation. We are empowering people, which is exactly what society needs us to do,” She added.

The other panelists were Augusto Baptista from Banco, Millennium Atlantico of Angola and António Correia from Banco Único of Mozambique.

The Book editor, Dana Redford, Ph.D., President of the Policy Experimentation & Evaluation Platform (PEEP) presented the book, and Nuno Mota Pinto, Alternate Director at The World Bank Group, presented the overall theme. Several other high-profile representatives from the banks featured in the book participated.

Presenting the book at the launch, Dr. Dana said; “It is amazing to work with Africans because of their can-do-attitude. The book strives to look at new models for development. To better understand Africa-based solutions. And these stories show that Africa can be an inspiration to the world. “Equity Bank is a powerful example, Nuno Mota Pinto noted, “These are challenging times, and banking in Africa is an exciting sector, which this book captures.”

International experts have also given praise to the book including, Fatima Haram Acyl, Commissioner for Trade and Industry, African Union Commission who reveals “A dynamic and efficient African financial sector is critical for economic transformation and inclusive growth. And the importance of high-impact entrepreneurship development cannot be overemphasized.  With “Africa rising,” the continent boasts remarkable entrepreneurial success stories, well documented in this timely book. These efforts must be sustained to unlock Africa’s full potential.” 

 On his part, Prof. Carlos Lopes, Former Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa says, “In Africa nothing comes small as ambition is necessary for a significant catch-up. However, as this book clearly demonstrates, latecomer advantage should play a role in boosting opportunities. No less so with high-impact entrepreneurship banking. Fortunately, this is already happening but not fast enough and without the scale required. The contributions of this book show the path and set the tone for what is yet another great opportunity for the continent.”

 Also present was Prof. Carlos Lopes, Former Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa who while moderating at the book launch reiterates, “Job creation is one of the great priorities for sub-Saharan Africa, and the role for African governments is not to create jobs themselves, but to create an enabling environment that will allow small enterprises to flourish and grow. This book is an essential part of the process, providing a blueprint for a thriving SME sector in Africa.”

Boards still not grasping cyber threats, say IT decision makers

George Nicholls, Senior Partner
at Control Risks - Jor'burg

Senior management are risking their companies by not taking cyber security seriously.  Key decision makers do not have confidence in their Boards’ ability to manage cyber security threats, according to the latest cyber security analysis from Control Risks. 

The global ‘Cyber Security Landscape’ survey of IT and Business decision makers found that almost half of respondents reported they believe their organisation’s board-level executives do not take cyber security as seriously as they should. This is despite 77% of respondents citing the C-suite, rather than the historic owner, the IT department, as being most accountable for cyber security management and decision making in their organisation.

The survey equally found that just over 31% also reported they are very or extremely concerned their organisation will suffer a cyber-attack in the next year and a third (34%) say their organisation doesn’t have a cyber crisis management plan in place in the event of a breach. This lack of preparedness is especially striking in the light of the 12th May WannaCry ransom attack, which affected 150 countries in under 12 hours.

Key findings:

Companies are struggling to adopt a risk-based approach: 

- Although companies are now less concerned with merely complying with standards and are focused on reducing the risk of a cyber-attack, almost half (45%) agreed that assessing and managing these risks is their biggest challenge.

- Third-party breaches are a growing concern: Just over a third (35%) of respondents said a third party cyber breach had affected their organisation and despite nine in ten respondents (93%) taking steps to evaluate their third parties’ cyber security measures, 53% said this was confined to contractual measures.

- Cyber-attacks have major long-term effects: 4 in 10 respondents said a cyber-attack has resulted in the misuse of sensitive or confidential information (43%) and a loss of customer information (41%).

George Nicholls, Senior Partner based in Johannesburg at Control Risks commented, by saying “The misalignment between treating cyber security as a technological issue or a business risk is not new. Yet, the survey shows that this misalignment remains a considerable and on-going concern for many organisations.”

“Our advice is to always start with the threat. The way in which cyber threats are assessed and communicated throughout the business is key. This assessment should include the specific cyber threats to the organisation, how they could impact the business and what controls might mitigate them. After assessing the risks and understanding them, the organisation can then deal with these within its overall risk management strategy.” He adds.

