BY JENNIFER WARAWA With job growth expected in the professional services industry, accounting practices are under pressure to compete in the war for talent, working hard to attract new, top-notch professionals – and also to keep their current employees, a charge that’s proven difficult. Indicative of the new wave of opportunity in the industry, professional services such as accounting ranked among the highest in terms of staff turnover in 2017, according to an examination of LinkedIn data drawn from the site’s half-a-billion international users. As fear of a talent shortage looms, employing the right people with the right mix of skills, and providing a…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
BY BECCA RAWLAND China is now the single largest source of outbound tourists in the world. In 2017 the number of trips by Chinese travelers to foreign lands grew to 129 million, up 5.7% from 2016. For many countries China is a major, if not the largest, source of inbound tourists. This may be little surprise for countries in Asia such as Thailand, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam, but the importance of China as a source for foreign tourists is growing across Europe. As a consequence, it’s important to adapt the tourism offer to meet the needs of this market.…
BY DAVID ONJILI The matatu crew, indeed the industry fraternity, is upbeat it won’t last. The crackdown and enforcement of the new traffic rules, they say, is just another passing cloud. The passengers on the other hand see it as a waste of time and maybe a government mandarin has a tender to supply seat belts and speed governors. “Operation will only last till through Christmas and New Year festivities and January as children report to school then it will be back to normal, quipped one driver. What will the bribe-obsessed police feed on and what about the matatu stage…
BY VICTOR ADAR The fifth bi-annual tribute awards ceremony by Superbrands East Africa that was held in November at a Nairobi hotel has seen 50 of the region’s top brands make it to the 2017/2018 listing of top brands not only from Kenya but also Uganda and Tanzania. It just happens that well known brands like Britam, Chandaria Industries, Dairyland, Darling, Equity Bank, Fresha, The Kenya Red Cross Society, RMA, Safaricom, Supa Loaf, Sportpesa, and Royal Mabati, just to mention a few, were recognised and awarded in a listing that covers 12 industries across the three East African countries. Superbrand…
Apptivate Africa is looking to unlock billions of shillings in irredeemable gift vouchers that companies set aside to reward and keep employees every year. The firm introduced its multi-store digital voucher to help companies offer a variety of incentives over the Christmas and New Year festivities. “As the festive season beckons, most companies are unaware that there are options that will be more appreciated than the traditional supermarket vouchers that offer employees limited freedom for merry making,” said Apptivate Africa Chief Executive Officer, Neil Ribeiro. A survey last year revealed that 88% of companies who gave their employees a gift,…
Andrew Wambari Kairu is the new chairman of KCB Group board of directors taking over from Ngeny Biwott who has held the position since 2013. Prior to this, Kairu served as an independent non-executive director at KCB Plc and KCB Bank Kenya. People abreast with the financial sector say the value of his skills will absolutely get him ahead as the new chairman, though you might not know it by looking at him. He is currently a non-executive director at Dalberg research and a member of the Audit Committee of Commonwealth Secretariat, London. Mr Kairu has also worked at the…
Volatile market conditions continue to make life tough for investors, but those willing to look beyond the hype can still unearth hidden gems. Melville Douglas, the boutique investment management company within the Standard Bank Group says patience, a long-term view and a commitment to fundamental research remain the most astute way to navigate the current market conditions. The company, which has been delivering superior investment returns and service for more than 30 years and whose Select Global Equity Fund has returned 15% in US dollars for the year ended August 2018, has recently been scouring the investment universe for ideas…
By David Onjili The average Kenyan business enterprise does not grow to see her first birthday. The difficulty in accessing credit, high taxation and stiff competition from established enterprises all conspire to strangle the newborn before she masters her baby steps. Yet, despite the odds, many young Kenyans, like eagles, fly into the storm buoyant. Elvis Saoke, the 33 year old of Saoke Destinations is one such a man. Trained in airports operations and customs clearing and having previously worked at Davis and Shirtliff, interned at Kenya Airports Authority and researched at Kenya National Bureau of Statistics ,Saoke decided in…
More than 200 students at Makerere University are set to benefit from a new SciDev.Net training course called Script aimed at nurturing the science journalists of tomorrow and addressing the lack of high-quality science reporting in Africa. The Scrip training course and networking programme, which is funded by Robert Bosch- Stiftung and was launched at the Next Einstein Forum in Kigali, Rwanda early this year, will be taught to students within the Ugandan university’s Department of Journalism and Communication in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Makerere University . The agreement with SciDev.Net – the world’s leading source of…
Uber, the peer-to-peer ridesharing company, has finally launched its boda-boda service in Nairobi. The service which is referred to as uberBODA, will enable commuters to hire a boda-boda using the Uber platform app just as it is with the cab. According to Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, Uber Vice President for Europe, Middle East and Africa, the company is keen on creating technology that meets the needs of the market. “We are excited about the launch of uberBODA in Nairobi. While Uber has grown into a global brand, we understand the importance of building technology to meet the needs of the local market.…