- NAIROBI, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — Kenya on Monday began extending 1.3 billion shillings (8.48 million U.S. dollars) of World Bank-supported grants to 150 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Juma Mukhwana, the principal secretary in the State Department for Industry, told journalists in Nairobi, the…
- KISUMU, Kenya, Dec 4 – The Policyholders Compensation Fund (PCF) has a fund size of Sh19.1 billion to help in payment of claimants of an insurer that has been put under statutory management. Rosemary Kavili, head of corporate communications at PCF, said a number of insurance companies that went…
- MOSCOW, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) on Monday imposed import restrictions on fruits and vegetables from Moldova. “Rosselkhoznadzor is forced to reinstate restrictions introduced in 2022 on the import of regulated…
- TOKYO, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — Japan plans to introduce electronic arrest warrants and interrogation records amid the country’s digitization steps for faster legal procedures, according to the Justice Ministry on Monday. Currently, arrest and search warrants in Japan are issued in a traditional paper…
- KISUMU, Kenya, Dec 4 – The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has recovered a public property valued at Sh. 410 million belonging to the county government of Kisumu. EACC Regional Manager Abraham Kemboi said the development of housing units in the grabbed land has adversely affected water…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 4 – Safaricom plans to increase the number of its home internet users through a new campaign. To achieve this, the telco will showcase available fixed internet solutions as well as value-added services. For example, it has introduced revamped Family Share plans that combine home…
- DHAKA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — Remittances from Bangladeshi people living and working overseas totaled nearly 9 billion U.S. dollars in the July-November period of the current fiscal year 2023-24 through next June, a central bank official said Monday. Quoting provisional Bangladesh Bank (BB) data, the…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 4 – Kenya Airways (KQ) CEO Allan Kilavuka has been re-elected to sit on the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) Executive Committee. Kilavuka will be serving in the position for the second term until the 56th Annual General Assembly is held in Egypt next year. “Kenya Airways…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 4 – President William Ruto has embarked on a two-day visit to India with healthcare bilateral talks as well collaboration in the education sector being at the center stage. State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said that the President will meet with India’s Prime Minister…
- NAIROBI, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — Early in the morning, Kenya’s largest referral hospital, Kenyatta National Hospital, nestled on the northern edge of the capital, Nairobi, bustles with individuals seeking advanced medical care. This extensive health facility boasts a well-guarded sub-station equipped…
- MANILA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — Filipinos prefer to tie the knot in December, February, and April, according to the latest Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data. In 2022, December was the most preferred month for marriage, with 55,599 registered marriages, accounting for 12.4 percent of the total in…
- MURANGA, Kenya, Dec 4 – Two members of the parliament from Mount Kenya region have raised concerns over delay in completion of Mau Mau link road. Kangema MP Peter Kihungi and his Juja counterpart George Koimburi on Sunday called upon the national treasury to release funds for completion of the road…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 4 – Listed superfood producer Kakuzi has won five avocado awards in this year’s Avocado Industry Excellence Awards. The awards included Avocado Person of the Year 2023, Large Scale Orchards, Large Scale Exporter, Growers Nursery-Seedlings, and Auxiliary Services Categories.…
- SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — South Korea’s automotive export growth was expected to slow down next year after rising in double digits this year, industry data showed on Monday. Local automakers were forecast to export 2.75 million vehicles in 2024, up 1.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the…
- NAIROBI, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) — Chinese automotive brand Changan has been launched in the Kenyan market and will be distributed by Inchcape Kenya, a motor dealer. Sylvia Agani, the regional sales manager of Changan Automotive, said at a briefing in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, Friday evening that the…
- BRUSSELS, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) — Luigi Gambardella, president of ChinaEU, a business-led international digital association in Brussels, has recently in an interview with Xinhua lauded China’s new visa-free policy. China has decided to implement a unilateral visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders…
- DAR ES SALAAM, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) — Tanzania’s power utility company on Saturday announced that the connection of electricity from the mega Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP) to the national grid began Friday. The Tanzania Electric Supply Company Ltd. (TANESCO), a government-owned company, said…
