tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16506951053805102262024-03-05T14:07:58.865+03:00Money&Markets-East AfricaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.comBlogger374125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-56266354121879456632017-06-08T15:43:00.000+03:002017-06-08T15:43:30.253+03:00Livia app to provide Kenyans digital platform to purchase medication<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwFQog5UmSNX8T5DdnvfKIkEd_WxsQ6DkIOx2Ll6vSTX5xC5KoK5bljxqao4kwlDTNfFEP2Hu-vZsksC-afVgnb3HMTg3NkrLh7U9PhZss-dnWgb71KaWehEUBpbc9jkfWPs8vGQrAhCF/s1600/DR%252CIZAQ+ODONGO+%255BMINISTRY+OF+HEALTH+DIRECTOR+OF+CURATIVE+SERVICES%255D%252CDR.SAM....jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="1600" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwFQog5UmSNX8T5DdnvfKIkEd_WxsQ6DkIOx2Ll6vSTX5xC5KoK5bljxqao4kwlDTNfFEP2Hu-vZsksC-afVgnb3HMTg3NkrLh7U9PhZss-dnWgb71KaWehEUBpbc9jkfWPs8vGQrAhCF/s400/DR%252CIZAQ+ODONGO+%255BMINISTRY+OF+HEALTH+DIRECTOR+OF+CURATIVE+SERVICES%255D%252CDR.SAM....jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: red;">Director of Curative Science, Dr Izaq Odongo together with<br /> Dr. Samier Muravvej, CEO, Neotech Kenya<br /> goes through a LiviaApp demo during the launch today</span></i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p>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.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-63093306103522252602017-06-08T11:30:00.001+03:002017-06-08T11:30:58.261+03:00World Bank Hosts Global Launch of Book on ‘Africa’s Financial Sector’<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">-</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Equity Bank featured in the book as a Case Study
for Best Practice in Africa.</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS81HlesQoIH_kETWq0SYpdYlQU9LKf9V-x-q0JWdts1gDmdojBNp0vB7X-C3hCGlU9Sfle-NEcB2sfFPo6EGtVpnrCAunBpNhBjuiBIpqE_C7XopV7XjHwZqdrqicIEufDUvcTVZls331/s1600/Group+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS81HlesQoIH_kETWq0SYpdYlQU9LKf9V-x-q0JWdts1gDmdojBNp0vB7X-C3hCGlU9Sfle-NEcB2sfFPo6EGtVpnrCAunBpNhBjuiBIpqE_C7XopV7XjHwZqdrqicIEufDUvcTVZls331/s640/Group+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b><i>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.</i></b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other panelists were Augusto Baptista from Banco,
Millennium Atlantico of Angola and António Correia from Banco Único of
Mozambique.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.”</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-80966300485972217272017-06-06T11:39:00.000+03:002017-06-06T11:39:02.602+03:00Boards still not grasping cyber threats, say IT decision makers<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4wtKzU-3RQ69pM2fKpWQpgjBZDvSpMnX_YAHubd8VTYjtJhsUsWWpDfooz98SF7v1B8m2ZxLBZT1Li1zirUJDf4P5WqtafI9enRrdqzkyN4570a3cMXqg_NkoWd3oxt25dI-Jg-JoJ5O/s1600/George+Nicholls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4wtKzU-3RQ69pM2fKpWQpgjBZDvSpMnX_YAHubd8VTYjtJhsUsWWpDfooz98SF7v1B8m2ZxLBZT1Li1zirUJDf4P5WqtafI9enRrdqzkyN4570a3cMXqg_NkoWd3oxt25dI-Jg-JoJ5O/s320/George+Nicholls.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: red;">George Nicholls, Senior Partner <br />at Control Risks - Jor'burg</span></i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0xAoS9mU7JZK27AppVJHfWMfPxqRB7c696mC2Fx1Q5Q49eYKfKR_Prqqvf7qtoKAejOu_l-2SV26COzOKMtRXO21pB6O5L6koQZuFv-r9R_SO8-yYVd4DHemD2TYdu4H4CorM1-c2MSD/s1600/controlrisks-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="114" data-original-width="600" height="60" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0xAoS9mU7JZK27AppVJHfWMfPxqRB7c696mC2Fx1Q5Q49eYKfKR_Prqqvf7qtoKAejOu_l-2SV26COzOKMtRXO21pB6O5L6koQZuFv-r9R_SO8-yYVd4DHemD2TYdu4H4CorM1-c2MSD/s320/controlrisks-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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 <a href="https://www.controlrisks.com/" target="_blank">Control Risks</a>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="color: red;">Key findings:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Companies are struggling to adopt a risk-based approach: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
- 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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
- 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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
- 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%).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.</div>
<o:p></o:p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-74913022838964652082017-06-06T10:41:00.000+03:002017-06-06T10:41:26.650+03:00Equity plans to Leverage on Non-funded income to grow revenue<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>-The bank’s portion of non-funded income to total income grew
from 33% to 41.4% depicting the quality of the revenue streams.</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_CbfkZ8qeOIElcmllEtgB6v4KqEJEza4TuqCSQkvAnEIbEKXE_QUJK6alkDoy_mrG_EtBjQrr_SsEpwIQYsUz-ZW4OmTrWo0c53Y6FVJlqZKCbY7elOrsYf5TRZ_LFUxQarxp1pHhXLn/s1600/s+%2528217%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_CbfkZ8qeOIElcmllEtgB6v4KqEJEza4TuqCSQkvAnEIbEKXE_QUJK6alkDoy_mrG_EtBjQrr_SsEpwIQYsUz-ZW4OmTrWo0c53Y6FVJlqZKCbY7elOrsYf5TRZ_LFUxQarxp1pHhXLn/s320/s+%2528217%2529.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: red;">Equity Bank CEO Dr. James Mwangi </span></i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://ke.equitybankgroup.com/" target="_blank">Equity Bank </a>plans to optimize diversified
revenue strategy as it shifts its focus to non-funded earnings to boost
performance.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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%.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.</div>
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.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-63967546293413597412017-06-05T14:05:00.000+03:002017-06-05T14:05:21.878+03:00AccorHotels acquires Tune hotel - Westlands as hospitality industry experiences stiff competition<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQ6IQ8kxk8fV9hNQs64ulic5REYtXDngQ9UbT8xBZ2gEVFE_UhU5h3LonTYzG3ED_bDtrN1EzQe-WtXlORueCCTTseUs90VGBfn6VCCULYd9n3oMEismp_G208_rr5f5tuD33SMyk8_jR/s1600/Accor+Hotels2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1600" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQ6IQ8kxk8fV9hNQs64ulic5REYtXDngQ9UbT8xBZ2gEVFE_UhU5h3LonTYzG3ED_bDtrN1EzQe-WtXlORueCCTTseUs90VGBfn6VCCULYd9n3oMEismp_G208_rr5f5tuD33SMyk8_jR/s400/Accor+Hotels2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="color: red;">Naushad Jivraj, CEO Queensway Group (left) Steven Daines, <br />CEO Accor Africa and Middle East (middle) <br />and Olivier Granet, COO Accor Africa and Middle East <br />are all smiles after signing the acquisition agreement</span></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">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</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">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.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">“</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">With
this signature, we are expanding our commitment to leverage Africa</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">s
enormous growth potential. Kenya is a strategic market for AccorHotel</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">s
development in East Africa. It is a key window for the region where we see a
strong potential for AccorHotels</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">s brands on all
market segments with a positive and promising economic outlook</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">”</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">
said Steven Daines. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">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<b> </b>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.</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">”</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> he added.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Naushad Jivraj,
CEO of Queensway Group said </span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We are
delighted to be partnering with AccorHotels </span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">–</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> 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</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">s
management expertise and strong international marketing capability.</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">ibis
Styles </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">ibis Styles </span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">–</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">
Nairobi is located in Westlands, a prime business location in
Nairobi. This recently built 280-room hotel is conveniently located near the
city</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Olivier Granet, Chief Operating Officer
and Managing Director of AccorHotels Middle East & Afric, said : </span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">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</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> 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.</span><span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Malgun Gothic",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-23556937775658742612017-06-05T12:32:00.000+03:002017-06-05T12:32:37.896+03:0016th Session of the Executive Committee of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa)<b><i>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</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBsxWyyxvpf5cIdL0PtPvC84lAqbKR2I3Hpyov_X3qVOI4mGP9au3LxZJFBgIgc3RGrQyfXuc0Kp571T1ZtoysHAcTIKKnKQwgIXYY0I52eUWb4fIrtEkCKWTUiH34RKRY-LNtfWks97N/s1600/Khalifa+Ababacar+Sall.JPG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="496" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBsxWyyxvpf5cIdL0PtPvC84lAqbKR2I3Hpyov_X3qVOI4mGP9au3LxZJFBgIgc3RGrQyfXuc0Kp571T1ZtoysHAcTIKKnKQwgIXYY0I52eUWb4fIrtEkCKWTUiH34RKRY-LNtfWks97N/s320/Khalifa+Ababacar+Sall.JPG.jpg" width="239" /></a>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.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The agenda included
the following items: <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Approval of the 2016 accounts;<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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;<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4t6Id8daz5wWIaikgc-GgQXJ7pO5GSs9X3NLZ1heXHMxgEkya-nwEhH3g7ohmYMc1EWLTMu6eO1TIZa6KFIhb_i4Vum4tU8_YLJuIQS7db4h48S2Rdapidef51AGURjA1mxyLErxG9QnD/s1600/Photo+de+famille+16e+Comit%25C3%25A9+Ex%25C3%25A9cutif.JPG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4t6Id8daz5wWIaikgc-GgQXJ7pO5GSs9X3NLZ1heXHMxgEkya-nwEhH3g7ohmYMc1EWLTMu6eO1TIZa6KFIhb_i4Vum4tU8_YLJuIQS7db4h48S2Rdapidef51AGURjA1mxyLErxG9QnD/s320/Photo+de+famille+16e+Comit%25C3%25A9+Ex%25C3%25A9cutif.JPG.jpg" width="320" /></a>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.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4t6Id8daz5wWIaikgc-GgQXJ7pO5GSs9X3NLZ1heXHMxgEkya-nwEhH3g7ohmYMc1EWLTMu6eO1TIZa6KFIhb_i4Vum4tU8_YLJuIQS7db4h48S2Rdapidef51AGURjA1mxyLErxG9QnD/s1600/Photo+de+famille+16e+Comit%25C3%25A9+Ex%25C3%25A9cutif.JPG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>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.</div>
<o:p></o:p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-45226590122051007512017-06-05T12:08:00.002+03:002017-06-05T12:08:56.513+03:00Young black, female owned businesses on the fast track to success<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA;">-AccelerateHer
programme concludes with lasting impact</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUuBUGTRgiyS8n_zWnzjZ8Xoeszv9SCmSPN5K7OruicK9Z-H1xeGg6Ik9MDb5ffVCyZIyv6cIBRy3e6gx9zuAQLxObfKM3ItRHptC2fEBaIqamDLY4ZUYnsZ6tHN2AfF8axZyqpfN-I4dh/s1600/Geneva+Kuypers%252C+Geneva+Projects+and+Supplies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="931" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUuBUGTRgiyS8n_zWnzjZ8Xoeszv9SCmSPN5K7OruicK9Z-H1xeGg6Ik9MDb5ffVCyZIyv6cIBRy3e6gx9zuAQLxObfKM3ItRHptC2fEBaIqamDLY4ZUYnsZ6tHN2AfF8axZyqpfN-I4dh/s400/Geneva+Kuypers%252C+Geneva+Projects+and+Supplies.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA;">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. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">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.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">In addition, the</span><span lang="EN-ZA"> </span><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">AccelerateHer
