Maisha 254

All children experience stress in varying degrees as they grow. Despite their best efforts, parents cannot protect their children from all the challenges they face. Children will get sick, encounter bullies and cyberbullies, experience heartache, lose friends and pets, and now they also have to deal with the effects of Covid-19. Some of these challenges might seem insignificant in the eyes of an adult, but may be overwhelming to a child. In today's world, anxiety and stress are becoming more prevalent in children. While it is a normal and necessary emotion, designed as part of the human self-protection mechanism, it can inhibit us as well. Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in children. The signs of stress and anxiety in children often show up as physical or behavioural changes. This can include:  ● Finding it hard to concentrate; ● Poor sleeping patterns, sleepwalking or experiencing nightmares; ● Loss of appetite; ● Fear of making decisions; ● Difficulty beginning...

Bolt, the leading European mobility platform, launches its car-sharing service, Bolt Drive. The new service allows customers to rent a car for short periods of time using the Bolt app. Bolt will invest €20 million in launching Bolt Drive in Europe this year, starting with a pilot in its home market, Estonia. Bolt is the first mobility platform in Europe to offer car-sharing, ride-hailing and micromobility with scooters and electric bikes in one app. By enabling customers to quickly and conveniently rent a car at the tap of a button, Bolt allows them to be less dependent on personal cars and encourages the use of alternative modes of transport for short-distance trips. Markus Villig, CEO at Bolt, said: “Personal cars are the primary cause of problems in urban transport. They are responsible for traffic, environmental emissions and taking up city space. Bolt’s mission is to help people give up their personal cars by providing a better alternative. For people to switch from ownership to o...

Visa, a leading global payments technology company, announced today a new global commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2040, and that the company achieved carbon neutrality across its operations in 2020.  Visa also outlined plans to become a climate positive company through new partnerships and expanded initiatives to support sustainable commerce and the transition to a low-carbon economy beyond the company’s own footprint.  “Visa is committed to creating a more sustainable future,” said Al Kelly, chairman and chief executive officer of Visa. “Our new net-zero commitment and enhanced efforts across our network in support of sustainable initiatives are immediate ways we will achieve our goals to help build a better future for our planet.” Net-zero by 2040 – 10 years ahead of Paris Climate Agreement goal As part of the commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2040, Visa announced it is a new signatory of The Climate Pledge, an initiative co-founded by Amazon and Global Opti...

Always has been ranked as the number one most loved sanitary brand by women in Kenya. “This is according to the study dubbed the  Top 100 most loved brands by women in Kenya , a collaboration between Ipsos, a Global leader in market research and BSD Group. The study’s ranking resulted from carefully curated data that delved deeper into the Kenyan women's psyche.”    The survey was conducted between   23rd January to 9th February 2021. It involved a sample size of 1,021 women above the age of 18 years in the following regions Nairobi, Mombasa, North Eastern, Eastern, Central, Rift Valley, Western, and Nyanza. The margin of error was plus/minus 3, which saw the Always brand ranked fourth. The company credits its ranking to continuously investing around customer needs.      "We have invested heavily in the feedback we receive from our consumers as a way of re-configuring our business model to new realities a...

The telecommunication and posts regulatory authority (ARPT) of the Republic of Guinea and the company Global Voice Group (GVG) are proud to announce the establishment of a new partnership between the two organizations. Signed in Conakry on 1 April 2021 by the respective directors, Mr Yacouba Cissé and Mr James Gabriel Claude, the agreement provides for the deployment of a leading-edge mobile and digital ecosystem regulation platform in Guinea.  The installation of this digital platform will begin on 1 June of this year. To this day, this is the most ambitious project for the digitization of the country's regulatory tools. It encompasses major aspects such as the regulatory management of mobile and digital identities, interconnectivity, data services and mobile money. The contract stipulates that GVG will be responsible for the deployment of the platform, as well as for the related technical operations, over a five-year period at the end of which the company will transfer the platfo...

Arjun Mallik, Prudential Africa's Managing Director, East Africa. COVID and its resultant ebbing lockdown periods have been a stressful time for people all over the world including in Africa. Emotional wellness of people should be at the forefront of most companies’ plans. While businesses are grappling with how to sustain themselves, they should simultaneously be taking care of their employees. There are simple initiatives that businesses of all sizes can take to start addressing mental wellness, which Prudential Africa has outlined below.   A key learning lesson from operating in the pandemic for Prudential Africa has been that physical and mental wellbeing are equally important.  “Collective trauma as a result of COVID happened at a societal level while making individuals more inward-looking. Our employees in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda are experiencing heightened trepidation due to everyday uncertainties, less interaction with colleagues and concerns for family safety. In...

