“It is time for Africa. It is time for Africa to harness its people, its resources, and its resilience for the betterment of all. It is time for large corporates and public sector entities to open up their supply chains for the betterment of local businesses. It is time for financial institutions to support this
Jumia Kenya consumers will now receive their online orders in their original packaging from the manufacturer without any extra wrap from Jumia. This follows the company’s recent announcement, which aligns with its ESG strategy aimed at environmentally friendly activities in the countries it operates in. “In line with our sustainability agenda, we will continue cutting
Uganda has emerged as one of Africa’s rapidly developing economies, with an impressive annual growth rate of 6% for over three decades. As a result, Uganda presents great opportunities for retailers and brands looking to tap into its lucrative market. However, like other African countries, Uganda has regulations that businesses must comply with, such as
Bolt, the leading mobility app in Africa, has announced plans to invest €500 million in its operations on the continent over the next two years. The funds will be used to expand Bolt services in Africa and create opportunities for over 300,000 new drivers and couriers to join the platform in 2023. Having launched in
By Andrew Dawson, MD of MACmobile Mobile penetration is exceptionally high in the Kenyan market, and the adoption of mobile technologies is well accepted. The strength of this market presents a massive opportunity to grow and optimise the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) space, but several factors need to be considered to drive successful adoption. The
According to Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Africa’s informal retail sector accounts for more than 70% of food, beverage and personal care products provided to consumers across the continent. However, despite their importance, local informal shops throughout Africa have been consistently held back for decades by a host of major challenges including frequent stockouts, limited access
From next year, 2023, Jumia customers in Nyanza and Western regions in Kenya will benefit from the Jumia City Penetration program giving them access to millions of products on the online platform at a reduced delivery fee. Jumia plans to expand its reach to rural areas by 15% in the coming year as part of
By Darijan Bošković, Sales Director: Africa at Infobip The African continent is widely considered retail’s next big gold rush, based on its population of 1.4 billion people, which includes more than 500 million internet users and over 330 million eCommerce consumers. Additionally, with 19 of the top 20 fastest-growing countries in the world, the continent’s
Nestlé announced today that it is partnering with the Africa Food Prize to help accelerate the transformation of food systems in Africa, as a way of strengthening the continent’s food security and building greater climate change resilience. The Africa Food Prize awards USD 100,000 to individuals and institutions that are pioneering agricultural and food systems
The investment is consistent with Admaius’s strategy of investing in African FMCG companies positioned to benefit from growing incomes and increasing demand for products tailored to meet local needs Admaius Capital Partners (www.Admaius.com), a leading pan African private equity house, (“Admaius”) announces that, via a subsidiary of the Virunga Africa Fund 1, it has made
Jumia (NYSE: JMIA), the leading e-commerce platform in Africa, has today announced a partnership with Coca-Cola Africa Operating Unit to offer consumers access to Coca-Cola products from the comfort of their homes. The partnership will provide a steady supply of Coca-Cola’s beverage portfolio to consumers who prefer to shop online through the Jumia platform and
Africa’s Largest B2B E-Commerce Network Becomes Official Private Sector Ambassador for “Silicon Zanzibar” Initiative Wasoko, the African e-commerce company leveraging innovative technology to transform the informal retail supply chain, has announced the official launch of the “Wasoko Innovation Hub” in partnership with the Zanzibar government. Located in Fumba Town, Zanzibar, the new Hub will focus on
South Africa’s micro, small and medium-sized traders can now improve their cash flow with more reliable supply chains and better customer marketing using Sabi, Africa’s leading B2B platform for goods and services distribution. SABI is partnering with Vumele to enable and empower South Africa’s informal economy. Sabi recently opened an office in Johannesburg and already
Bhandari has 18 years’ experience of driving growth of the Nestlé business Nestlé has appointed Arvind Bhandari as the new Cluster Head for East and Horn of Africa, which forms part of Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region (ESAR). In this role Bhandari will manage operations in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan,
The company has quadrupled its business globally since the start of the pandemic and launched two products in the same period As of today, Bolt is present in 45 countries and over 500 cities, an increase of more than 200% before the pandemic In South Africa, Bolt is available in 9 provinces and a total
In partnership with The Ministry of Education and The Ministry of Agriculture, to support parents and caregivers on a healthier lifestyle for their kids. Nestlé Kenya together with its partners, The Ministry of Education and The Ministry of Agriculture, have launched the Nestlé for Healthier Kids Programme in Kajiado County which will benefit 128 schools
Nomanini (https://Nomanini.com), a fast-growing fintech platform in Africa, has today announced the launch of a new supply chain finance solution called StockNow that connects FMCGs and financial service providers to serve Africa’s informal retailers at scale. StockNow, an easy-to-use app for retailers developed by Nomanini, makes it possible for informal micro and small retailers to