Organisations should ensure cyber security becomes a regular item on the board’s agenda that includes reviewing the external cyber threat landscape in conjunction with IT. Organisations also benefit from regular crisis management exercises that involve all relevant parties including the C-suite, IT, legal, communications and any other members of the crisis management team. These exercises ensure that all parties understand their roles and responsibilities and the potential implications of a cyber-attack.

Equity plans to Leverage on Non-funded income to grow revenue

-The bank’s portion of non-funded income to total income grew from 33% to 41.4% depicting the quality of the revenue streams.

Equity Bank CEO Dr. James Mwangi 

Equity Bank plans to optimize diversified revenue strategy as it shifts its focus to non-funded earnings to boost performance.

The bank’s non-funded income grew by 21% from KShs 5.2Bn to KShs 6.3Bn reducing the  effects of reduced interest income on total income. The net effect of these resulted in only a 3% reduction in total income to KShs 15.2Bn from KShs 15.6Bn.

Speaking during the release of 2017 Q1 financial results, Equity Bank CEO Dr. James Mwangi said that, the shift to non-funded income has increased and enhanced the quality of earnings significantly by reducing the risked income to non- risked income. The contribution by non-funded income have surpassed this year’s target of 40% to record a 42% growth making it a game changer for the bank.

The sustainable initiatives that the bank has employed for the past one year, are now paying off through improved performance directly linked to its strategy. Part of this initiatives include the mobile banking strategy where transactions have grown by 75 % to KShs 308.8mn up from KShs 176.9Mn. Equity’s diaspora remittances are up 79% to Kshs 130.1mn from Kshs 72.5mn;Trade Finance income has increased by 78% to KShs 282.8mn from KShs 159mn, Swifts, RTGS has grown by 28%, and agency banking by 19 % while merchant commissions up by 8%.

Moving forward, the bank also plans to grow  treasury, forex and fixed income trading to be part of growing list of alternative revenue streams. This reflects a scalable and sustainable plan by the lender as it grows its revenue lines to compensate for the interest income which has been affected by the rates capping.

During the first quarter of the year, Equity has emerged as the most profitable bank in Kenya with a profit before tax of Kshs 6.9Bn.

AccorHotels acquires Tune hotel - Westlands as hospitality industry experiences stiff competition

Naushad Jivraj, CEO Queensway Group (left) Steven Daines,
CEO Accor Africa and Middle East (middle)
and Olivier Granet, COO Accor Africa and Middle East
are all smiles after signing the acquisition agreement

AccorHotels has announced the signing of a management agreement to operate the currently branded Tune Hotel in Westlands, Nairobi. The agreement which was signed today morning will see AccorHotels relaunch the existing property under the ibis Styles brand during the second semester of the year.

The signature ceremony took place at the hotel, in the presence of Naushad Jivraj, CEO of Queensway, Steven Daines, CEO of AccorHotels for Africa & Middle East and the group’s New Businesses and Olivier Granet, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of AccorHotels Middle East & Africa. This agreement is an important step for AccorHotels towards expanding its footprint on the continent and in East Africa in particular.

“With this signature, we are expanding our commitment to leverage Africa’s enormous growth potential. Kenya is a strategic market for AccorHotel’s development in East Africa. It is a key window for the region where we see a strong potential for AccorHotels’s brands on all market segments with a positive and promising economic outlook” said Steven Daines.

“AccorHotels has been operating in Africa for nearly 50 years, and we look forward to develop our brands in the region. AccorHotels is already present in Kenya with two lodges (Fairmont Mara Safari Club and Fairmount Mount Kenya Safari Club), and the Fairmont Norfolk in Nairobi. The ibis Styles Nairobi Westlands is our second hotel in Nairobi but the first on the promising economy segment. We are planning to open a third hotel in the city, under the Pullman brand, shortly.” he added.

