RUBiS Energy Kenya Launches Digital App to Enhance Customer Experience

Nairobi, 16 March 2021: Rubis Energy Kenya has launched an innovative mobile app dubbed “RUBiS App” as part of its promise to customers to make their life’s journey better. The RUBiS App is a major advancement in RUBiS Energy’s strategic focus on enhancing the customer experience.

RUBiS Energy Kenya Group Managing Director Mr. Jean-Christian Bergeron said the introduction of the app is part of RUBiS’ strategy to redefine customer convenience and bring them maximum value.

“We are proud to launch the RUBiS App, an innovative tool that allows us to get closer to our customers for better service and make their lives on-the-go easier. Through this app, we want to deliver a frictionless digital experience across our main customer touchpoints with greater agility and value. It is our vision that the app will enhance our customers’ journey and provide comprehensive functionality,” said Mr. Bergeron.

The RUBiS App allows customers to plan their journeys and transact conveniently from their smartphones.

“Customers will be able to seamlessly perform different functions through the RUBiS App such as locate any RUBiS station countrywide, purchase K-gas and accessories for home delivery, purchase airtime, pay utility bills and make purchases at RUBiS Express and Brioche,” Mr. Bergeron explained.

With over 220 stations nationwide, RUBiS Energy Kenya seeks to be at the forefront of customer convenience in the next generation of oil marketers. The company has invested heavily in innovation targeted at meeting changing consumer needs.

“When we entered the market last year, we promised that our customers would enjoy a unique welcome and find all the products and services they need to facilitate their mobility. With the RUBiS App, we are delivering on our promise of ‘Making Your Life’s Journey Better’ to our customers while demonstrating quality, safety, convenience and service. We have the right technology in place to manage any market shifts and industry changes. As a company, we are dedicated to making m long-term investments in meeting our customers’ needs and ensuring our standards provide a memorable experience,” Mr. Bergeron said.

Last year, RUBiS announced its entry into the market after its successful takeover of KenolKobil and Gulf Energy Holdings Limited, becoming a major player in petroleum product distribution in East Africa. The energy marketer is targeting to rebrand its entire network of fuel stations – Kenol, Kobil and Gulf Energy – to RUBiS by end of 2022. All the fuel stations will undergo an ambitious modernization program to comply with international standards, especially in terms of safety and environmentally friendly practices.

Architectural Association of Kenya Launches its Annual Convention and signs a Memorandum of Understanding with Kenya Green Building Society (KBGS)

The Architectural Association of Kenya officially launched its Annual Convention this morning 16^th March 2021 at the Sarova Stanley Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya. This year’s theme is The Built Environment and Climate Action: An Impactful Way forward.

Recognizing the increasing threat of climate change, many countries came together in 2015 to adopt the historic Paris Agreement, committing themselves to limiting climate change to well below 2° C. Some 184 countries have formally joined the agreement, including Kenya. The agreement entered into force in November 2016. No continent will be struck as severely by the impacts of climate change as Africa. Given its geographical position, the continent will be particularly vulnerable due to the considerably limited adaptive capacity and exacerbated by widespread poverty.

The construction sector has become one of the most significant sectors that cause real environmental impacts by emitting a large amount of emissions into the atmosphere. Buildings are responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions and 36% of global energy consumption. The good news is that the Building Sector has the largest potential for significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to other major emitting sectors.

The World Green Building Council notes, that the world over, evidence is growing that green buildings bring multiple benefits. They provide some of the most effective means to achieving a range of global goals, such as addressing climate change, creating sustainable and thriving communities, and driving economic growth. If carefully planned, greenhouse gas mitigation strategies for buildings can stimulate the growth of new businesses and jobs, as well as contribute to other, equally pressing, social development goals, such as better housing and access to clean energy and water.

It is imperative due to the impact of Buildings and Construction on Climate change, that Built Environment professionals commit to a more sustainable building and urban future.

Today, the President of the Architectural Association of Kenya, Mugure Njendu and the Chair of the Kenya Green Building Society, Elizabeth Wangechi Chege, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, committing to partnering towards a greener future as well as to advocate for, promote, train and build capacity among its members on the principles of Green Building Design, towards promoting sustainable or green building designs, practices and technologies.

