Author: Newsroom

ClimateNews

Shelter Afrique leads the charge for climate-resilient housing

Nairobi-based pan-African housing financier, Shelter Afrique, is spearheading an ambitious vision for Africa’s cities, one that champions climate-resilient housing, affordability, sustainability, and enhanced mobility. At the ‘Integrated Liveable African Cities’ session of this week’s Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, hosted by Kenya in collaboration with the African Union Commission, Shelter Afrique’s Managing Director, Thierno Habib Hann, urged governments across the continent to embrace climate-resilient housing. Mr Hann also called on governments to initiate incentives that revolutionize the production of affordable homes while minimizing construction costs. Affordable housing projects He cited examples of climate change integration in national development plans, stating, “For instance, Kenya considers climate…

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TechnologyWomen in Business

Sama to train 2,000 youth and women for global AI projects

At least 2000 youth and women are set to get Artificial Intelligence skills from outsourcing giant Sama as the company aims to transform Kenya into a global AI powerhouse, aligning with government initiatives and unlocking opportunities for underserved communities. Sama says it will hire and train young individuals for computer vision projects catering to Fortune 500 companies. The initial wave of 600 participants in Nairobi has already been hired and is currently undergoing training. The remaining 1,500 individuals are slated to join in the coming weeks, forming part of Sama’s dynamic team of over 3,000 staff in Nairobi dedicated to computer vision AI projects for

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Corporate

Jubilee’s CoverBora aims to tackle healthcare affordability crisis

In an effort to reshape the medical coverage landscape in Kenya, Jubilee Health Insurance has today launched CoverBora Medical Cover. The comprehensive and affordable inpatient solution is a significant step towards promoting inclusive healthcare for individuals and families across the country. Healthcare landscape in Kenya has been marred by challenges related to affordability, with many families forced to rely on out-of-pocket payments for medical services. According to the Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2022, just one in four Kenyans has some form of health insurance. Shockingly, the report estimates that Kenyans spend a staggering Kes150 million annually in out-of-pocket payments for healthcare, pushing nearly a million

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In Brief

Kenya unveils hybrid maize seeds without pollen

Kenyan scientists have released a new maize production technology that will rely on hybrid genes that do not produce pollen to cut cost of generating seeds. Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation in partnership with Corteva Agriscience, the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa, Qualibasic Seed and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center have announced the release of three FNP hybrids (CHKM21W002, CHKM21W003 and CHKE21W001) which are adapted to low soil fertility conditions. The technology designed for Africa following trials in Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe under the Seed Production Technology for Africa (SPTA) utilizes a dominant non-pollen producing maize gene, Ms44, to create

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News

Kenyan banks and Safaricom sign Sh15 billion loan for a greener tomorrow

Telco giant Safaricom has successfully closed a historic Kes15 billion Sustainability Linked Loan (SLL) deal to bolster its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) agenda. The financing plan involves consortium of four leading banks, including StanChart, Stanbic, ABSA, and KCB. This financing plan, which is expandable to Kes20 billion through an accordion mechanism, marks the largest ESG-linked loan facility ever undertaken in East Africa. It’s also a remarkable milestone as Safaricom’s first-ever SLL and the first Kenya Shilling-denominated SLL in the market. Safaricom’s commitment to sustainable business practices and its dedication to transforming the ESG landscape in Kenya have paved the way for this landmark financial…

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