- NAIROBI, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) — The Internet has become the saving grace for an increasing number of small businesspersons seeking to survive tough economic times in Kenya. The traders are closing their physical shops and stalls and moving online to escape high operation costs occasioned by rising…
- LONDON, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) — Glasgow Airport suspended all flight operations on Saturday morning due to a snowfall heavier than forecast while snow and ice warnings were also in place for other parts of the United Kingdom (UK). “Our winter teams have been working through the night and we hope to…
- DUBAI, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) — In efforts to step up the battle against climate change, the World Bank Group has decided to devote 45 percent of its annual financing to climate-related projects for the fiscal year that runs from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. The increased ambition means putting to work…
- KISUMU, Kenya, Dec 2 – The affordable housing levy will pick up once the necessary legal frameworks are in place, Joshua Nyamori, a director at National Housing Corporation has said. Nyamori said the court did pronounce itself well on the matter and as a matter of fact the head of state President…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 2 – An open call to innovators, out today, is offering a share of €3.6million to help scale start-ups which support people and the planet. This is the first of three rounds of funding planned through Powering Renewable Energy Opportunities (PREO), with over €8m in grants…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 2 – Innovate UK’s Energy Catalyst programme has awarded over £40 million in grant funding to a range of innovative projects with plans to harness clean energy and enable a just and inclusive energy transition. The funding award was announced today by the UK Prime Minister Rishi…
- ISLAMABAD, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) — Pakistan’s inflation increased to 29.2 percent year on year in November, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said. On a month-on-month basis, the inflation increased to 2.7 percent in November as compared to an increase of 1.0 percent in the previous month, the PBS…
- NAIROBI, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) — Kenyan President William Ruto on Monday launched a ten-year plan to spur the growth of the digital economy through investing in a robust innovation ecosystem, training, mentorship, and market linkages. Launched on the sidelines of the third edition of Kenya Innovation…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 2 – Software solutions provider Robisearch Limited has been recognised as a leader in the creation of digital solutions that help businesses streamline work processes. During the KEOnline Digitally Fit awards held on 24th November at the Safari Park hotel in Nairobi, the firm…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 1 – Despite the challenges posed by the climate crisis, Africa holds tremendous potential to become the world’s breadbasket. The opportunities and challenges facing Africa’s food systems are immense. The continent possesses 60 percent of the world’s unused arable land and has…
- Co-authored by Agnes Kalibata (AGRA, President) & Amath Pathe SENE (AFS Forum, MD) NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 1 – the world convenes in Dubai for COP28, developing countries will be looking out for opportunities to massively scale up action against the “loss and damage” arising from climate change.…
- YAOUNDE, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) — Cameroon aims for an economic growth of 4.5 percent in 2024, up from the 3.9 percent forecast in 2023, Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute has said. Delivering the government’s 2024 program to the National Assembly late Thursday, Ngute acknowledged that the macroeconomic…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 1 – New Faces New Voices (NFNV) Kenya has partnered with Kayana, a community of female entrepreneurs, to support women-led small businesses financially. They aim to achieve this by using insurance products for risk mitigation, which will enable them to survive business shocks…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 1 – More than 63 percent of Kenyans rely on the Internet and technology for their savings and investment needs. This is according to a new study by Enwealth Financial Services that highlights a shift in the financial habits of Kenyans, showcasing the impact of technology on the…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 1 – Courier service provider Glovo has registered a 52 percent increase in partners on the app, with 75 percent being small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It has also recorded a 24 percent rise in total orders delivered as compared to last year. Ivy Maingi, Interim General…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 1 – Kenya’s inflation eased slightly to 6.8 percent year-on-year in November from 6.9 percent a month earlier. In a statement to newsrooms, KNBS Director General Macdonald Obudho says on a month-on-month basis inflation was 0.2 percent, compared to 1 percent in October. KNBS…
