- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 15 – Ashden, a UK-based climate solutions charity, has announced the finalists for this year’s Ashden Awards. Rooftop Power Stations, Rainforest Defenders, and Refugee Pioneers are in contention for this year’s awards. The annual event recognizes outstanding climate innovation…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 15 – Hungary has pledged to invest in Kenya’s agricultural sector, particularly in the value addition of tea and coffee. Agriculture Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mithika Linturi, who hosted the Hungarian Minister for Agriculture Istvan Nagye, announced that the two countries held…
- RIYADH, March 14 (Xinhua) — Non-oil economic activity in Saudi Arabia has achieved a milestone by contributing 50 percent of the country’s real gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday. It is the highest level on record, according to the Ministry of Economy…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 15 – The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has revealed that the newly recruited Revenue Service Tax Assistants have helped raise 180.6 million in additional collections. According to KRA Commissioner General Humphrey Wattanga, who briefed the parliamentary committee on National…
- SYDNEY, March 15 (Xinhua) — A new study led by Australian researchers has shown that playing video games for three hours a day can lead to physical problems including eye fatigue, hand or wrist pain, and back or neck pain. Scientists examined data from 955 individuals aged between 18 and 94 from…
- CANBERRA, March 15 (Xinhua) — Electric vehicle (EV) sales in Australia more than doubled in 2023, a report has revealed. According to the Electric Vehicle Industry Recap 2023, which was published by peak industry body the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) on Friday, Australians bought 98,346 new…
- NAIROBI, March 14 (Xinhua) — Energy regulators from across Africa began a two-day meeting in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, Wednesday to discuss ways of accessing electricity in the region. The African Development Bank (AfDB) electricity workshop brought together electricity regulators from 21…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 14 – The Moi International Airport (MIA) in Mombasa has been recognized as Africa’s best airport by size and region in the under 2 million passenger per year category in 2023 by the Airport Council International (ACI). In a statement by the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), the…
- UNITED NATIONS, March 13 (Xinhua) — Uneven development progress is leaving the poorest behind, exacerbating inequality, and stoking political polarization on a global scale, according to a new report released Wednesday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The result is a “dangerous…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 14 – Credit provider Watu today received client protection certification from the Microfinanza Rating (MFR) certification committee for ensuring that its financial products and services are not harming clients. The committee evaluated Watu on various parameters of client…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 14 – Kenyan business leaders have been urged to view the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Dubai as hubs of commercial potential rather than just as posh vacation spots. This call comes ahead of a four-day Africa-UAE Summit webinar series scheduled for March 14th and running…
- MOGADISHU, March 14 (Xinhua) — The Paris Club, an informal group of creditor nations whose objective is to find workable solutions to payment problems faced by debtor nations, has agreed to cancel more than 2 billion U.S. dollars of debt Somalia owed to its members to help the East African country…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 14 – A 16 percent value-added tax (VAT) on milk and bread is being considered by the Treasury as part of a new initiative to increase revenue collections from middle-class households. Speaking during the 12th African Fiscal Forum, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u said…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 14 – Kenyans can now breathe a slight sigh of relief after the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) cut fuel prices by between Sh7 and Sh4. Therefore, a liter of petrol at midnight in Nairobi will cost Sh199.15 with a Sh7.21 slash. The regulator has also reduced the…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 14 – Kenya has emerged at the top of the 2023 Eastern Africa Youth Digital Readiness Index, a report released by Qhala, a digital transformation and innovation management company shows. The study also indicates that several countries witnessed an upsurge in mobile money adoption…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 14 – The National Assembly Public Petitions Committee has urged the Auditor-General to conduct a forensic audit on all public expenditures by the National Government between July and September 2022. This follows a petition tabled in Parliament for consideration by Stephen Mutoro…
