Author: Kaluka wanjala

OPPO is celebrating two significant milestones: 10 years of serving Kenyan customers and 20 years of pioneering innovation at the forefront of the smartphone industry. Since 2014, OPPO Kenya has established itself as a trusted brand known for its commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology and user-oriented devices catering to various consumer types. This has seen the successful launches of the A-series, Reno Series and the Find X and N series in the market which have continued to receive praise from their users. ‘‘OPPO Kenya has played a vital role in empowering Kenyans by providing them with smartphones that seamlessly integrate…

Summary Pula, the agricultural insurance and technology company, has closed a $20 million series B funding round that will help provide agricultural insurance to farmers in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The insurance products help smallholder farmers in emerging markets gain access to insurance against floods, droughts, and other climate-related events. Smallholder farmers are defined as farmers that hold less than 2 hectares of land per day and live on $2 per day or less. Pula has so far supported over 15.4 million farmers across Africa, Asia and Latin America to get insured. This latest funding round was led by…

Seeds for the Future Program is Huawei’s global CSR flagship program that was launched in 2008. Since 2014, Huawei and ICT Authority have worked together to build a stronger ICT ecosystem through promoting ICT skills and capacity through the program in Kenya thus helping ICT professionals fill the gaps between theory and practice and master the required skills. This program seeks to develop local ICT talent, enhance knowledge sharing, and improve people’s understanding of and interest in the ICT industry. Globally, it encourages countries across different regions to participate in the construction of digital communities.  Over last 9 years the…

The Mastercard Foundation Fund for Resilience and Prosperity has launched an Agribusiness Challenge Fund, calling for proposals from SMEs in the agriculture sector that can create work opportunities at scale for young women and men, young persons with disabilities, and refugee youth.  The Mastercard Foundation Fund for Resilience and Prosperity is a new fund established following the successful conclusion of the Mastercard Foundation Fund for Rural Prosperity, which was in operation for eight years from 2014 to 2023 and supported 38 participant businesses from 15 countries in Africa. These businesses were able to innovate and scale financial products and services targeting the rural population…

Servercore has announced the launch of its Affiliate Program in Africa. The program offers lucrative opportunities based on services each customer utilizes on Servercore and seeks to invite and form partnerships with businesses, influencers, and individuals who want to benefit from the rising demand for innovative cloud solutions in Kenya and Africa.  Affiliates will earn a 10% commission for every new client who spends up to 500,000 KES monthly on Servercore services. When the customer’s monthly expenditure exceeds 500,000 KES, the commission rises to 15%. However, when a customer’s monthly expenses drop below the 500,000 KES threshold, the monthly reward…

Glovo has announced the appointment of Sonali Patel Visram as its new Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) for Kenya. Sonali brings with her vast experience with over a decade of experience in business development and e-commerce. She has a distinguished track record of driving revenue growth and operational excellence in the on-demand services sector. She previously served as the Commercial Director of Jumia Food Kenya, where she played a pivotal role in shaping growth strategies and optimizing operational efficiency. “Sonali’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Glovo Kenya,” said Caroline Mutuku, General Manager of Glovo Kenya. “Her proven expertise in…

Mastercard and Equity Bank have announced a strategic collaboration that will enable Equity Bank customers to send money safely and securely to 30 countries. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for cross-border financial transactions in Kenya. Remittances are a key economic driver in Sub-Saharan Africa with a reported $53 billion flowing into the region in 2022. In Kenya, the Central Bank of Kenya reported $5.77 billion worth of foreign currency inflows in 2022. Cross border remittances unlock financial inclusion by empowering individuals to access formal financial services, ultimately fostering economic growth and stability in the region. Through Mastercard Cross-Border Services,…

Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures (VKAV) has announced that it has closed its first fund at $60 million.  Key institutional investors in the fund include SBI Holdings, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Japan International Corporation Agency, and Japan ICT Fund. New investors joining the final close include SCM Capital, formerly known as Sterling Capital Markets Limited, from Nigeria and a few additional institutional investors from Japan, including Taiyo Holdings and C2C Global Education Japan. VKAV is the first fund by Verod-Kepple Africa Partners, a joint venture between Verod Capital Management, a West African private equity firm investing in mid-sized enterprises across sectors, and Kepple Africa…

Y Combinator (YC) is one of the leading startup accelerators in the world. Founded in 2005, this tech startup accelerator has invested in over 5000 companies that have a combined valuation of over $600 billion. YC invests in startups in all corners of the world including Kenya. The latest investment in a Kenyan startup was about 2 weeks ago when it invested $500,000 in Triply, the Kenya travel tech startup. With this investment, I thought I should check out some of the other Kenyan startups it has invested in over the years. I was actually surprised to find out that…

Daktari Smart, a telemedicine programme run by Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital, Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation, and the M-PESA Foundation, aims to reach and treat at least 32,400 children in five (5) counties in the initial phase. In the next five years, Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital, and its Foundation targets to impact 5 million children in the region, and directly provide care for 45,000 children who are suffering from rare and complex non-communicable diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Since it was launched in 2021, the Daktari Smart initiative has reached ten thousand (10,000) children with specialised paediatric medical care. The programme is…