· In Kenya, the airline is projected to register 19 percent more seats than in 2022. The expected growth is attributed to increased business travel post the August 2022 general elections.
· New Regional General Manager exhibits confidence in Nairobi’s ability to support Air France-KLM operations by providing a stable and developing business climate and regional connectivity.
Nairobi, Kenya, 24 February 2023…. Air France KLM Group has today announced a raft of measures aimed at solidifying its position in the East African Market and meeting the fast-changing consumer needs.
This comes after a challenging pandemic season that saw air travel falling sharply prompting airlines to cut capacity.
Speaking while outlining the new measures, the new Air France – KLM General Manager, East & Southern Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana, based in Nairobi Marius van der Ham said, “For 2023 we aim to capitalize on the gains made in 2022 to further solidify our position in the East Africa market. This means we will improve our products and services, review our fare structure to match consumer needs, improve our loyalty program, and continuously improve our airport experience by providing our customers with great support both at our departure and arrival stations”.
As of 2022, at least 85 percent of the airline’s capacity in the market was restored against the backdrop of the gradual lifting of the Covid-19 restrictions on passengers. The contribution of corporate travelers sat at 75 percent for the region versus 2019 while in Kenya the contribution was 95 percent, and 16 percent more in Tanzania, consequently showing an above average recovery of this segment.
Looking into 2023, Air France KLM Group projects that it will register at least 16 percent more seats than in 2022 in terms of capacity in EA, SA, Nigeria, and Ghana. This is back to the 2019 level when the pandemic hit the aviation sector.
In Kenya, the airline is projected to register 19 percent more seats than in 2022. This return to the pre pandemic ambition is attributed to increased business travel post the August 2022 general elections and renewed interest in Kenya as a destination.
“Kenya and the region remain a top priority of our network and we shall continue to provide a high-frequency network with updated products and services to connect Kenya to the world via our two hubs Charles De Gaulle – CDG and Schiphol. Besides, we will continue to apply our double hub strategy to offer more choice and flexibility to our customers” said Marius van der Ham
Regionally, Air France KLM is set to expand its frequency by introducing new routes in the year. This is in addition to an already established network of KLM flights into Uganda and Rwanda.
Over and beyond expanding routes, Air France-KLM has announced ongoing plans to incorporate sustainability and reduce the airline’s carbon footprint in 2023. The objective is to achieve 30 percent fewer emissions per passenger/km by 2030 versus 2019, have 10 percent of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as its power source, and 64 percent of the fleet consisting of NextGen aircraft.
“We have already engaged in an ambitious fleet renewal program focused on the Dreamliner and A350 for our long-haul network and the modern A220, A320 neo, and Embraer aircraft types for our short-haul operation,” said Marius van der Ham
On new products and services, the group recently rolled out a new solution aimed at providing a real-time and seamless end-to-end travel experience for travelers.
Dubbed Business Solution – the online portal is designed to offer travelers relevant travel information from policies and procedures, to the airline’s products and services, the latest news, waiver requests, and network updates. The solution replaces AgentConnect.biz.
In addition, Air France – KLM outlined ongoing measures to improve its Flying Blue loyalty program and increase its usability both for earning and burning customer miles. This will be complemented by the implementation of branded fare structure that provides customers with more choice on what elements they value in their ticket which is a more basic product for price-sensitive customers while the fully flexible fare for customers in need of more options. All fares can be customized by adding extra products or services like baggage, CO2 compensation, meals, etcetera.
Month: February 2023
KENYA AND MORROCCO PUBLIC PROSECUTION OFFICES TO SIGN MEMORANDUM
Nairobi, Kenya 21st February 2023
By Clive Ayuko
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions Kenya ODPP and the Attorney General at the Court of Cassation of Morocco will today sign a memorandum of Understanding to establish and strengthen cooperation in the feild of prosecution and fight against Transnational Organized Crime.
The meeting which will be held at the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions in Upper Hill Nairobi will explore areas of mutual cooperation between the offices of Director of Public Prosecutions Kenya and the Presidency of Public Prosecutions of the Kingdom of Morocco.
REMITTANCES HELP BRIDGE THE GENDER GAP IN CAMEROON WORLD REMIT EXECUTIVE SAYS
Cameroon 16th February 2022
Cameroon is currently ranked 141st out of 189 countries on gender equality, with gender-based discrimination against women and girls being extremely apparent throughout much of the country.
Across Cameroon, just 32.5% of women have some level of secondary school education, while only 1.6% of women own a property title in their name despite them making up 71.6% of the workers in the informal agricultural sector.
Overall, women’s and girls’ woes are driven by multidimensional poverty. According to the World Bank, the number of people living in poverty in Cameroon has risen since 2007, and the ongoing cost of living crisis is expected to worsen the national inflation levels. However, international remittances are providing a positive solution, helping to alleviate the financial divide.
As per the World Bank, remittances allow lower income households to improve children’s health and educational outcomes, in addition to increasing their savings. At the national level, remittances help reduce volatility in growth and support national GDP.
We spoke to Imane Charioui, Director of Francophone Africa, WorldRemit on the impact of remittances in bridging the gender inequality divide in Cameroon, and here is what she had to say.