Why Europe wants Africa to end crop protection in case science one day shows it’s harmful

Op Ed
The Writer Eric Kimunguyi is, CEO, CropLife Kenya/ Agrochemicals Association of Kenya
12th March 2021

There is a certain state of mind where someone is so sure something is true they consider all information as proof, and ignore everything that suggests otherwise. It’s how the majority of the world’s population believed the Earth was flat long after measurements showed the curve on the planet’s surface and its changing position relative to the sun and stars.
For, when you want to believe the Earth is flat, facts are only an interference.
And so it is with the current fashion for declaring that spraying locusts or any insects that eat part or all our crops is necessarily bad, even when there is no evidence at all that’s the case.
Indeed, so extreme is the anti-pesticide noise that we are in danger of plundering our food output and increasing our dependency on Europe for generations ahead. Some have even have called it the new colonialism, in a mounting battle of ideas around food that is dividing the world, with the United States, Australia – and now the UK and France too – going one way, and the rest of Europe heading in the opposite direction.
Moreover, Europe is determined to line up Africa in its own camp, funding it to ban pest control as a ‘precaution, just in case it might do damage that no science has shown it does.
Take bees. Bees are pollinators, which means they fertilise many fruits and crops. But in Europe and Asia their numbers have fallen dramatically. The principal cause is a tiny mite that has invaded commercial hives carrying viruses that infect the bees and cause them to die.
Many commentators suggest other factors might be at play in suppressing the bees’ immunity to the viruses. Cambridge University, for instance, has reported that commercial bees, which are different from Europe’s wild bees, have been weakened by their lack of genetic diversity. Moreover, their previous explosion in numbers has seen them competing for resources with their wild brethren and driving many wild bees out of existence too.
Who knows if Cambridge University is right, but it does have some powerful academic credentials.
However, Africa’s situation different. It has far fewer commercial bees, but those it has are related and still intermix with its wild bees. Many scientists have now cited this as the main reason their numbers are not collapsing.
But while this real, fact-based debate goes on, another opportunistic one is underway. Europe’s green movement isn’t interested in mites, or viruses, or Cambridge University’s findings on genetic varieties. The public understands (and sends donations on) simple messages, and what can get simpler than ‘pesticides are killing bees’. So they say it, a lot, blaming the world’s newest class of insecticides, called neo-nicotinoids.
There doesn’t happen to be any science to support that. Take one recent African study funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) on the use and effects of neo-nicotinoid insecticides in African agriculture. It promised a review of all the studies and science on the matter.
Yet, in its first paragraph of a 68-page report, it states: “experience in Europe and America has demonstrated that some agrochemicals – in particular the systemic insecticides typified by neonicotinoids – have serious negative effects on ecosystem services such as pollination”. It says this, because some unidentified parties’ “experiences” is all it has, with not one reference to any scientific study showing that in the entire 68 pages. The US Environmental Protection Agency, meanwhile, once again renewed its approval of neo-nicotinoids in 2020, based on the actual science.
The African study did find one case where neonicotinoids were used to kill mites on cocoa, but killing the mites saw a proliferation of secondary pests the mites normally fed on – so, not neonicotinoids harming pollinators, but the removal of a predator causing new issues.
But the scientists concluded that to review all the literature would be too expensive and that it was better to stop the use of neonicotinoids anyway on a “precautionary” basis.
So, another report that mentions throughout that neo-nicotinoids damage bees without a single piece of evidence to that effect, but which proposes banning, just in case they do, which is exactly what Europe has done, whereas the US is confined to acting on claims that have scientific evidence.
In Africa, the difference these insecticides make to our yields run from 10 or 20 per cent to nearly 100 per cent crop loss without them. But our food comes cheap when you have a foreign point to make.
So it’s up to us whether we want scientific proof that bees are dying from neonicotinoids, of which there is none yet, or to ban them and drop a third of our food production just to show our solidarity with parts of Europe. Because even parts of Europe aren’t for this evidenceless ‘precaution’. France has overturned the EU ban, Romania has, and, within one week of leaving Europe, the UK did too.
So does our food security matter, and do facts matter? They should.

Women in Political Participation (WPP) launches the Intergenerational Mentorship Programme

Nairobi, 8^th March 2021: The Women in Political Participation (WPP) programme has today launched the Intergenerational Mentorship Programme in a bid to encourage more women to take up leadership opportunities.

The event, which was graced by a number of female deputy governors and political leaders in Kenya and beyond sought to co – create the Regional Intergenerational mentorship program. This comes at a time when women representation is still low.