programme</span><span lang="EN-ZA"> </span><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">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</span><span lang="EN-ZA"> </span><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">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.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">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.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">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. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">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.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">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.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">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. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-11893368434418058772017-05-25T11:50:00.001+03:002017-05-25T11:50:11.776+03:00Ecobank announces finalists of the Ecobank Fintech Challenge 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8IUDn3W-VctS9HnYlP4TDYphP8TTVHd3-4J_AsoUCx7iVToozgpgRmqGGY51SnKfxBEI2XLThaN7zRc50Kf120lIl-rQsVdq1ZJEXdSDjEOsbYs7802bdmyEifNecdZDJFmJnPZgoC2iB/s1600/Ecobank+logo+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="800" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8IUDn3W-VctS9HnYlP4TDYphP8TTVHd3-4J_AsoUCx7iVToozgpgRmqGGY51SnKfxBEI2XLThaN7zRc50Kf120lIl-rQsVdq1ZJEXdSDjEOsbYs7802bdmyEifNecdZDJFmJnPZgoC2iB/s320/Ecobank+logo+2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.ecobank.com/" target="_blank">Ecobank</a>,
the leading independent pan-African banking group, has announced the finalists
in the </span><span style="font-family: Candara, sans-serif;">‘Ecobank Fintech Challenge,’ a competition for African technology start-ups
launched in January 2017. The list includes 20 innovators from across the
continent.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">An
Innovation Fair & Awards ceremony will honour the start-ups on June 21,
2017 at the global<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">headquarters
of Ecobank in Lomé, Togo. The awards ceremony also marks the official induction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">of
all 20 start-ups into the Ecobank Fintech Fellowship. At the ceremony, the
start-ups will exhibit and pitch their products to a jury for the ‘Ecobank
Africa Fintech Prize’, which will be awarded the top innovator and two
runners-up. In addition to fellowship program, the top three innovators will
win cash prizes worth US$10,000, US$7,000, and US$5,000 respectively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">The
20 Ecobank Fintech Fellows will benefit from an opportunity to partner with the
Ecobank Group that includes:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">•
Major start-up funding: worth up to US$500,000 for products that meet Ecobank’s
investment criteria;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">•
Multinational product roll-out support: for the most commercially viable
start-ups to launch their products across Ecobank’s 33 markets in Africa;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">•
Service provider & ecosystem partner deals: for start-ups with deep
capabilities to become service partners within Ecobank’s ecosystem;<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Candara, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">•
Technical & mentoring support: during the one year fellowship period,
fellows will benefit from technical support from Ecobank’s global network of
technology leaders, fintech experts, investors and management coaches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAWlQ-KxcTvyMR1Fdr2jaUYwbJMURqUZN9ow82YXHaVL3sJLTjMPXa2BTHx_UKYS2FM_RRHyqFzrU0_8pIauIkzusARtBIuwyd8Z4RAwMYwdGxCMYrgtGs_vsVn1NSpz4y46nX-cKg7Cy/s1600/ecobank.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="1168" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAWlQ-KxcTvyMR1Fdr2jaUYwbJMURqUZN9ow82YXHaVL3sJLTjMPXa2BTHx_UKYS2FM_RRHyqFzrU0_8pIauIkzusARtBIuwyd8Z4RAwMYwdGxCMYrgtGs_vsVn1NSpz4y46nX-cKg7Cy/s640/ecobank.png" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIwRGmiddH4zi83bvprLk5_J1akGOuM_bYrRPGJ0aJbBOLN04Zazc5eA1BiAH0N2NrRNaAWtjMalyc6Z8DTRPIgu-oTt_9cC0AqXnxDPbTkMiyTYNpkRFs7qMCZ_puh3a0UvFgBSgbQg5/s1600/ecobank+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: Candara, sans-serif; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdn30FONb_jTebCTmYTZWReH_zxIVy9B_lSmLeWiZrBtohHRpaIIPMXFJa3qlGLel_QHUu9LHrkiSDX1JR7VT6Mj-jVsebzCqwtnAu5owxQWrQEFnn03jlv5GYb-as-v1hRuu0p9i-A88E/s1600/Eddy+Ogbogu+-+ECobank+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="420" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdn30FONb_jTebCTmYTZWReH_zxIVy9B_lSmLeWiZrBtohHRpaIIPMXFJa3qlGLel_QHUu9LHrkiSDX1JR7VT6Mj-jVsebzCqwtnAu5owxQWrQEFnn03jlv5GYb-as-v1hRuu0p9i-A88E/s320/Eddy+Ogbogu+-+ECobank+photo.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: red;"><b>Eddy Ogbogu, Ecobank Group Executive<br />for Operations and Technology</b></span></i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Eddy
Ogbogu, Ecobank Group Executive for Operations and Technology said, “The
Ecobank Fintech Challenge has been a huge success; over 850 start-ups and
developers submitted products from all over Africa, as well as the US and
Europe. The sheer breath of innovative products and ideas we’ve seen shows that
African fintech has a bright future.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Group
CEO Ade Ayeyemi, highlighted: “As a pan-African bank, we want to help grow
pan-African fintech companies. The Ecobank Group and its partners are looking
forward to working with the 20 start-ups to help them mature into major African
and global commercial success stories.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">The 20 start-ups are:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Piggybank.ng
(Nigeria), Digi Teller (Ghana), MobiTill (Kenya), TEAM SAFEPAY (Kenya),<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Wallettec
(South Africa), Greenshoe (Kenya), Invest Mobile (Ghana), KUDI(Nigeria),
Wayagear<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Innovations
Lagos (Nigeria), Paylater OneFi (Nigeria), PAYVITE (Algeria), PurseNG
(Nigeria),<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Shield
Finance (Kenya), IroFit(Nigeria), Circle Group Savings and Investment (Kenya),<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Inclusive
Financial Technologies (Ghana), Electronic Settlement Limited(Nigeria), Social<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Lender(Nigeria),
General Marchant (United States), Mi Nafa (Burkina Faso). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Ecobank
Fintech Challenge is designed in partnership with the advisory firm Konfidants
and supported by partners across Africa and the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Under
Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (‘ETI’) the parent company, Ecobank is the
leading independent pan-African banking group with presence in 33 African
countries, operating as a full-service bank offering wholesale, retail,
investment and transaction banking services and products to governments,
financial institutions, multinationals, international organizations, medium,
small and micro businesses and individuals.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-73948790640749634012017-05-23T15:07:00.001+03:002017-05-23T15:07:22.698+03:00GE joins Women in Global Health Movement to celebrate exemplary women leaders in healthcare<h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlNxOCLLhbalvTrqLK4nDeL1Lq0bCycu_uvsY8G87IdmwDTXJABJLBQQukd8z98cSyVQQdfrFgUi_DJfWzMo3x3YOSW3OWhi6J6N7H1Uh22Y1YPj7juH4H_Wh_7xOcLBTjSFPbCZ_8lXN/s1600/Miller+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlNxOCLLhbalvTrqLK4nDeL1Lq0bCycu_uvsY8G87IdmwDTXJABJLBQQukd8z98cSyVQQdfrFgUi_DJfWzMo3x3YOSW3OWhi6J6N7H1Uh22Y1YPj7juH4H_Wh_7xOcLBTjSFPbCZ_8lXN/s400/Miller+logo.jpg" width="400" /></a><i>-WGH is a movement that strives for greater gender equality
in global health, and is dedicated to empowering female leaders of today and
improving the global health of tomorrow.</i></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Women in Global
Health (WGH) Movement honored Kenya’s Mercy Owuor of Lwala Community Alliance
alongside 12 other women at the movement’s “Heroines of Health” gala event that
took place last evening in the Swiss Capital Geneva, on the margins of the
ongoing World Health Assembly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WGH is a movement that strives for greater gender equality
in global health, and is dedicated to empowering female leaders of today and
improving the global health of tomorrow. It is recognizing Mercy for her
role in the “help a child reach their 5th birthday” initiative that is
championed by the Lwala Community Alliance initiative. This initiative strives
to extend clinical services and community outreach efforts to children under
the age of 5 in order to reduce under-5 mortality in the community by 64% .</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mercy Owuor is the community programs director for Lwala
Community Alliance in Migori, Kenya, where she oversees the Kenya program team,
leads and directs the execution of the annual program plan. Lwala Community
Alliance is a community-led innovator, tackling the multidimensional drivers of
poor health. It works with primary care facilities and the communities to
drastically reduce maternal and child mortality in western Kenya, by tackling
the key drivers of deaths – unplanned pregnancies, mother-to-child transmission
of HIV, poor prenatal care, unskilled deliveries, poor clinical practices, lack
of emergency transport, and delayed treatment of childhood illnesses.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 2016, the Alliance was selected as one of the 17 Social
Enterprises that took part in the Healthymagination
Mother and Child Program, an accelerator initiative of <a href="http://www.gehealthcare.com/" target="_blank">GE Healthymagination </a>and the Miller Center for Social
Entrepreneurship. Designed to equip the
participating social enterprises to scale up their businesses and attract
additional investment, the program involves a three-day, in-person workshop,
followed by a six-month online accelerator program that included weekly,
in-depth mentoring from Silicon Valley-based executives who themselves have
undergone rigorous selection and training as social entrepreneur mentors at the
Miller Center, as well as GE business leaders. Participating social
entrepreneurs get to acquire business fundamentals, improve their strategic
thought processes, and articulate a business plan that demonstrates impact,
growth and long-term financial sustainability.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We are thrilled for Mercy and for the Lwala Community
Alliance for this well-deserved recognition” said Robert Wells, Executive
Director, GE Healthymagination. “We believe that social enterprises such as
these are a key part of the formula that is required to innovatively and
sustainably bring quality care to communities in otherwise underserved areas.
It is for this reason that we launched the healthymagination Mother and Child
programme to equip amazing individuals such as Mercy that are striving to
increase the quality, access and affordability of maternal and child health in
sub-Saharan Africa”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As one of the key partners of the WGH movement, GE
Healthcare actively supports its’ vision to elevate and support the role of
women in healthcare, whilst creating gender responsive leaders in global
health.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Mercy, together with her colleagues at Lwala, has dedicated
her life to work within her community to bring accessible and innovative
healthcare delivery solutions that not only address care, but also prevention
and healthy behavior. She is indeed a great ambassador for the many women
leaders in Africa and the world over, that are striving to serve the 5.8
billion people with little to no access to quality healthcare,” said Terri
Bresenham, President and CEO, Sustainable Healthcare Solutions, GE Healthcare.
