BY FUAD ABDIRAHMAN The hyped 5G is not only about having access to an internet that is faster, the new infrastructure of 5G will also hasten artificial intelligence on the gadgets we use making them more friendly to handle and put them in a position to do complicated assignments 4G connectivity can hardly facilitate. The uninterrupted connection of 5G ensures extraordinary artificial intelligence, and therefore once it is rolled out, we will see more of automated cars on the roads, as the risk of poor data connection will be eliminated. Robots, among other firsts, will be able to take over…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
BY VICTOR ADAR Digital means a lot of things to a lot of people. To those who are technology inclined it means, ‘connecting devices and making sense of it’. But you don’t have to be tech savvy to survive in an era where data is a vital business asset. Big data is becoming a source of competition, it is the key driving force. A flash discs, for example, may get lost, hard drive may crash, remote hacking or a virus could instantly bring business to a standstill. Of course data is precious and a solution that offers solutions such as…
Office yields remained largely stable in most African markets over the past two years, anchored by patient domestic capital as local investors assume a longer-term perspective, a new analysis by Knight Frank shows. The analysis, published in a new Knight Frank report, Africa Horizons, shows that of the 35 office markets covered, yield remained stable in 16 locations in the two years to 2018 and rose in six, while 13 markets recorded declines. Africa Horizons provides a unique guide to real estate investment opportunities on the continent, examining developments in agriculture, hospitality, healthcare, occupier services (office), capital markets, residential and…
BY VICTOR ADAR Real Estate Company, Superior Homes Ltd, is banking on a retirement home dubbed “Fadhili Retirement Village”, a project that is targeting senior citizens aged 60 years and above. Situated at Greenpark Estate in Athi River, it consists of 40 specially designed cottages that come in one or two bedrooms with each going for Sh9.90 million and Sh11.98 million respectively. The first phase is complete with 12 houses currently ready for occupation while the rest are to be done at least by this month. According to Joseph Karuga, who is in charge of sales and marketing at Superior…
BY KOSTA KIOLEOGLOU There are several strategies when it comes to real estate and property investments. One of the most popular strategies used around the world is the “Flipping Model”. Flipping (also called wholesale real estate investing) is a type of real estate investment strategy in which an investor purchases a property not to use, but with the intention of selling it for a profit. The word ‘intention’ is key because it is a wish to make profits and not a fact that the project will produce guaranteed profits. People tend to forget the key element of investing, and that…
BY ROSE MUTURI There is a significant number of people in Kenya living without a documented financial history. Without that documentation, it has been nearly impossible for banks and other traditional financial institutions to understand and provide credit to these people. The advent of digital technologies like mobile money and the growing availability of alternative sources of data has enabled us to overcome the limitations of traditional finance to push the limits on financial inclusion. Today, customers can choose to share their phone data with providers to apply for loans. Providers can then underwrite these borrowers, even if they’ve never…
Four key factors; consolidation, regulation, asset quality and improved earnings shaped the banking sector in FY’2018. Consolidation The banking sector has continued to witness consolidation activity as players in the sector are either acquired or merged leading to formation of relatively larger and possibly more stable entities. Consolidations that took place in 2018 include: SBM/Chase Bank of Kenya In August 2018, State Bank of Mauritius (SBM) Bank Kenya completed the acquisition of select assets and liabilities of Chase Bank Limited, which was under receivership. Following the agreement between the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC), and…
BY YOMI KAZEEM News of Jumia’s filing to go public on the New York Stock Exchange last month is stirring questions about what defines a startup as African. While the company runs the largest e-commerce business across Africa with operations in 14 countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco and Egypt, it is incorporated in Germany, has its headquarters in Dubai with its central tech team based in Portugal, and as its IPO filing shows, will be listed in New York. Being a “German stock corporation” probably means it will pay the majority of its corporate taxes in Germany, but its subsidiaries will also pay local…
BY ANTONY MUTUNGA Not long ago, Africa’s online space was empty and the retail sector limited. Fast-forward to the present and this has all changed. E-commerce has become quite popular. This has seen the likes of Jumia, which was launched in Nigeria in 2012 grow into a billion dollar company. In 2016, the company became Africa’s first unicorn after it was valued over Sh101 billion ($1 billion). In April 2019, the start-up listed in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). This saw the e-commerce dubbed the first African start-up to join the NYSE. According to Ernest Eguasa, Jumia chief financial…
BY EMEKA-MAYAKA GEKARA Everlyn Namukhula should be alive to take care of her nine children. The woman who gave birth to quintuples in March died a month later. Namukhula gave birth to quintuplets at Kakamega County Referral Hospital on March 12. She was transferred to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital Eldoret, three days later after two of the children developed breathing complications. The two kids died, leaving behind three. Doctors had said the children needed to undergo what is known as Zipap in medical terms, which is the improvement of oxygen circulation in their bodies. Their mother who made…