Author: Kenyaleo Editorial Team

By Ivan Kanyali, Regional Manager, East Africa

Kenyan migrant women are powerful agents of change who positively contribute to the Kenyan economy and their countries of transit and destination. They bring diverse talent and expertise in the diaspora and send financial remittances to their families and communities back home. According to UN Women,100 million migrant women send remittances annually – half of all remittance senders globally. Remittances have a positive and well documented development impact for developing countries across the globe. They are particularly helpful during times of national or global crises when private investments dry up and the value of local currencies depreciate.

The fact that migrant women account for half of global remittance transactions highlights the important role they play in supporting their communities back home. Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) data shows that remittances to Kenya grew to record levels of $4.027 billion in 2022, surpassing earnings from tourism and tea. Data from Zepz, the holding company for digital remittance service providers WorldRemit and Sendwave, shows that its users globally sent almost $2 billion to Kenya through its channels in 2022, with Kenya emerging as a leading recipient compared to other key markets. Zepz users have sent over $500 million to Zimbabwe, $300 million to Cameroon, and more than $190 million to South Africa during the period.

As we mark International Women’s Day this March, we need to recognize the positive contributions that Kenyan women in the diaspora make to their families, communities, and wider society. In addition to sending remittances, migrant women, especially those from Kenya, are an inspiration to many across the country – demonstrating their ability to create a positive impact on their families and friends back home.

Relocating abroad requires determination and resilience. Living in the diaspora is not just about working in a new job or going to a new school. One must also familiarize themselves with a new culture and social system – sometimes even a new language. Managing this kind of change is not easy. Kenyan women in the diaspora are inspiring an entire generation to challenge the limits of what is possible.

Although the positive contributions of migrant women to their families and communities are clear, women are often still being held back from reaching their full potential by several challenges. For example, a woman’s choice of whether or not to relocate abroad can be unfairly limited by cultural or social factors. Lack of financial inclusion or access to quality education can also limit the opportunities available to migrant women.

When sending money back home, women can also face challenges. According to UN Women^[1] migrant women are often sending money more frequently and therefore can often pay 20% more in transfer fees than men as they tend to send smaller amounts and rely on in-person cash transfers.

Pioneering digital remittance services like WorldRemit have leveled the playing field by offering affordable, secure and convenient money transfer services for all senders.  For receivers,  payout options include mobile money, bank transfer, cash pick up and airtime top up, ensuring that receivers access their funds conveniently.

The contributions of migrant women are inspiring and we need to continue working for a world where women can reach their full potential, regardless of the country they choose to settle in. We need to play our role in raising awareness about the challenges and opportunities women abroad face. We also need to celebrate the many inspiring success stories.

Huawei has established a Kshs 3.5 billion (USD 35 million) program for small and medium sized enterprises in a bid to accelerate their adoption of new technologies. Known as the ‘Empower Program’ it is designed for the firms’ digital transformation journeys in which Huawei will partner with them to rollout technological solutions in a system approach structured to enhance their end-to-end capabilities in research and development, marketing, sales, supply, and services.

To do so, Huawei has assigned a total of 600 joint solution developers in 11 OpenLabs around the world to accelerate technology application in six fields, including shifting from transaction to digital engagement, developing cloud-native applications and data, evolving infrastructure, industrializing data and AI application, enhancing real-time data analysis, and moving towards a cutting-edge AI brain.

Speaking at a press conference themed ‘Leading Digital Infrastructure for New Value Together’ Bob Chen, Vice President of Huawei Enterprise BG explained that Huawei had established that at least 40 million SMEs have significant digital transformation needs.

“Our aim is to contribute to their innovative improvement of productivity, make this productivity visible and speed up evolution towards the future,” he said.

Huawei Enterprise has increased investment in joint market expansion, enablement, and marketing with partners. Through this, Huawei aims to guide and encourage more capable partners to help customers achieve digital success. The firm will strengthen the investment in partners’ digital tools and platforms, including offering centralized digital platforms (with both PC and mobile) to support partners’ online marketing, trading and services. To date, it has developed more than 100 solutions for a wide range of industry scenarios.