“At GE, we are very proud to be associated with the Women in Global Health
Campaign and its’ amazing honorees, and look forward to continuing to partner
with them for a healthier world.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>[1] Women in Global Heath. Available from
www.WomenInGH.org/about. Last accessed May 2017.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>[2] Lwala Community Alliance, Programs. Available from
http://LwalaCommunityAlliance.org/programs/health. Last accessed May 2017.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>[3] Lwala Community Alliance, Impact Report: Maternal and
Child Health, 2016.</i> <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-64507768027161498732017-05-19T17:01:00.002+03:002017-05-19T17:01:38.233+03:00Microsoft to Deliver Microsoft Cloud from Datacentres in Africa to Enable Greater Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDvlZIvqfczvTgPtSvWKODXRisHGdACHobkSuSvXFMkoXZ5OklcxtfZIjQl45KxtjLrlHu9qwNHgOyncPrnypgfmUymYFfqoJqD2-bkdtGempAnzCdGEPZUnsOluymt0bkfenTQMYNkfIE/s1600/Microsoft+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDvlZIvqfczvTgPtSvWKODXRisHGdACHobkSuSvXFMkoXZ5OklcxtfZIjQl45KxtjLrlHu9qwNHgOyncPrnypgfmUymYFfqoJqD2-bkdtGempAnzCdGEPZUnsOluymt0bkfenTQMYNkfIE/s400/Microsoft+logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>-Microsoft’s new
investment will provide highly available, scalable, and secure cloud services
across Africa with the option of data residency in South Africa</b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Microsoft has revealed plans to deliver the complete,
intelligent Microsoft Cloud for the first time from datacentres located in
Africa. This new investment is a major milestone in the company’s mission to
empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more, and
a recognition of the enormous opportunity for digital transformation in Africa.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Expanding on existing investments, Microsoft will deliver
cloud services, including Microsoft Azure, Office 365, and Dynamics 365, from
datacentres located in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa with initial
availability anticipated in 2018. The new cloud regions will offer
enterprise-grade reliability and performance combined with data residency to
help enable the tremendous opportunity for economic growth, and increase access
to cloud and internet services for organisations and people across the African
continent.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We’re excited by the growing demand for cloud services in
Africa and their ability to be a catalyst for new economic opportunities,” said
Scott Guthrie, executive vice president, Cloud and Enterprise Group, Microsoft
Corp. “With cloud services ranging from intelligent collaboration to predictive
analytics, the Microsoft Cloud delivered from Africa will enable developers to
build new and innovative apps, customers to transform their businesses, and
governments to better serve the needs of their citizens.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Expanding Access & Opportunity: Currently many companies
in Africa rely on cloud services delivered from outside of the continent. Microsoft’s
new investment will provide highly available, scalable, and secure cloud
services across Africa with the option of data residency in South Africa. With
the introduction of these new cloud regions, Microsoft has now announced 40
regions around the world – more than any major cloud provider. The combination
of Microsoft’s global cloud infrastructure with the new regions in Africa will
connect businesses with opportunity across the globe, help accelerate new
investments, and improve access to cloud and internet services for people and
organisations from Cairo to Cape Town.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We greatly value Microsoft’s commitment to invest in cloud
services delivered from Africa. Standard Bank already relies on cloud
technology to provide our customers with a seamless experience,” says Brenda
Niehaus, group CIO at Standard Bank. “To achieve success as a business, we need
to keep pace with market developments as well as customer needs, and Office 365
empowers us to make a culture shift towards becoming a more dynamic
organisation, whilst Azure enables us to deliver our apps and services to our
customers in Africa. We’re looking forward to achieving even more with the
cloud services available here on the continent.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Investing in African Innovation: This announcement expands
on ongoing investments in Africa, where organisations are using currently
available cloud and mobile services as a platform for innovation in health
care, agriculture, education, and entrepreneurship. Microsoft has been working
to support local start-ups and NGOs, unleashing innovation that has the
potential to solve some of the biggest problems facing humanity, such as the
scarcity of water and food, and economic and environmental sustainability. One
start-up, M-KOPA Solar, provides affordable pay-as-you-go solar energy to over
500,000 homes using mobile and cloud technology. AGIN has built an app
connecting 140,000 smallholder farmers to key services, enabling them to share
data and facilitating $1.3 million per month in finance, insurance and other
services.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Across Africa, Microsoft has brought 728,000 small and
mid-size enterprises (SMEs) online to help them transform and modernise their
businesses, and over 500,000 are now utilising Microsoft cloud services, with
17,000 using the 4Afrika hub to promote and grow their businesses. The
Microsoft Cloud is also helping Africans build job skills, with 775,000 trained
on subjects ranging from digital literacy to software development. We
anticipate the Microsoft Cloud from Africa will fuel extensive new
opportunities for our 17,000 regional partners and customers alike.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“This development broadens the options available to us in
our modernisation journey of Government ICT infrastructure and services. It
allows us to take advantage of new opportunities to develop innovative
government solutions at manageable costs, as well as drive overall improvements
in operations management, while improving transparency and accountability,”
says Dr. Setumo Mohapi, CEO at SITA. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Microsoft Trusted Cloud: Microsoft has deep expertise
protecting data, championing privacy, and empowering customers around the globe
to meet extensive security and privacy requirements. With Microsoft’s Trusted
Cloud principles of security, privacy, compliance, transparency, and the
broadest set of compliance certifications and attestations in the industry,
Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure supports over a billion customers and 20
million businesses around the globe. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“By establishing hyperscale cloud datacentre capacity in
South Africa, Microsoft is directly addressing customers’ concerns, and
demonstrating commitment to the delivery of cloud services within the country
and the region as a whole,” says Jon Tullett, senior research manager, IDC MEA.
“The presence of local facilities will be greatly encouraging to South African
customers, particularly those in regulated industries such as financial
services and the public sector where data sovereignty concerns are paramount.
This is a strongly positive development for the cloud industry in Africa, and
particularly Microsoft’s ecosystem of partners, ISVs and customers.”<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-69223188921845716022017-05-17T15:44:00.000+03:002017-05-17T16:07:18.924+03:00“CYTONN REAL ESTATE BREAKS GROUND FOR THE RIDGE, A KSH. 12 BILLION-DEVELOPMENT IN RIDGEWAYS”<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4jcIjq3SsybSkfuyll1hhkC2jHOC1jb40Zu8Mgnu9rSZ4YlP_ZSb41WmMb6QbenvwiZ45wt0Y5TPO1AZCmxRD_trAk5aaJ5f1IVUbLdKYILb6ht_TFIF6lyMLqhjNlaTZg1UxL30E66v/s1600/elizabeth_nkukuu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4jcIjq3SsybSkfuyll1hhkC2jHOC1jb40Zu8Mgnu9rSZ4YlP_ZSb41WmMb6QbenvwiZ45wt0Y5TPO1AZCmxRD_trAk5aaJ5f1IVUbLdKYILb6ht_TFIF6lyMLqhjNlaTZg1UxL30E66v/s400/elizabeth_nkukuu.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small; text-align: start;"><b><i>Cytonn’s Chief Investment Officer Elizabeth Nkukuu</i></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cytonn Real Estate, a
leading developer in the region with over Kshs. 77 billion in real estate projects under mandate, today held the groundbreaking for one of its
comprehensive mixed-use developments, The Ridge, valued at Kshs 12 billion that
sits on a close to 10.0-acre piece of land in Ridgeways, Nairobi County.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Ridge is a
comprehensive mixed use development that will have over 700 units comprising of
1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments, 3 bedrooms with a domestic servant quarter and
penthouses that occupy the topmost floors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Ridge has plenty
of green spaces, outdoor sitting spaces and recreational facilities including
swimming pools, children playgrounds, landscaped courtyards and a gym. The
Ridge offers convenience with over 2,000 square meters of retail and office
space consisting of a mini-mart, convenience stores, salon and laundry among
others. The retail center also houses 1 and 2 bedroom serviced apartments for
comfortable long and short stays visitors. The Ridge is a secure gated community
with 24-hour CCTV surveillance and ample parking spaces for the residents.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The development is located 300m from the
junction of Kiambu Rd and the Northern Bypass, 5 minutes’ drive from the Two
Rivers Mall, the biggest shopping mall in East Africa, less than 5 minutes’ to
Windsor Golf Club and 10 minutes’ from UNEP headquarters in Gigiri.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Ridge is part of
the larger Cytonn Real Estates strategy of responding to the growing demand for
residential units to house the ever growing middle-class seeking high quality
and secure neighbourhoods. Some of the other projects by Cytonn Real Estate
include (i) Amara Ridge a 10 units developments in Karen (ii) Alma in Ruaka
(iii) Taraji Height in Karen (iv) situ village in Karen. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Real Estate
continues to offer the very best returns for both the investors and end users.
At Cytonn, we seek to focus in provision of housing across the entire spectrum
from the high end to the low middle income. Our deal pipeline serves the
various segments of the market ranging from the high end, such as the Amara
Ridge whose construction is nearing completion in Karen, to the middle to
lower-middle income like The Ridge, which will offer a comprehensive lifestyle
and a secure community to families,” said Cytonn’s Chief Investment Officer
Elizabeth Nkukuu.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“In addition to
creating secure gated communities, these developments are also creating jobs,
contributing to the growth of the economy and raising the standards of living
in the country. At its peak, the development will have created over 1,000 jobs
on a daily basis majority of which shall come from the local community and we
thank Governor Dr. Evans Kidero for supporting such projects,” added Elizabeth
Nkukuu.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Speaking at the event
Nairobi County Governor H.E Dr, Evans Kidero said, “I am glad to mention that
Cytonn’s decision to put up this development in Ridgeways proves that the rapid
urbanization offers an opportunity for investors to offer housing products in
the county. The Ridge will change the landscape of Ridgeways and the larger
Nairobi County when it comes to residential housing.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Kenya continues to
grapple with a high housing deficit of over 200,000 housing units yearly due to
rapid population growth and urbanization. Nairobi county is the most affected
by this and we are glad that Cytonn decided to put up this development in
Nairobi. We shall continue to work closely with developers such as Cytonn to
help address the housing deficit and improve the quality of living for the
Nairobi residents.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-28170518674113382022017-05-15T17:04:00.000+03:002017-05-15T17:04:16.038+03:00KENYA RAILWAYS RECEIVES ADDITIONAL LOCOMOTIVES AND WAGONS FOR SGR OPERATIONS<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
Barely two weeks to the launch of the Standard Gauge Railway
(SGR) Mombasa - Nairobi Service, Kenya Railways today received additional 17
freight locomotives, six (6) shunting locomotives, 50 flat wagons for
containers and 4 unit cranes for use in the SGR operations. The consignment was
offloaded today under the supervision of the Principal Secretary, Transport,
Prof. Paul. M. Maringa, Kenya Railways engineers, China Road and Bridge
Corporation, the EPC contractor for Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway project, and
the project supervisor, TSDI-APEC-EDON Consortium (TAEC).</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The locomotives and rolling stock are a key deliverable
under SGR as they are the means by which the high capacity Standard Gauge
Railway will deliver Kenya's promise to her customers, including the cargo
owners. The locomotives will provide a vital service to the Nation and help
address the growing congestion on the roads in the country, with operations on
the line expected to stimulate economic activity especially in the areas
traversed by the Standard Gauge Railway line. The 25 tonne axle flat wagons on
the other hand, can carry a payload of 70 tonnes and are designed to run at 120
km/h. So far, the country has received 25 freight locomotives out of the 43 on
order; the full order of five (5) passenger and eight (8) shunting locomotives;
the full order of 40 Passenger coaches, as well as 763 Wagons out of the 1,620
on order.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Speaking on site at the Mombasa Port during the offloading
of the locomotives and wagons, the Transport Principal Secretary Prof. Paul M.
