The Tanzania Association of Microfinance Institutions (TAMFI) in collaboration with East Africa Microfinance Network (EAMFINET) is hosting the second East Africa Microfinance Summit. EAMFINET is an umbrella organization for Microfinance Associations in Rwanda (AMIR), Kenya (AMFI-K), Uganda (AMFIU), Burundi (RIM) and Tanzania (TAMFI). The summit started on 2nd and ended on 4th November 2016. Tamfi members and other microfinance…

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Morogoro, Tanzania, 17 February. Policy -makers, researchers, and development practitioners are developing scenarios for the future in socio-economics, food security, and climate to help to review the new Environmental Policy of Tanzania to ensure it is resilient to climate change. The scenarios created will help to identify and address any gaps in the new policy. This is at a…

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Europe making progress, but needs structural reforms and fiscal stimulus US economy strengthening, but room for rate hikes is limited Spain is a model for structural reforms Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 22 January 2015 – Business leaders and policy-makers gathered for the 45th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters told participants that Europe needs quantitative easing but that monetary policy…

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Johannesburg, South Africa – ARC Insurance Company Limited (ARC Ltd) will pay US $25 million in drought insurance claims to three countries in the Sahel this month. Mauritania, Niger and Senegal, which paid a combined premium of US $8 million, will use the payout to mobilize early interventions in response to drought based on pre-approved contingency plans. The catastrophe…

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Dar es salaam, 8 January, 2014 Building on his longstanding initiatives of encouraging an entrepreneurial spirit amongst ordinary Tanzanians, the Executive Chairman of IPP Limited, Dr Reginald Mengi, has once again, launched a business idea competition, where about 6 winners will collectively take home 60 million Tanzanian shillings as capital grant to start a business of their choice. The…

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By Vivek Wadhwa Changes in technology are happening at a scale which was unimaginable before and will cause disruption in industry after industry. This has really begun to worry me, because we are not ready for this change and most of our leading companies won’t exist 15–20 years from now. Here are five sectors to keep an eye on:…

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Investors are seeking opportunities in new sectors and geographic locations with Dubai and the UAE a well-placed hub to drive and facilitate growth DUBAI- Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries are placing more attention on new markets in east, west and southern Africa as their trade flows with the continent expand, according to a report released by the Economist Intelligence…

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LAMUDI KENYA LOOKS AT THE COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MARKET NAIROBI: The commercial space in the capital of East Africa’s economic hub Nairobi, has been flooded as many developers are looking into tapping into market. Whether it is for renting or buying, the commercial space has experienced a boom in the capital. With Kenya attaining a middle income status the push…

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EAST AFRICANS NAMED AMONG AFRICA’S TOP BUSINESS LEADERS AT GALA EVENT The 2014 winners of the finale event CNBC Africa All Africa Business Leaders Awards Presented by Johnnie Walker Blue Label (AABLA) were announced at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, Friday, 14 November. In a process that began over two months ago, with regional finals in East, West…

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Dar es Salaam. The productivity of legumes―which are important crops for improving nutrition as a cheap source of protein, increasing farmers’ incomes, and improving soil fertility as they fix nitrogen from the air into the soils―can be easily increased and even doubled with application of improved technologies. However, farmers are unable to access most of these technologies due to…

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Nairobi. Today, all roads lead to the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) Centre at Katumani, in Machakos, Kenya, to launch a laboratory for research and building capacity for managing mycotoxins (poisonous substances produced on different crops by different fungi) in the region. At the same time there will be a ground breaking ceremony for the construction a…

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By Anthony Muchoki Tanzania’s farmers are facing the prospect of seeing their bumper harvest turn into a bumper post-harvest loss, unless urgent measures are taken. The use of improved seeds, better management techniques and ideal climate conditions has given Tanzania’s farmers a ‘good year problem’ more grain than market options and storage solutions. The bumper harvest is a sign…

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Gemalto survey in Africa : 80% voice interest for mobile marketing if in line with “right person, right message, right moment” golden rule AFRICACOM, A leader in digital security, is releasing the results of a new survey conducted by Ifop in South Africa and Nigeria on consumers’ perceptions of mobile marketing. The findings reveal that although 80% of respondents…

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Africa’s leading seed breeders meet in Kigali, Rwanda, to discuss strategies for increasing food production and securing the next generation of plant breeders Kigali: Over 100 delegates gathered on Monday in Kigali, Rwanda in a meeting coordinated by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa’s (AGRA) Program for Africa’s Seed Systems (PASS) to deliberate on crop breeding in…

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The Summit will focus on the implementation and impact of Shared Value, as well as how the private sector, government and civil society across the continent can work together using Shared Value to tackle the Goals JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, November 14, 2017/ — The Shared Value business model enables business to contribute towards the achievement of the UN 2030…

