American multinational conglomerate, General Electric, has appointed Brenda Mbathi as the new chief executive officer for East Africa as Allan Kilavuka who was the head of global operations in Africa exits to join Jambojet. Some changes at the top can be frustrating but the value of this one is that it makes you a vital industry force. Prior to being appointed the new CEO, Ms Mbathi served as the executive director for government affairs and policy for Eastern Africa since 2015. She boasts of more than 27 years of experience in government affairs, corporate social responsibility as well as corporate…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
Members of the Kenya Association of Pharmaceutical Industry (KAPI) have elected their Executive Committee, with the chairperson and three other office bearers retaining their positions at the Annual General Meeting held in April. KAPI brings together pharmaceutical companies that research, develop, manufacture and import Healthcare products and technologies in Kenya. The newly elected Executive Committee will serve for a one-year term. Dr Anastasia Nyalita from Bayer East Africa Ltd will continue to serve as chairperson, with Vinod Guptan of Surgipharm as vice chairman, Dr Winnie Ng’ang’a of GlaxoSmithKline as executive secretary and Dr. Douglas Weru of Bayer as Honorary Treasurer. The…
BY VICTOR ADAR It is not just through education that one can succeed in life. But in this era of cutthroat competition where individuals and companies are fighting for a piece of the pie, good academic background is one critical element. In the babel of entrepreneurship, good education could just be a response to gaps that it can earn you the much-needed edge. And Gitahi Ng’ang’a is one shrewd businessman who heeds the call. A statistician by training with a bachelor’s degree in the subject from the University of Nairobi, Mr Ng’ang’a is drawing heavily from what has been termed…
Members of the Kenya Association of Pharmaceutical Industry (KAPI) have revised the Code of Practice that guide interactions with healthcare professionals. The Code sets standards for the promotion of medicines to health professionals in Kenya. It includes requirements for the provision of information to patients and the public and relationships with patient groups. In 2016, KAPI rolled out the Code of practice, which is a self-regulation tool for the association members (local and multinational pharmaceutical firms) and seeks to curb unethical practices in the pharmaceutical market place such as inducements to healthcare professionals in the private and public sector. Speaking…
Diamond Trust Bank, a major banking group in East Africa, active in Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, is the first East African bank to go live on SWIFT’s global payments innovation (gpi) service, the rapid cross-border payments service that includes real-time payments tracking and transparency on transaction fees and foreign exchange rates. The widespread adoption of SWIFT gpi has been driven by demand for a faster, more transparent cross-border payments service. Around 40% of SWIFT gpi payments are credited to end-beneficiaries within five minutes. Half are credited within 30 minutes; three quarters within six hours and almost 100% within 24 hours.…
Faw, in partnership with its dealer, Transafrica Motors Ltd (TAM) have inaugurated a new state-of-the-art showroom in Nairobi’s 66 Enterprise Rd, off Mombasa Rd. TAM is one of the leading auto dealers in East Africa region, founded in 2005 and deals in leading global brand FAW (First Automotive Works). It has a branch of networks in major cities including Mombasa, Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu and Eldoret that ensure that they ably serve customers countrywide. FAW is a Chinese state-owned automotive manufacturing company, founded in 1953. Its principal products are buses, light, medium and heavy-duty trucks. It became China’s first automobile manufacturer…
De La Rue plc has announced the commencement of its joint venture with the Government of Kenya on its currency and secure printing site in Nairobi, Kenya. De La Rue is the world’s largest commercial currency and security printer and the joint venture strengthens and builds on the Group’s existing long-term strategic relationship with the Government of Kenya. The site in Nairobi will become a centre of excellence for banknote production and security printing as outlined in De La Rue’s manufacturing restructuring which is now nearing completion. According to Martin Sutherland, chief executive officer of De La Rue, the company…
MUA Ltd (MUA), a Mauritian insurer that owns subsidiaries in East Africa, has announced plans to add its investment by up to $30 million (Sh3.05 billion) in Kenya’s insurance sector. The announcement was made in the context of a visit by Kenyan business leaders accompanying President Uhuru Kenyatta at MUA’s Head Office in Port Louis, Mauritius. According to Bertrand Casteres, Group CEO of MUA, this will mark another key milestone in the group’s commitment in this fast-growing region and is a sign of MUA’s confidence in the Kenyan economy and the greater East African region. This marks the company’s single…
Standard Chartered and @iBizAfrica, Strathmore University announced in April the top five winners of Standard Chartered Women in Technology Incubator 2019. The event saw five women-led teams shortlisted from over 170 applicants win Sh1 million in seed funding for their businesses. The five teams were selected from a pull of the top ten teams previously shortlisted and were being incubated at @iBizAfrica-Strathmore University for six months where they were offered coaching, mentoring and business management skills to grow their businesses to the next level. The five winning companies for 2019 are: Lugha Ishara (LI), a community-based organisation with a mission of…
The Chairman of the Commission for University Education, Prof. Chacha Nyaigotti-Chacha has advised education stakeholders to ensure that the ongoing curriculum review process is learner-centered. Noting that the review of the current educational structure is inevitable, Prof. Chacha told stakeholders attending the National Education Conference hosted by the Aga Khan University to ensure that they do not exert their influence to the process, at the expense of the pupils and students who need the education as a base for their careers and vocations. “Any reform that is not informed on the basis of the good opportunities that will be availed…