Maringa said that the government was keen on optimizing the SGR for freight
transport; destined locally and to the region - Uganda, Rwanda Burundi, South
Sudan and DRC.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The SGR is the
backbone of Kenya’s multi modal infrastructure development and thus it will
play a key role is spurring economic growth. It is expected that freight uptake
via SGR will considerably increase rail transport capacity from the port once
the operations commence in December 2017, and in accordance with the commitment
made in the Mombasa Port Community Charter, signed in June 2014,” he explained.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Operation of freight
services is scheduled to begin once the expansion and modernisation of the
Nairobi Inland Container Depot (ICD) is completed and handling equipment
provided and installed. General freight will be offloaded at Nairobi Terminus,
whose construction is generally complete. Kenya Railways will operate the
freight trains between Mombasa Port and Nairobi as per the traffic volumes
available. The freight tariffs are being determined and will be published in
time for the commencement of the operations. The customers are guaranteed high
capacity trains with trailing loads of up to 4,000 tonnes, and high quality
freight service with a transit time of 10 hours on average between Mombasa and
Nairobi.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to the Feasibility Study Report, SGR operations
would reduce freight transportation costs compared to roads transport costs
particularly as the volume offered to SGR increases. The cost of moving goods
across borders has become increasingly important as the EAC market players
continue to position their products in the global market.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On his part, Kenya
Railways' SGR Project Manager, Eng. Maxwell Mengich said, “Kenya Railways is ready
to play its part in growing the country’s economy. We are working with the
relevant agencies to ensure that all the interventions required at the Nairobi
Inland Container Depot are ready to handle the freight once we roll out the
service. We have also put in place sufficient spares and a robust maintenance
programme to minimize on locomotive failures and achieve best performance in
line with global practices,” he said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The railway will
operate both freight and passenger trains and being a single line, 33 crossing
stations have been provided to facilitate crossing of trains. Seven (7) of
these stations will handle passenger trains, which will in addition be given
priority over the freight trains along the line in order to achieve shorter
transit times.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-40056380997627060402017-05-12T19:56:00.000+03:002017-05-12T19:56:52.164+03:00Business growth remains high on the African boardroom agenda despite economic & socio-political headwinds<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UslhrJunQp_H5t6bSyfx8n-wSm_qJhAcD-gBcg5EmSTttbKdsv56m2ECyDJ_kJp2t92hnTezRN6mi_jj0RGotu1fN0F66Zh75AWxZX4ykILoZuwbThYvUWKUdVCwMpfYzbVBNHgNcCb3/s1600/dion+shango.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UslhrJunQp_H5t6bSyfx8n-wSm_qJhAcD-gBcg5EmSTttbKdsv56m2ECyDJ_kJp2t92hnTezRN6mi_jj0RGotu1fN0F66Zh75AWxZX4ykILoZuwbThYvUWKUdVCwMpfYzbVBNHgNcCb3/s400/dion+shango.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Dion Shango, CEO of PwC Southern Africa</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Candara, sans-serif;">PwC’s Africa
Business Agenda report shows that 85% of African CEOs (Global: 85%) are
confident in their own company’s prospects for revenue growth over the next 12
months</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Africa’s CEOs
are confident that the outlook for business on the continent remains positive
notwithstanding the unpredictable economic and socio-political climate. <a href="http://www.pwc.com/" target="_blank">PwC</a>’s Africa Business Agenda report shows that 85% of African CEOs
(Global: 85%) are confident in their own company’s prospects for revenue growth
over the next 12 months. Even though only 30% of CEOs in Africa (Global: 29%)
believe the global economy will improve in the next year, no less than 97%
(Global: 91%) are confident about the prospects for their own company’s growth
in the medium term.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Hein Boegman,
CEO for PwC Africa, says: “This level of optimism is the highest recorded since
we started our research on Africa CEOs in 2012. However, in the past year we
have seen a change in the outlook for some countries as external developments
impact many of the drivers of Africa’s growth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">“As countries
around the globe try to make sense of the increased levels of risk and
uncertainty that have gripped the world, Africa needs to continue rising by
capitalising on all the opportunities that lie ahead.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">The report
suggests that one of the reasons for such optimism on the Africa continent is
that CEOs have learned to look for the upside and seize on opportunities that
may arise in the face of uncertainty. In the wake of climate of muted growth,
CEOs have also acknowledged that while they focus on organic growth and cost
reductions, they also need to prioritise investment in new strategic alliances
and joint ventures to expand their markets and grow their customer bases.
According to the survey, organic growth (Africa: 80%; Global: 79%) and new
alliances (Africa: 69%; Global: 48%) are the top activities CEOs are planning
in order to drive corporate growth or profitability.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">The Agenda
compiles results from 80 interviews with CEOs across 11 countries in Africa and
includes insights from business. The results are benchmarked against the
findings of PwC’s 20th Annual Global CEO survey of 1 379 CEOs in 79 countries
conducted during the 4th quarter of 2016. The Agenda provides an in-depth
analysis and insights into how businesses are adopting to meet the challenges
of operating in Africa. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Notwithstanding
the current climate and challenges, it is notable that there remains a
significant amount of potential to unlock more growth on the continent. African
CEOs are looking to international markets for opportunities, with the US (31%),
China (28%) and the UK (24%) considered the top three countries for growth.
Johannesburg (36%), Lagos (16%) and Cape Town (14%) are considered the top
three African cities for growth opportunities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Main risks to doing
business in Africa<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Although the
returns for doing business on the continent can be high, so too can the risks.
Africa’s CEOs are working in difficult times – finding the right talent for
their business, dealing with hurdles that come with working with governments,
and managing expansion plans across the continent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">In addition,
infrastructure remains a challenge as it lags well behind that of the rest of
the world. More than two-thirds of African CEOs (69%) are concerned about
inadequate basic infrastructure (Global: 54%) and a stronger focus on expanding
power supply is required to solve one of the biggest challenges in the business
environment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Other clouds
on the business horizon include exchange rate volatility (Africa: 90%; Global:
70%); social instability (Africa: 85%; Global: 68%); geopolitical instability
(Africa: 79%; Global: 74%); unemployment (Africa: 79%; Global: 45%); and
climate change and environmental damage (Africa: 64%; Global: 50%). For most of
these factors, the level of concern among African CEOs is higher than the
global average. In addition, over-regulation features on the list of concerns
this year, with almost half (46%) (Global: 42%) of African CEOs saying they are
“extremely concerned”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">CEOs also
believe social instability resulting from inequality, an increasing tax burden,
a lack of economic diversity with an overdependence on natural resources, and
corruption remain problems in many countries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Globalisation<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Overall,
globalisation has benefitted connectivity, trade and mobility. However, just
over half of African business leaders say globalisation has done nothing to
promote equality, in particular in closing the gap between rich and poor – in
fact, this gap may well be widening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">A number of CEOs
think it is vital to address social challenges. CEOs believe the corporate
community can assist in spreading the benefits of globalisation more widely.
The majority say the best way is to collaborate, particularly with government.
“While Africa’s potential is undoubted, its achievement remains in question.
Business, government and civil society will need to work harder to turn
potential into tangible gains against the backdrop of a rapidly changing
world,” Dion Shango, CEO of PwC Southern Africa adds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Talent and technology<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">The forces of
globalisation and technology are increasingly transforming the workplace. Over
half of African CEOs (53%) are exploring the benefits of humans and machines
working together in the workplace. Over a third of African CEOs (36%) are
considering the impact of artificial intelligence on future skills needs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">In some
sectors, automation has already replaced some jobs entirely. “As automation
takes deeper root in the workplace, companies in Africa will have to
increasingly focus on achieving the right cognitive re-apportionment between
man and machine,” Shango adds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">However, as
CEOs develop their services, they are finding that human interaction in the
workplace is still important and place the investment in talent as a top
business priority. Just over half of African CEOs (51%) plan to increase their
headcount in the next 12 months. Conversely, 23% plan to cut their company’s
headcount over the coming year, with more than two-thirds of expected
reductions being attributed to automation and other technologies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">According to
the survey results, no less than 80% of African CEOs (Global: 77%) see the
availability of key skills as the biggest threat to growth (ahead of volatile
energy costs and cyber threats). They are finding it particularly difficult to
source soft skills – adaptability, problem solving, creativity and leadership.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Technology & trust<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Technology
has brought about a number of advancements in efficiency and the ease of doing
business in Africa. No less than 91% of African respondents (Global: 90%)
believe technology has changed competition in their industry in the past five
years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">While the
digital era offers a host of opportunities, it also creates significant
challenges and constraints in the arena of privacy and security. Organisations
are holding increasingly large volumes of personal data about their customers,
suppliers and employees. According to the survey results, 71% of African CEOs
(Global: 61%) say they are concerned about cyber threats. Furthermore, the vast
majority of African CEOs (93%) (Global: 91%) believe that cybersecurity
breaches affecting personal information or critical systems will negatively
impact stakeholder trust levels in their organisations in the next five years.
A high 96% of business leaders are also concerned that IT outages and
disruptions could impair trust in their respective industries over the next
five years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">As
disruptions gain more speed, the ability to ensure trust, security and privacy
across all interactions will become critical to businesses’ competitiveness.
But almost two-thirds of African CEOs (61%) (Global: 59%) are concerned that
they are not prepared to respond to a crisis in their business, should one
arise. </span><span style="font-family: Candara, sans-serif;">“In the face
of economic and socio-political uncertainty, we remain confident that the
outlook for business in Africa remains positive. But to succeed, businesses
need to adapt swiftly to change,” Shango concludes.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-20072513630912724762017-05-12T19:33:00.003+03:002017-05-12T19:33:51.094+03:00ATI supported USD4 billion worth of trade and investments in 2016<h4>
<i style="font-weight: normal;"> - Meeting participants urged
African governments to intently focus on growing intra-African trade</i></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<h4 style="line-height: normal;">
<i style="font-weight: normal;">- And diversifying their
economies away from commodity reliance in order to reduce vulnerability to
external shocks</i></h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3M9XEhtVVWRPy0mh-2T7u1_doy3kAXhFRV3VprLW1c0QNa0um7rdEgpM9tKRboNMmtzphrr-BCFsI88jF33gkLskanNJ0RXRye5ps0n-KDtTfbWfTCQVzZO4v03FcEXEDwvIem3sOJKq2/s1600/IMG_6103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3M9XEhtVVWRPy0mh-2T7u1_doy3kAXhFRV3VprLW1c0QNa0um7rdEgpM9tKRboNMmtzphrr-BCFsI88jF33gkLskanNJ0RXRye5ps0n-KDtTfbWfTCQVzZO4v03FcEXEDwvIem3sOJKq2/s640/IMG_6103.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The African Trade Insurance Agency (<a href="http://www.ati-aca.org/" target="_blank">ATI</a>),
has held its 17th Annual General Meeting. The sustained commodity price decline
and current geopolitical uncertainties took centre stage. Meeting participants
urged African governments to intently focus on growing intra-African trade and
diversifying their economies away from commodity reliance in order to reduce
vulnerability to external shocks. With sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP growth rates
expected to hit a record low of 1.5% depressed commodity rates are seen to be
one of the major drivers with export producers accounting for two-thirds of the
region’s growth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUe5amrtpW2_KErhP_rGw57YyX1SE5oGJRGlmOpAvgqcC2_u0Zc2ZV_ANYNS_GHQshDIUt7gNREpo34q7xktp9wCMrH3cfFluX7n8avOJt6zp5OQeSwrMul0OPmP7NfGuZm7RICgH49iGr/s1600/Ahmad+Farroukh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUe5amrtpW2_KErhP_rGw57YyX1SE5oGJRGlmOpAvgqcC2_u0Zc2ZV_ANYNS_GHQshDIUt7gNREpo34q7xktp9wCMrH3cfFluX7n8avOJt6zp5OQeSwrMul0OPmP7NfGuZm7RICgH49iGr/s320/Ahmad+Farroukh.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="color: red;">Henry
Rotich, Cabinet Secretary, National Treasury of Kenya<br />& Ahmad Farroukh during opening of the session.</span></b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Set against a backdrop of increased geopolitical
uncertainties that could prove challenging for improved growth, H.E. Patrice
Talon, President of the Republic of Benin and Hon. Henry Rotich, Cabinet
Secretary, <a href="http://www.treasury.go.ke/" target="_blank">National Treasury of Kenya </a>delivered opening addresses that pointed
to ATI as a vital partner in supporting Africa’s journey toward
diversification, self-reliance and more sustainable growth.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 2016, ATI facilitated financing of trade and investments
in Kenya valued at close to USD800 million which represents around 1.2% of
Kenya’s GDP. Similarly, in ATI’s two newest member countries, Ethiopia and
Zimbabwe, the company supported USD400 million worth to trade and investment to
these economies. “This is a very significant contribution to our economy. It
demonstrates real benefit because these financial flows could not have been
realized without the support of ATI,” noted Hon. Rotich.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During the opening ceremony, which attracted leaders from
the public and private sectors across Africa, ATI announced its 2016 results.
