The President of the African Development Bank Akinwumi Adesina, has made a compelling case for accelerating Africa’s industrialization in order to create jobs, reduce poverty and promote inclusive economic growth. Citing data from the Bank’s 2018 African Economic Outlook launched in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, last month, Adesina said infrastructure projects were among the most profitable investments any society can make as they “significantly contribute to, propel, and sustain a country’s economic growth. Infrastructure, when well managed, provides the financial resources to do everything else.” Noting that economic diversification is key to resolving many of the continent’s difficulties, he urged African governments to…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
By David Wanjala Traffic congestion in Nairobi City costs the economy upward of Sh37 billion annually according to an interim report by Nairobi County’s Transport and Urban Decongestion committee of 2014. The report attributed this to poor planning of the city, which did not factor in a steady increase in population and vehicles on the road. But the effects of long, unending traffic jams are not only felt in terms of the GDP. Think about a lactating mother who has to be up by 4:30am so as to leave for the city from Kitengela, Rongai or Ruai by 5:15am, to…
BY ANTONY MUTUNGA Most of the time that protesters have taken to the streets to have their voices heard has usually resulted in disaster as some people take the opportunity to cause chaos. These hooligans end up stealing, causing damage to property and in worse cases they injure innocent bystanders. However out of all the victims affected by demonstrations, one victim is usually given less thought whenever things are back to normal; the transport networks. Over the years, protests have left roads in bad conditions as protesters end up vandalizing road infrastructure furniture and setting fire on the roads. For…
“It is our right to do business. It is our right to make sure that the people who bring scrap metals to us are fed. Scrap is a cash business. When you bring us the scraps we give you cash, this motivates them to go bring us more. So without this trade, how will they earn a living if not indulge in crime?” Former Embakasi East MP Mr Irshad Sumra, who is also the chairman of the Kenya Scrap Metal Association (KSMA) in 2013 defending his association after the then Nairobi Governor, Dr. Evans Kidero had banned the trade in…
BY BENARD AYIEKO Africa – home to seven of the ten fastest growing economies as ranked by IMF indicates that the continent performed better economically compared to other regions of the world. This is largely attributed to the continent’s increased regional mobility, rapid urbanization and population growth – leading to increased demand for manufactured products and services. Most developed countries recorded mixed fortunes in their socio-economic and political front ranging from depressed economic growth, political fragmentation and polarization, among others. Some economies recorded accelerated growth such as; Nauru, Ethiopia Turkmenistan, Qatar, China, Rwanda and Ghana which registered a percent growth…
The heroics of Posta Rangers custodian Patrick Matasi of saving three penalties in the final against Zanzibar earned Kenya’s national soccer team, Harambee Stars, the regional tournament. It also gave new Belgian born tactician, Paul Put his first silverware before a rapturous home crowd in Machakos. Witnessed by among others, Deputy President William Ruto, Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua and Football Kenya president Mr Nick Mwendwa. While it seemed funny seeing the senior politicians present while they have neglected the game of soccer, this did not spoil the party. Route to the final The Harambee Stars kicked off the tournament with…
When Sarah first met Tom at a friend’s house, they immediately clicked. He was warm, chatty, with a gentle sense of humour that reminded her of her brother. In the following weeks, they went on dates and spent more time together. Sometimes Sarah would stay over at Tom’s flat. At other times, he would come to hers. As they were getting to know each other, something happened while they were in bed one night that made Sarah feel uncomfortable. Tom began fondling her breasts, then quickly began thrusting at her groin in a crude, unsensual kind of way. It was…
As the world focuses its attention on preventing irregular migration and protecting refugees coming out of Africa, the displacement that happens behind its own borders persists at an alarming rate. A new report by the IDMC and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) reveals that since the beginning of 2017, 2.7 million people have been displaced by conflict, violence or disasters, and have not crossed an international border. In the first half of the year, 997,000 new internal displacements due to conflict were reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), more than in the whole of 2016, and 206,000 in the Central…
By C. M. Rubin “New and more innovative knowledge maps are now needed to help us navigate the complexities of our expanding landscape of knowledge.” — Charles Fadel The Trivium and Quadrivium, medieval revival of classical Greek education theories, defined the seven liberal arts necessary as preparation for entering higher education: grammar, logic, rhetoric, astronomy, geometry, arithmetic, and music. Even today, the education disciplines identified since Greek times are still reflected in many education systems. Numerous disciplines and branches have since emerged, ranging from history to computer science… Now comes the Information Age, bringing with it Big Data, cloud computing, artificial…
MediaTek Inc. has announced a System-on-Chip (SoC) partner for providing Google’s AndroidTM Oreo (Go edition) software to Smartphone makers. After a deep collaboration with Google, MediaTek’s MT6739, MT6737, and MT6580 SoCs, among others, now have board support packages available to run Android Oreo (Go edition). Google collaborated with MediaTek to ensure that Android Oreo (Go edition) works well on its line of processors, enabling a faster time-to-market mechanism for device manufacturers, and ensuring a quality Android Smartphone experience that is both secure and affordable for devices with 512MB to 1GB of memory. This marks one of the first times that entry-level SoCs…