In the future, Huawei will continue to work with partners to stay customer-centric, deepen industry scenario engagement, and respond to changing requirements through innovation. It will also support customers on their digital transformation journeys and accelerate digitalization among SMEs, in the pursuit of a more connected and intelligent world.

·         The challenging-to-obtain accolade points to the consistently high quality of LG’s HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) solutions, as every model selected by AHRI for testing must pass all evaluations for three straight years for the award to be granted.

·         Representing seven product categories, all 67 LG HVAC solutions submitted for testing passed AHRI’s rigorous evaluations for the third year in a row (2020 to 2022).

LG Electronics (LG) has earned the Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) Performance Award for the sixth year in a row.

AHRI is a globally-respected trade association representing the world’s HVAC, refrigeration, and water heating solution manufacturers. Established in 1953, AHRI now boasts more than 350 member companies.

The challenging-to-obtain accolade points to the consistently high quality of LG’s HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) solutions, as every model selected by AHRI for testing must pass all evaluations for three straight years for the award to be granted.

Speaking on the recognition LG head of the Air Solution Business Unit at LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solution Company James Lee said, “LG has now been recognized by AHRI for six years in a row – a significant achievement that reflects the quality, performance, and reliability of LG HVAC solutions. While we appreciate this achievement, we will not stop here, Instead, we will continue to strengthen our position in the global HVAC market by delivering highly effective and energy-efficient solutions for commercial and residential use.”

To ensure the highest standard of testing, the majority of AHRI Performance Award evaluations are conducted by Intertek, one of the world’s most trusted third-party standards, certification, and testing organizations. Intertek runs a comprehensive battery of assessments on the selected products to determine if the actual performance is consistent with the specifications listed by the manufacturer.

Representing seven product categories – including, for the first time, Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERV) – all 67 LG HVAC solutions submitted for testing passed AHRI’s rigorous evaluations for the third year in a row (2020 to 2022). In addition to LG’s ERV, the models evaluated belong to the following HVAC categories: Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF), Unitary Small Heat Pump (USHP), Water-Cooled Chillers (WCLL), Air-Cooled Chillers (ACCL), Room Fan Coil (RFC) air conditioners and Packaged Terminal Heat Pumps (PTHP).

One of the LG products evaluated for the AHRI Performance Award, the LG Multi V large-capacity outdoor unit employs the company’s proprietary Ultimate Inverter Compressor to deliver a strong, energy-efficient performance. Popular with customers worldwide, especially those in Northern Hemisphere countries where winters can be particularly cold, LG’s flagship VRF system is able to provide dependable heating operation in temperatures as low as negative-30 degrees Celsius (negative-22 degrees Fahrenheit).

Also tested was the air-cooled Inverter Scroll Chiller, which leverages LG’s advanced inverter technology to obtain a high level of operational efficiency. In addition to impressive performance, the chiller has a compact design that takes up less space than other models in its class, affording customers greater installation flexibility.

Earning the award for the first time, LG’s ERV solution replaces still and stagnant indoor air with clean filtered air from outside and is equipped with a heat exchanger that significantly decreases hot air loss while also helping to reduce heating and cooling costs. Moreover, when connected with a system air conditioner, it manages energy consumption and indoor air quality to ensure optimal comfort and efficient operation.

China Square, the one stop shop located in Unicity mall has resumed operations after an agreement between the Kenyan Government and Chinese traders.

China Square management in a statement announced resumption of operations on Monday, March 6.

The Kenya China Chamber of Commerce welcomed the move by the Kenyan Government to allow the Chinese traders to resume operations.

“We welcome the good news on the resumption of operations of China Square. This follows several engagements between the Kenya Government and the Chinese Community in Kenya to reach an amicable solution to the stalemate.”