Question. How badly has inequality, particularly gender inequality, affected Cameroon’s economic transformation?
Answer. While the inequality is apparent in Cameroon – it is an issue that we are faced with across the continent and globally. Many countries in Africa are struggling with the issue of gender inequality, where girls and women are still marginalized in terms of access to education, finance, and other opportunities for empowerment. In Cameroon, 39% of the population live below the poverty line, of that, 51.5% are women and 79% of are underemployed.
Question. How have remittances helped bridge the inequality gap in the country?
Answer. An estimated five million Cameroonians live abroad and are responsible for sending home over $300 million USD in remittances yearly, with a significant proportion of these supporting daily expenses including food, housing and education. Various studies have shown that Cameroonians abroad appreciate the fact that their families back home would not live comfortably without their support, admitting that they need to make regular remittances to support their relatives, many of whom have no income or earn very little.
Question. How do international remittances contribute to the transformation of girls’ education in Cameroon?
Answer. Research shows that remittances promote education for girls aged 5-25 education in Cameroon, with the highest impact being on those aged 18-25. Education, whether at home or abroad can positively impact the futures of Cameroonian females. We continue to see an impact of positive society change, through education, both in metropolitan communities and for those in rural areas.
Question. Having noted the transformative value of international remittances to Cameroon’s economy, what innovations do you see growing tremendously in 2023?
Answer. The remittance sector has seen significant growth in recent years, thanks to access to technologies that enable financial accessibility across Cameroon. Through WorldRemit, Cameroonians abroad can send money to their relatives in remote parts of the country, enabling them to choose from a variety of payout methods including cash pickup, bank transfer and mobile money.
WorldRemit EXECUTIVE OUTLINES HOW REMITTANCES ARE SUPPORTING GROWTH OF INNOVATION IN ZIMBABWE
One of the fastest-growing sectors in Zimbabwe is financial technology, which has led to a rise in the applications and tools that improve international remittances, a major source of incoming liquidity to the country. With remittances from overseas surging from $1b USD in 2020 to $2b USD in 2022, further innovations can be expected to shrink costs, decrease risks, and improve customers’ experience.
Over the last decade, we have seen a dramatic rise in technologies and tools supporting global money transfer services. Today, transfers that could normally take up to several weeks through traditional institutions to complete, can be done in just a few hours.
Many homegrown solutions are also expected as the government, development partners and private sector companies work in unison with finance innovation hubs to accelerate the growth of a knowledge-based and tech-led economy.
We interviewed Darryl Pietersen, Director of Anglophone Africa, WorldRemit on Zimbabwe’s technology and remittance trends
.
Question. What recent trends have you observed in Zimbabwe’s remittances sector?
Answer. There has been a lot of recent transformation in the remittances industry, from technological advancements to increased partnerships between digital payment operators and financial institutions. However, due to economic challenges in Zimbabwe, the fast-paced dollarization and preference for foreign notes by consumers, cash remains the country’s most significant remittance channel.
While other African countries can possess more than double the number of mobile money users than the number of bank accounts, in Zimbabwe, the number of active mobile money users is just 4.3 million, according to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s 2022 Monetary Policy Statement. And yet, despite this, mobile money ascension continues. We have seen a level of choice where Zimbabweans use mobile money, as it offers more efficient and speedy transfers. Additionally, at WorldRemit our partnership with financial institutions remains critical to the success of remittance pay-outs in Zimbabwe. Through these partnerships, we have increased service coverage, allowing withdrawal services that involve minimal travel and costs.
Question. In terms of innovation, which sub-sectors of remittance technology do you see as having the most growth in 2023?
Answer. Data is a very important tool in the growth of any business sector, but its value is even greater in the financial world. We anticipate more growth in the number and quality of financial and remittance data handling and management tools. Security, too, is an extremely important consideration of the remittance business. We anticipate more growth in technologies for securing transfers from the point of dispatch, through the various switches and interchanges, and on to the point of withdrawal. Security innovations are especially important as the money transfer world is increasingly targeted by fraudsters.
In the next year and beyond, we expect to see more innovations around protecting remittance integrity. Both recipients and senders are expected to gain more capacity for managing their transfers through advancements in real-time tracking technologies. The increasing internet penetration (currently at 29%, supported by the easy accessibility of smartphones, is expected to drive the uptake of such capacities.
Question. Globally, remittances have contributed to the rise of new innovative businesses. Which lines of business do you see as gaining complementary growth in line with the transformation remittance sector?
Answer. The mobile-money sector is one of the biggest areas of transformation in the remittance industry. At WorldRemit, we aim to create the most fluid and secure path for the flow of remittances from anywhere in the world to Zimbabwe.
We have invested heavily in technologies that improve our customer experience through diversified tools and products for both senders and recipients. Globally, we have created a number of special solutions for instance by allowing SMEs involved in international trade, make payments to their employees and contractors across the globe, with the aim of saving their businesses time and money when making international payments.