“The programme is designed to not only teach each other but to also to learn from each other to improve women’s representation and participation in politics in Africa.” Dr. Pinky Mekgwe, Senior Regional Advisor: Africa and West Asia, IDEA.

Despite of the efforts that have been made in enhancing participation of women in politics in most African countries, women continue to be underrepresented in political seats and decision making in both political and public space. In order to change the narrative, there is need for raising and sustaining awareness in order to change prevailing attitudes, examine obstacles to and proposals for reform and change, empower identified champions of change, and share comparative evidence that could propel action.

“More often than not, the missing link is between a promising political leader and a successful one is mentorship. Notably, mentorship programs are more pronounced in the private sectors which to a great extent explains successes in creating new generation of leaders.” Said Ms. Martha Muhwezi, Executive Director, Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE).

To improve the participation of women in politics there is need to avail avenues where young women can be trained and mentored for the purpose of next generation leadership development for advancing women’s political participation. Additionally, male political leaders and activists including the younger generations and traditional leaders need to be trained in order to build, renew and enhance their knowledge and enlist their support in increasing women political participation.

Speaking during the event, Taita Taveta County Deputy Governor, H.E Majala Mlagui said, “The mistaken perception that there are no enough women leaders for the public or private space stems from the notion that women are their own enemies.”

FAWE in partnership with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) is implementing the Women in Political Participation (WPP) project for a period of 3 years. The project aims at increasing the political participation and representation of women in Africa in line with the Maputo Protocol of 2003, various associated sub-regional protocols and standards, and the SDGs. The project is being implemented in 8 African countries i.e. Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal, and Zimbabwe through a consortium made up of FAWE, FEMNET, Gender Links, WLSA, IFAN – Gender lab, I-IDEA and PADARE.

Rubis Energy Kenya transfers acquired petrol stations to the Rubis banner

Nairobi, 09 March 2021 –   Rubis Energy Kenya has reiterated its commitment to the market with the transfer and rebranding of acquired Gulf Energy and KenolKobil petrol stations to the Rubis banner. This follows the unveil of 7 new rebranded petrol station at Ngong Racecourse, Karen, Matasia, Embakasi, Kimalat, Thika, and Karatina.

Rubis Energy Kenya Group Managing Director – East Africa Mr. Jean-Christian Bergeron said that the rebranding of the 220 petrol stations nationwide will ensure the sustainable accessibility of Rubis products.

“Globally, we have a strong petrol station networks of over 1,065 units and we hope to introduce the Kenyan customers to more of our products and services through the stations. As part of our strategy to establish our footprint in the country, we are looking at meeting our customers need of mobility, heating, and cooking through our petrol stations,” said Mr. Bergeron.

Mr. Bergeron added that Rubis’ strategy is to gradually bring the entire network of acquired petrol stations under the one brand while adhering to international standards of safety and environmentally-friendly practices.

“We are working on innovative concepts aimed at satisfying the needs and desires of customers on the go. These will include additional mobility-related services, quality hot spot and fast-food services, stores with a modular approach and automotive fuel cards offering exclusive offers and services to promote customer loyalty,” said Mr. Bergeron.

Besides fueling and servicing, customers will soon be able to shop and eat at all Rubis, KenolKobil and Gulf Energy subsidiaries.

As part of its diversification strategy, Rubis Energy Kenya has partnered with leading retail outlets within its petrol stations for the provision of convenience services through restaurants, banking halls, outpatient clinics, garages, and ATMs. Last year, Rubis welcomed a partnership with French-inspired bakery and coffee shop Brioche in major towns. The oil marketer has also introduced its convenience store brand, RUBiS Express, to provide world class convenience to motorists on the go, saving time and money.

Motorists will continue to enjoy total control of their fuel-related expenses using the Rubis Card. Besides convenience and efficient payment at fuel stations, the card  is based on Smart Card technology provides a convenient Bill Payment service.

Since its launch, Rubis Energy has committed $900 million to the storage, distribution and sale of petroleum and liquefied petroleum gas in Kenya for the next five years.  The petrol stations continue to create 700 employment opportunities for Kenyans across all the 47 counties.  The oil marketer is seeking to strengthen its positions in the East African region which continues to post high economic and demographic growth, generating sustained growth in demand for petroleum products

Swvl KENYA KICKS OPERATIONS INTO FULL GEAR AND IMPLEMENTS NEW INNOVATIONS TO SPUR GROWTH

Nairobi, 09.03.2021 – Swvl Kenya has today announced the resumption of its regular commuter services across Nairobi city as it aims to scale up operations in the country. This will add to their recently launched innovations; Swvl Carpool and Swvl Travel, and is part of the company’s strategic agenda to meet the needs of the everyday commuter which have evolved as Kenya transitions into the ‘new normal’.