They added that Chinese businesses will contribute to Kenya’s growth and development efforts through employment creation and contribution to Kenya’s tax revenue.

Last month, the shop announced it’s indefinite closure to allow them sort out a number of issues.

Insurance is a means of protection against financial loss or damage that can occur due to unforeseen events. It provides individuals with a sense of security by transferring the risk of loss from themselves to an insurance company in exchange for a premium payment.

For an individual, insurance can provide a safety net against unexpected events such as personal accident, theft, motor accidents, natural disasters, or other unforeseen events that can lead to financial losses. Insurance can also offer protection for valuable assets such as a home, car, or business, allowing individuals to protect their investments and
minimize potential financial losses.

In addition, insurance also offers peace of mind by providing individuals with financial security in the event of an emergency. This can help individuals to focus on their recovery without the added stress of financial worries.

Overall, insurance can be an important financial tool for individuals, offering protection, security, and peace of mind in the face of unforeseen events.

Service providers such as Xplico Insurance, an exponential growth in retail underwriting that has over the past two years seen it set up a vibrant Corporate Division to cater for both SMEs and well-established companies, has been working around the clock to give the best to their customers.

This insurance player has gone beyond simply providing insurance solutions that suit peoples’ businesses needs by providing decisive financial solutions, cutting a niche in the corporate insurance. With a team of experienced local and international staff, the Corporate Division provides tailor-made insurance policies created to protect peoples’
businesses and advise them on market trends and new products.

Insurance has serious potential to create jobs and wealth. Ranging from covering individual and groups on various fronts, insurance is something that shouldn’t be a luxury but a want for most Kenyans.

It is about time for Kenyans to understand the importance of insurance in every aspect of life.

MTN Group and Huawei signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to strengthen strategic cooperation in the field of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG).

Guo Ping, Chairman of the Huawei Supervisory Board explained at the signing ceremony that the firm believes digital technology will become an important force driving social development and making the world more inclusive and sustainable.

In the deal, MTN and Huawei will collaborate to deploy RuralStar, an affordable connectivity solution for providing online access to remote and rural communities. The solution overcomes traditional barriers that make network connectivity in such scenarios unviable for carriers.

To reduce carbon emissions, Huawei will support MTN’s commitment to minimize its impact on the planet and achieve net zero by 2040. The partners intend to work on decarbonizing the operator’s telecommunications infrastructure, spanning Radio Access Network (RAN) sites, transport networks, storage, and data centers. This achievement of network decarbonization will be done via a mix of energy efficiency technologies and application of innovative green solutions.

“Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress can only be achieved through the power of partnerships. Working with companies like Huawei, we can pool our technologies and expertise to drive greater access to connectivity, digital skills and greener and more sustainable solutions to the benefit of all,” said MTN Group Chief Sustainability & Corporate Affairs Officer Nompilo Morafo.

To enhance digital skills training, the Huawei DigiTruck project will provide free training in digital skills for those in need, including those in rural communities, the elderly, the unemployed, and girls and women. Converted from a used shipping container mounted on a truck, DigiTruck is a solar-powered mobile classroom equipped with laptops, smartphones and 4G connectivity.

Another project in the digital skills training area is Huawei’s ICT Academy. It trains university students in ICT skills such as 5G, cloud computing, and AI. There are 1,900 Huawei ICT Academies in 110 countries, serving around 150,000 students a year. The partnership covers working with MTN’s Skills Academy to enhance the link between digital skills training and job market requirements to benefit producers, consumers, and innovators of digital technologies. The partnership seeks to accelerate efforts to reach even more rural and remote communities and to broaden the portfolio of available digital skills training.

With a significant portion of Africa’s population living in rural areas, MTN is committed to expanding its network to underserved communities and has set a target of 95% rural broadband coverage by 2025. MTN’s partnership with Huawei gets the company closer to its goal. The company intends to expand the number of collaborations and the types of partnership models it has in place.