Blog

The Trump administration hopes that a free trade agreement with Nairobi will be a counterweight to Beijing’s growing role across Africa and a model for bilateral deals with others on the [...]

WASHINGTON — Small agencies that work alone, siloed off from the rest of a country’s development work: That’s how development finance institutions might have been described just a decade ago. But [...]

The long-term impact of microcredit on peoples’ lives is limited: new research reveals it can help more people by modifying and extending its model. Microcredit is frequently touted as an [...]

African countries need to develop the environment and infrastructure to capitalize on the opportunities of a global digital economy that is poised to rake in over $60 trillion in revenues by [...]

Over the past decade, important progress has been made on poverty reduction, disease control and access to healthcare, education and services. However, these gains are fragile, and are undermined [...]

What is 5G? 5G is an upgrade of 4G technology with three main advantages. It can move more data faster than 4G, it is more responsive (quicker) and it can connect more devices at one time. But, [...]

Immigrants have been given a tag that negatively depicts who they are and fails to show the various benefits they bring to the countries they immigrate to. Before the eyes of many natives and on [...]

From delivery drones to self-driving cars and chatbots, technology may be rapidly transforming the way the world shops, works and interacts. But in Africa, digitalization is on the cusp of [...]

Preparing Africa’s graduates for today’s jobs Many Africans with advanced qualifications are finding their university degrees are just not enough to land a job in the current market. Ruth Rono [...]

Delivering enough food to feed the world’s population requires farmers to overcome a series of often-unpredictable challenges, related to factors such as climate change, water scarcity, lack of [...]

Erratic weather patterns as a result of the destructive effects of climate change pose a serious threat to the livelihoods of Africa’s smallholder farmers. In some sub-Saharan African countries, [...]

Saving microfinance through innovative lending   The traditional microfinance model has had limited impact on the income and productivity of borrowers. More innovative and flexible lending [...]

Delivering on the global commitment to leave no one behind means development thinking must undergo a transformational shift to address inequalities within countries, as well as between countries. [...]

Current women’s economic empowerment interventions are not enough to overcome all obstacles facing female entrepreneurs. The emerging evidence from psychology and experimental economics on [...]

Do you ever wonder and even get baffled by how companies can easily predict your taste and preference and customize your homepage for some of the services you have subscribed to? We are living in [...]

World Health Day 2019 lands on 7 April, with the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring universal health coverage (UHC) as this year’s focus. The choice of theme is fitting given UHC’s [...]

The global population is burgeoning (expected to reach over 9 billion by 2050) and so is the demand for food and nutrition. In Africa, agriculture is 313 billion dollars a year business and this [...]

Over the last decade, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has experienced historically high economic growth rates. The region has made significant social progress too. These gains have largely been driven [...]

Over the past few years, businesses across many industries have been increasingly relying on artificial intelligence to deliver business value. According to Forbes, Gartner estimated that [...]

The primary objective of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is the acquisition of employable skills for the world of work. Without job-related skills, young people and adults [...]

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the world population will reach 9.1 billion by 2050, and to feed that number of people, global food production will need [...]

Comprehensive third-quarter data revealed a strengthening recovery of the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) economy as the region’s heavyweights shook off a midyear malaise. Regional growth picked up to [...]

Considering that informal cross border trade (ICBT) is a source of income to about 43 per cent of Africa’s population, boosting informal cross border trade on the continent is an integral part of [...]

  Africa needs to diversify its economy to ensure it can weather economic storms and maintain socio-economic and political stability. Resilience is vital for long-term prosperity and [...]

While the world has achieved progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (including equal access to primary education between girls and [...]

Sustainable development goals seek to address the global challenges we face; ranging from poverty and climate change to inequality and prosperity, among others. Most of the sustainable [...]

New technology is transforming the workplace in unprecedented ways. The transformation is both positive and negative based on which end of the spectrum you sit on. Technology has improved [...]

The agricultural sector is faced with several challenges ranging from climate change to water scarcity. Without the right tools and knowledge, productivity can be hampered and farmers left [...]