- LONDON, United Kingdom, Mar 14 – Special legislation is to be passed by the United Kingdom government to quash the convictions of hundreds of former employees of the national postal delivery service, the Royal Mail, who were innocent victims of the country’s biggest miscarriage of justice in terms…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 14 – Collaborations between state and non-state actors in the ICT sector have been singled out as key factors driving Kenya’s digital transformation. Speaking during an engagement forum with ICT industry stakeholders, Kenneth Mwige, the Director General of Kenya Vision 2030,…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 14 – The Employment and Labour Relations Court has halted the doctors’ strike pending an inter-parties hearing and agreement between Labour ministry and Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU). The orders were issued by Justice Byram Ongaya in response to a…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 14 – The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has highlighted that the 4G mobile network is leading with 51.5 percent of total mobile data subscriptions in the country. CA attributes this to the increasing popularity of fast internet connectivity among consumers. The network…
- NAIROBI, March 13 (Xinhua) — The Kenyan shilling strengthened against major world currencies, hitting a nine-month high against the U.S. dollar Wednesday. The Central Bank of Kenya placed the shilling against the dollar at 138.8, its highest level since the currency started to decline in June last…
- CANBERRA, March 14 (Xinhua) — Australia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers warned on Thursday that falling commodity prices and an uptick in unemployment will negatively impact revenue projections in Australia’s upcoming federal budget. Chalmers made the remarks in a speech to a committee for economic…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 14 – Tanda has obtained an eMoney Issuer License from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), enabling the launch of TandaPay, a mobile wallet platform. The firm, which becomes the sixth to be issued approval, says that this will enable it promote financial inclusion in Kenya as well…
- JERUSALEM, March 13 (Xinhua) — The Israeli parliament on Wednesday approved a revised state budget for 2024 to fund the country’s war against Hamas in Gaza. According to the Finance Ministry, the updated budget stands at about 584 billion shekels (about 161 billion U.S. dollars), an increase of 70…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 14 – The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has disclosed that there has been a 3.1 percent drop in mobile money subscriptions in the country. According to the latest statistics, mobile money subscriptions dropped to stand at 38 million as of December 23, 2023, which is a 0.…
- NAIROBI, March 13 (Xinhua) — It is another planting season in Kenya, where farmers start preparing their farms in March, coinciding with the onset of the long rains that last until May. However, as farmers across the East African country prepare their farms, uncertainty over the rains lingers in…
- The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) has announced that it is in the process of launching a proposed hybrid bond market that is set to boost a more informed trading system. The project is in collaboration with KCB and will combine both on-screen and over-the-counter trading of fixed-income…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 13 – Isuzu East Africa today unveiled an asset financing solution to allow schools and businesses facing financial hardships to acquire motor vehicles. The tripartite agreement also involves Cooperative Bank and CIC Insurance. It follows a similar deal with Matatu Operators of…
- MOGADISHU, March 13 (Xinhua) — The United Nations-backed Green Climate Fund (GCF), believed to be the world’s largest multilateral climate fund, has committed 100 million U.S. dollars for a climate action investment program in Somalia over the next year. The funds, announced Tuesday in Mogadishu,…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 13 – Cyber-attacks on Kenyan firms grew by 943 percent to 1.29 billion in the three months to December last year, a new industry report shows, highlighting the growing online risks that organizations in the country are facing. This represented a big leap from the 123.9 million…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 13 – Azimio La Umoja Coalition lawmakers have demanded the immediate resignation of the Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha following her failure to address the imminent doctors’ strike. Led by National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi, they pointed out that the…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 13 – Data and credential theft malware are the top two threats facing small and midsize businesses (SMB), a new report has revealed. According to the Sophos 2024 Threat Report, almost half of all malware detected by Sophos that targets this market segment is related to data and…
- MOSCOW, March 13 (Xinhua) — Russia will deploy its troops and strike systems near Finland and Sweden’s borders following their accession to NATO, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday in an interview with local media. Putin said the countries’ decision to join NATO was based on purely…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 13 – The Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) flagged fraudulent transfers of funds involving the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). According to a report on Fraudulent Transactions on the CDF Accounts presented to the Decentralized Funds Account Committee of the Parliament, the…