The pan African investment and credit risk insurer posted record results for
the sixth consecutive year. ATI has moved from being loss making as recently as
2011 to posting a positive net result representing a 36 percent increase over
2015. Among other factors, ATI
attributes this success to stronger partnerships with African governments, who
increasingly see the value of ATI to their growth and development objectives.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>ATI’s key 2016 results:<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
Volume of Business Supported
Since Inception: USD25 billion (+ 16%) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
Insured Trade & Investments
(Gross Exposure): USD1.9 billion (+ 16%) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
Gross Written Premium: USD29.5
million (+ 27%)
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
Net Earned Premium: USD12 million
(+ 20%)
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
Profit: USD6.4 million (+ 36%) -
On a comparable basis<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
Cost Ratio: 35% (-30%)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
Return on Equity: 3.2% (+ 28%)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
Shareholders’ Capital: USD202
million (+ 12%) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
Rating (S&P): A/negative<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 2016, ATI’s impact in Africa and globally continued to
increase. In the last six months, the company attracted new members Côte
d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and earlier in 2016, the UK’s export credit
agency, UKEF. ATI also insured USD4
billion (KES405 billion) worth of trade and investments into its African member
countries while backing strategic projects such as the USD159 million loan from
the African Development Bank to support Ethiopian Airline’s fleet
expansion. ATI also underwrote the first
deal in a non-member country in Angola in Q-1 2017, reflecting the company’s
new pan-African mandate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During the closed meeting of the General Assembly
shareholders discussed the company’s 2016 annual accounts and financial
statements in addition to recovery of funds from defaulting member countries,
the establishment of constituencies that will accommodate ATI’s regional
expansion and election of Directors and Alternate Directors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ATI is a multilateral investment insurer that was formed by
COMESA member countries with the support of the World Bank in 2001. Since then,
ATI has expanded to include countries in the ECOWAS region. The company
provides a range of products that mitigate risks impeding the flow of
investments and trade to and within Africa. As of 2016, ATI has cumulatively
supported USD25 billion (KES2.5 trillion) worth of trade and investments into
its member countries since inception.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-7980952266564794572017-05-12T18:59:00.001+03:002017-05-12T19:04:58.048+03:00Crown Launches New Italia Series Textured Paints<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jVkaEutNCrRrx4fCPT9fNCr88TLykkgkJ29_itYHqQV-6tLwYhUV3VHMWEL7-RCDnpktBRp8K-3YlRzHZrblfoXlaQWADWi-mLVs-9lLJiWs0GZm9DEZkYcFP0jsGYI0Nep5KPZo4zzL/s1600/IMAGE+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jVkaEutNCrRrx4fCPT9fNCr88TLykkgkJ29_itYHqQV-6tLwYhUV3VHMWEL7-RCDnpktBRp8K-3YlRzHZrblfoXlaQWADWi-mLVs-9lLJiWs0GZm9DEZkYcFP0jsGYI0Nep5KPZo4zzL/s640/IMAGE+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<i><b><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">(L-R)
National Construction Authority Chairman Steven Oundo, </span></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<i><b><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">Crown Paints (K) Vice
Chair, Hussein Ramji, </span></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<i><b><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">Sancora Paint Industries Export Sales Manager, Dreena
Wong Sook Cheng & </span></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<i><b><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">Crown Paints (K) Group CEO Rakesh Rao unveil the new
Crown Italia Series Textured Paints.</span></b></i><span style="font-family: "candara" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "candara" , sans-serif;">Leading paint
manufacturer, <a href="https://www.crownpaints.co.ke/" target="_blank">Crown Paints</a> has introduced a new range of textured finishes </span><span style="font-family: "candara" , sans-serif;">named Crown Italia Series in line with its commitment to offer innovative
products in the East African region.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "candara" , sans-serif;">“With
shifting consumer preferences and greater international exposure, Crown is
seeing a trend emerge where the customer is changing their approach to buying
paint and related products. Consumers today are far more aware of aesthetics
and want their homes and offices to be an extension of their personality and to
also reflect the same. They are increasingly looking for interesting fashion
finishes, special effects and specific colours, all at an affordable price.
Crown Italia Series is tailored to meet this emerging demand,” said, Mr. Rakesh
Rao, CEO, Crown Paints during the launch at Lions Eye Hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "candara" , sans-serif;">Easy to
apply, this highly affordable range of four finishes – Uno, Uno+, Due and Wow,
aims to make the joy of colour and stylish interiors available to a much wider
market. Unlike other textured finishes that are more complex to apply, Crown
Italia Series does not require specialized painter skills and can even be
applied as a DIY finish by homeowners and decorating enthusiasts. These fast
drying finishes can be applied on existing paint surfaces and are adequately
water resistant hence easy to clean and have a life expectancy of five years in
the interior application. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "candara" , sans-serif;">Crown Italia
Series will be locally manufactured in Kenya and subsequently at Crown’s plants
in Tanzania and Uganda, making the products widely available and far more
affordable for customers across East Africa. The designer textured finishes
will be available in a wide range of colours and shades through Crown
showrooms, depots and select dealer outlets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "candara" , sans-serif;">Crown Paints
intends to be a market leader by introducing new and innovative products in
anticipation of meeting consumer demand. The company expects to roll out a
range of 6,000 shades that will be dispensed at the over 350 Crown Colour Zone
outlets and showrooms across Kenya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "candara" , sans-serif;">The East
African paint manufacturer is known for its high quality, value based products
and services. Listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange, it operates through an
extensive network of dealers and showrooms in all major cities and towns in
East Africa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-73066115136705158102017-05-12T18:38:00.001+03:002017-05-12T18:38:27.095+03:00Britam Asset Managers lowers its Money Market Fund, targets mass market.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4fHTB2QUG5GGrf4ecjFHBmVbkWkyDlB-3Xdf57q2Oezbh24xP5VT2dJOCkWCvqHNY2-eV2qldlYOZYuOUhI5HSyFxlPUyKSQFL6UzpiAvZmxczE7vhGjTZWVprJUbgQwxBbHhrARbB8uf/s1600/KEN+KANIU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4fHTB2QUG5GGrf4ecjFHBmVbkWkyDlB-3Xdf57q2Oezbh24xP5VT2dJOCkWCvqHNY2-eV2qldlYOZYuOUhI5HSyFxlPUyKSQFL6UzpiAvZmxczE7vhGjTZWVprJUbgQwxBbHhrARbB8uf/s400/KEN+KANIU.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="color: red;">Kenneth Kaniu, Britam Asset Managers Chief Executive Officer.</span></b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Britam Asset Managers has lowered its money market fund
investment amount to Ksh1,000 in a bid to encourage Kenyans to save more.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Britam Money Market Fund will allow investors to invest
from as low as Ksh1,000 with subsequent top ups of Ksh1,000. Previously, investors had to invest a minimum
of Ksh10, 000 to get into the fund, with top ups of Ksh5,000. The fund targets
Kenyans who seek to invest in low risk, but high interest earning instruments
at a time when investors are looking for alternative investment platforms
outside the stock market.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The fund invests in quality interest bearing securities and
other short-term money market instruments and ensures risks are managed, while
preserving the initial capital. The fund offers convenience and flexibility,
and you can invest through mobile phone platforms by dialing short code *778#,
enabling one to save from anywhere, any time. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The unveiling of this fund comes at a time when overall
savings by Kenyans has been on the decline. According to the World Bank 2016
Kenya country report, Kenya is lagging behind in savings compared to other
economies in the region which are economically less endowed. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Many Kenyans have
been locked out from saving and investing their money because of the big
initial capital amounts needed in the money market. This fund has therefore
been designed to address the needs of the small saver,” said Kenneth Kaniu,
Britam Asset Managers Chief Executive Officer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mr Kaniu said the
fund offers savers alternatives to access credit specially to meet their short
and long-term goals, while enjoying higher returns from their investment by
outperforming bank deposit rates. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
He said the company has rolled out a marketing campaign
dubbed “You Deserve Extra” to create awareness on the need for Kenyans to save
more and earn extra returns to meet their financial goals.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-5823055922281315772017-05-12T18:30:00.001+03:002017-05-12T18:30:26.375+03:00Washing Machines are now a cheaper option<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WbKnqPfP9x3NQBhvpY2BJGr-z9fnz5tW1iAMcARkvDHH3cYDH1CFTdA1VEfsLanwKGAosLaD7pW3WK_tDIghp8FTurdgNaJqAFtJ1uICR15tKiOIInj9rOrL742MVctbXMiTeA1YNuA-/s1600/Sung-jin+Yun%252C+Director+Home+Appliances++and+Patricia+King%2527ori%252C+Business+Leader+Marketing+and+Corporate+Communications+at+Samsung+Electronics+East+Africa+during+the+launch+of+the+Samsung+AddWash+Washing+Machine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WbKnqPfP9x3NQBhvpY2BJGr-z9fnz5tW1iAMcARkvDHH3cYDH1CFTdA1VEfsLanwKGAosLaD7pW3WK_tDIghp8FTurdgNaJqAFtJ1uICR15tKiOIInj9rOrL742MVctbXMiTeA1YNuA-/s640/Sung-jin+Yun%252C+Director+Home+Appliances++and+Patricia+King%2527ori%252C+Business+Leader+Marketing+and+Corporate+Communications+at+Samsung+Electronics+East+Africa+during+the+launch+of+the+Samsung+AddWash+Washing+Machine.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Sung-jin Yun, Director Home Appliances and Patricia King'ori, Business Leader Marketing and Corporate Communications at Samsung Electronics East Africa during the launch of the Samsung AddWash Washing Machine</i></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Using a washing machine shouldn’t be perceived to be costly
today. Mr. Charles Kimari from <a href="http://www.samsung.com/africa_en/regions/eastafrica/" target="_blank">SamsungElectronics East Africa</a> reveals that; the latest models of washing machines
have become energy efficient and cost effective with updated features that
enable them to consume 30-40% less energy than the older ones.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Speaking during a
washing machine activation at Greenspan Mall, Mr. Kimari said that the new models such as the
Samsung <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwinppXg1OrTAhXDHxoKHUftCEsQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundmachine.com.mt%2Fshop%2Fhome-appliances%2Fwashers-and-dryers%2F9kg-ww90k5410ww-a-ecobubble-1400rpm-add-wash%2F&psig=AFQjCNF_uF6ahwnmMLT02NYs6Jmfo_r8cA&ust=1494689035614166" target="_blank">AddWash washing machine</a> are equipped with Eco Bubble technology that
pre-mixes air, water and detergent to create bubbles that penetrate clothes
faster and more effectively, enabling the machine to wash items at cooler
temperatures. Such energy saving is good for both the environment and one’s
monthly electricity bills.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to Mr
Kimari, the new models also go a long way in saving one’s water bills and water
usage, especially at a time like this when the country is being faced with a
water shortage brought about by drought.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“With the current
water shortage being experienced in the country, it is advisable for one to
find ways of conserving water and reduce the water bills. Our new technology
uses less than half the water compared to the conventional models or
hand-washing,” he says.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He further stressed the importance of ensuring one’s washing
machine is clean to prevent mold build-up that can end up destroying the
machine.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“When it comes to
basic care of the washing machine it is always advisable to regularly wipe it
inside and out and keep the lid open for about 15 minutes after every wash
cycle to release the moisture. It is also important to use an AVS protector
(Automatic Voltage Switcher), especially where power fluctuations are common.