Education is a fundamental human right and ensuring the youth have access to quality education is vital. This empowers them and it comes with a host of positive benefits in the long term. [...]

Long-term prospects of a company depend on its competitive advantage. Having a strategy that sets you apart from the pack will go a long way in ensuring your business has what it takes to remain [...]

Open data is basically data that is accessible to the entire public and can be used, reused, shared and redistributed without restrictions from patents, copyrights and other mechanisms of control [...]

Developing economies are faced with a myriad of challenges and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in addressing some of these challenges and contribute significantly in [...]

Maternal health, the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, is a major concern for rural Africa. Women in rural areas face unprecedented challenges and lack of [...]

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nation defines climate smart agriculture as an approach that helps to guide actions needed to transform and reorient agricultural systems to [...]

Last month, The World Bank released its biannual publication, Africa’s Pulse. The publication, produced by the Office of the Chief Economist for the Africa Region of the World Bank contains a [...]

In 2014, a World Bank report noted that 20 percent of Africa’s population is between the age of 15 and 24 years, representing a fifth of the world’s youth population. However, over half of [...]

Malaria is a life-threatening mosquito-borne blood disease affecting humans and other animals caused by a Plasmodium parasite. The disease is widespread in the tropical and subtropical regions [...]

Universal healthcare is United Nation’s sustainable goal number 3 and it seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Great strides have been made in reducing child [...]

Freshwater is essential to life. To highlight the importance of freshwater, World Water Day is annually observed on 22nd March. This year’s theme was, ‘Nature for Water’, which explored [...]

Disasters cause devastating disruptions to the livelihoods of communities. They can cause great damage and loss of life leading to serious socio-economic implications. Recovery is usually not [...]

In the1980s, Africa implemented structural reforms to curb a protracted decline in economic growth and development experienced soon after independence. State-led development institutions were [...]

Policy, planning and decision-making process are critical to Africa’s development agenda. Decision-making process relies on information. The quality of such information, which eventually [...]

Africa continues to be plagued by huge agricultural yield gaps leading to an annual food import bill of USD 35 Billion which will rise to USD 110 Billion by 2025. Some of the key factors include [...]

Corruption is a global challenge that stems from the human DNA in one way or another. Moral pervasion cuts across the entire spectrum of social systems. The human mindset is by default skewed [...]

For over three decades, economists have been studying the paradox of plenty also known as the resource curse. Over the years, it has been observed that countries that are endowed with natural [...]

When it comes to efficient functioning of modern economies, professional services are an integral part of the process. Professional services have played a critical role in sub-Saharan Africa’s [...]

Cryptocurrencies recently became a global phenomenon creating buzz across the globe. Last year, cryptocurrencies grabbed international headlines with their stellar performance generating [...]

Foreign direct investments and labor productivity are vital components of a country’s economic growth and development. But how does the latter influence the former? The relationship between these [...]

World Economic Forum’s Klaus Schwab describes blockchain as “being at the heart of the fourth industrial revolution.” Don and Alex Tapscott argue in their book titled ‘The Blockchain Revolution’ [...]

Urbanization is a recent phenomenon in Africa. According to statistical data, roughly 60 percent of Africa’s population still lives in rural areas. However, this figure is changing fast. The [...]

Business models are changing in the wake of technological advancement and the 21st-century consumer is all about convenience and options when making a purchase. Technology is providing [...]

As the fourth industrial revolution continues to take shape and the boundaries between physical and digital worlds continue to blur, business models are being impacted in unprecedented ways. [...]

Protectionism defies the tenets of the concept of comparative advantage laid down by the founding fathers of economic science. Adam Smith’s ‘The Wealth of Nations’ showed how both parties can [...]

As 3D printing technology gains grip across the globe, it grants Africa a clean slate to edit the prevailing development narrative. Africa has exhibited a puzzling development paradox – a [...]

The fourth industrial revolution, characterized by the merging of technologies, is changing the way we interact. This has led to unprecedented opportunities in the digital space and digital [...]

There are a number of constraints to agricultural and rural development in South Sudan. Agriculture still remains a subsistence activity by smallholder farmers using simple implements. Taming [...]