Naushad Jivraj, CEO of Queensway Group said “We are delighted to be partnering with AccorHotels – they have a proven track record in Africa with strong brands and an excellent reservation system. Since the hotel opened to its first guests in July 2016, it has become a firm favorite with the Nairobi business and leisure community offering great value accommodation, a wide range of menus in a variety of restaurants and one of the best roof top bars in the city. We look forward to this property joining the ibis Styles portfolio and benefitting from AccorHotels’s management expertise and strong international marketing capability.”

ibis Styles 

ibis Styles – Nairobi is located in Westlands, a prime business location in Nairobi. This recently built 280-room hotel is conveniently located near the city’s central business district and local business parks. The hotel features modern architecture emphasizing comfort and well-being. It offers 280 rooms, Utamu restaurant, Grab & Go coffee shop, Tuskar Lite Sky bar and Kilele rooftop lounge.

Olivier Granet, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of AccorHotels Middle East & Afric, said : “We are thrilled to be adding the ibis Styles Nairobi Westlands to our portfolio. This hotel will take the number of ibis in Africa to 43! We want to offer to our guests’ great experiences at the best price anywhere in Africa. ibis Styles Nairobi Westlands is a further step in our journey to doubling our network in Africa to reach 200 hotels in the mid-term.”

16th Session of the Executive Committee of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa)

The committee approved the accounts of UCLG Africa with revenue standing at 4,595,235 Euros and expenses standing at 4,050,974 Euros, resulting in a closing balance of 544,261 Euros

The 16th Session of the Executive Committee of UCLG Africa was held at the hotel “La Tour Hassan” in Rabat (Morocco). The proceedings were chaired by Mr. Hugues Ngouélondélé, Mayor and MP for the city of Brazzaville (Congo), and Vice President of UCLG Africa for the Central Africa region.

The agenda included the following items: 

Approval of the 2016 accounts;

Evaluation of the first phase of the implementation of the strategic partnership with the European Commission (2015-2017) and the prospects of this partnership for a second phase;

Impact on local government of the agendas adopted by the international community in 2015-2016, including Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, the Climate Change Agenda, and the new Urban Agenda.

The committee approved the accounts of UCLG Africa with revenue standing at 4,595,235 Euros and expenses standing at 4,050,974 Euros, resulting in a closing balance of 544,261 Euros. The committee gave full discharge to the Secretary General for his management in 2016.

Regarding the strategic partnership with the European Commission, the committee met with representatives of the European Commission who confirmed their support to ensure that local authorities in Africa become fully-fledged development actors, as well as support to UCLG Africa in its mission to represent and strengthen the capacities of these authorities.

With regard to international agendas, the focus was placed on the commitment of local authorities to “localize” these agendas and build corresponding plans for their territories. Emphasis was placed on how to enable African communities to access climate finance.                        

The committee also received the report from the Mayor of Brazzaville on preparations for the 8th edition of the Africities summit to be held in Brazzaville in Congo from December 04 to December 08, 2018.

Finally, the committee expressed its concern about the situation of UCLG Africa’s President, Mr. Khalifa Ababacar Sall, Mayor of Dakar, who has been detained at Rebeuss Prison since March 2017. The committee has decided to continue to sensitize African decision-makers and African and international opinion to scrupulously respect the law in the handling of this case, including the presumption of innocence; and to avoid causing the elected mayor of Dakar further degrading and unworthy treatment.

The Executive Committee of UCLG Africa is the body responsible for the political leadership of UCLG Africa between sessions of the General Assembly of UCLG. The Executive Committee is made up of 16 members, 15 members representing each of the 5 regions of the continent (with 3 locally elected representatives from each of the 5 regions), and the President of the Network of Local Women in Africa (REFELA). The Executive Committee is elected for a three-year term established since the last General Assembly of UCLG Africa held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on December 02, 2015. During the General Assembly, Mr. Khalifa Sall, Mayor of Dakar, Senegal, was elected to the Presidency of UCLG Africa and chaired the sessions of the Executive Committee. In his absence, a substitute was designated from amongst the Vice-Presidents. The Presidency of the 16th Session of the Executive Committee of UCLG Africa was ensured by Mr. Hugues Ngouélondélé, Mayor and MP for Brazzaville, and Vice-President of UCLG Africa for the Central Africa Region.

