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Safaricom opens second shop in Nakuru

- May 19, 2018

Shop to provide smartphone and fibre experiential zones to cater to increasing adoption of digital services in Nakuru Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) has opened...

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InsideHustle: Meet Kenyan man who makes film equipment from his home...

August 20, 2019

Edelman Africa launched its Regional Advisory (ERA) team, comprised of senior industry veterans and communications advisors spread across North, East, West, Central and Southern Africa to assist existing and potential clients build their businesses and navigate the continent. This move, together with Edelman’s established network of vetted partners that span the entire African continent and offer on-the-ground tactical support across all 54 countries, positions Edelman Africa as the most connected communications advisory on the African continent and the leading provider of communications advisory across the regions. To build upon Edelman Africa’s already established teams in both Southern and East Africa, the regional advisory team will be co-led by two external advisors handpicked for their decades of experience across their respective regions: Kwame Senou, Executive Director of The Holding Opinion and Public (THOP) in Cote d’Ivoire and Kamal Taibi, Founder & CEO of Stratëus Group in Morocco. Increasing market volatility, institutional failures pushing people to the brink, and growing mistrust of leaders in government, business, and media. The 2025 Edelman Global Trust Barometer Data identified these symptoms as part of a crisis of grievance: a sense of unfairness and a lack of confidence in our institutions to improve our world, continent, and respective countries. For governments, multinational corporations and NGOs hoping to expand their presence into Africa, building trust will be crucial to offsetting this sense of grievance. “As our Trust research has shown, when institutions can’t be trusted to do what is right, levels of grievance arise. That’s why we must focus on increasing optimism, helping organisations cultivate and rebuild trust in local communities where they operate. This is especially true for those building their presence in Africa,” says Karena Crerar, CEO of Edelman Africa. “Multinational corporations and other institutions can no longer afford to be out of touch. Nuanced, regional strategies must be in place to reflect Africa’s complex socioeconomic environments. You can’t transplant multinational business and communication models into a given country and hope they’ll stick. You need a top-down understanding of every market,” she says. “This launch marks a significant step forward in how we support our clients’ ambitions across Africa. By bringing together deep regional expertise with the global reach of Edelman, we’re equipping institutions with the insight and guidance they need to navigate complex markets, earn trust, and drive impact at scale. It’s a strategic move that reflects both the growing importance of Africa in global growth plans and our commitment to being a trusted partner on that journey," says Justin Westcott, COO of Edelman EMEA. From public affairs influencing local policy to crisis communications, on-the-ground presence to regional analysis, this team will focus on not only tactical implementation in each country, but also strategic regional advisory for clientele operating in multiple African markets. “This is a pivotal moment, where our role is to navigate the complexities and deliver tailored solutions. West and Central Africa presents a dynamic landscape ripe with opportunities. Through this unique strategic alliance, we are well-positioned to support the ambitions of both global players and regional champions, driving meaningful impact across the region,” says Senou. North Africa also offers compelling prospects, says Taibi: “The region’s strategic location bridging Europe, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa creates a hub for logistics and trade. Countries like Morocco and Egypt have become focal points for industries such as automotive manufacturing, energy transition, and agribusiness.” Organisations working with Edelman on the continent will receive ongoing, bespoke advice based on their current organisational strategy and market expansion plans. They will then work alongside the advisors in understanding all aspects of the market, region, neighbouring markets, and overall context. “Our advisors will then guide clientele on a strategic approach, going beyond Public Relations and tactical implementation, rather helping to tailor organisational goals into a regionally nuanced, culturally sensitive communications programme focusing on the stakeholders they want to reach. They will then work with our partner network across more than 50 African countries to implement these strategies and create the greatest possible positive impact for both the organisations and the communities in which they work,” says Crerar. The ERA Structure: Steering this advisory team will be Karena Crerar, Edelman Africa CEO, with the following advisors overseeing each region:  Kwame Senou, Executive Director, THOP, Cote d’Ivoire (West and Central Africa)  Kamal Taibi, Founder & CEO, Stratëus Group, Morocco (North Africa)  Corazon Sefu, Edelman Kenya Managing Director (East Africa Advisor)  Geraldine Mamburu, Edelman Africa Business Development Director (Southern Africa) Karena Crerar, Edelman Africa CEO, says: “As a leading communications consultancy in Africa, and a global leader in Trust, now is our moment to spearhead the African growth agenda for our industry, our people, and our clients – both on the continent and in international markets where interest in our dynamic continent remains high.” She continues: “We aim to advise our clients on the nuances of Africa through a country- specific, regional, and continent-wide lens, ensuring their communications create positive economic and social impact. This alongside access to the Edelman’s global capabilities, allowing us to design communication strategies for clients that drive meaningful change while fostering sustainable growth – helping us to push back against the crisis of grievance,” says Crerar.

Edelman Africa launches Regional Advisory to support global institution growth in...