In addition, place the machine on a flat surface to avoid damaging it,” he said.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-66157594420633640132017-05-12T18:10:00.000+03:002017-05-12T18:11:45.292+03:00IEEE and AU’s NEPAD in MoU to foster engineering education and workforce development in Africa<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Qvvsq4hIl9Up510EQBb90J4IQbsMupN2AeFJJJJ0MDOeaFGgXwmhYuPRZB5B_XjBFlcvCvI3uhQxQM2TOTSylgDKKQ8LSLlazDM8PAWtiFqzneIF5ORtZZk-kkQn7lwBv2KHptDBPRwm/s1600/IMG_6898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: Candara, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Qvvsq4hIl9Up510EQBb90J4IQbsMupN2AeFJJJJ0MDOeaFGgXwmhYuPRZB5B_XjBFlcvCvI3uhQxQM2TOTSylgDKKQ8LSLlazDM8PAWtiFqzneIF5ORtZZk-kkQn7lwBv2KHptDBPRwm/s320/IMG_6898.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "candara" , sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.nepad.org/" target="_blank">NEPAD</a> Agency, a technical agency of the
African Union and <a href="https://www.ieee.org/index.html" target="_blank">IEEE</a>, the world’s largest </span><span style="font-family: "candara" , sans-serif;">technical professional organisation
dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity, have entered a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the first of its type for IEEE within
Africa.</span><span style="font-family: "candara" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "candara" , sans-serif;"> Under the multi-year agreement, the
organisations will collaborate on initiatives focused on workforce development
through engineering capacity-building and educational activities, technical,
scientific, and engineering policy development, and research and development to
increase access to technical information. The MoU signing took place at the
Smart Africa Transform Africa Summit 2017.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DTJReIvn_EfFbla_mmm0PHfyISPWLlx-MLCkGa_dob811ejGacCqSZ8_N4YnAC8IbBvY0tspILYF0M3TyG5ZOouSi9xnfh8xfyMgGmbw6-VGADVks8KqF-CEVQuUnai4JRVHkiFYqVz3/s1600/IEEE%2527s+Vincent+Kaabunga%252C+Dr.+Gordon+Day+and+President+Dr.+Karen+Bartleson+NEPAD+Dr+Towela+Nyirenda-Jere+with+Kenya+CS+Mucheru+in+Kigali+yesterday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: Candara, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DTJReIvn_EfFbla_mmm0PHfyISPWLlx-MLCkGa_dob811ejGacCqSZ8_N4YnAC8IbBvY0tspILYF0M3TyG5ZOouSi9xnfh8xfyMgGmbw6-VGADVks8KqF-CEVQuUnai4JRVHkiFYqVz3/s400/IEEE%2527s+Vincent+Kaabunga%252C+Dr.+Gordon+Day+and+President+Dr.+Karen+Bartleson+NEPAD+Dr+Towela+Nyirenda-Jere+with+Kenya+CS+Mucheru+in+Kigali+yesterday.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "candara" , sans-serif;">NEPAD Agency
and IEEE are well positioned to work together as both organizations share the
common goal of capacity building in engineering, with the focus on Africa’s
next generation. The signing of this MoU at the Smart Africa Transform Africa
Summit signifies the priority of this mutual goal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "candara" , sans-serif;">“IEEE is very
proud to enter into this agreement with such a prestigious organisation as
NEPAD Agency and looks forward to collaborating in many ways to provide
educational support and technical development for the engineering profession
throughout Africa,” said Karen Bartleson, President and Chief Executive Officer
of IEEE.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "candara" , sans-serif;">“Workforce
development in engineering is crucial to Africa’s development, especially for
the infrastructure sector. NEPAD Agency welcomes the partnership with IEEE and
looks forward to implementing joint initiatives that will contribute to
regional integration and the aspirations of Agenda 2063, Africa’s long-term
continental strategy for transformation,” Dr Towela Nyirenda-Jere, Principal
Programme Officer in the Regional Integration, Infrastructure and Trade
Programme remarked, in a statement on behalf of Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, NEPAD
Agency’s CEO.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "candara" , sans-serif;">IEEE will be
assisting in the delivery of the African development agenda of NEPAD Agency for
the attainment of the African Union Agenda 2063 and the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals. As one of
the world’s largest engineering publishers, a major supporter of educational
resources, a widely known developer of global technical standards, and a
respected voice for the global engineering community, IEEE is well positioned
for this collaboration. </span></div>
<o:p></o:p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-12520571491145695552017-05-12T18:00:00.002+03:002017-05-12T18:00:10.630+03:00Digitization sets the stage for expansion of Intra-Africa trade.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CiPIRiXWgAYXTnp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CiPIRiXWgAYXTnp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;">Ecobank’s Group Head of Research Dr. Edward George</span></i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">The evolution
of the digital economy and the emergence of innovative financial solutions is
set to increase the volume of trade across the African continent. According to
Ecobank’s Group Head of Research Dr. Edward George, while the value of Intra-Africa
Trade is estimated at 15%, the large volumes of informal trade within the
continent and more so among border communities needs to be formalized to enable
the continent realize its trade potential. This is all set to change with the
emergence of the digital economy and mobile payment platforms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">“Ecobank has
the widest geographical coverage across Africa with a footprint in 33 countries
which is a major enabler for cross border trade. In addition to this, we have
the Ecobank MobileApp that is available in all the countries where we operate,
facilitating free in-country payments and allowing vendors across all 33
countries to make and receive payments in a very simple way.” Mr. Edward added.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Mr. Humphrey
Muturi, Executive Director, Ecobank Kenya & Cluster Head of Commercial
Banking for the EAC region said the recent launch of the Ecobank Mobile App and
the Masterpass QR (Quick Reader) services was a major step towards the
digitization of the Bank’s services.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">“Today,
customers do not have to go to a physical branch to access banking services.
They do not need to go to an ATM to withdraw money to make payments. They have
it all at their fingertips through our Ecobank Mobile App. The Masterpass QR
service that is exclusive to Ecobank Kenya will revolutionize the way people
shop and make payments in this country,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Ecobank's
digital platforms enable its customers trading across the continent to tackle
the increasing need for regional payment factories, regional collections,
electronic bill presentment and settlement as well as 24/7 availability.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">“Traditional
barriers to trade in developing countries such as poor infrastructure,
inefficient logistics, money transfer costs, delays in settlements and distance
to market are being overcome as the Internet and associated technology allows
for products to be developed and delivered online.” Ecobank Kenya / East Africa
Cluster Head for Trade Sales, Michael Gichure said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">To address
these barriers, Ecobank demonstrated the capability of its electronic finance
supply chain (eFSC) platform primarily geared towards its corporate and
commercial customers. This enables clients to fully digitize their procurement
cycle from order to cash. The platform facilitates both domestic and cross
border trade transactions and is an additional functionality to Ecobank's award
winning electronic banking platform, Omni.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">This comes
shortly after Ecobank launched its Mobile App and Masterpass QR code,
reinforcing the Bank's strategic focus on digitization. Ecobank says the
technological disruption will enable businesses source for production inputs more
efficiently by eliminating intermediaries, shortening supply and
export-distribution chains while at the same time reducing business transaction
costs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">For
government, the digital economy will make it easier to deal with the ethical
and governance challenges they face in the procurement of goods and
services. This will in turn result in
efficient government service delivery and ensure value for money by enabling
easy access to sufficient information on products and suppliers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, sans-serif;">There is need
to continuously improve the legal framework to address electronic transaction
issues that continue to arise with the passage of time. Both governments and
traders will however have to build a framework for the harmonization of national
ICT policies and regulatory frameworks. In addition, there is need to establish
open standards, promote interoperability and interconnectivity. Additional
investment in ICT infrastructure is also required to increase access to the
internet across the continent.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-47521642448217270862017-05-12T17:33:00.000+03:002017-05-12T17:33:11.788+03:00DAVIS & SHIRTLIFF ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIPS WITH WORLD LEADING GERMAN SOLAR COMPANIES AT SOLAR SEMINAR<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.davisandshirtliff.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSw0orUG4FBGIc7F2bK3nSu-dyjGmZm2nDHW2xA5UdchAU30cOge4XKH48Z_YFT-zcQCBTvnFrX25PWhqOvLHqbnmOu22pqd1KemPZkl0T7Rg966CRIOdDcFMhVVdwE3-tSV-lc2vJQS_S/s400/unnamed.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>MarenDiale- Schellschmidt, Country Director, Delegation of German Industry and<br />Commerce closed the two-day D&S solar generation seminar in partnership with<br />some of the world leading German solar companies.<br /> RIGHT is, Alec Davis,D&S Group chairman.</b></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Davis & Shirtliff
(D&S), Kenya’s leading Water and Energy equipment provider, have brought together some of the world’s leading German solar equipment companies for a
Solar Seminar to focus on the technology of Solar Power Electricity Generation
for both off and on grid applications.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The event is being
held at the company’s Head Office complex in Nairobi’s Industrial Area on 8th
and 9th May. This follows on from D&S’s partnership announcement last year
with the world’s leading producer of inverters, Germany’s SMA and they will be
joined at the Seminar by three other German companies - Solarworld,
manufacturers of PV solar panels, Hoppeke, the largest producer of industry
battery systems in Germany and Schletter, renowned manufacturer of professional
solar mounting structures. These companies together provide the key components
for Solar Power generation systems.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The two-day event
will include a full day technical training for D&S sales and engineering
staff, whilst the second day will consist of awareness sessions for key
customers and industry players including engineers, consultants, property
developers and solar financing companies.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLKWgFJwf7AYVGTyhEq37GDNVRGWUuJGmtREF71aIrbSNBkzkl8_Bv5vx-V7zWoVZmEWhsKMNDErwg2BPb-f9eSS0v1z28PcWCe3sCdO0-2E2QYLtAhThk7p6Shd9jCpKwigfcEzq5wmA/s1600/D%2526S+Group+CEO+on+Rooftop+with+SOLAR+PANELS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLKWgFJwf7AYVGTyhEq37GDNVRGWUuJGmtREF71aIrbSNBkzkl8_Bv5vx-V7zWoVZmEWhsKMNDErwg2BPb-f9eSS0v1z28PcWCe3sCdO0-2E2QYLtAhThk7p6Shd9jCpKwigfcEzq5wmA/s400/D%2526S+Group+CEO+on+Rooftop+with+SOLAR+PANELS.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: red;"><i>Customers and industry players including engineers, consultants, </i></span></b><b style="text-align: center;"><div style="display: inline !important; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><i> property developers </i></span></b></div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="text-align: center;"><div style="display: inline !important; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><i>and solar financing companies attended </i></span></b></div>
</b><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><div style="display: inline !important; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><i>a seminar hosted by Davis &Shirtliff on the technology </i></span></b></div>
</span></b></span></div>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><i><div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><i>of solar power electricity generation for both off and on </i></span></b><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><i><div style="display: inline !important; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><i> grid applications. Solar World’s Solar </i></span></b></div>
</i></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><i><div style="display: inline !important; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><i>Manager Dean Lundall Is </i></span></b></div>
</i></span></b><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><i><div style="display: inline !important; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><i>pictured explaining the Photovoltaic panels located on the </i></span></b></div>
</i></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><i>company’s roof top. D&S Solar Manager, Norman Chege, is right.</i></span></b></div>
</i></span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over 1.5 billion
people worldwide live without access to electricity. For people without access
to the electrical grid, solar energy is the most cost-effective source of
electricity. While the investment costs
of solar equipment can be marginally higher than conventional generators, the
long term operating costs are minimal with no fuel and minimal maintenance
costs. Also, where grid power is available there is an increasing awareness of
the ecological and cost saving benefits of solar generated power to supplement
regular consumption. Speaking on the eve of the event, Davis &Shirtliff’s
Chief Executive Officer, David Gatende said “Being situated at the equator,
Kenya’s strategic location makes it perfect for solar solutions. The solar industry has huge potential and
solar equipment prices have been falling steadily over the years. With these
partnerships, we will carry significant stocks of products from these companies
to make them readily available to local and regional markets”.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“German technology is amongst the most advanced in the
world, and we believe that their superior quality will pay off in the long
term” he concluded. Bringing together the world’s most reliable solar product
manufacturers will build Davis &Shirtliff’s solar solutions capacity and
benefit this growing sector in the region.