Consumer education will play a central role in addressing emerging security challenges. During the launch of the Kaa Chonjo! (Be Alert!) card, mobile and online safety awareness campaign, players in the financial, payments and retail sectors highlighted the importance of continuing to empower the public with information on fraud prevention. In his remarks, Kenya Bankers
Starbucks brings the sustainability theme right home with the simultaneous launch of our partnership with the inspirational Reel Gardening initiative. Reel Gardening produces a biodegradable seed tape planted straight into the ground to improve the chances of a vegetable seedling. With a similar ethos to Starbucks, Reel Gardening uses its products and expertise to make
Infobip, a global cloud communication company for businesses and a leader in omnichannel customer engagement, has deployed an omnichannel platform for Stima Sacco, the second-biggest saving and credit cooperative in Africa. This platform enables the organisation to enhance customer engagement and thus improve customer experience. Client Background Stima DT Savings and Credit Cooperative Society Limited
4DX leads the round with participation from Wasoko Tushop, the Kenyan social-commerce platform that enables communities in Nairobi to buy groceries more cheaply with free delivery, has secured $3M in a pre-seed funding round, led by 4DX Ventures and with participation from JAM Fund, Breyer Capital, Chandaria Capital, TO Ventures, Golden Palm Investments, FirstCheck Africa,
The country has made strides to tackle hunger and malnutrition, although Childhood undernutrition remains a public concern at an estimated 40 percent Tanzania, like other countries in the world, has committed to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture” by 2030. The country has made
The KITEA Group, leader in the distribution of furniture in Morocco, has just announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Furniture Palace Limited, leader in the distribution of home furniture, office furniture and house in Kenya. This transaction in East Africa is KITEA’s first acquisition outside the borders of Morocco and is in line
Vivo Energy Uganda has officially handed over a dedicated motor vehicle service bay facility installed at the Ministry of Works and Transport offices in Kampala. The facility has a capacity of 20,000 litres and will handle fleet maintenance for all government vehicles. “This installation is one of our tailored solutions for commercial customers and will
Through its Local Finance Initiative (LFI), UNCDF supported Maswa DC with a US$ 100,000 seed capital grant to cover the cost of connecting the factory to the national grid electricity Maswa District Council (DC) is among the six districts of the Simiyu region, the second poorest region in Tanzania with a population of 377,292 people
Vivo Energy Uganda the company that distributes and markets Shell branded fuels and lubricants, has appointed Johan Grobbelaar to be its new Managing Director. This appointment follows the successful leadership of the company by Gilbert Assi over the past four years, who has been appointed Managing Director of Vivo Energy Guinea. Johan joined the Vivo Energy Group
Small businesses globally go digital at three-times pre-pandemic levels To shed light on the impact the global health crisis – and ongoing recovery – has had on small businesses globally, Mastercard released Recovery Insights: Small Business Reset. The report revealed that in the Middle East and Africa, lodging small businesses have consistently outperformed larger businesses in 2021
The wholesale platform brings efficient, reliable B2B eCommerce to Kenya, enabling market access for businesses of all sizes Backed by leading global logistics provider DP World (DPWorld.com), DUBUY.com opens a new digital trade corridor for Kenya and the East Africa region; The wholesale platform brings efficient, reliable B2B eCommerce to Kenya, enabling market access for businesses of all
Annual Safety Day events take place across the Vivo Energy Group. Vivo Energy, the pan-African retailer and marketer of Shell and Engen-branded fuels and lubricants, has held its annual Safety Day across the whole company, reinforcing the importance of Health, Safety, Security, Environment & Quality (HSSEQ) at Vivo Energy. Safety Day is an opportunity for
Nestlé held an agripreneurship training workshop for coffee farmers in Mutheka, Nyeri. The workshop aims to help farmers build on entrepreneurship skills, learn about food waste and preservation, investigate price fluctuations and market seasonality, as well as gain trader knowledge on nutrition. At the agripreneurship workshop in Mutheka, coffee farmers learned about potential market links
Africa can be a challenging place to do business from infrastructure issues, complex compliance, fragmented markets and dispersed populations and particularly post pandemic, harder lives for ordinary people. One cannot ignore those who have gone before with Massmart announcing earlier this month the sale of Game stores in Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and Tanzania, citing
Vivo Energy Uganda, the company that markets and distributes Shell-branded fuels and products, has today launched a new plastic waste collection initiative for the public, at its Shell service stations. This is part of its environmental sustainability campaign named ‘Taasa Obutonde.’ Plastic pollution is currently one of the biggest environmental concerns due to the increase
NESCAFÉ emerged the winner in the coffee category, as chosen by Kenyan consumers, during the 2021 Kenya Beverage Excellence Awards (KBEA) that took place on 24th September 2021 at Movenpick Hotel, Nairobi. The KBEA are designed to recognize, celebrate, and award excellence and innovation across every category of the Kenya beverage industry. The awards are
The award recognises Finserve’s commitment to innovation and customer centricity Equity Group’s fintech subsidiary, Finserve Africa, has been named the best in E-commerce – Banking/Financial and Insurance Services Gold Category at the 3rd Edition of the Kenya E-Commerce Awards 2021 held in Nairobi. The award recognises Finserve’s continued commitment to innovation and customer-centricity in Kenya