- LONDON, UK, Dec 1 – Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Group has been named Best Banks of the Year during a gala dinner yesterday by the Banker Magazine in the United Kingdom. The lender was also declared the world’s 6th strongest banking brand with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 90.4 out of 100…
- MOMBASA, Kenya, Dec 1 – The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) has continued to champion inclusive economic growth through the support and recognition of social enterprises in Mombasa. KEPSA says Mombasa presents a unique opportunity to develop a symbiotic ecosystem that benefits both the start-…
- Meru, Kenya, Dec 1 – Java House has launched its first branch in Meru County signaling its ambitious expansion plan in the country. The new branch located in Meru’s Greenwood City Mall marks Java’s 86th branch in the country. The hospitality company says the expansion plan is underpinned with its…
- Meru, Kenya, Dec 1 – Java House has opened its first branch in Meru County, signaling its ambitious expansion plan across the country. The new branch m, located in Meru’s Greenwood City Mall, is Java’s 86th branch nationwide. Java House CEO Priscilla Gathungu stated that the Meru expansion is part…
- LOS ANGELES, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) — A Montana judge ruled on Thursday to block the state’s ban on TikTok from going into effect, marking a win for the popular video streaming app. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy, who heard lawsuits filed by TikTok and five Montana content creators against the state’s…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 1 – Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen) has approved a dividend payout of Sh2 billion for the year ending 2023. The payout marks the first and the final dividend payouts of Sh0.3 a share, adding up to the Sh2 billion of the utility firm. It marks one of the highest…
- NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 1 – Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) has unveiled a new microbrewery production plant with a new cider innovation brand. The Sh1.2 billion microbrewery plant, located next to its main plant in Ruaraka, targets to explore new innovations and experimentation to meet consumers’…
- NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 1 – Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) has unveiled a new microbrewery production plant with a new cider innovation brand. The Sh1.2 billion microbrewery plant, located next to its main plant in Ruaraka, targets to explore new innovations and experimentation to meet consumers’…
- KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) — Malaysia’s lower house of parliament passed an anti-smoking bill aimed at protecting minors from nicotine-containing products including vaping devices on Thursday. Tabled by Health Minister Zaliha Mustafa, the bill includes the provision prohibiting the sale and…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 30 – The Hustler Fund has effectively fulfilled its primary objective by ensuring Kenyans have access to affordable credit. One year later, the fund has disbursed KSh39.7 billion to 21.8 million people and mobilised KSh2 billion in savings. Total repayments stand at KShs 28.75…
- NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 30 – Bamburi Cement Plc is embarking on the construction of two solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants, marking a significant stride in the company’s efforts towards decarbonization. Once completed, this initiative is poised to contribute up to 30% of Bamburi Cement’s total power…
- MURANGA, Kenya, Nov 30 – The Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) has promised to ensure the three bodies that collect royalties on behalf of artists are merged for efficiency and proper management of the sector. KECOBO Chairman Joshua Kutuny has observed having one Collective Management Organizations (…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 30 – Infobip, a global cloud communications platform, has urged businesses to leverage communication channels strategically to optimize customer interactions and boost sales during the festive season. In today’s digital age, customer satisfaction hinges on the quality of…
- By Dr Winnie Akoth NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 30 – The shadow of self-inflicted antimicrobial resistance looms large in the healthcare sphere, which is marked by many illnesses caused by factors outside of human control, such as genetics and environmental issues. It represents a complex challenge that, if…
- By Margaret Mathore NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 30 – As Kenya mulls increasing the bar for local programming content quota from the current 40% to 60%, greater focus should turn to supporting the growth of the local independent movie industry and its pool of filmmakers. This will go a long way in helping…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 30 – Online payment platform SasaPay has introduced a new solution that will see business owners refund fees applied to transactions. It will eradicate cash collection fees for merchants as well as allow small and medium businesses (SMEs) to earn daily prorated cashback at the…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 30 – Premier bank has opened up its branch in Nairobi’s Eastleight area in a bid to scale up its presence in the country. The new branch located in Baraka Baazar becomes the 19th of its branches in the country. Speaking during the launch, Premier Chief Executive Officer Osman…