Author: NLM Correspondent

Visionary leadership and strong institutions are Africa’s surest route to achieving economic growth and sustainable development. By Enoch Randy Aikins Until 1989, Africa was characterised by many authoritarian governments. After that, democracy took root as countries abolished military dictatorships, undertook constitutional reviews and embraced multiparty politics and elections. This promoted stability, legitimacy and acceptance in African political spheres. The general expectation was that multiparty democracy would eventually lead to economic growth and development. But almost three decades after the third wave of democratisation, it’s not clear that the development dividend has been attained. Despite Africa’s vast natural resources, it remains…

Surveys indicate that Africans have become skeptical of the condition of democracy in their respective countries By Prof John Harbeson This year’s national elections in Kenya will mark the thirtieth anniversary of Kenya’s first multi-party elections in the country’s and sub-Saharan Africa’s post-Cold War democratic era. As Kenya prepares for national elections scheduled for August 2022, a publication written by Kenya’s Institute for Development Studies (IDS) has summarized the results for Kenya of Afrobarometer’s eighth-round interviews with citizens about their experience of democracy in well over 30 countries between 2019 and 2021. This year also marks the 50th year of…

When growing up, Phyllis Wakiaga saw herself working in the corporate sector, ‘making important decisions’. She is doing that today as CEO of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM). A trained lawyer, Phyllis started her career at KQ in 2007 where she learned business management and bilateral negotiation. In 2013, she joined KAM as Head of Policy, Research and Advocacy, ultimately becoming CEO in 2015. She describes her operating system as ‘tenacity’ and none other. She spoke with NLM’s Kevin Motaroki about her journey, what excites her and what keeps her up at night, and makes her proudest as a…

firm is moving towards more use of renewable energy as part of its sustainability plans Bamburi Cement has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with an Independent Power Producer, Momnai Energy Limited, to set up solar power systems with a total capacity of 14.5 megawatts and 5 megawatts for the firm’s Mombasa plant and Nairobi grinding plant respectively. This will account for up to approximately 40% of the company’s total power supply. In addition, the project is expected to help the firm achieve recurrent savings of up to 10% annually as well as contribute to Net Zero carbon emissions by switching to…

By Jennigay Coetzer The biggest hurdle to the development of the rule of law in Africa is corruption, according to a new report by LexisNexis says. 52 percent of survey respondents said corruption was the number one impediment to advancing the rule of law. This was followed by government inefficiency, lack of transparency and accountability, lack of awareness, and a lack of motivation to change. Respondents in Nigeria said the lack of access to reliable legal information was their third biggest problem, as did respondents from organisations with more than 5000 employees, in-house counsel and trainee lawyers. Meanwhile, respondents from the judiciary…

Kenya’s 2019 Copyright Amendment Bill, incorporates principles from the WIPO Internet Treaties of 1996, aimed at preventing unauthorised access to and use of creative works By Guest Writer A coalition of global sports bodies has written an open letter to the Kenyan government, expressing concern about the Copyright Amendment Bill currently before parliament, and its potential impact on the availability of international sports content in Kenya. The Sports Rights Owner Coalition (SROC) is an alliance of more than 50 international and national sport bodies, representing some of the world’s leading sport codes and competitions – including the English Premier League, the…

By Prof John Harbeson Diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ethiopian civil war, entering its second year, have been replete with calls for national dialogue to end the conflict. As of early January 2022, the best efforts of former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, High Representative of the African Union Commission for the Horn of Africa, and others have yet to yield any visible progress, let alone agreement on a national dialogue process charged with establishing appropriate measures to secure the peace.  This is the state of affairs notwithstanding that, currently, some of the most favorable circumstances for making the conflict ripe…

Kenyans pride themselves with the status of one of the leading democracies in Africa, as attested to our relatively free democratic and governance space. And the country’s General Election in August this year will undoubtedly be one of the most significant political events in Africa. Other countries aspire to Kenya’s stability, economic muscle, and diplomatic leadership in a traditionally turbulent region. This is, essentially, a reason for pride. But, as happens every election cycle, Kenyan leaders are increasingly looking inward. They have thrown all caution to the wind, spewing dangerous rhetoric, threatening the electoral and undermining the country’s capacity to…

Nkosana Makate, 44, has a reason to smile after Gauteng High Court ordered Vodacom to pay him 5% of the total voice revenue generated from Please Call Me (PCM) feature in the past 20 years. Vodacom, which has 35% stake in Safaricom Plc had offered to pay Mr. Makate about $3mn, which is not a good deal as per the court. The inventor, however, is demanding more than $1.2bn in compensation arguing that the amount constitutes 5% of revenue from the group’s $13.2bn in income generated from the service over a period of 18 years. “The applicant (referring to Makate)…

By Grace Wandera Brands have since time immemorial invested in every opportunity available to enhance their presence and reputation among the target market. Maintaining a good reputation and presence is among key priorities for every brand. While a number of years ago brand consciousness was perceived a private sector concern, this has since changed and it has now been a race for the best brand, whether state ran or otherwise. At the same time, brand marketing strategies have continued to evolve, largely aligning with the contemporary practices. Brands are gradually shifting sole reliance on traditional marketing methods to emerging marketing…