We are poised on the edge of a breakthrough for agriculture in Africa. This is vital not only for the food security of hundreds of millions of Africans but also for the African economy and sustainable development on the continent. We see a transformation underway from a subsistence-oriented agriculture sector into one that is more commercialized, profitably productive, and smallholder and entrepreneur-led. This comes at a time when food systems across the continent are responding to rapid urbanization, rising incomes, and changing diets. Agricultural value chains are becoming more urbanized and consumer-driven, with a greater emphasis on quality and food…
Author: Khusoko
Khusoko
Khusoko provides market insights into Africa's business investment as well as global trends that impact East African businesses.
The delay in the issuance of construction permits is of major concern among engineers and architects as the delay is affecting projects in the building and construction sector according to the Architectural Association of Kenya and Kenya Private Developers Association (KPDA). The associations fault the E-Construction Permit systems which have been experiencing downtime. The system allows engineers and architects to apply for permits online. The system was developed jointly between the county government, IFC/World Bank and Architectural Association of Kenya to improve efficiency & accountability in processing permits. “As a result, the Nairobi City County has not processed permits for…
Little Cab, a ride-hailing app has said its riders can now hail a taxi by sending their location to a Whatsapp number. The taxi-hailing service Little powered by Safaricom, says “No need to download Little App, or register yourself. We believe we are the first one in the world to hail a cab right from WhatsApp.” “All a taxi rider needs to do is save our number 777000777 and share their location through WhatsApp. Once this happens one will automatically be connected to a driver near them. At the end of the trip a customer will also receive a message…
The Kenyan secondary market is expected to remain subdued this week after it declined 39.2% last week to Ksh 8.2 billion attributed to the wait-and-see approach adopted by investors ahead of the primary bond auction this week and as clarity surrounding the rate cap emerges. During the week, the Finance and National Planning Committee of Parliament opposed the proposal by the National Treasury (under the Finance Bill 2019) to have the ceiling on lending rates lifted. “To this end, credit growth has stunted below 6.0% in the last two and a half years and may remain muted as appetite for…
Petrol and diesel prices were increased marginally across major cities in Kenya, but a reprieve to consumers who use kerosene, whose price has dropped. The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) Saturday increased the price of a litre of super petrol by KSh 0.28 and that of diesel by KSh 2.44, citing a fall and a rise in the landed cost of the two commodities respectively. The price of kerosene has been dropped by KSh 3.31 per litre. Super Petrol, Diesel and Kerosene will now retail at KSh. 112.81, KSh. 103.04 and KSh. 100.64 respectively in Nairobi beginning 15 Sept.…
Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira will star in a limited series based on Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s best-selling novel ‘Americanah’ ordered by HBO Max. https://twitter.com/WarnerMediaGrp/status/1172592930135166982 “‘Americanah’ has been a passion project for me since I read Chimamanda’s beautiful novel in 2013,” Nyong’o said in a statement. “It’s a tale that is simultaneously timely and timeless. HBO Max is the perfect partner to bring this profound and celebrated story to life, and I’m thrilled that Danai will bring to the project her intelligence, wit, and understanding of the stories and the worlds of ‘Americanah.’” https://twitter.com/Lupita_Nyongo/status/1172637795589877760 Americanah tells the story of…