Flourish Ventures, an impact-focused Venture Capital has been making waves across the continent lately. With their focus on providing investment to startups that enhance the financial health of their customers, Flourish is seeking to be the next impact forecast venture capital to have an impact on the lives of Africans. Maisha 254 is joined by Efayomi Carr, the firm's Principal, to tell us more about what Flourish intends to achieve on the continent and why they came to Africa in the first place.  1. What informed the choice to begin operations in Africa at this juncture? We already had a presence in Africa before we made the decision to open a physical premise in Nairobi. We have so far invested in over a dozen start-ups across Africa located in Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt and Kenya that include Apollo Agriculture, Fair Money, Financial Services Innovators (FSI), Flutterwave, Lendable, Pula and Paga. Africa is an important market for us and we feel that having an office on the continent...

Bolt, the leading on-demand transportation platform in Africa, and Flourish Ventures, a global fintech venture capital firm, with a strong focus on Africa, are set to hold a webinar on Women and the Gig Economy. The webinar, which is aimed at highlighting opportunities that the gig economy presents to women will be held on Thursday the 25th of March 2021 and will focus on educating, encouraging more women to engage in gig work while addressing the specific challenges that women face in joining the gig industry. Themed “Women in the gig economy: Opportunities and Challenges”, the webinar will seek to celebrate women in the gig economy, highlighting the opportunities while also addressing specific challenges that women face in joining the gig sector. The webinar will encourage discussion on what could be done to welcome more women to the gig economy with an emphasis on both business and government solutions to drive inclusion. Hillary Miller-Wise, the Africa Regional Director at Bolt Foo...

  The African fintech startup scene is set for a boost after Flourish Ventures, a global fintech venture capital firm, today announced a new office based in Nairobi to help its investment team better serve entrepreneurs across Africa who are building innovations that help advance financial health and economic resilience for people and small businesses.  With deep fintech industry and country-specific expertise, Flourish is focused on building its investment in Africa and adding to its growing portfolio of a dozen startups located in Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt and Kenya that includes Apollo Agriculture, Fair Money, Financial Services Innovators (FSI), Flutterwave, Lendable, Pula and Paga. Flourish recently hired Efayomi Carr as Principal, who will manage the company’s operations in Nairobi. Carr is an experienced entrepreneur who previously served as Head of Strategic Finance for Lori, a tech startup that builds cost-saving market infrastructure for the trucking sector in Africa. He...

Visa has announced the 2021 edition of the Everywhere Initiative – a global innovation program and competition for fintechs. This year, the focus is on expansion and accessibility, with Visa offering a one-stop experience to register and learn about upcoming opportunities and competitions – via the global website. Fintechs started by everyone, everywhere will pitch their ideas in regional competitions to a panel of expert judges from across the payments industry. All applicants from Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) are invited to compete first on a CEMEA stage to win a combined $25,000 in total prize and then on a global stage for a combined $100,000 in total prize money. and to tell their companies’ stories. “Supporting companies across the globe who are building solutions that power seamless money movement everywhere is a top priority for Visa. We recognize fintechs as a force for innovation that is core to our business and encourage everyone to apply to Visa Everywhere Initiative. I am look...

 Mabati Rolling Mills (MRM), a Member of Safal Group, today commissioned a rainwater harvesting system at Wetlands Primary School in Nairobi. The water-harvesting system was installed using MRM’s RAINGAIN® products, which are specially designed to hygienically and safely maximize water harvesting from roofs for homes and institutions. Westlands Primary is one of oldest and most populous schools in the county with over 1,400 pupils and in excess of 50 teachers and non-teaching staff. This new installation will reduce the schools reliance on metered water and reduce its consumption by as much as 50%, saving the school from the perennial problems of unreliable and costly water supply. Speaking at the school in Westlands, MRM CEO Andrew Heycott said the company has developed a rainwater harvesting system, which is affordable for both residential and institutional use. “MRM has over the years continually innovated and pioneered new products and solutions to become the markets ultimate b...