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Tobiko implores developed countries to support climate change programmes

September 7, 2021

An opening fireside chat held during the opening ceremony of the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies 2025 conference showcased the value of an Africa-first approach when it comes to the continent’s gas developments. Ministers from Senegal and Ghana discussed how recently-launched projects stand to drive sustainable growth in West Africa, with project developer Kosmos Energy committing to focus on domestic gas opportunities. The opening ceremony was sponsored by Kosmos Energy. In recent years, West Africa has established itself as one of the continent’s most dynamic energy markets. In 2024, Senegal became a global oil and gas producer through the commissioning of the Sangomar oil and gas field and the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) developments. The GTA project, developed through a partnership led by BP and Kosmos Energy, boasts an initial capacity of 2.3 million tons per annum (mtpa) in the first phase, with a second phase set to increase output to 5 mtpa. While the project primarily targets exports, its partners are exploring opportunities for the domestic market. Birame Soulèye Diop, Senegal’s Minister of Energy, Petroleum and Mines, stated that, “In Senegal, we have a goal to reach universal access to energy by 2029. Today, we are a country that exports oil and gas. But the cost to access fuel is still high. We would like to produce more for the country so that we can access resources for electricity. With gas, there are a lot of opportunities.” Minister Diop elaborated on the country’s plans to convert operational oil refineries to process gas, aiming to reduce fuel costs and expand access across the country. Kosmos Energy has also shifted its focus towards the domestic market. In addition to GTA, the company is advancing the development of the Yakaar-Teranga project. Targeting a final investment decision in 2025, the project will supply gas for the domestic market, specifically power generation facilities. “Fundamental to the development of Senegal is the use of gas for domestic purposes. That is our next agenda: to work with the ministry to expand the scheme to deliver domestic gas,” said Andrew Inglis, CEO, Kosmos Energy. Regional neighbors serve as a strong example for the role that gas plays in delivering low-cost energy. Ghana, for example, has been highly effective in monetizing gas. John Abdulai Jinapor, Minister of Energy & Green Transition, Ghana, explained that “Gas is an essential commodity. We have a gas-to-power policy, with gas accounting for 90% of our fuel in Ghana. What we have achieved so far can serve as a model for other economies so that African can achieve energy security through gas.” Active in both Senegal and Ghana, Kosmos Energy plays an instrumental part in driving oil and gas projects. Inglis emphasized that aligned national policies and strong public-private partnerships have been fundamental in successfully delivering projects in both countries. He said: “An aligned national agenda is the bed-rock of investment. If you are aligned on intent, then delivery is a lot easier. With both Senegal and Ghana, there is clarity in terms of what the countries need and Kosmos Energy is ready to support that.”

African Energy Week (AEW) 2025 Opening Fireside Chat Underscores Africa-First Approach...