Davis and Shirtliff has a strong regional branch network in eight
countries.</div>
<o:p></o:p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-25634523734318526352017-05-08T16:01:00.000+03:002017-05-08T16:01:15.868+03:00LG WEBOS 3.5 SMART TV PLATFORM EARNS COMMON CRITERIA CERTIFICATION FOR SECURITY EXCELLENCE<h4>
<i>-Latest Smart TV Platform Earns Prestigious CC International
Security Certification for its Ability to Provide Superior Privacy Protection.</i></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5I_smWWyV8Km926mLWHSKdYwnTeznqvfvy2S9gIxtVgT7oq1MfcAhnCbsTApcAH2lj_68D5Jyye9osygsmY5_ppJZGrBXyEXQsECaCcJZoInq8pAZz3SPtR6XmhR_wJjDCjqP_99f44e/s1600/CC+Certification+with+SUPER+UHD+TV%2528SJ95%2529+%2528002%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5I_smWWyV8Km926mLWHSKdYwnTeznqvfvy2S9gIxtVgT7oq1MfcAhnCbsTApcAH2lj_68D5Jyye9osygsmY5_ppJZGrBXyEXQsECaCcJZoInq8pAZz3SPtR6XmhR_wJjDCjqP_99f44e/s400/CC+Certification+with+SUPER+UHD+TV%2528SJ95%2529+%2528002%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a> LG’s webOS 3.5 smart TV platform was recognized with a
Common Criteria (CC) certification for its enhanced Application Security
Solution Version 1.0 software. By snagging another internationally-recognized
security certification, LG continues to demonstrate that its smart TVs are
among the strongest when it comes to smart TV security. The recognition comes
at a time when consumers are increasingly concerned about the potential of
privacy breaches on their Internet-connected devices.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Security Manager, the webOS 3.5 security software module,
was tested in accordance with Common Criteria’s rigid benchmarks. CC’s
internationally-recognized ISO/IEC 15408 standards are used by governments,
banks, and other organizations to assess the security capabilities of
individual products including 27 member countries from around the world
including Australia, France, Japan, Korea and the United States.* The test
examined three phases of smart TV security: application installation
protection, application execution protection and application content protection
with digital rights management (DRM) encryption.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
LG webOS 3.5 provides excellent application installation
protection and blocks the installation of unauthorized apps by conducting a
rigorous digital signature verification process. The LG App Store server
oversees the digital signature generation process to ensure that webOS 3.5
installs applications downloaded only from the LG App Store. LG webOS 3.5 also
delivers protection depending on the type of application – platform apps (also
known as native apps) or web apps. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For native apps, webOS 3.5 implements sandboxing
technology according to each application’s security attributes to block access to unauthorized system directories/files, device files and other data. LG webOS
3.5 allows web applications to use only approved application programming
interfaces (API) to prevent these web apps from directly accessing sensitive
information in the file system. In addition, the latest webOS offers a
powerful DRM license verification process designed to decrypt the encrypted
content inside RAM (random-access memory) and to create a clean backup of
encrypted content in flash memory.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We have taken every possible step to ensure that webOS 3.5
offers excellent application protection and the highest level of privacy
security,” said J.H. Hwang, senior vice president and head of R&D at LG’s
Home Entertainment Company. “Consistent with customers’ concerns over product
security issues, we have enhanced the security of our smart TV platform.
Certification by Common Criteria confirms that we’re on the right track when it
comes to customer privacy and data protection.”<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-12244233451732673262017-05-08T15:36:00.001+03:002017-05-08T15:45:42.703+03:00Africa presents a mixed foreign direct investment (FDI) picture - EY Africa Attractiveness report<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>• South Africa remains
the largest FDI hub in Africa<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>• Egypt, Kenya,
Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa (the key hub economies) collectively
attracted 58% of the continent’s total FDI projects in 2016<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>• Investment from the
Asia-Pacific region into Africa hit an all-time high in 2016<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBfUKF0Qmr1h5vekETR1CJrYNSmeR-LwNwCBIibf2pFtGcAM-ra26TmAR6m1xAwPieAyJDvYmV2ZSqsU4XQwdh-c8tvrKQG1pO1LhPL2_dxXfu-uirQtMw6625d3OaNled41m5zgKo7iH/s1600/EY+Report+Cover.JPG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBfUKF0Qmr1h5vekETR1CJrYNSmeR-LwNwCBIibf2pFtGcAM-ra26TmAR6m1xAwPieAyJDvYmV2ZSqsU4XQwdh-c8tvrKQG1pO1LhPL2_dxXfu-uirQtMw6625d3OaNled41m5zgKo7iH/s400/EY+Report+Cover.JPG.jpg" width="278" /></a><a href="http://www.ey.com/" target="_blank">EY</a> attractiveness report indicates heightened geopolitical uncertainty and “multispeed” growth across Africa, thus presenting a mixed FDI picture for the continent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The report provides an analysis of FDI investment into
Africa over the past ten years. The 2016 data shows Africa attracted 676 FDI
projects, a 12.3% decline from the previous year, and FDI job creation numbers
declined 13.1%. However, capital investment rose 31.9%.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The surge in capital investment was primarily driven by
capital intensive projects in two sectors, namely real estate, hospitality and
construction (RHC), and transport and logistics. The continent’s share of
global FDI capital flows increased to 11.4% from 9.4% in 2015. This made Africa
the second-fastest growing FDI destination by capital.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Ajen Sita, Africa CEO at EY says:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“This somewhat mixed picture is not surprising to us.
Investor sentiment toward Africa is likely to remain somewhat softer over the
next few years. This has far less to do with Africa’s fundamentals than it does
with a world characterised by heightened geopolitical uncertainty and greater
risk aversion. Investors with an existing presence in Africa remain positive
about the continent’s longer-term investment attractiveness, but they are also
cautious and discerning.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMwkYpTKW8f8PbrhGrxWtJYgD6pPkdhiiWjSoMRho8cgmU4yERleiZqsgIoF1CIHBcbYhzvboPZac5se_UJwikiVJdh38_4TnC2aBjSbHb-iIaEDu8DEUqguhPy_DOQMddl9G3LYcd5QU/s1600/EY+1.JPG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMwkYpTKW8f8PbrhGrxWtJYgD6pPkdhiiWjSoMRho8cgmU4yERleiZqsgIoF1CIHBcbYhzvboPZac5se_UJwikiVJdh38_4TnC2aBjSbHb-iIaEDu8DEUqguhPy_DOQMddl9G3LYcd5QU/s640/EY+1.JPG.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<b>Asia-Pacific investors are bullish on Africa</b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a sign of ongoing diversification of Africa’s FDI
investors, more than one fifth of FDI projects and more than half of capital
investment into Africa came from Asia-Pacific in 2016, an all-time record. Most
notably, Chinese FDI into Africa increased dramatically, making the country the
single largest contributor of FDI capital and jobs in Africa in 2016.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Foreign investors refocus on Africa’s hub economies </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa (the key hub
economies) collectively attracted 58% of the continent’s total FDI projects in
2016. South Africa remains the continent’s leading FDI
destination, when measured by project numbers, increasing 6.9%. Morocco
regained its place as Africa’s second largest recipient with projects up by
9.5%, followed by Egypt, which attracted 19.7% more FDI projects than the
previous year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>New investment hubs appear in East and West Africa</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although foreign investors still favour the key hub
economies in Africa, a new set of FDI destinations is emerging, with
Francophone and East African markets of particular interest.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite having a 31.7% decline in FDI projects in 2016, and
weak growth in recent years, West Africa’s second largest economy, Ghana,
remains a key FDI market. The country’s improving macro-economic environment
and strong governance track record has seen Ghana rise to fourth position in
the EY Africa Attractiveness Index (AAI). The index was introduced in 2016, to
measure the relative investment attractiveness of 46 African economies based on
a balanced set of shorter and longer-term metrics.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Staying in West Africa, Cote d’Ivoire also features in the
top 10 of the AAI, and with a 21.4% jump in FDI projects in 2016, this
illustrates that it’s becoming a country more favoured by investors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzv4tzVB3b4RmrxjA5NYlaFpJnBIu7yaPBCtlt-jhC4V_sY-BhJsJdTD6xNAJ5RO0Xk23yLm_03pITqZOzGdSu7Dlnlsj1_-5-zIVpvLXj7dFK8x4a4SggScWwhwsg-Goh8ybsnJe2s3-X/s1600/EY+2.JPG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzv4tzVB3b4RmrxjA5NYlaFpJnBIu7yaPBCtlt-jhC4V_sY-BhJsJdTD6xNAJ5RO0Xk23yLm_03pITqZOzGdSu7Dlnlsj1_-5-zIVpvLXj7dFK8x4a4SggScWwhwsg-Goh8ybsnJe2s3-X/s640/EY+2.JPG.jpg" width="640" /></a>Also in the west, Senegal has emerged as a potential major
FDI destination although this is not reflected in its current FDI numbers. It
does however rank strongly on the AAI 2017, taking eighth position, due to its
diverse economy, strong strides in macro-economic resilience and progress in
improving its business environment.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sita concludes, “By 2030, Africa remains on track to be a
US$3t economy. However, growth needs to become more inclusive and sustainable
to eradicate poverty at the levels that are required. If we accept the reality
that physical connectivity – enabled by regional integration and the
development of physical infrastructure – will remain a key stumbling block to
inclusive growth across Africa for at least the next decade, then the need to
actively embrace digital connectivity becomes critical. However, efforts to
harness the potential of digital technologies as a fundamental driver of
inclusive growth are still far too piecemeal and fragmented.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What is required is a far more collaborative effort between
governments, business and non-profit organisations to adopt technological
disruption, and create digitally enabled offerings with a particular focus on
health, education and entrepreneurship.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: red;">Download the report: http://www.APO.af/EYAfrica<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-29105455766276299152017-05-08T15:05:00.000+03:002017-05-08T15:05:00.544+03:00Surge in M&A and investment predicted in African mobile and broadband as telcos seek scale<h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7GdGfyecXxLYgdpk68kwhHbDcgMjZ6nFXAVGaQc-o9nQpgYmns-vU7sfgl2m4kK3hByzbd__5ezycq0S0vsN_O86eCPeo3yuo5tTRRIA6bncle3itPoabkOZVNlM28NfRlGII4XHASAZ/s1600/TMT_africa_230x230_2017_banner+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: Candara, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7GdGfyecXxLYgdpk68kwhHbDcgMjZ6nFXAVGaQc-o9nQpgYmns-vU7sfgl2m4kK3hByzbd__5ezycq0S0vsN_O86eCPeo3yuo5tTRRIA6bncle3itPoabkOZVNlM28NfRlGII4XHASAZ/s1600/TMT_africa_230x230_2017_banner+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;"><i>-African
mobile telecoms operators, infrastructure owners and service providers are
ramping up investment and targeting acquisitions across the region.</i></span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;"> African mobile telecoms operators,
infrastructure owners and service providers are ramping up investment and
targeting acquisitions across the region to meet the surge in demand for
connectivity, a leading telecom transaction adviser said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">“The African
TMT vista remains extraordinarily vibrant. Fundamental demand is not in doubt,
and neither is exponential growth in demand. This is reflected by
telecommunications operators seeking economies of scale. This holds across the
mobile sector, the towers sector and the broadband connectivity sector,” said
Enda Hardiman, Managing Partner, Hardiman Telecommunications.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Hardiman will
host the Telecom Leadership Panel at TMT Finance Africa 2017 (www.TMTFinance.com/africa) on May 24 in London, which will discuss strategies
for regional growth, and includes: Thomas Chalumeau, Strategy Managing Director
MEA, Orange; Stephen Van Coller, Stephen Van Coller, VP: Digital Services, Data
Analytics and Business Development, MTN Group; David Eurin, Group CSO, Liquid
Telecom; and Julian Adkins, CFO Africa, Millicom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">“In mobile,
transnational groups are consolidating operations,” Hardiman commented. “This
holds across countries and regions. It also holds in the case of potential
acquisition of single-play LTE operators. New commercial strategies emphasise
social media, entertainment and finance. ‘Basic’ connectivity no longer
suffices. Investment continues apace.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">“In towers,
critical mass achieved by transactions to date is now being consolidated.