Before you know it, your children are all grown up, ready to make their mark in our global village. Parenting is a full-time job given to us with a vague job description. By the time your teen leaves home, you want to ensure they are ready to live independently, nurture positive relationships and make a positive impact on the world. Take a moment to run down a checklist of essential life skills your teen will require to be successful in the modern world. 1. How to manage time  Different projects, pressing deadlines and to-do-lists that seem to get longer each day will be in your teens foreseeable future. To manage time, teach your child to make concrete decisions that structure, protect and adjust their time in an ever-changing environment. Teach them to: -Think realistically about time by understanding it as a limited resource. -Design and organise goals, plans, schedules and tasks to effectively use the time. -Monitor the use of time while performing activities and adjusting to i...

Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, has ranked first amongst the top 15 best companies to work for in Africa by the prestigious ‘Best Places to Work’ certification program. Based on the assessment of over 500 organizations operating across the continent, the program’s findings from this year demonstrated how well businesses across Africa have adapted to the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Boehringer Ingelheim Africa was honored for its leadership, inclusive culture, commitment to professional development, agility and sense of community as key reasons employees feel proud to work for the company.  “Best Places to Work” is an ‘Employer of Choice’ certification that certifies and recognizes leading workplaces in many countries around the world with a rigorous assessment methodology and a framework which reflects the very latest in workplace trends focusing on eight workplace factors including leadership, HR and people policies,...

‘Empathy is about standing in someone else 's shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes. Reflection is the means of processing thoughts and feelings about an activity, incident, or day. It gives us a chance to come to terms with our thoughts and feelings surrounding it”  People who understand how to watch, listen and observe the actions and emotions of those around them are often perceived as the most successful in life. A conscious alignment of one’s self with others starts with the development of empathy in the early years.  In the early years of life from age two to seven, young children are naturally ego-centric and are very much inclined to think mostly about themselves and their immediate needs. They are not yet ready to consider the needs and feelings of others. Developing a sense of empathy is an important developmental process for young children. It is at the heart of good relationships, and it begins with valuing others and their perspectives....

\ Always Kenya has today added a new type of sanitary pad into its product portfolio; Always Cotton Protection in a bid to provide variety and meet the varied needs of its consumers.  The new sanitary pad is 100% organic, unscented and dye free, providing product variety for Kenyan consumers without compromising comfort and our trusted Always protection.  “At Always, the needs of women and girls is our number one priority. After feedback from consumers and extensive research by our product team, we’ve designed the new Cotton Protection Collection to respond to our diverse consumers. We appreciate the evolving demands of consumers and have launched an exciting new set of products that we believe can meet customer needs, while keeping comfort and safety a top priority,” said Ivy Kimani, Brand Director, Always (East Africa).  The new products bring to ten the growing Always Kenya product portfolio which now includes; Always Ultra-Thin (Long and Extra-Thin); Always Maxi Thick...

Dr. Crick Lund, PhD The global economy has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In Africa it has led to significant contraction of national economies, and more people living in poverty. The journey to recovery will be a long and difficult one for African economies and will be strongly dependent on the resilience and productivity of the workforce. There is increasing global evidence that productivity in the workplace is profoundly influenced by mental health.  Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development defines mental health as, “The capacity of thought, emotion, and behavior that enables every individual to realize their own potential in relation to their developmental stage, to cope with the normal stresses of life, to study or work productively and fruitfully, and to contribute to their community”.  It is estimated that mental illnesses cost $2.5 trillion globally in 2010, and this cost will rise to over $6 trillion by 2030. Most of these costs...

Julian King, VP and General Manager at Xoom Xoom, PayPal’s money transfer service, announced in December of 2020 that the company’s customers in the US, UK, Canada and Europe can now send secure and convenient money transfers directly to mobile wallets in key markets across Africa with a focus on the underbanked segment. Maisha254's Benson Kamau spoke to Julian King, Vice President and General Manager at Xoom, to find out what the firm has in store for the Kenyan market. What does this entry into the Kenyan market look to achieve? Mobile money services are a key tool to further the goal of financial inclusion which is instrumental in lifting the unde rserved population out of poverty—and for driving economic growth. We picked these initial set of countries as they have a high percentage of mobile money registered account holders. In Kenya, over 60 percent of adults have mobile money accounts. In 2021, we plan to introduce our mobile wallet to more countries across Africa. Why did...