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the Ministry of Energy and Minerals (MEM) has published an Electricity Supply Industry Reform Strategy and Roadmap for 2014 to 2025 (the Roadmap). The Roadmap seeks to respond to private sector concerns with its key focal points being TANESCO operational and financial transformation, strengthening of the governance and performance of the sector and attracting private investment In its recent…

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Equity Bank becomes the first financial services institution in Kenya that is also licensed to provide telecommunication services. NAIROBI, Kenya, October 7, 2014/ — Today, Taisys Technologies Co., Ltd. (http://www.taisys.com) announced that Kenya’s leading bank Equity Bank will be issuing a ultra-thin mobile banking smart SIM with patented technology from Taisys. Equity Bank customers can now enjoy funds transfer,…

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Dar es Salaam, 1 October 2014. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the pan-African Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) have further strengthened their collaboration on agriculture research and capacity building in Tanzania by signing an agreement on banana research. This agreement, which spells out how the two institutions will work together to tackle…

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Dar es Salaam, 30 September 2014. An initiative to enhance the capacity of the Tanzania Government to develop and implement policies on climate change adaptation in relation to food security in the country was launched at the end of last week, in Dar es Salaam. The four-year project, Policy Action for Climate Change Adaptation (PACCA), is led by the…

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He dreams big-that a future Bill Gates will rise from the idea of feeding the world. By Anthony Muchoki He dreams big-that a future Bill Gates will rise from the idea of feeding the world. It does not matter whether it will be him or another man or woman. “But I want it to be from Africa…. it is…

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Dr Reginald Mengi, Executive Chairman, IPP Limited, is among four finalists nominees for the annual All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLA) in the category of ‘East Africa Business Leader of the Year 2014.’ The AABLA regional awards for East Africa ceremony will take place on Saturday the 20th September 2014 in Nairobi and will be televised across the African…

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NBC Tanzania announces the appointment of Pius Tibazarwa as Interim Managing Director of NBC Tanzania. Effective 1 October 2014, Pius will succeed Mizinga Melu, who has been appointed Chief Executive of Barclays Africa Regional Management. NBC Tanzania is a subsidiary of Johannesburg listed Barclays Africa Group Limited (BAGL). Pius is currently the Treasurer for NBC Tanzania and has recently…

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Exports from Illegal Conversion Worth US$61 Billion and Responsible for 25 Percent of Tropical Deforestation; Brazil’s and Indonesia’s Illegal Land Clearance Highest in the World WASHINGTON (11 September 2014)—A comprehensive new analysis released today says that nearly half (49%) of all recent tropical deforestation is the result of illegal clearing for commercial agriculture. The study also finds that the…

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At African Green Revolution Forum, leaders from government, business, NGOs and philanthropy impatient for action ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (4 September 2014)—The African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) 2014—a spirited gathering of more than 1,000 agriculture officials, farmers, entrepreneurs, scientists, civil society organizations and pioneers in agribusiness representing 60 countries—concluded Thursday in Nelson Mandela Hall at the headquarters at the African…

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Dar Es Salaam: SOME members of Private Sector have called on government to put more efforts towards decongesting the border between Tanzania and Zambia—Tunduma in order to rescue the Dar es Salaam Port (DP) from collapse. They argue that congestion at Tunduma border makes the Dar es Salaam Port unattractive for importers from East and Central African countries. Tunduma…

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African Union Hosts African Green Revolution Forum Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – September 3, 2014 –AU Chairperson H.E Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma welcomed public and private sector participants to the African Union Commission Headquarters for the fourth African Green Revolution Forum. This year’s forum is organized around the AU designated ‘Year of Agriculture and Food Security’ and a new political…

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“It is true quantities of seed produced could be a drop in the sea but remember we are almost starting from the scratch given the fact that in some countries particularly those in West Africa there were no seed companies until AGRA came on the scene.” Dr George Bigirwa, is the Associate Program Director of AGRA’s Programme for Africa’s…

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• The Competition aimed to generate and promote ideas which can transform agricultural productivity, rural economies and create farming jobs • Winning entry focused on whole meal solution through cassava combining crop and animal value chain • 800 people under the age of 30 participated across 18 African countries Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, September, 4th, 2014: Enactus Kenya and Syngenta…

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You cannot eat oil – at least not crude oil. You cannot eat diamonds either. You cannot eat gold. Money from extractive industries has not transformed African agriculture over the last 30 years. It has not fed hungry people or developed rural areas- Dr. Kanayo F. Nwanze Scaling up productivity in African agriculture –so that it contributes to the…

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“ use in Africa remains startlingly low compared to other regions, with average use at around 10 kg per hectare, a tenth of the global average,” said Charlotte Hebebrand, Director General of IFA. Addis Ababa, 3 September 2013 –A new campaign by the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA), the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) and six other agricultural…