“During the pandemic period, we took our time to analyse the patterns and needs of commuters. We identified the areas of change and have used the information to advise our new innovations and the decision to fully restart our regular rides service across the city. Our aim is to ensure that we provide a service for every kind of commuter in the country”, said Dip Patel, the General Manager for Swvl in Kenya.

Swvl had reduced the number of routes covered by its regular rides service at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, owing to the low number of regular commuters within the capital city at the time. The service had become popular with commuters since it launched in February 2019. The company’s regular commuter services will now be available for across Nairobi.

The new innovations that launched late last year have been operational and continue to ferry passengers. The Swvl Travel service operates round trips to and from six towns in Kenya, namely Nakuru, Nyeri, Eldoret, Kisumu, Kisii and Mombasa. It has become popular with travellers to any of the six destinations available. Swvl carpool allows commuters to split the fare of a car with their fellow rider. All services will continue to operate on fixed routes, fixed prices and timings using Swvl’s existing app.

“We will continue to collaborate with existing players in the industry to come together and create an efficient system supported by our technology. Anyone with the necessary documentation is free to approach us and once taken through the verification and onboarding process can operate via our platform”, said Dip Patel.

All the services will operate as per the guidelines from the Ministry of Health, observing the capacity restrictions in place, and all suppliers on the platform must have the required documents and licenses. The services are all available via the Swvl app.

Emirates Group reaffirms commitment to wildlife and habitat conservation

Nairobi, March 5^th 2021: On the occasion of World Wildlife Day, the Emirates Group has reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to protecting wildlife and habitats. It also shone the spotlight on conservation efforts across the organisation at an online Environment Forum for its global employees.

During the forum, experts from the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, Emirates One & Only Wolgan Valley in Australia, and Emirates SkyCargo spoke about the work being done to protect endangered species and habitats in Dubai, restoration efforts following aftermath of the Australian bushfires, and how the airline was doing its part to foil wildlife trafficking across its network.

In addition to reducing emissions and consuming responsibly, the preservation of wildlife and habitats is one of the three pillars under The Emirates Group’s environmental sustainability strategy. The Group believes that future generations should enjoy seeing wildlife in the wild, and that the world’s beauty and biodiversity is an inspiration for travel.

Watch a short video here on Emirates’ commitment to wildlife conservation.

Rehabilitation of wildlife and natural habitats

Since 2003, The Emirates Group has funded and supported the 225 square kilometre Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR), a protected inland desert habitat that houses over 560 different species and where 31,000 native trees have been planted. DDCR plays an important role in preserving Dubai’s unique desert environment including its indigenous flora and fauna.

Amongst its achievements, is DDCR’s successful reintroduction programme that started in 1999. Since then, the programme has grown the ungulate population- including the Arabian oryx, Arabian gazelle and sand gazelle, to over 1,300. In fact, the reintroduction programmes have proved so successful that they have triggered the process of relocating some species to other protected areas within the region. Additionally, over 2,800 houbara, or MacQueen’s bustard have been reintroduced into the DDCR, while other important bird species such as the pharaoh eagle-owl and the lappet-faced vulture are resident in the reserve, and some birds are monitored via satellite tags.

The DDCR is a regional leader in ecological research, actively collaborating with local and international educational and research institutions with over 30 biodiversity projects completed so far. DDCR also promotes sustainable tourism, and provides authentic desert experiences while educating visitors on the delicate nature and the living heritage of Dubai. Prior to the pandemic, the reserve responsibly hosted close to 290,000 tourists a year, making it the most visited protected area in the region.

In Australia, Emirates has been supporting the protection of Australia’s wilderness and bush for over 12 years through the conservation-based Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley located in the World Heritage-listed Greater Blue Mountains region.

Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley demonstrates a strong commitment to its carbon neutral status by scaling up its environmental, heritage and environmental initiatives. After the bushfires in early 2020, which affected a portion of the Blue Mountains, the teams at One&Only Wolgan Valley embarked on a regeneration of the landscape, and habitat restoration work has been stepped up at the resort with several ‘Habitat Recovery Areas’ identified as a source of environmental data to monitor the gradual renewal of wildlife and ecosystems.

