East African Business Notifier

By Frikkie Jonker An average of 2,960 attacks. This is the number of cyberattacks the average African organization is subjected to – every week! It’s a staggering number – and it’s growing rapidly every year. According to Checkpoint Research, this year’s number was up 37% from the year before. Not only is Africa suffering thousands of cyberattacks, but it is also the region with the highest weekly average on earth. The global average is 1,636 attacks per week. Cyberattacks are now part and parcel of the business landscape – and Africa is a major target. Given the sheer scale of the problem, cybersecurity is a fundamental requirement for any business, NGO, or government entity trying to operate on the continent.   Cyber vulnerabilities What makes Africa particularly vulnerable is the continent’s lack of infrastructure and resources due to budget limitations; a lack of awareness of the truly critical nature of the problem; legislative and policy lethargy; and a continuing shortage of tra

By Doreen A. Muhangazi In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape worldwide, the caliber of Human Capital in any given organization has become pivotal to its success.   Collectively, human Capital refers to the set of skills, knowledge and experience possessed by the Organization’s workforce, and these have since emerged as the number key driver for competitive advantage in any industry or sector.  With increased automation, companies can no longer give lip service to the centrality of people to their businesses and eventual success or not.  Therefore, effective management and development of Human Capital “people” are foundational to building a resilient organisation that is capable of navigating uncertainty, disruption and always emerging atop. As a leader you have two jobs, your 8 to 5 job that entails overseeing operations and achieving targets as well as leading people. In my mind, the second is harder than the first. Improvements in technology over the last few decades mean th

PostBank Uganda (PBU) in partnership with MTN Mobile Money (U) Limited (MTN MoMo) have launched Xtracash, a digital Micro Lending solution that is positioned to extend short term facilities to MTN mobile money subscribers.  This initiative is poised to provide approximately 13 million mobile wallet holders in the country with convenient access to financial assistance. XtraCash will be accessible through MTN mobile money, a leading mobile money operator, in partnership with PBU as the financial partner providing much needed support to customers by extending micro-loans for everyday financial needs. While launching the new service, PostBank Uganda, Managing Director, Julius Kakeeto, said PostBank Uganda has a purpose of Fostering Prosperity for Ugandans where the partnership with a key stakeholder like MTN Uganda with whom they share a common objective of doing sustainable financial inclusion is very critical in bringing more Ugandan in the money economy. "We are cognizant that peop

In alignment with the African Union's Agenda 2063, "The Africa We Want," the Africa Creatives Alliance (ACA) is poised to become a key catalyst for transforming Africa into a global powerhouse by harnessing the immense potential of the continent’s cultural and creative sectors.  This groundbreaking alliance will empower cultural and creative entrepreneurs to fully contribute to Africa’s development and integration goals. The ACA, in collaboration with a diverse consortium of partners, including the African Union, UN-Habitat, MoTIV Africa, Inuka Ongoza Africa, Artisans of Innovation, British Council, AfriLabs, Save the Children, Innovation Village and others, officially launched at the inaugural Africa Urban Forum.  This landmark event represents a significant stride in leveraging the power of Africa's creative industries to achieve socio-economic growth and enhance continental unity. The Africa Urban Forum (AUF), established by the African Union Commission and its mem

  The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in collaboration with the International Relations Society of Kenya (IRSK), the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) and the African Centre for the Study of the United States (ACSUS) based at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa will host the Second Annual IRSK Conference. The conference will take place on 20 – 22 November 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. Themed " Fostering Integration and Cooperation in the COMESA Region through International Relations and Diplomacy , this second edition of the IRSK Annual Conference represents an exciting convergence of theory and practice in international relations and diplomacy and seeks to make a meaningful contribution to the promotion of peace, stability, and prosperity in the COMESA region. The conference will bring together key stakeholders, including government officials, diplomats, policymakers, scholars, business leaders, media, and civil s

Contrary to expectations, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) semiconductor plant in Arizona is reportedly  on track  to meet its 2025 production targets.  This announcement poses a challenge to the many observers who predicted that the effort to bring chip manufacturing back to the United States would fail. What went right this time? Skepticism surrounding the Arizona plant stemmed from the belief that chip manufacturing benefits heavily from learning-by-doing and dynamic economies of scale, both of which give incumbents a significant cost advantage.  That is how TSMC maintains its dominant market position, especially in cutting-edge technologies, producing  around 92%  of the world’s most advanced logic chips at its Taiwan plant. It was this high concentration that prompted calls to diversify production in the interest of ensuring supply-chain resilience. But the same learning-by-doing imperative is an obstacle for new entrants, casting doubts on projects like the o

For most people, the idea of suddenly losing everything – their home, their possessions, and even their family members and friends – is unthinkable.  But, for island communities around the world, this idea is all too real. And as the effects of climate change – including more frequent and severe natural disasters and extreme weather events – intensify, the threat is becoming increasingly acute. Seven years ago, my home, the small island country of Dominica, was struck by  Hurricane Maria  – a Category 5 hurricane, which caused catastrophic loss and damage from which we are still recovering.  Two other island countries, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada, fell victim to a similar tragedy this past summer, when  Hurricane Beryl , a Category 4 storm, tore through the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricanes have long been a feature of life in the Caribbean. But Maria and Beryl were no ordinary hurricanes: Maria brought record-breaking  rainfall , and Beryl was the  earli

 In a bid to revolutionize science education, the Ministry of Education and Sports, under the Uganda Secondary Education Expansion program, has trained 40 science teachers from 40 secondary schools in Adjumani and Moyo districts. The five-day ICT training boot camp, hosted at St. Mary Assumpta Secondary School, aimed to integrate technology into science teaching and learning. Alex Opono, ICT teacher at St. Mary Assumpta Girls SS, praised the initiative: "We're thrilled to have hosted this groundbreaking training. Airtel and UNICEF's support has been invaluable, providing seamless internet connectivity and computers." St. Mary Assumpta Girls SS is part of more than 70 schools across Uganda that are being supported under the Airtel and UNICEF partnership to scale up digital learning in schools through connecting them to the internet, upgrading their computer rooms with laptops and desktops that enable teachers and learners access free online learning websites and tools

It has been nearly ten years since countries came together in Paris and agreed finally to get serious about averting a climate disaster. But while there is an emerging consensus on the structural economic reforms needed to transform sectors such as energy, transportation, and agriculture, the necessary investments are not being made fast enough. Instead, our governance systems are struggling to muster an adequate response to what is an increasingly obvious and severe climate and ecological crisis. Although many governments have proposed robust climate measures, these often trigger a social backlash, because they are perceived as unjust and inequitable. Many see policies that pit the old against the young, the city against the country, or the Global North against the Global South. Such controversies are tailor-made for social media, where they ripen and then rot in a hothouse of misinformation, incendiary rhetoric, and polarization. Although the argument for the necessity of major refor

When it comes to water, the world confronts an unsustainable situation. Yet fixing the problem is not only within reach; it is also the low-hanging fruit in tackling climate change and generating jobs and growth. The water crisis is plain to see. Year after year, in one region after another, record-high heat waves and droughts are followed by destructive storms and floods. Food systems are running dry and cities are sinking as we reach the limits of extracting water from the land.  More than  1,000 children  under the age of five die each day from illnesses caused by unsafe drinking water and a lack of sanitation, and hundreds of millions of women spend hours each day collecting and hauling water. This is a human-made crisis, and it can and must be resolved through human interventions. But to achieve equity and sustainability everywhere, we will need new approaches to governing water and a wave of vastly higher investment, scaled-up innovation, and capacity-building. The costs of these