81% of women entrepreneurs across the Middle East and Africa have a digital business presence according to Mastercard MEA SME Confidence Index Latest research by Mastercard highlights high digitalization among women-owned businesses as opportunity for broader SME recovery and digital economy growth Despite the gender gap and social challenges, entrepreneurial women across the world and
Associations from both countries will engage Government Representatives in talks Manufacturers from Kenya and Tanzania shall meet from Today, (7th July) to Friday (9th July) to deliberate on trade promotion and market access between the two countries. Food and Beverage, Edible Oils, Chemicals, Automotive, Leather and Footwear sectors are some of the manufacturing sectors that shall participate in the trade mission, hosted
A recent report by Visa, the world leader in digital payments, has shown that Kenya is among the top market contributors to eCommerce in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the last 3 years. Visa’s white paper, titled eCommerce developments across Sub Saharan Africa (SSA), confirmed that, the Kenyan eCommerce scene has showcased growth, as the market’s financial
Vivo Energy Uganda, the company that distributes and markets Shell-branded fuels and lubricants in Uganda, together with National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Uganda Breweries Limited, Stanbic Bank and Next Media Services have partnered to promote sustainable environmental protection in a new educative campaign dubbed ‘Taasa Obutonde,’ which means ‘Let us save the environment.’ The campaign,
Kenyan agency banking startup Tanda is expanding its operations regionally after securing funding from early-stage African tech investor HAVAÍC, Zedcrest Capital, DFS Lab, Victor Asemota and three other investors. Tanda has also secured key strategic partnerships with Mastercard and Interswitch which will further accelerate its growth. The company’s expansion comes on the back of successfully
Data top-up (76%), clothing (59%) and computer equipment (49%) top the virtual shopping list in Tanzania Top learning experiences include learning a managing their banking needs online, managing their healthcare needs and getting their medicine online. Social media has become an integral platform for connecting consumers to online businesses Secure checkout experience recognized as fundamental
Data top-ups (92%), clothing (67%) and computer equipment (56%) top the virtual shopping list in Kenya Top learning experiences include cooking, dancing, learning a language, and mastering DIY projects Social media has become an integral platform for connecting consumers to online businesses Secure checkout experience recognized as fundamental for online shopping A Mastercard study on consumer
Micro-retailers to receive $150,000 worth of financial support, free health products and training, to ease the economic impact of the pandemic. Mastercard, Unilever and KCB Bank have built on their partnership to support micro-merchants in Kenya by expanding their current Jaza Duka program to provide an extensive COVID-19 relief package to retailers. Micro, small and
Nestlé has partnered with local sustainability consultant TS Environment to set up a plastics waste recovery programme in Ethiopia. The objective of the programme is to achieve plastics neutrality within the next 12 months. This means Nestlé has collected and co-processed the equivalent amount of plastic as contained in the products sold and prevented the further flow of plastic
E-commerce platform leads EV revolution to combat emissions and noise pollution in Kampala Sokowatch, the innovative East African e-commerce platform, has announced the ground breaking launch of electric tuk tuks to its delivery fleet in Uganda, making the vehicles the first to be used commercially in East Africa. Built and assembled by a team led
Uganda now has an ISO certified fuel laboratory following Vivo Energy Uganda’s laboratory accreditation by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) 17025:2017. Vivo Energy Uganda is the marketer and distributor of Shell branded fuels and products. This announcement was made at a press conference held to launch the company’s Quality Week that will celebrate the
For a sustainable shift to happen in the circular economy moves must be made to step outside brainstorming sessions, and lip service paid to the nice to have narrative, and an investor who believes in using business for good to make their mark. Enter stage left Smollan and their recent partnership with Mr Green Africa,
International retail solutions company, Smollan, have announced their partnership with Mr. Green Africa through an investment made in the fair-trade plastics recycling company based in Kenya. Mr. Green Africa aims to close the loop from consumer to plastics manufacturer through its supply network and high value recycled plastics. The company is on a journey to
Partnership is a game-changer in enabling contactless acceptance for smaller merchants across the continent phos, the fintech behind the first-ever software-only Point of Sale (SoftPOS), and Stanchion Payment Solutions, a global specialist in payments systems and integration, today announced that they have partnered to help payments processing companies and banks to accelerate time to market
Mondia (https://Mondia.com), a leading technology company which specialises in the marketing and distribution of digital content and Jumia (NYSE : JMIA) (www.Jumia.com.ng), Africa’s largest e-commerce platform, today announced the launch of Jumia Games, a competitively priced entertainment category on the JumiaPay App. In its first phase, the fully branded gaming portal is available in five
Africa’s leading retailer of home improvement and building material products and service solutions, Builders, is set to open its doors and launch online trading to residents of Nairobi at the Waterfront Karen on 20 August 2020. Slightly delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions, this is the retailer’s first venture into East Africa and one that will