Further transactions, including major liquidity events, are in prospect.
Significant impetus is lent to the sector, together with corresponding capital
requirements, by developments in fibre connectivity, power, and, not least, the
burgeoning IoT sector,” he said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;">Hardiman
added: “In broadband connectivity, the capacity of international submarine
landing points is being extended inland. Major initiatives are underway,
following African trade routes. Spurs are continually added to transnational
and transcontinental terrestrial backbones, enhancing both mobile and fixed
line connectivity. Satellite has experienced a resurgence in serving demand in
outlying regions. These initiatives are capitally intensive, engaging equity,
debt and project finance.” </span><a href="http://www.tmtfinance.com/africa" style="font-family: Candara, sans-serif;" target="_blank">TMT Finance Africa 2017 </a><span style="font-family: Candara, sans-serif;">will be taking place in London on May 24 and is the most important
annual meeting for African telecom, media and tech investment, gathering the
leading senior executives (CEOs, CFOs, CSOs), Investment Bankers, Investors and
Professional Advisers.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-24102083336497004272017-05-08T14:37:00.001+03:002017-05-08T14:37:29.700+03:00“KENYA RE RANKED MOST ATTRACTIVE LISTED INSURANCE COMPANY PER CYTONN INVESTMENTS 2016 INSURANCE REPORT”<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTd6hMZVhRd_CkWaYRTWvSISRRgXJVOI_HDqLgAOGkh_7iEkQhwcBdnVefaY9OFL-7JSQiaV6ySdQxBaapHLV3r26wCNVSNnsiV6zylBNv138PbmD1jrr4r6pnNANvugyY3AX9YiGo4Uoj/s1600/elizabeth_nkukuu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTd6hMZVhRd_CkWaYRTWvSISRRgXJVOI_HDqLgAOGkh_7iEkQhwcBdnVefaY9OFL-7JSQiaV6ySdQxBaapHLV3r26wCNVSNnsiV6zylBNv138PbmD1jrr4r6pnNANvugyY3AX9YiGo4Uoj/s1600/elizabeth_nkukuu.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: xx-small;">Cytonn’s Chief Investments Officer Elizabeth N. Nkukuu, CFA</span></i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cytonn
Investments has released their FY’2016 Insurance Sector Report, which
ranks Kenya </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Reinsurance as the most attractive insurance company from a
financial health perspective and intrinsic value perspective. The franchise
score measures the broad and comprehensive business strength of the company and
the intrinsic score measures the total return potential. Sanlam Kenya ranked
lowest, ranking lowest in both franchise and intrinsic value score.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<br />
The report is themed “<b><i>Operational Efficiency & Product Innovation key
to Growth of the Sector in an era of Heightened Regulation.</i></b><i>”</i> The
theme was around three key factors. First, there has been an increase in
regulation in the Insurance sector, namely the adoption of a risk based
supervision framework, which will lead to changes in capital requirements, as
insurance companies will be required to hold capital that matches the risks
they insure. Second, high expense levels are pushing the core insurance
business into loss making territory. As such, there is a push towards
operational efficiency, with insurance companies adopting alternative
distribution channels, especially through mobile, that will reduce expenditure
on collecting premiums and disbursing claims. Lastly, product innovation is key
to growth in the sector and increasing insurance penetration levels in the
country, through targeting citizens with low disposable income and doing away
with irrelevant insurance products that are not tailor made to
consumers. <br />
<br />
The report by Cytonn saw CIC Group drop from top position in the H1’2016 Report
to rank 4<sup>th</sup>, affected by a poor return on average tangible equity,
low levels of diversification and lower ability to absorb sudden large shocks
owing to a high ratio of claims to shareholder’s funds. Sanlam retained its
bottom position as a result of poor return on tangible equity, low solvency
ratio, low underwriting leverage, and high claims to shareholder’s funds. On
potential total return, Liberty Holdings and Britam Holdings held the first and
second positions with total potential returns of 21.3% and 20.8%, respectively,
while Sanlam Kenya registered the lowest total potential return, with a
potential downside of 14.9%.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
Speaking during the report release, Cytonn’s Chief Investments Officer
Elizabeth N. Nkukuu, CFA, said that the analysis is to determine which
insurance companies are the most attractive and stable for investment from a
franchise value and from a future growth opportunity perspective. “Technology
and innovation is a driving factor in the sector and thus we expect improved
product innovation and operational efficiency to drive profitability and thus
growth of the sector amidst the heightened regulation. The growth of the middle
class, adoption of alternative distribution channels and regional expansion are
also key contributors to the growth of the sector,” said Elizabeth.<br />
<br />
“Following the adoption of a risk based framework, the sector is set to
experience an increase in mergers and acquisitions mainly targeting small and
weaker insurance companies in the Insurance sector in Kenya. Product innovation
targeting specific sectors is also expected to gather pace mainly in sectors
such as oil exploration and mining activities. Premiums continue to experience
strong growth with growth in Life business premiums outpacing General business
in 2016. Despite the sector remaining attractive with vast potential, we have
witnessed the insurance sector grappling with low penetration, with Kenya’s
penetration standing at 3.0% compared to South Africa’s 14.1%,” said Maurice
Oduor, Cytonn’s Investments Manager.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Cytonn Investments is an
independent investment management firm, with operations in Nairobi - Kenya and
D.C. Metro - U.S focusing on offering alternative investment solutions to
individual high net-worth investors, global and institutional investors and Kenyans
in the diaspora interested in the high-growth East-African region. <span style="color: red;"><b><i>Access </i></b></span></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: red;"><b><i>report by clicking <a href="http://cytonn.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=2c4f90d6a1e43730369b9d278&id=ac70e76310&e=b0e9ed6c9b" target="_blank"> HERE</a> </i></b></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br />
<!--[endif]--></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1650695105380510226.post-9646855052322513262017-05-08T14:10:00.002+03:002017-05-08T14:10:55.709+03:00The business value of Cloud beyond cost savings<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguU4p2LhLSZG7XR6M1vapAvvNWH-3cfRJT7IScchyLE9_CEJebvnCtjVezhRFIEuRxrsGfXy7UiRmU19ofQWPJL3b8ODfWfLDowriliOwRDrEOHypjpESKtw4gLFm86ZXs41f1TXe3AKPw/s320/Allan+Paton+photo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><i><b><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Allan Paton</span></b></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguU4p2LhLSZG7XR6M1vapAvvNWH-3cfRJT7IScchyLE9_CEJebvnCtjVezhRFIEuRxrsGfXy7UiRmU19ofQWPJL3b8ODfWfLDowriliOwRDrEOHypjpESKtw4gLFm86ZXs41f1TXe3AKPw/s1600/Allan+Paton+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>By Allan Paton, </i></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Today, <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/rightscale/rightscale-2016-state-of-the-cloud-report-59608560" target="_blank">95% of organisations use some kind of cloud infrastructure</a> to power their business. In
fact, according to a recent <a href="http://www.idc.com/tracker/showproductinfo.jsp?prod_id=961" target="_blank">IDC report</a>, total spending on IT infrastructure
products for use in cloud environments will grow 18 per cent in 2017, reaching
an estimated £35 billion. In contrast, investment in traditional non-cloud
architecture equipment will decrease by more than 3 per cent over the next 12
months.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> A wide range of
organisations, from start-ups to large, global enterprises have adopted cloud
computing technologies to launch their applications, automate processes, and
store data. The reason is that by moving to the cloud, companies can reduce the
size of (or even eliminate) their data centres, achieve always-on availability,
improve mobility and collaboration, and benefit from flexible capacity, all of
which translates into increased productivity, and shorter times to market. Most
notably, the original premise for many organisations moving to the cloud is cost
savings. However this process can be expensive, as companies reshuffle and
retrain teams, and as a result, many businesses are talking about the hidden
costs of the cloud.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cheaper simply can’t be the only reason to make a move to
the cloud. Organisations need to reframe the decision to move their
applications to the cloud around business value, and focus on two soft benefits
which may be just as important as any cost consideration: agility and
scalability.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Staying agile in a changing environment</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Before cloud computing, it used to take companies a long
time to build an application and get it to market, or to enter into a new
market. For example, if a UK based organisation wished to expand into the US,
it would have to buy a datacentre there, build the infrastructure, and hire a
local team of experts there to troubleshoot when needed. Following this
process, which could take several months to complete, the company would finally
be in a position to launch services in the US.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">However with cloud computing, an organisation can launch
operations in a different region in just a few days, by hiring the services of
an existing cloud provider. It can also use the cloud to build or update
applications, roll out new features, or accommodate new customers. Companies can
provision and deprovision unlimited resources as required, within hours instead
of months, and with minimal cost. That is true agility – the ability to deploy
and manage network services, applications, and edge IT as intuitively as
downloading apps onto a smartphone, and as instantly as spinning up compute and
storage resources into a public cloud.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Scaling resources to stay ahead<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An added business value of cloud technology is that it
gives organisations the flexibility to scale up and down as needed — and fast.
This can be particularly relevant for a range of companies and contexts. For
instance, an organisation may launch a new app, attracting thousands of users
to the company website, or a retailer may see website traffic increase
exponentially on big shopping days like Black Friday or Cyber Monday. In both
scenarios, failure to meet traffic demands can have a negative impact on organisations’
reputation and bottom line.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the cloud, business success is about being able to
scale up resources in order to support increased demand, and quickly update
applications in order to correct problems or add new features so that users
receive those updates automatically, wherever they are. By the same token,
organisations also need to be capable of quickly scaling down when they have
overestimated the capacity required for a particular application or time frame.
The ultimate benefit of moving quicker and deploying faster is achieving larger
market share.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Visualising the path to success</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Guaranteeing the benefits of agility and scalability is
easier said than done. Both depend on achieving optimal application and network
performance, and can be hindered by problematic application codes, network and
connectivity issues, and server failure. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most companies take a fragmented approach to application
performance management. Separate IT teams leverage specialised tools to
investigate network traffic, real-time communications problems, infrastructure,
and application performance-related issues. Each team sees only part of the
transaction, and effective communication between those teams is challenging
because they are using different, unsynchronised metrics. As a result, IT
wastes time trying to determine the root cause for performance problems instead
of fixing them. This translates into a reactive approach which falls short in
the complex, application-driven world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The key to success is for organisations to establish
holistic, real-time, end-to-end visibility into application performance across
the entire network, so that they can establish a clear line of sight into how
apps are performing, and how they impact on the end-user experience. They need
to be able to answer: What is the latency? What is the user experience? Where
are users coming from?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This speeds organisations’ ability to pinpoint the root
cause of any issue, regardless of whether it originates in the application,
network, infrastructure, or end-user device. IT will then be able to take a
proactive approach to detecting performance issues, instead of reacting to a
problem after it has already hit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">IT will also be better positioned to help the business
make better decisions, empowering organisations to respond to changes in the
marketplace faster than ever before, maximising their efficiency and
productivity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Allan Paton, Regional Vice President for UK, Ireland and
Sub-Saharan Africa at Riverbed Technology.</i></b></span><span style="font-family: "Candara",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04886997040485924282noreply@blogger.com0