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By Anthony Muchoki Agriculture is the only sector in Africa capable of bringing the most inclusive forward economic transformation for a better continent. According Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General and Chair of the Africa Progress Panel, transformation of African agriculture could improve the lives of millions of people across Africa. Speaking at an APP-hosted side event at the Alliance…

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Smallholder farmers are the mainstay of food production across sub-Saharan Africa-” Ms. Jane Karuku, president of AGRA. The small scale African farmers need all the tools and know how necessary to adapt agricultural practices to ensure resilience in the face of changing climatic conditions and to sustainably increase agricultural productivit, declared John Kufuor, former president of Ghana launching the…

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“Many times all what the farmers need is development of markets ,” By Anthony Muchoki Is he a star? Yes, he was at the High Level Policy Dialogue on Food, Income and nutrition Security that took place on 1st September 2014, Addis Ababa. I am talking about Nigerian Ministers of Agriculture. A highly impressed Kenyan Journalist Mr Isaiah Esipisu…

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Africa must focus on creating markets for farmers, taking a whole value chain, and investing in new product development to add value to crops. By Anthony Muchoki, Addis Ababa Innovative, spot on, out of box and large scale solutions are needed for lifting Africa’s agriculture from great potential to profitable outputs for the continent’s children to sing “better at…

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By Antony Muchoki For income generating small-holder farming initiatives to be more viable in Africa, considerable efforts must be directed to building up credible and forward moving farmer organizations. Farmer leaders from across the continent during the 4th AGRF in Ethiopia were all in agreement that stronger farmer organizations were a key ingredient in taking green revolution in the…

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African Leaders to Identify Investments and Actions Needed to Ensure Smallholder Farmers are Prepared for New Challenges to African Food Security Posed by Climate Change ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia– With African leaders promising unprecedented action to energize the continent’s crucially important but often neglected agriculture sector, the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) begins today (1/09/2014) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, offering…

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African Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) holds its annual conference in Nairobi, to discuss its results from 2013 and to announce new partnership with the World Bank. NAIROBI, Kenya (28 August 2014) — Over 740,000 households, or 3.7 million people, are US$90 better off as a result of the African Enterprise Challenge Fund’s (AECF) activities in 2013. These are some…

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Dar es Salaam: As part of the visit by the “Public and Private Joint Mission for promoting Trade and Investment to Tanzania”, the Embassy of Japan in collaboration with the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF), will conduct a half day seminar titled “Japanese enterprises introduce themselves to Tanzanian partners” to be held on Saturday 30 th August, 2014 at…

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New report from AGRA also finds increased access to fertilizers helping up to 1.8 million farmers revive 3.5 million hectares NAIROBI -—With the steady drain of essential nutrients from African soils looming as a major threat to food security across the continent, a new report released today finds that over the last five years, 1.7 million African farmers in…

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With 2000 innovators from 48 countries entering in its first three years; IPA 2015 takes investment in unleashing and supporting sustainable African led innovation past half a million USD JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, August 1, 2014/ — The African Innovation Foundation (AIF) is calling on all African innovators to submit their entries for the fourth edition of the Innovation Prize for…

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(DAR ES SALAAM) – LEADING international development agency Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) has joined forces with the Financial Sector Deepening Trust (FSDT) to host the first-ever forum spotlighting the supply side issues to financing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Tanzania. The idea behind the SME Managers’ Forum, taking place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, this Friday (1…

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CAPE-TOWN, South-Africa, July 30, 2014/ — While Oil and Gas activity in West Africa is nothing new, it is the activity in East Africa which is creating a stir amongst exploration companies and of course, their suppliers. This is according to Steve Harley, President, DHL Energy Sector (http://www.dpdhl.com), who says that while Angola and Nigeria have always been the…

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ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire– The fifth mobile collection facility was inaugurated today in Abidjan, the Côte d’Ivoire, in the presence of the Ivoirian Minister for the Environment, Urban Cleanliness and Sustainable Development, Mr Kouadio Remi ALLA and the CEO of the Orange Côte d’Ivoire Télécom group  represented by Mr Joseph PITAH, Director of Networks and Information Systems. To mark the…

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By H.E.Peter Mutharika, President of Malawi   On 6th July, 1964 Malawi got its independence from Britain, signaling a new era for Malawi. This is an important day for all Malawians because we are celebrating that we have not only attained 50 years of independence but also 50 years of peace, stability, progress and prosperity. It is a day when,…

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PwC’s ‘Africa oil & gas review’ analyses what has happened in the last 12 months in the oil & gas industry within the major African markets   JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, July 23, 2014/ — The challenges facing oil & gas companies operating in Africa continue to be diverse and numerous fuelled by fraud, corruption, theft, poor infrastructure and a lack of skilled resources,…

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