- HARARE, March 12 (Xinhua) — Zimbabwe expects a modest cereal production of around 800,000 tonnes in the 2023/24 summer cropping season, down from 2.3 million tonnes last year, owing to the El Nino-induced drought, a senior government official said Tuesday. Obert Jiri, permanent secretary of the…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 13 – The government yesterday held discussions with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on remittance bottlenecks and innovations. Through the State Department for Diaspora Affairs’ Savings, Investments, and Remittance (SRI) Director, Boniface Munzala, the…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 13 — A National Assembly Committee has put to task the Ministry of Education on the status of the EduAfya programme, school feeding program, and low-cost boarding schools. Members of the Education Committee chaired by Malulu Ijendi (Malava) raised concerns over the termination…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 13 – The African Originals won this year’s Brand Innovator of the Year Award at the World Gin Awards 2024. It emerged at the top after showcasing gin innovation, craftsmanship, and cultural storytelling from diverse cultures, such as Kenya’s Northern Mara Region. In a statement…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 13 – VAAL Real Estate Kenya has announced the launch of the PAVO Riverside project in Nairobi along Riverside Drive. The eighth project consists of studios and one-bedroom houses and amenities such as lounge gardens, swimming pools, private cinemas, co working spaces, steam, and…
- The European Union (EU) Ambassador Henriette Geiger has said that the EU-funded One Stop Border Post at Isebania-Sirare Border along the Kenya, Tanzania Borders will ease trade among the East Africa Community (EAC) Members. Geiger, who gave a courtesy call to Migori Governor Ochilo Ayacko on…
- ROME, March 12 (Xinhua) — Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday the government will create an investment fund worth 1 billion euros (1.1 billion U.S. dollars) to promote the development of artificial intelligence (AI). Speaking via video link at a meeting on “Artificial Intelligence…
- NAIROBI, March 12 (Xinhua) — Kenya has begun rolling out incentives for foreign investors who set up establishments in industrial parks, an official said on Tuesday. Juma Mukhwana, principal secretary for the State Department of Industry in the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry, told a…
- NAIROBI, March 12 (Xinhua) — Kenya has begun rolling out incentives for foreign investors who set up establishments in industrial parks, an official said on Tuesday. Juma Mukhwana, principal secretary for the State Department of Industry in the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry, told a…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 12 – The European Union (EU) Ambassadors visited Homabay and Migori Counties with the EU’s Global Gateway initiative to actively promote the green transition in South Nyanza. EU Ambassador to Kenya, Henriette Geiger, along with Ambassadors from Austria, Germany, France, Sweden,…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 12 – The Microsoft Africa Development Centre (ADC) has launched a mentorship program for women pursuing technology studies at Kenyan universities. The first cohort of the initiative, named Women Inspiring and Nurturing Students (WINS), brings together 70 young women pursuing…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 12 – Plaza Premium Group has announced a new partnership agreement with Flemingo Duty-Free that will see travelers flying through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) access the newly opened Plaza Premium Lounge at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Terminal 1C. The…
- NEW YORK, United States, Jan 12 – A renewed effort by US lawmakers to force the sale or ban of TikTok has generated outspoken opposition by many in the country, where 170 million people use the immensely popular social media platform. The premise for the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 12 – An umbrella organization representing financial technology (Fintech) companies, the Fintech Association of Kenya (FINTAK), has appointed Andrew Barden to sit on its Board of Directors for a two-year term. The organization says that Barden, who is the CEO of The Kenyan Wall…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 12 – Stationery manufacturer Epson has introduced the WorkForce Enterprise AM-C printers in Kenya, the latest gadget that incorporates modernity and power efficiency. The firm says that the new machines do not emit heat, a common requirement in traditional laser printers. “The…
- WELLINGTON, March 12 (Xinhua) — The New Zealand government has exempted minor building work, such as bathroom or kitchen renovations, from paying the building levy, in order to lower building costs. “Building costs are too high and have risen 41.3 percent since 2019. Analysis shows it is around 50…