Our partnerships with financial institutions have allowed us to penetrate the country in ways that were not possible before and going forward, we know more growth will come from our vast pay-out networks such as our cash-pick up, airtime top up and mobile money services. We are already seeing more value
in investments that bring withdrawal services closer to the people, as more and more
I&M Bank Waives Bank to M-PESA Charges
Nairobi, 15th February 2023: I&M Bank has today announced a waiver of transaction charges from its digital banking platform I&M On The Go (OTG) to mobile money wallets.
The waiver will make I&M Bank the first lender in Kenya to officially offer zero fees for Bank to M-PESA and Airtel Money transactions following its reintroduction by the Central Bank of Kenya in January 2023 with plans underway to include T-Kash transactions for Telkom users.
Speaking during the press conference, I&M’s General Manager for Digital Business, Mr. Michael Mwangi commented:
“As part of our approach to service delivery, recent customer feedback showed that as much as our transaction rates are favourable, there was an opportunity to review our policies on bank to mobile money wallet charges for the digitally active customer. We believe this move will offer new and existing customers a huge relief during tough economic times and encourage more customers to transact on mobile,” said Mr. Mwangi.
The payment ecosystem between mobile money wallets and bank accounts expanded significantly when the transaction charges were waived in March 2020 because of the COVID pandemic emergency measures.
However, the reintroduction of the charges by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) in December 2022, albeit at significantly reduced rates of up to 61%, has increased the cost of living for Kenyans and I&M Bank Kenya is meeting consumer needs with zero fees on Bank to Mobile Money Wallet transfers.
“A key focus for the bank since the launch of our current iMara 2.0 strategy is to enhance our digital banking solutions to meet the needs of our customers. We look forward to seeing these numbers grow with digital transactions gaining favour among our digitally active customers,” concluded Mr. Mwangi.
STUDENTS TO HOLD PROTEST MARCH ON DELAYED DISBURSEMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOANS
By Clive Ayuko
Nairobi, Kenya 3rd February 2023
University students in the capital Nairobi will take part in a peaceful protest to compel the government to release funds to the Higher Education Loans Board. The march which is schedule to commence at Anniversary Towers where the Loans Board offices is located will snake through the central business district making a stop at the National Treasury.
The March will be lead by the President of the Kenya Universities Student Union Jesse Saruni and various other university student leaders from across the country.
Convergence Partners raises $296 million to Drive Digital InclusionAcross Africa
Monday, January 30th, 2023
Johannesburg, South Africa – Convergence Partners, the leading private equity investor dedicated to the technology sector across sub-Saharan Africa, is proud to announce the successful closing of its Convergence Partners Digital Infrastructure Fund (CPDIF) at $296 million, surpassing its initial target by over 18%. This achievement is despite subdued private capital fundraising on the Continent in 2022.
The recent close of CPDIF marks a significant milestone for the company, as it represents Convergence Partners’ largest fund to date, bringing total funds under management to more than $600m.
The close was backed by a combination of existing and new investors comprising leading global and regional development finance institutions (DFIs), pension funds and financial institutions based in Europe and Africa.
CPDIF was launched in June 2020 and had a first close of $120m in July 2021. The Fund is focused on investing in digital infrastructure opportunities across sub-Saharan Africa. This includes investments in fibre networks, data centres, wireless, towers, cloud, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and other critical digital infrastructure that is vital for the growth of the digital economy in the region. In addition to investing in physical assets, CPDIF is also aimed at developing and supporting initiatives that promote access to education, financial services, healthcare, and other essential services through digital technologies.
The last 20 years have seen internet penetration in sub–Saharan Africa grow exponentially as a result of investments in enabling infrastructure. Since inception, Convergence Partners has seen the need to invest in this space, motivated at the time by the ITU’s The Missing Link/Maitland Report. Years later there is still more work to be done if we wish to close the digital divide and ensure that the Africa is able to reap the benefits from the current and next iteration of the technologies.
“The closing of CPDIF is a major step forward for Convergence Partners and for the development of the digital economy in sub-Saharan Africa,” says Brandon Doyle CEO and Founding Partner of Convergence Partners – “This closing is just the beginning, and we look forward to working with our investors and partners to build the digital infrastructure required to support the growth of the region’s digital economy. We strongly believe such collaborations promote innovation, entrepreneurship, skill development, and job creation by vastly expanding access to the internet and all the essential digital tools it provides.”
Convergence Partners has played a crucial role in ensuring the sustained growth of digital technologies across sub-Saharan Africa and is committed to continuing to support the growth and development of the region’s digital economy through investments in critical digital infrastructure.
“We are extremely grateful for the continued support of our repeat investors and the new support given to us from first-time investors that have joined us on this journey to address the challenge of the digital inclusion across the Continent, one technology at a time. As we are 7 years away from 2030 we commit to addressing SDGs and preparing Digital Infrastructure for Africa which is soon to be home to 2 Billion people with the youngest population on our planet,” says Andile Ngcaba, Chairman and Founding Partner at Convergence Partners. ” We will continue to build on our original vision by investing in digital infrastructure that is a key enabler for digital inclusion. This Fund will enable us to continue leveraging our deep knowledge of technology, investments and the African market to deliver measurable impact.”
The whistling African 