Author: Khusoko

Khusoko provides market insights into Africa's business investment as well as global trends that impact East African businesses.

Mobile data traffic in sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to grow by almost 6.5 times the current figures according to Ericsson Mobility Report. The November 2020 edition report reveals that total traffic will increase from 0.87EB per month in 2020 to 5.6EB by 2026. It further discloses that the average traffic per smartphone is expected to reach 8.9GB over the forecast period. As demand for capacity and coverage of cellular networks continues to grow, service providers are expected to continue investing in their networks to cater for this uptake and meet evolving consumer requirements. In Sub-Saharan Africa, mobile subscriptions will continue…

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When in 1995 Flora Mutahi decided to diversify from her free-flowing salt business and venture into tea blending and packaging by setting up Melvin’s Teas, she’s getting into uncharted territory. To begin with, she had no prior experience in running a business. She had no capital and no savings to talk of. And her parents were sceptical and unwilling to advance her any money for her venture as they believed that “girls get married, not set up businesses.” Not only was she getting into an industry dominated by cartels but the tea sub-sector was also controlled by men. But even…

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Kenya’s SHK Consulting founder,  Shreya Karia, received an Africa’s Woman Leaders award in a virtual ceremony, the agency said. Shreya Karia, a leading brand strategist said the award “…comes at a time when 2020 has been a year of crisis and has forced us to define what good leadership requires to navigate this uncertainty meaningfully. For my part, I hope that I can continue to inspire and support the aspirations of younger women to take up senior roles and further drive a positive agenda for growth in the next generation.” Africa’s Woman Leaders Awards is an initiative of the World…

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The COVID-19 vaccine candidate (KBP-COVID-19; NCT04473690) will become one of a number of potential vaccines to have progressed beyond pre-clinical testing. The study is designed to enrol a total of 180 healthy volunteers who will be divided into two age cohorts, age 18-49 and age 50-70. Each group will then be subdivided into low and high dose treatment groups (N~45) and randomized 2:1 to receive either the low dose (15 μg KBP-COVID-19 vaccine + 0.5 mg adjuvant) or placebo, or high dose (45 μg KBP-COVID-19 vaccine + 0.5 mg adjuvant) or placebo. Results from the study are expected mid-2021 and,…

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Amidst calls for social distancing and avoiding the use of cash owing to curb the spread of Covid-19, the Government has moved to charge Kenyans for opting for safer online shopping; a most counter-productive policy. January 2021, the Kenya Revenue Authority will start levying a digital services tax. This will apply to all online platforms where buyers and sellers interact. 1.5 per cent will apply to the gross value of the purchase. So, for instance, if you buy anything on Jumia, Amazon, or take a ride in a Littlecab, you will on top of your bill, pay an extra 1.5…

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Benishangul-Gumuz (Benishangul) regional state has become one of the most significant strategic places in Ethiopia especially since Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is being built over Blue Nile Basin in the regional state.  Benishangul is the second smallest regional state covering almost 20,000 square kilometers located in western Ethiopia along the Sudanese border. GRED covers one tenth of the total regional state’s size, it lies just 15 KM east of Sudan.  800, 000 people live in the regional state according to the Ethiopian National Statistics bureau, a multi-ethnic society from almost all parts of Ethiopia.   The area where GRED lays…

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