Women in Africa, according to a recent survey by Opera and Worldreader, use more data as compared to their male counterparts. Opera and Worldreader surveyed 1,500 women aged between 14 and 44 years in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria in the form of a poll and compared the results alongside Worldreader’s database of 50,000 app users from the respectively mentioned countries. The results made for interesting analysis especially between the male and female Internet users in the countries. Specifically for Kenya, close to half of the respondents proved that women spent over US $9.62 (Sh1000) on mobile data. With a…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
Absa Bank Limited, a subsidiary of the Barclays Africa Group Ltd (BAGL) has successfully concluded a five year $100 million Special Facility Agreement with the China Development Bank (CDB). This is the first major transaction between the two lenders and is geared towards providing funding to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). This will also benefit BAGL’s existing and prospective SME clients across the continent, which will be reached through its 12-country presence. ding needs, and may be increased in the future to assist with new funding opportunities within BAGL’s operations. “We are glad to partner with CDB on this landmark…
eBay Inc. and Mall for Africa have announced a strategic partnership today that further boosts the sale of handmade African products into the United States. The partnership expands upon an existing relationship between the two companies, which allows Africans the ability to purchase items from eBayforAfrica.com or directly through the Mall for Africa app. The two global e-commerce giants will now provide Africans starting with Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, and Rwanda a new platform to sell their one-of-a-kind artisan products into the U.S. The inventory will be surfaced on the Mall for Africa store on eBay.com, allowing sellers to expand their businesses and…
By David Wanjala Even before the August 28 plastic ban kicks in, there is already skepticism as to whether the hefty penalties imposed on offenders will guarantee its success. According to the Environmental Management and Coordination Act, the ban will see convicted offenders face a period of between one and four years imprisonment or a fine of between Sh2 million and Sh4 million. While the hefty punishment could make a case for deterrence, it’s not difficult to see why skeptics are adamant that this could open fresh avenues for corruption. For starters, the new guidelines have been poorly advertised. The…
Masoko, the plural form of market Swahili, will soon be a common word in Kenya’s retail sector, thanks to Safaricom. Kenya’s leading mobile services operator plans to introduce an e-commerce platform in the next eight months targeting formal retail and informal online trading. The platform has already been branded Masoko, in line with the company’s culture of using local Swahili or slung names for its products and services. Masoko will offer products ranging from electronics to beverages and cosmetics and will provide a tool for people to buy and sell goods on social-media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. The…
BY NBM WRITER To appreciate the troubles Nakumatt supermarket is going through, just walk into its Moi Avenue branch in Nairobi. It’s a hungry store, literally, with its shelves yawning at shoppers, who trawl them for products that are fast disappearing. Across Moi Avenue, Tuskys, Nakumatt’s rival in the budget segment, is doing big business, happy to welcome the hundreds of shoppers who can’t find commodities at Development House. “I wanted to buy tissue but can’t find a single piece,” said Becky Kerubo, who runs a career consultancy on Development House, which houses Nakumatt on the ground floor. “I have…
BY BENARD AYIEKO Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an age-old corporate-custom. Since 1960s, CSR has attracted the attention of businesses and stakeholders with regard to its meaning and benefits. It has partly blossomed in the recent decades because of the lessons learnt from the devastating effects of corporate social irresponsibility. You will recall that the global discussions on transition to the low-carbon economy spurred by the 2015 Paris Agreement and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals lays emphasis on the need for corporate responsibility in the fight against global warming. Innovative initiatives from businesses are part of the global…
BY DAVID ONJILI It is not in me to hog another’s parade. In the month of July, Kenya ‘successfully’ hosted the World U18 Athletics Championships, immediately President Uhuru Kenyatta scrapped entry charges, resulting in a surge in spectator numbers and record crowds. Kenyans and their government are happy, and rightly so. A crowd of 55, 000 for a sporting event is no mean fete, especially in a developing country. But there in lies the real problem that faces local sports. From football to athletics to boxing to rugby to motor sports, our competitive edge as a nation is on a…
By C. M. Rubin “We need courageous cathedral builders! We also need to address traditional experts’ biases clinging to their narrow domains, parents’ old personal experiences biasing their views, and teachers’ and administrators’ lack of training and leadership, respectively.” — Charles Fadel All around us we are witnessing disruptive automation that is changing lives and taking away the jobs many have relied on to make a living. According to a recent report by PwC, within 15 years, artificial intelligence (AI) will take over 38% of U.S. jobs. But will this trend continue even further, and to what extent does AI…
The electricity industry in Africa is undergoing massive transformation and the old linear model of conducting electricity affairs is being challenged and tested, as new models are emerging with far reaching impact. Available technology today can be employed to create reliable, sustainable, localized and more efficient energy networks. That was the message that George Njenga, GM, Steam Power Systems for Sub Saharan Africa delivered to delegates while making his keynote address at the opening session of this year’s Power-Gen Africa and DistribuTech event in Johannesburg. “Distributed generation, smarter & cleaner steam power, renewables, smart grids, storage, prosumers, innovative financing, evolving…