The global population is projected to hit 9.8 billion by the year 2050. Food security is a pressing concern for policymakers. Food supply needs to increase by 70 percent as global food demand is [...]

Internet penetration and the increasing use of smart devices is enabling players in various industries to collect valuable data that they use to profile their customers and tailor service [...]

Urbanization is the movement of people from rural areas to urban areas leading to towns and cities growing bigger. Africa is experiencing a rise in the population of urban dwellers. The share of [...]

Trade plays a vital role in any country’s economic growth and sustainable development. Developing countries have chronically been affected by the lack of value addition in their export products [...]

Big data is unleashing a new chapter in humanity. With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), collecting data is becoming relatively cheap. Devices such as mobile devices, cameras, wireless [...]

Corruption is a universal problem but developing countries are hit the hardest when it comes to the repercussions of this vice. Corruption is responsible for inequality, it is responsible for [...]

Technology and globalization are changing business models and it is becoming increasingly difficult for employers to find the right skill set to fill available vacancies. Businesses across the [...]

Chatbots are no longer a reserve for blue-chip companies. Small enterprises are increasingly investing in these cutting edge computer programs that use Artificial Intelligence to simulate human [...]

The global population is rapidly increasing and the current world population of 7.3 billion is expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100, according to a [...]

They say change is the only constant in life. In this highly competitive business environment and the onset of a new industrial revolution, organizations that are reluctant to embrace change end [...]

End of Programme Evaluation The Eastern and Southern Africa region faces significant challenges despite the good progress witnessed in responding to the epidemic from most countries over the past [...]

They say information isn’t worth much if it doesn’t serve a purpose. In a joint venture, Advantech Consulting and FTHM Consulting (Madagascar) recently won the Kenya Petroleum Technical [...]

Fintech is a portmanteau of financial technology which denotes the use of new technology and innovation with available resources in order to compete in the marketplace of traditional financial [...]

Artificial intelligence (AI), which dates back to mid-twentieth century, is currently causing disruptions, creating digital waves and contributing to the automation explosion due to improvements [...]

Blockchain is widely known as the underlying technology that enables the cryptocurrency known as Bitcoin. It is a public ledger of all Bitcoin transactions that have ever been executed and it is [...]

Global weather patterns are changing and the world isn’t just warming but weather patterns are becoming more erratic. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), global warming [...]

Technology is evolving exponentially blurring the line between physical, digital biology, and bioengineering ushering the Fourth Industrial Revolution. According to John Chambers, former CEO of [...]

On 9th November 2016, Donald John Trump, the underdog with no political background, defied all expectations to win America’s presidential election effectively becoming America’s 45th president. [...]

Mark Granovetter’s paper ‘The Strength of Weak Ties’ is a highly influential research with thousands of citations according to Google. In 1969, the paper was submitted to American Sociology [...]

Intra-African trade is not the panacea to Africa’s development woes but it goes a long way in addressing fundamental dynamics that can bolster long-term economic growth. Statistics illustrate [...]

Climate Change The rising need to address climate change requires concerted effort across the globe. Global warming has exhibited acute repercussions and slowing down its progress is critical to [...]

Population growth and the rapid rate of urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa elevate infrastructure needs. The pace of development and economic growth does not match the growing needs of a [...]

Gender inequality happens when people face discrimination under similar circumstances based on their gender identity. Such discrimination triggers a divide that has detrimental consequences [...]

In March 2013, Africa was identified as the world’s poorest inhabited continent. This situation can be attributed to a number of factors ranging from historical, environmental, political, [...]

Forced immigration is a reality many countries have been forced to come to terms with in different ways. Thousands are fleeing their countries each day. Involuntary immigration mostly connotes [...]

“All for ourselves, and nothing for other people seems, in every age of the world, to have been the vile maxim of the masters of mankind” – Adam Smith. Oxfam released a report during the 2017 [...]

Intellectual capital refers to the total stock in possession of a laborer or a company comprised of laborers in the form of intangible but still very essential assets such as skills, innovation, [...]

As financial institutions seek to engage millennials (born 1980s to 90s) who are instinctively used to getting information on-line and Generation Z (born 2000s onwards) who have been raised in [...]

