By Joshua Gans | CHINA DAILY Investment in artificial intelligence will continue its meteoric rise in 2025, powered by a narrative that AI is not just a tool but a new workforce. As Jensen Huang of NVIDIA recently put it, the software industry of the past was about creating tools like Excel, Word and web browsers, “tools… only so large” because humans had to operate them. By contrast, “AI is not a tool. AI is, in fact, workers that can actually use tools.” Imagine AI systems as digital colleagues who write code in VS Code, plan trips through browsers or…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
By Brian Muloni Africa has a trade deficit problem with China, and the outlook does not appear particularly optimistic. The trade imbalance between the continent and China stood at $61.3 billion last year, and according to Bloomberg, the import of Chinese goods into Africa is expected to top $200 billion for the first time this year. Typically, a trade deficit occurs when a country exports less to a country than it imports from it. A country that imports goods from another country, but exports a much smaller amount to that country, has a trade deficit. This is usually not a…
By Ikenna Emewu | China Daily The global discourse today is dominated by one urgent theme: how to contain the man-made crisis of climate derailment. Every effort to reverse the environmental damage caused by climate change should be pursued decisively, inclusively and wisely. After all, no one thrives by destroying their own home. Most of the world’s biggest polluters are the industrialized countries in the Global North. Coincidentally, many of them are increasingly dependent on green energy, while Brazil and Colombia, which belong to the Global South, are also developing green energy rapidly. On the other hand, in the league…
By Antonio Donato Nobre | China Daily As COP30 convenes in Belém, in the heart of the Amazon, the world’s focus is narrowly set on carbon emissions and net-zero pledges. Yet, this tunnel vision blinds us to the elephant in the room: Ecosystem destruction is not a carbon problem alone — it is the systemic sabotage of the planet’s most powerful climate control mechanism. Since 2023, extreme weather events have shattered most model projections of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Meteorologists are grappling with this new reality. Standard climate models were designed for a stable world that we have…
Around the world, governments and cities are grappling with the same challenge: how to ensure artificial intelligence enhances human well-being rather than amplifying risks or inequalities. From Singapore’s AI governance frameworks to the European Union’s AI Act, policymakers are working out ways to balance innovation with responsibility. China’s Interim Measures for the Management of Generative AI Services emphasize transparency and accountability, while Dubai’s Ethical AI Toolkit focuses on embedding AI in daily governance. Together, these approaches demonstrate that AI can serve as a force for social good when guided by human values. Both China and Dubai — China with its…
Equity Group Holdings PLC has posted a strong performance for the nine months ending September 2025, driven by regional growth, diversification, and digital transformation. According to Group CEO Dr. James Mwangi, the bank’s profitability is not determined by the number of countries in which it operates, but by the impact it makes in each country. “The more important thing is not the number of countries we are in. What is important is that we are significant and systemic in every country we are in,” said Dr. Mwangi. The Group’s profit after tax rose 32 percent to KSh 54.1 billion, up…
Equity Group Holdings PLC has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming Africa through sustainability-driven financial practices, according to its 2024 sustainability report themed, “Transforming Africa for True Sustainability.” “True sustainability must be owned by all—by communities, enterprises, nations, and Africa itself—for prosperity to be realized,” said Dr. James Mwangi, Equity Group Managing Director. “The world cannot achieve true sustainability without Africa being transformed economically, socially, environmentally, and institutionally.” The Group has redefined the future of banking in Africa through its innovative Tri-Engine Business Model, comprising commercial, social, and sustainability engines, designed to integrate commercial success with social impact and environmental responsibility.…
Tatu City, one of Kenya’s flagship Special Economic Zones (SEZ) is set to undergo a major transformative expansion, fueled by a massive Sh65 billion investment from renowned businessman, Abdiweli Hassan, the founder and chairman of the largest mall in East and Central Africa, Nairobi’s Business Bay Square (BBS) Mall. Tatu City has been identified as the next site for Mr Hassan’s next ambitious venture, which will comprise a 60-acre, mixed-use development that promises to redefine urban living. The landmark partnership signed by Mr Hassan and Mr Stephen Jennings, the founder and CEO of Rendeavour, the developer of Tatu City, will…
Pension fund managers are projecting strong double-digit returns in 2025, driven by gains in equities and fixed income markets. The outlook was shared at the Enwealth Umbrella Fund Annual General Meeting for FY 2024, where ICEA Lion Asset Management and Kenindia Assurance Company expressed optimism that pension savers can expect continued growth in their retirement savings following a strong performance last year. Commenting on the outlook for 2025, George Kamau, Portfolio Manager at ICEA Lion Asset Management, said: “Kenya’s economy has shown remarkable resilience. We expect GDP to expand by about 5.3% in 2025. In summary, 2025 has so far…
By Thuku Kariuki The African Development Bank placed women at the center of climate action during the Second Africa Climate Summit, convening high-level discussions on how to scale gender-responsive solutions in finance, policy, and data. The event, “Scaling Up Gender-Responsive Climate and Energy Solutions: From Finance to Policy and Data,” was hosted at the Bank’s Pavilion in Addis Ababa’s International Convention Center. It highlighted innovative partnerships channeling resources to women-led businesses tackling the climate crisis. A key announcement came from KawiSafi Ventures, an African Development Bank investment partner, which pledged that 35% of its $90 million Fund II will target…
