CABI scientists have joined an international team of experts who suggest that the large-scale management of a range of some invasive plants could hold the key to reducing the spread of deadly malaria. Dr Arne Witt and Dr Sean Murphy worked with scientists from the University of Illinois, The Ohio State University and the Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas (FuEDEI) in Argentina, to conduct a review of existing studies which looked at how mosquitoes are attracted to both land and water-based invasive plants such as water hyacinth, floating pennywort and prosopis and how best these invasive plants can be managed.…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
Kenafric Industries Limited, one of the largest makers of confectionery, food spices and beverages in Kenya, has introduced a range of biscuits in small packets branded Goodie Bakers aimed for low-income consumers. These are milk flavour, which is sold in a pack of five biscuits and ginger, which has three in a sachet each costing five shillings. Mikul Shah, the Kenafric Industries CEO and executive director, said, “Starting a biscuits production line follows our success in manufacturing confectionery products such as Fresh Chewing Gums, Ting Ting bubble gums, lollipops, toffees and candies and Squeezy ready to drink juices.” The…
Following the ban of plastic bags by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources non-woven bags became the popular replacement. Now there is a growing need for a much wider range of items made with this eco-friendly material. To meet this demand Vitafoam Products Limited, a leading manufacturer of innovative foam based products, has introduced wine bottle bags, suit covers, car seat and steering wheel covers, laundry bags and shoe bags. Sharad Barot, the chief operations officer of the company said, “Garages and hotels are among the organisations needing non-woven fabric replacements for the plastic products which they previously used.…
The Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications (GSMC) has launched the Master of Arts in Digital Journalism Programme. The event, which was held last month at the GSMC campus in Nairobi, drew deliberations on East Africa’s Changing Media Landscape, focusing on the past, present and future of the media industry in East Africa (EA). The first of its kind, the programme, which began on January 29 2018, has 25 budding journalists, who will be immersed in the world of digital production, and will build expertise in multiplatform storytelling, specialist reporting and editorial leadership. The MA programme will…
The popularity of apartments in the Kenyan real estate sector is bound to shine more as compared to houses and town houses. According to Hass Consult, this can be explained by the increase of younger families in Kenya who would prefer more affordable and smaller homes. Data Fintech’s January Global Real Estate Report shows an increase in the asking price of apartments in the Kenyan real estate market in January 2018 as compared to December 2018. The report shows a 3% increase in the volume of 3-bedroom apartments in the real estate market from Sh19.72 million to Sh20.35 Million. Houses…
A better lifestyle, riding on the promise of wealth creation through new job opportunities, has led to the expansion of cities’ borders to create megacities (defined as a population of over 10 million people) around the world, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. The company’s City Economic Database reveals that close to 8.2% of the world’s population live in megacities, which contribute 14% to total Global GDP. Of the world’s 35 megacities in 2017, 21 were located in Asia and GlobalData estimates that close to 60% of megacities will be located in the continent by 2025 (including 11 in China and…
The enactment of the Copyright Bill 2017 which proposes radical changes to the Copyright Act will see the country’s musicians, producers, actors, performers, film makers and creatives enjoy better revenues and accountability in as far as the collection of their royalties is concerned. The amendment Bill proposes that the Kenya Revenue Authority be tasked with the responsibility of collecting and remitting royalties for artistes as opposed to individualCollective Management Organizations (CMOs). “This can be viewed as an effort to bolster accountability and verifiability in the collection and remittance of royalties. Considering the national scope of collection of such royalties, it…
Since the last months of 2016 the country has experienced long dry spells that have threatened health and local food security across different regions, affecting more than three million Kenyans. The disaster has since been declared a national emergency. The food situation in the country has hit dangerous levels especially in arid and semi arid land (ASAL) areas, which have been the most affected. So far according to the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS), about 3.4 million people concentrated in 10 ASAL counties are affected and face starvation. As a result, the KRCS has appealed for funds worth Sh1billion to…
BY LUKE MULUNDA There is a new wave that is slowly but surely sweeping across Africa – and it’s not even the latest cryptocurrency mania. It’s something you possibly, innocently, do every day – or someone you know does. When more than half of the one billion Africans with access to Internet go online, more than half of them are likely to be checking out something to buy – and most end up closing the purchase online. With their fingers tapping phones, phablets and computers, Africans, considered the poorest people on earth, are fueling a new revolution in shopping that…
BY PETER WANYONYI Year 2017 was an astonishingly successful year for e-commerce worldwide. Retail (Business-to-consumer, B2C) e-commerce sales were worth over $2.3 trillion, making up over 10% of total retail sales worldwide. Business-to-business (B2B) global e-commerce sales topped $20 trillion in 2017. Forecasts are that this will continue to rise: as companies worldwide look to make as much profit as they can, they will continue to shift many of their customers online, cutting out expensive middlemen and moving towards ever-tighter supply chains. As usual, though, there’s a “but” in this rosy picture: e-commerce is growing worldwide, including in Africa, but…