The parts of the landscape that were impacted have made a rapid recovery and wildlife biodiversity and ecosystems have been largely preserved. Over the past decade, a seedbank of over one million seeds representing 25 native species has been built up with the assistance of field guides, hotel employees and guests at the property. These seedlings are now playing a vital role in repopulating areas of damage, helping to recreate natural habitat complexity for insects, reptiles and small marsupials who have been impacted by the bushfires.

Additionally, the mapping of significant, hollow-bearing trees on the property, some dating over 150 years old, is being done to collect information and provide a snapshot of the impact of the bushfires on different species who sought refuge there. Other projects include habitat restoration with guests, which involves moving and shifting debris to improve habitat complexity. This helps to create shelters and wildlife corridors, which is vital to helping animal and insect populations thrive after the bushfires.

A vigilant approach to stop illegal wildlife trafficking

Emirates SkyCargo has stepped up as a global leader in the fight against illegal wildlife trafficking and exploitation. In 2016, Emirates signed the Buckingham Palace Declaration, and joined the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade. It is also a partner of ROUTES (Reducing Opportunities for Unlawful Transport of Endangered Species).

Emirates SkyCargo has adopted a zero tolerance policy on illegal wildlife trade which includes big cats, elephants, rhinos and pangolins, among other types of contraband animal cargo, and has implemented a complete ban on hunting trophies for the Big-4, even in cases where the shipment may be considered legal under CITES* rules.

Emirates SkyCargo has also invested in awareness campaigns, as well as education and training on issues associated with illegal wildlife trade for its teams. Cargo teams are trained to look out for warning signs of smuggled wildlife products during cargo transportation and screening. This includes document verification, container or cage examination, and confirming the authenticity of CITES* permits. Employees across the business are encouraged to report suspicious activity through designated internal channels for investigation, and the intelligence gathered is shared with relevant authorities as well as used to benefit the worldwide data collection for further wildlife trafficking prevention purposes.

Working with Dubai Customs, Dubai Police and other authorities globally, Emirates SkyCargo has helped to intercept several illegal wildlife shipments since 2017.

COHESION COMMISSION SUMMONS MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT INVOLVED IN ELECTORAL VIOLENCE

By Clive Ayuko

Nairobi, Kenya 6th March 2021

Nation Cohesion and Integration summons members of Parliament involved in election violence in the recent By- election held in Matungu and Kabuchai constituencies and London Ward in Nakuru county.

Dr. Rev Samuel Kobia addressing members of the press at a Nairobi Hotel. Images courtesy whistling African.

The Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya of Kenya launches a report on the state of the second-hand clothes and footwear trade in Kenya

Nairobi, March 4, 2021: The import ban on second-hand clothes (mitumba) in March 2020 highlighted the need to protect the industry which employs 2 million people and supports the livelihoods of 24 million Kenyans.

Taking action, theMitumba Consortium Association of Kenya of Kenya has today launched a report on the state of the second-hand clothes and footwear sector.

The report dubbed ‘The State of Second-Hand Clothes and Footwear Trade in Kenya’, published by the Institute of Economic Affairs,seeks to examine the structure and extent of the used clothing industry in Kenya, and its contributions to the economy.

According to the Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya Chairperson, Rev. Teresiah Njenga, the report paints a clear picture of the contribution of the sector to the economy and illustrates that both the textile industry and second-hand clothes and footwear sectors can co-exist in Kenya.

“Based on the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) Manpower Survey, the industry employs an estimated 10% of the extended labour force, which translates to at least 2 million people”.

She added “in terms of taxes, the sector paid Ksh 12 billion in 2019 to the exchequer. This is a significant contribution to the economy in jobs and taxes, and this goes to show that this sector can no longer be ignored and needs order and policies to govern it. This report is the first step towards our goal of pushing for policies to govern the sector.”

The report draws an economic analysis of the demand and supply of the used goods and the market interactions that occur based on these goods throughout Kenya and related markets, exploring demand and supply, value chain analysis, the legal and regulatory regime governing the import and trade of used clothes, and the politics behind the regulation of used clothing markets in Kenya.

The report demonstrates that it is a mistake to believe that the expansion of textile manufacturing will only proceed if the existing mitumba sector is weakened or reduced in size.