October 2, 2025

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$By Clean Cooking Africa (CCA) Giraffe Bioenergy is a Kenya-based clean cooking startup focused on scaling the domestic production of cassava for ethanol cooking fuel and for food. The Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) spoke with Dr. Linda Davis, CEO of Giraffe Bioenergy, about the company’s mission, its unique value proposition, its business-to-business model, and more. This interview is part of a series of conversations CCA is having with business leaders across the clean cooking sector. Tell us about Giraffe Bioenergy’s services. Dr. Linda Davis (Davis): We are a startup company now entering our growth phase, and our mission is domestically-produced, ethanol cooking fuel, with women as the driving force across the value chain, from cassava production to processing. Currently, ethanol is enjoyed by over one million households in Kenya. What we’re saying at Giraffe Bioenergy is, we have all the ingredients — vast amounts of land, skilled labor, and the political will — to scale up domestic production of cassava-based ethanol. Ours will be the first production unit specifically for Kenya’s ethanol cooking market. CCA: How do you retail cassava-based ethanol? Davis: I’m so excited to be in a business-to-business organization. If I can use KOKO Networks as an example, we will be retailing directly to them. KOKO Networks has a fuel supply and operating partnership with Vivo Energy, an independent, pan-African company that markets and distributes Shell-branded products in Kenya. Therefore, our business would be between Giraffe Bioenergy and Vivo Energy, which handles transportation and distribution for KOKO Networks up to a certain point before they manage the last-mile distribution. We expect our retail operations to be similar for all other customers. There are several emerging ethanol last-mile distributors for clean cooking fuel. For us, it’s straightforward: bring your tanker truck to our farm gate, we will fill it up, you write us a check, and off you go. So, we’re not really in the end-user retail market but primarily in the business wholesale market. CCA: What is your assessment of ethanol demand in Kenya? Davis: Our first ethanol plant produces 15 million liters every year. That is still a fraction of current ethanol cooking fuel demand, and an even smaller fraction of where the general ethanol market is expected to be. Under the Kenya National Clean Cooking Strategy, 30% of Kenya’s households are expected to transition to ethanol. That’s over 4 million households multiplied by the 16 liters of ethanol that the average family uses every month. The point is: demand definitely surpasses supply. CCA: Where do you envision most of your customer base being located? Davis: Right now, the biggest player in Kenya is KOKO Networks, and their customers are low-income, high-density urban communities. We are talking about people with incomes, who already have a budget dedicated to cooking fuel. What we, as the ethanol production and retail community, are saying is, “Give us the $25-30 you spend on charcoal and kerosene every month, and we will give you a clean, more affordable solution in its place.” In rural areas, on the other hand, households do not have a budget for cooking fuel. Their fuel is, quote-unquote, free. They are foraging for firewood, cutting trees, or using dried animal waste. It’s a difficult market to enter because you’re telling folks who are already poor, who think that fuel is “free,” that we need $30 from them. I’m sure KOKO and others will support that market at some point, but due to the costs of distribution, ethanol and Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) necessarily have to be focused on urban and peri-urban areas right now. CCA: What makes Giraffe Bioenergy different from others in the clean cooking space? Davis: We’re unique because we’re the only ones taking advantage of clean cooking as a development issue. Clean cooking is a job creation opportunity. Clean cooking is a rural bioeconomy issue. Our agricultural system, at the scale of the first ethanol plant, will directly engage 1,500 farmers with meaningful employment, good wages, and both employment and harvest-based income. We are deploying a model where women work on our farms while also growing cassava on their own farms. We are really encouraging women to take the learnings from the central nucleus farm and apply them at home to attain high cassava yields, which translate into higher incomes. Another reason we are doing well is because we are completing the circular economy. Right now, ethanol suppliers in Kenya are making global farmers richer by buying their ethanol, which is highly subsidized. We’re saying, “We can close that loop” because everything is locally produced. We are providing an elegant, local solution to a uniquely sub-Saharan African problem. CCA: Ethanol can be made from a range of different agricultural products. Why does Giraffe Bioenergy use cassava? Davis: Ethanol is produced from the starch molecule, regardless of the source. The U.S. produces it from corn; in Europe, from wheat; in Thailand and China, from cassava; basically, from wherever we have excess starch. In Kenya, our choice is guided by the fact that cassava is not considered a staple food crop. The Kenya Ethanol Cooking Fuel Industry Masterplan, released in 2021, evaluated various feedstocks for ethanol production and cassava was identified as a viable option. Can you eat the cassava grown for ethanol? Absolutely, but there are practical considerations. One cassava tree can yield up to 20 kilograms (kg) of food, which spoils within 24-48 hours. A family can’t consume 20 kg of cassava in 24 hours. So, by virtue of its bulk, cassava is suitable for commercial production, with alternative end-users like ourselves in the ethanol production business. At Giraffe Bioenergy, I know my tagline is cheesy, but I stand by it: “We stand tall for food and fuel.” You can consume cassava as much as you want, but because we grow it in semi-arid, marginal land that is not suitable for other crops, the real value is bringing farmers into a formal agricultural system and putting money in their pocket to be able to diversify their food options and become food secure. Importantly from a food policy standpoint, we do not substitute cassava for existing food crops grown on fertile land. Kenya doesn’t have large-scale cassava production, which is why Giraffe Bioenergy had to start from the agricultural level. Initially, I wasn’t enthusiastic about this, but now I am very much a cassava farmer. Cassava makes sense for Kenya. CCA: Are there other considerations that make Kenya a priority country for developing this business? Davis: Yes, Kenya is unique for three reasons. First, Kenya has vast amounts of underutilized, semi-arid land with unreliable rainfall and depleted soils where cassava grows well, so we’re not encroaching on agrarian land. Second, Kenya recognizes ethanol as a significant solution to the cooking fuel challenge. By 2028, 50% of Kenyans are expected to use LPG, 30% ethanol, and 10% electricity, with the remainder using biogas, firewood, and charcoal. The political will is there. And finally, Kenya has a developed last-mile ethanol market. CCA: Are there any barriers to aggregating farmers and land to scale up your production? Davis: Unlike the flatlands in the American Midwest or the Canadian prairies, in Kenya agricultural land isn’t as contiguous, making mechanization difficult. Additionally, the communities we work in have entered a devastating cycle of self-destruction. The largest income earner in Kilifi County, where we work, is charcoal burning. Young men cut the trees near the road, and when those are gone, they ask for their inheritance, sell their land, and buy motorcycles to go deeper into the forest to produce more charcoal. It is as heartbreaking as it sounds. For biorefineries to be successful, we need a nucleus farm that we own and operate alongside a smallholder supporting system. We’ve already secured the contiguous lands we need for our first biorefinery, but if I’m compelled to require a larger production share from smallholders due to a lack of contiguous land suitable for a nucleus farm and, therefore, reduce participation as an owner/operator, it could be challenging in the future. CCA: Who do you see as your primary business partners — at this moment and as your company continues to grow? Davis: My primary partners are my governance and management team, who help with advising, fundraising, and executing our agricultural operations. We’re also partnering with food producers to commercialize clean seedlings, addressing concerns around food versus fuel. NGOs are key partners in distributing clean seedlings for food to smallholder farmers, since cassava serves as a backstop to maize, especially in semi-arid areas that are increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Government ministries that focus on energy and agriculture are interested in seeing us succeed in catalyzing both the food and fuel systems. Finally, our investment partners are critical for our early-stage funding.$

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