Homeboyz Entertainment, East Africa’s largest multimedia entertainment and experiential marketing company, has signed a strategic partnership with Publicis Groupe as it seeks to broaden its suite of services. The partnership will see Homeboyz morph into an integrated marketing and communications agency and offer an expanded array of services that will include public relations, digital communication and media buying among others. This in addition to creative design and advertising services already on offer. The partnership will enable Homeboyz to tap Publicis Groupe’s global footprint, knowledge base and best practices as one of the industry’s most powerful agency networks. “We are not…
Author: Editor
Strong GDP growth in Africa has masked disappointing productivity, according to Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales’ “ICAEW) latest Economic Insight: Africa Q2 report. Kenya, in particular, has seen low productivity in agriculture. Over the last 15 years, trade and investment have buffered the continent against the global financial crisis. However, according to the accountancy and finance body, this has hidden low productivity figures – despite the much greater potential for economic ‘catch up’. The report notes that from the year 2000 to 2015, the average GDP growth across the continent was 4.8% per annum, a full 2.3…
BY VICTOR ADAR Just over six months ago, Osita Oparaugo decided to set up Marketsquare Africa, an online portal where small players and start-ups in Africa form joint ventures, partnerships and create synergies for expansion towards building a stronger economy. His platform is designed to reduce what family businesses has had to grapple with such as the need and dependency on loans as finance remains a growth-constraint specifically for the tiny players. Mr Oparaugo’s soft spot for business grew from his interactions with start-ups, having travelled widely preaching intra African investments as well as Foreign Direct Investments. The trained legal…
Global plantation giant, Asia Plantation Capital (APC), through its African associate, Africa Plantation Capital has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kenya forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) providing a broad framework for cooperation. The MoU also provides links in natural resources management and conservation, specifically scaling up key technologies and innovations on bamboo production, management and value addition along Kenya’s coastline. The APC Group is widening its corporate presence to Kenya in a bid to facilitate the group’s major investment into forestry plantation sector that could be crucial in meeting the challenges currently faced by the global timber and biomass…
After 4 years of establishing and growing its online services, Africa Internet Group has now rebranded to Jumia, a move aimed at giving access to products and services from its leading platforms in one place. With a new vision labelled “expand your horizons”, customers can now access respective products and services under one name (Jumia) where Jovago – online hotel booking platform now rebrands to Jumia Travel, while food delivery company, HelloFood will become Jumia Food. In addition, Kaymu, which serves as a community market place has rebranded to Jumia Market. Real estate Lamudi becomes Jumia House, while the company’s…
The Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat (VDS) has commenced countrywide consultative workshops with County Governments in a bid to increase participation of counties in the realisation of Kenya’s aspirations of being a newly industrialised country by 2030. The Secretariat, which is mandated to establish strategic linkages that contribute to the development of the country, has established partnerships with counties through signing of MOUs. As part of the engagement, the Secretariat is working with Turkana, Uasin Gishu and Laikipia counties through forums with the County executives. VDS will focus on aligning the County Integrated Development Plans with Vision 2030, Medium Term…
The sun will soon power London Distillers’ plant in Athi River. International solar company Solarcentury is to install a 1MWp roof solar system that will generate enough solar electricity to power the whole building during daylight hours. By offsetting the need for grid energy, the system will enable London Distillers to save Sh18 million per year for at least the next 25 years, the lifetime of the system.Solarcentury will design and install a solar hybrid system that will operate in parallel with the grid, or the diesel generator if the grid fails. Reducing its reliance on diesel and grid energy…
World Bank’s board of executive directors has approved a program to support Kenya improve utilization and quality of primary health care (PHC) services in order to reduce maternal deaths and improve child survival. The program will help save on health costs, increase labor force participation, and also contribute to higher productivity. The new Transforming Health Systems for Universal Care project intends to reach the poorest and most needy population who hardly use hospital services because they can neither afford or cannot access them. In close collaboration with other development partners, the project seeks to enhance coordinated support in pursuit of…
By David Wanjala The 2016/17 Budget read in Parliament last month dubbed ‘Consolidating Gains for a prosperous Kenya’ proposes an estimated expenditure of Sh2.264 trillion, up from Sh1.842 trillion in 2015/16. With current revenue collection at Sh1.5 trillion, the budget is left with a gap worth of nearly Sh800 billion, which Treasury proposes to cushion by both external and internal lenders. The Government intends to borrow Sh413 billion, 5% of GDP, externally and locally through local treasury bills and bonds in the money markets. Naturally, the tax base has been widened, and with it, more burden to citizens. Treasury CS,…
BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT To outsiders and the not-so-curious employees, Safaricom House looks like a paradise of business where the angels of innovation have direct access to the gods of money. The head office of Kenya’s leading mobile services operator is a beehive of activity – from the lawn mowers to the techies in glass offices writing codes for apps and, finally, the executive suites that house the brain and brawn that steer the company and its various business units. With consistent growth in profits over the last decade, topping Sh38 billion in 2015 financial year, Safaricom has unarguably hit the…