Young black, female owned businesses on the fast track to success

-AccelerateHer programme concludes with lasting impact

The inaugural Seed Academy/WDB AccelerateHer programme, a three-month business accelerator for female entrepreneurs, sponsored by Shell Downstream South Africa concluded by notching up a string of successes for young black female owned businesses. The fully-funded AccelerateHer programme provided 25 black female entrepreneurs with an intensive programme including developmental workshops, high impact business development support and mentoring from industry specialists and experienced entrepreneurs to fast track their development. Seed Engine CEO, Donna Rachelson notes that the rigorous 90-day programme has seen an impressive number of early successes for participating entrepreneurs with four successfully pitching to new clients, three increasing turnovers and expanding their client base, while one business secured a contract with a world-leading diamond company and a leading glass manufacturer. Another participant in the programme received a proposal request from a major African food retailer, two fledgling businesses have since become industry association members and a further two successfully secured the required industry licenses vital to their continued operations. “The strength of the AccelerateHer programme is that it can be customised for women entrepreneurs at all stages of development from the initial ideation phase, to enterprise development and supplier development,” explains Rachelson.

In addition, the AccelerateHer programme creates a pipeline for the WDB Seed Fund, an impact fund that provides funding to growth stage businesses with a particular focus on black women and youth owned businesses. Through the inaugural programme, one business has been selected to be put forward to the Fund. Faith Khanyile, CEO of WDB Investment Holdings says AccelerateHer is a great vehicle for WDB to achieve its objective of advancing female entrepreneurship. “Through AccelerateHer we are able to create a pipeline not just for the WDB Fund to fund some of these outstanding entrepreneurs but also benefit the economy as a whole,” says Khanyile.

Rachelson adds that psycho-social problems of female entrepreneurs are well-known and South Africa is no different. She says much more needs to be done to provide holistic financial and non-financial support to enable the growth and development of female entrepreneurs as a matter of urgency. “Black women business owners still face immense obstacles and it’s these women that hold the key to unlocking economic growth in the country and more needs to be done to foster female entrepreneurs.” This is just one of the reasons why this specific AccelerateHer was developed according to Rachelson: “We wanted to look for black, female entrepreneurs aged between 18 and 35 with a business idea aligned to Shell’s value chain. They had to be worthy participants in the ideation phase that would like to see their idea become a registered business within 90 days. The business case had to be a solvable problem with a viable solution and a solid business plan. The flare, quality and aptitude of the founder was also taken into account.”

Social Investment Manager at Shell South Africa, Ntobeko Mogadime explains that Shell was a proud sponsor of AccelerateHer because of its strong focus on women entrepreneurs as only one in three South African businesses are owned and run by women. “I’m impressed with the relationships we’ve formed in a relatively short space of time and the passion and dedication exhibited by all involved and we look forward to continuing these relationships to make sure we help more women in the country succeed in starting and sustaining viable businesses,” she says. 

Rachelson says that throughout the high-impact 90-day programme all entrepreneurs showed incredible determination, tenacity and dedication. “Nurturing great business ideas to full fruition is just one aspect of the programme. The other vitally important outcome is keeping the spirit of black women entrepreneurs alive and thriving in our communities and providing the ongoing support needed for success which will make a true and lasting impact on South Africa’s economy.” 

She says that the programme drew over 900 entries, 400 of which came from other African countries: “Producing tangible results is first and foremost, and the AccelerateHer programme for Shell has generated some excellent results. The ethos of this programme is to take ideas and develop them into viable businesses. AcceleratorHer has very successfully, in only 90 days, developed real business opportunities.”

The inaugural AccelerateHer also concluded with the announcement of its top achievers. Geneva Kuypers of Geneva Projects & Supplies was awarded R 50 000 towards her aspiring business sponsored by WDB Investment Holdings. The winner was joined by runners-up Lelo Rammitloa of Got Paper and Siphumelele Shabalala owner of Krypton Industrial Services who each received R 25 000 in funding from Shell to elevate their businesses towards sustainable growth.