Wallace Kantai has joined the table of elites after being appointed the head of communications at the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). Kantai takes over from Grace Okara who held the position since 2016. Prior to this, the polished business editor worked at Nation Media Group where he grew to become quite popular in the corporate world. As a result of his previous job, he has been able to interact with several high level global leaders and policy makers both at governmental and non-governmental positions. In addition, he also acted as a moderator in a large number of high profile…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
General Electric (GE), Nigeria, has released a whitepaper titled “The Future of Work in Nigeria. Bridging the Skills Gap: The Key to Unlocking Nigeria’s Inherent Potential” as part of the company’s global ‘The Future of Work’ series to highlight the need for investment in sustainable skills development. In issue, GE commissioned a survey of four key industries – Oil and Gas, Transportation, Healthcare and Power – for insight from their key leaders, including CEOs, HR and operations directors, on the impact of skills shortage on their businesses, as well as the ways to address skills shortages. Competing in the 21st century global economy, Lazarus…
BY VICTOR ADAR It is not easy to be Darshan Ruparelia. It has been a challenging journey for Mr Ruparelia to qualify as a fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (UK) coupled with gaining the right work experience. On the skills front, he was fortunate enough to have worked for the Government Actuary’s Department (UK) for eight years helping advice some of the largest public service pension schemes in the UK. Of course moving back to Kenya in 2013 and setting up the relatively new Ruparelia Consultants Limited in 2014 has now found him a rewarding career. “The…
The Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax year-end is looming in most East African territories, and governments are clamping down on non-compliance among businesses and individual taxpayers as they strive to raise more funding for public spending. That means businesses must ensure that their payrolls are fully compliant with the laws and regulations around collection of PAYE tax. Commenting on compliance in Kenya and Tanzania, Nikki Summers regional director for Sage in East Africa, says that the tax collection authorities in both countries are scrutinising more closely whether employers are complying with their tax obligations. With a tax collection shortfall of Sh40…
In a move to reduce on fuel emissions, Kenyatta University has launched a Center of Excellence focused on the generation of solar energy. The Sh59 million centre, which is supported by the French government was launched at the university as Nairobi hosted the third United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA). This also saw the construction of a 100kWp pilot solar PV plant through the technical help of Urbasolar, a French engineering consultant, being unveiled at the university. During the commissioning of the project, Nicholas Hulot, France’s Minister for Ecological and Inclusive Transition, was present to show the commitment of the French…
The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) has launched a campaign to eradicate plastic related materials in the environment. This was done on the launch of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sector group through a clean-up exercise of PET products last month at Uhuru Park, Nairobi. The group has gone on to partner with the government to start a recycling campaign as well as an advocacy. According to Prof. Judi Wakhungu, Environment and Natural Resources Cabinet Secretary, this is in line with the industry’s commitment to manage solid waste in the country. “Plastic related products are a common environmental menace and need…
Greenlight Planet Inc., a leader in solar home energy products across rural Africa and Asia, has launched a new line of solar lanterns: the Sun King Pro 400, Sun King Pro 300, and the Sun King Pico Plus. The new devices are more powerful replacements of the company’s existing best-selling solar lamps, boasting dramatic increases in brightness and phone-charging capacity, at lower cost, while retaining popular elements like their famously flexible and indestructible design. Greenlight Planet CEO T. Patrick Walsh says the improvements are a direct response to the evolving priorities of the company’s customer base. “It’s been nearly 10…
The Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications (GSMC) in Nairobi and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Executive Education (HKS Executive Education) have partnered to offer a pioneering suite of courses designed to transform leadership in Africa in response to the need for visionary and effective leadership commencing March 2018 and comprises of two back-to-back courses. “I urge public and private sector leaders across East Africa, and beyond, to join us at our state-of-the-art facilities in Nairobi for this innovative program showcasing the expertise of two outstanding educational institutions committed to advancing our…
Diversified and services-led economies have had a good year whereas hydrocarbon-dependent African economies continue to be plagued by the aftershock of the oil price slump. This is according to the ICAEW’s (the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) latest report. In Economic Insight: Africa Q4 2017 launched last month, the accountancy and finance body points to braking of overall growth as a result of problems in the big economies (Nigeria, South Africa, Angola). The report, commissioned by ICAEW and produced by partner and forecaster Oxford Economics, provides a snapshot of the region’s economic performance. The report focuses on…
While many economists believe the global economy has recovered from the Great Recession and global GDP growth is stable, young adults continue to suffer from its lingering effect, which presents a challenge to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) providers, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. According to GlobalData’s Q1 2017 global survey, 68% and 67% of Generation Xers and Millennials respectively are concerned about becoming unemployed, compared to only 58% for Baby Boomers. “Many young people coming of age during the 2008 recession, particularly in Western countries, saw wages cut and jobs disappear while living costs continued to rise.…