Jawabu Biashara: A Microfinance game-changer

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Jawabu Biashara: A Microfinance game-changer

Staff Writer - September 9, 2025

By Amos Wachira When it comes to trans-formative micro-lending, no one does...

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The liberalization of Africa’s air transport market, as envisioned through the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), is not just an aspirational goal — it is an economic necessity. A unified African sky, underpinned by the Joint Prioritized Action Plan (JPAP), promises to reduce travel costs for passengers, enhance connectivity, and catalyze economic growth and cultural exchange across the continent. The success of this initiative hinges on the active support and collaboration of governments, airlines and aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing. The need for SAATM stems from longstanding challenges in Africa’s aviation sector: limited intra-African connectivity, high travel costs, fragmented regulations, constrained aircraft financing, and underdeveloped aviation infrastructure. These barriers have confined trade, tourism, economic and social integration for decades. Aircraft manufacturers have a responsibility to help address these issues through policy engagement, partnerships, capacity building, and technology. We take pride in our role not just as fleet suppliers but critical enablers of the ecosystem and skills that Africa’s aviation industry needs to thrive. Significant progress has already been achieved; 37 African countries, representing over 80% of the continent’s aviation market, have joined the SAATM initiative. Key regulatory frameworks are in place, including those for fair competition and consumer protection. Capacity-building programs for aviation professionals and improvements in safety standards are now aligned with international benchmarks. However, to unlock SAATM's full potential, sustained efforts are needed to address lingering challenges such as high operational costs, infrastructure gaps, and protectionist policies. Boeing is committed to contribute meaningfully in this regard. Collaboration is a major lever. Aircraft manufacturers partner with governments and regional bodies to highlight the benefits of a liberalized air transport market. As an example, Boeing is an active participant in the African Aviation Industry Group. The group encourages more countries to commit to SAATM and work towards harmonizing regulatory standards, creating a more unified and efficient aviation ecosystem in Africa. Air safety is one more area of collaboration across the continent. Aircraft manufacturers including Boeing support African countries in achieving the international standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and help enhance regional air safety working closely with airlines and organizations like African Airlines Association (AFRAA). Fleet modernization is another key area where aircraft manufacturers can make a significant impact. Partnering with African airlines helps renew fleets with fuel-efficient and versatile aircraft designed to meet the continent's unique operational requirements. Modernized fleets reduce operational costs and emissions and make air travel more competitive, accessible, and sustainable, a critical factor for the success of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM). Capacity building is another essential contribution. Training programs for pilots, engineers, airline management, and other aviation professionals are vital to supporting the sector’s rapid growth and elevating passenger experience. Aircraft manufacturers, with their expertise and resources, are well-positioned to deliver world-class training and share best practices – and we are spearheading these efforts. Additionally, community engagement programs for African youth provide systemic improvement in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) education and economic empowerment, directly feeding the talent pipeline. All these initiatives equip Africa’s aviation workforce with the skills needed to ensure a robust, safe and capable industry. Finally, infrastructure enhancement is another important building block to SAATM. By providing counsel and data-driven analytics, aircraft manufacturers can assist in modernizing airports and air traffic management systems. This ensures the infrastructure is prepared to handle the anticipated increase in air traffic, enhancing safety and facilitating smoother, more efficient operations across the continent. A fully realized SAATM will enable seamless travel and economic growth, fostering unity, and positioning Africa as a competitive player in the global aviation industry. The collaborative efforts of the African Union Commission and its implementing agency, the African Civil Aviation Commission, national governments, civil aviation authorities, the African Development Bank, African Airlines Association, airlines, and aircraft manufacturers through the Joint Prioritized Action Plan in support of SAATM are pivotal in achieving this vision. Working together, we can ensure Africa’s aviation renaissance and the realization of the African Union vision, Agenda 2063: an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.

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Kenya’s cloud and artificial intelligence boom may be entering its most consequential phase yet, as new data suggests local consultancies, AI startups and systems integrators stand to earn dramatically more from Amazon Web Services (AWS) than previously understood. A study by US-based research firm Omdia reveals that AWS partners worldwide can now generate “up to a $7.13 (Sh900) multiplier for every $1 (Sh130) of AWS sold,” a figure with enormous implications for East Africa’s technology ecosystem. The report, titled "Partner Ecosystem Multiplier: The AWS Opportunity 2025," was released on the sidelines of the AWS: Re-Invent event in Las Vegas, Nevada, which kicked off on December 1 and ends on December 5. It reached this conclusion after Omdia conducted in-depth interviews with 35 AWS partners across various geographies and partner types. The report’s central argument is blunt: in a region where businesses are hungry for automation, resilient infrastructure, and AI-powered customer engagement, the biggest revenue doesn’t come from selling cloud technology itself. Instead, it comes from the advisory, design, build, adoption, and managed services wrapped around it, the same areas where Kenyan firms have sought to differentiate themselves. “In the new era of AI, Omdia has forecasted a services opportunity tied to generative and agentic AI of $267 billion by 2030,” the research notes, positioning partners as the engines of this expansion. With Kenya’s financial institutions, telcos, and public agencies accelerating cloud migrations, the findings sharpen the conversation about who will capture the next decade of revenue. Kenyan companies already recognize the shift. For years, Kenya’s cloud market has revolved around foundational migrations: moving banks off aging data centres, helping enterprises modernize digital infrastructure, or building customer-facing platforms with elasticity and scale. But companies across Nairobi’s tech districts, from Westlands to Upper Hill to Ngong Road, are now repositioning their services for an AI-first world. The Omdia numbers help make the business case. The report states bluntly that 82 per cent of AWS partners are now delivering some form of AI as part of their transformation delivery, a seismic shift that mirrors Kenya’s adoption pattern: AI chatbots in banking, machine learning in fraud detection, recommender engines in e-commerce, and predictive analytics in agriculture and logistics. “Amazon Web Services (AWS) continues to be the market-leading provider of public cloud infrastructure in terms of market share. For customers to unlock the full opportunities of AI in their public cloud environments, they lean on a wide variety of services and expertise from their technology providers, specifically the partners within the AWS Partner Network.”

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Bolttech said the acquisition will allow it to integrate mTek’s technology into its global embedded insurance ecosystem. Stephan Tan, Chief Executive Officer for EMEA at bolttech, said, “This represents an exciting step forward for bolttech as we expand our footprint in Africa. mTek’s innovative platform and talented team share our vision of using technology to make protection more accessible.” “Together, we can accelerate digital transformation in insurance and extend the reach of embedded protection across the region.” mTek’s leadership will remain in place during the transition, with CEO Bente Krogmann continuing to oversee East African operations. Krogmann said the deal sets up the company for wider regional expansion. “Joining the bolttech family marks an exciting next chapter for mTek. Our technology, local insight, and commitment to inclusive insurance have transformed how customers access protection in Kenya, and this partnership allows us to scale that impact even further – bringing more innovative and relevant insurance solutions to customers at scale.” The company is expected to rebrand following the acquisition, as the firms work on integrating systems, staff, and partnerships.

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Tag: jawabu

Jawabu Biashara: A Microfinance game-changer

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