“My grandfather used to say that once in your life you need a lawyer, a doctor, a policeman and a preacher but everyday, three times a day you need a farmer”. – Brenda Schoepp Agriculture has [...]

In the last decades, ICT has undergone a very quick development and has been introduced into all segments of people’s lives. This has hence brought new opportunities for businesses and [...]

Agriculture is the backbone of most Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) economies contributing up to 32 percent of Gross Domestic Product (World Bank, 2015) and the GDP growth generated by agriculture is up [...]

Information and communications technology (ICT) field has been a forerunner and a vital enhancement in tackling the needs and issues of low-income individuals in developing countries. This has [...]

Effects of big data on business in the 21st century Big data is here and it is here to stay. In actuality, it can only get bigger. Big data is the voluminous amount of data that is collected by [...]

The impact of development partner projects in the developing world Development agencies can be categorized into: Bilateral/ National – They receive funding from the government in their home [...]

Change in public sector organizations (or public sector organizational realignment) is an urgent need that should be implemented yesterday rather than be a subject of discussion today. It is not [...]

ICT integration in Kenyan education system (ICT4E) While somewhat still at its infancy stage, ICT for Education (ICT4E) remains a vital topic of discussion in the Kenyan educational space, with [...]

Every business has the opportunity to become a digital business. However,some are better equipped to do so than others. The digital transformation goes beyond systems of the ICT framework but [...]

ICT Strategy Alignment for Business Strategic alignment refers to the process of bringing the actions of an organization’s business divisions and staff members into line with the [...]

During the just concluded UNCTAD 14 conference, Advantech represented by Maurice Njoroge had the opportunity to attend a breakfast side event on E-certification as a measure of trade facilitation [...]

The United Nations Conference for Trade and Development 14th edition kicked off in Nairobi, Kenya on Sunday 17th of July 2016 and the weeklong conference will come to an end on Friday 22nd July [...]

Disruptive technology refers to technology that creates a new market and eventually disrupts an existing market thereby displacing the established market leaders. Africa is on the rise. [...]

Energy and climate change: what is our role? Climate change which is already a measurable reality poses a fundamental threat to biodiversity and human development with countries around the world [...]

Action learning is described as an approach to solving real problems that involves taking action and reflecting upon the results, which helps improve the problem-solving process, as well as the [...]

Generation Y, also known as the Millennials, describes those individuals born between 1980 and 1995. This generation possesses an intuitive sense in understanding technology due and brings a much [...]

ARE WE A LEARNING ORGANIZATION? Now most organizations have heeded to the fact that in order for them to remain on the leading edge and have competitive advantage over their counterparts, lies in [...]

The 2016 National Youth Stakeholders Forum for Technoserve in partnership with MasterCard and SRYDE Program Meeting was held this June at Safari Park Hotel. Advantech Business Development [...]

Data visualization: How to make data attractive. Communicating information clearly and effectively is key to successful reporting in the monitoring and evaluation field. Data visualization can be [...]

In 2013, the United Nations replaced the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to the United Nations, the 17 SDGs are aimed at;ending [...]

In his bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Dr. Stephen Covey introduced the concept of “beginning with the end in mind” to mean starting each day, task, or project with a clear [...]

July 1st 2015, it’s official! The World Bank has announced new additions to the lower middle-income bracket for Gross National Income per capita (GNI): Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Myanmar and Kenya. [...]

Have you at any one point in your career life, cleared your day’s schedule, worn an expensive suit and teamed up with a colleague to go into a business forum on behalf of the company, only to [...]

The 2015 Grant Management Solutions (GMS) annual Regional Partners’ Meeting was held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire in early December 2015 from the 7th to the 9th. GMS is a project mandated to provide [...]

Joseph Waruingi is the founder of Advantech Limited, one of the leading management consultancy firms in Sub Saharan Africa today. One look at the strap line underpinning Advantech and you read [...]

Kenya’s agricultural sector has over the years developed many excellent visions, policies, strategies and plans, but small-holder and medium-scale farmers have not yet achieved their full [...]