The key point, confirmed by economic analysis, is that open product market competition is likely to expand and promote both parts of the sector. A healthy, dynamic market in the production of clothing and apparel will strengthen Kenyan manufacturing without being undermined by the second-hand clothing sector.

Winners of the 8th Edition of the Sankalp Africa Summit Awards Announced

Over 1,200 delegates virtually convened for the 3-Day summit on ‘A Resilient Africa – Forging Solutions for the Impact Economy’

Nairobi, Kenya, March 4^th, 2021: Sankalp Forum, an initiative of Intellecap hosted its 8^th Edition of the Sankalp Africa Summit, in a virtual format, from the 2^nd to 4^th March 2021, one of Africa’s largest inclusive networking platform focusing on entrepreneurship and the impact investing ecosystem.

Some of the key highlights of the summit include the awarding of the top three most innovative young entrepreneurs in Africa and sharing of sector insights on, rebuilding a resilient universally accessible health system capable of rapidly detecting, assessing, reporting; rebuilding robust local institutions in Africa to attain globally competitive levels post Covid-19, and eliminating social and economic injustices to improve equity across humans.

Each year, the Summit recognizes and rewards high-impact enterprises in the Africa region that are keen to tackle key development challenges. The finalists get the opportunity to pitch their enterprises to a jury panel comprising eminent business leaders and investors. This year’s finalists were Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Center, MamaPrime, and KIRI EV from Kenya; EcoV and Iyeza Health from South Africa; OBRI from Tanzania; Masaka Creamery from Rwanda; and MaTontine from Senegal. 

The 2021 Sankalp Africa Awards winner was Iyeza Health, a healthcare start-up from South Africa that collects and delivers high-cost and critical chronic medication for Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV), diabetes and cancer treatment drugs from public health facilities to patient’s doorsteps through a bicycle delivery service. The service is called Iyeza Express.

In Cape Town, poor national infrastructure has often left the burden of obtaining medication from health facilities to individual patients. As a result, those in rural areas go without medication for weeks at a time. However, with Iyeza Express, a single courier can transport several boxes at a time thus increasing the capacity to deliver the drugs to more patients at a faster rate and save lives. Currently, Iyeza delivers medication to over 1000 people in Khayelitsha, Cape Town and employs local residents as specialised chronic medicine delivery service. The company aims to become a fully-fledged health logistics company that offers access to self-testing diagnostics devices that encourage screening, and early detection of disease in communities, and offer alternative distribution and supply chain channels for health products thus change the face of public health in South Africa.

The First Runner Up emerged as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Centre (WEEE Center), a Kenya electronic waste management start-up. WEEE offers the safe disposal of electrical and electronic waste (e-Waste) service in accordance with NEMA waste regulations, training on the safe e-waste handling, storage, disposal methods, and their adverse effects on the public health and environment if not properly disposed of. WEE’S goal is to run an enterprise that protects both the environment and public health.

The Second Runner Up was OBRI Tanzania, an Agri-Food start-up from Tanzania that focuses on processing and supplying healthier edible oils. The company produces a 100% natural low price sunflower cooking oil called OBRI that is supplied to millions of families across the country. They also work with local farmers directly to source the seeds and promote fair price trade, offer seed crushing services to manufacturing companies for oil and oil cake extraction, and train farmers on organic manure use and sustainable land management to achieve the production of high-quality seeds.

“Sankalp Forum is one of our largest initiatives that aims to bring the community together to help solve the problems that face us through cutting-edge innovation and high potential entrepreneurship. Sankalp today, in its 8^th year in Africa, brought to the world a post Covid view of economic resurgence and resilience, thereby demonstrating our ability to drive action and influence outcomes,” said Arielle Molino, Sankalp Lead and AVP Intellecap Africa 

The Summit, which was held virtually engaged over 1,200 stakeholders, from 40+ countries around the world, including participants from 30 African countries. 

Some of the key renowned speakers that the summit attracted include Admassu Tadesse, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Trade and Development Bank, Dr. Arkebe Oqubay, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Author, Dorothy Tembo, Deputy Executive Director, International Trade Centre, Dr Mabouba Diagne, VP Finance and Corporate Services from ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), Somachi Chris-Asoluka, Director of Partnerships and Communications, Tony Elumelu Foundation, Sara Mbago-Bhunu, Regional Director East and Southern Africa, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Wanjira Mathai , Vice