Nankwanga Eunice Kasirye

The compelling story of Africa and other emerging economies can only be told effectively when the emerging economies appreciate the role of country brands where people are proud of their country and have a strong sense of unity.  This brand and its story will greatly benefit from the major contribution that the Public Relations discipline can provide. This was a key finding of the recent World Conference for Public Relations and communications in Emerging Economies hosted by the Public Relations Society of Kenya and supported by the Global Alliance for Communications Management. It was observed that Public Relations could influence sustainable development, industrialization, businesses, and the fight against terrorism in Emerging Economies. It was noted that improving country brands, national pride is a prerequisite. It is based on Public Relations practitioners understanding the values of their nations and repackaging the Emerging Economies stories in a way that would attract ...

 By Nankwanga Eunice Kasirye African leaders are warning that the continent’s lofty dreams may not be realized without a determined focus on information and communication technology (ICT), skills development and innovation. Speaking during the opening session of the 10 th edition of  eLearning Africa conference, H.E. Mr. Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, emphasized that the African Union’s dreams of catalyzing an education and skills revolution are not going to be easily realized, unless the current creative and innovative capacities are properly harnessed. He says that there is an abiding imperative for Africa to foster innovation and creative technologies as the basis for advancements in ICT and sustainable economic development.  It is the duty of governments, the private sector and all segments of society, to participate actively in maximizing the use and application of ICTs to create competitive, knowledge economies, a...

 By Nankwanga Eunice Kasirye Members of the World Bank, United Nations Development Program, the U.S Embassy and other foreign diplomats toured facilities and assessed the progress of the new Sicomines joint venture, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) first “infrastructure for minerals” partnership. Sicomines Sarl, a joint venture between Congolese mining company Gecamines SA, China‘s Sinohydro and the China Railway Group Limited, oversees the project, which includes the construction and operation of two copper plants in Katanga province. The tour included a walk through the Sicomines plants, which are expected to start production in the fall of 2015 with an initial copper output of 50,000 tons annually, gradually rising to an expected 400,000 tons over the next two decades. The Sicomines plants represent a critical development and capacity-building endeavor for the DRC, employing 3,000 workers, 70% of whom will be Congolese.In addition, the Sino-Congolese joint ven...

By  Nankwanga Eunice Kasirye Businesses across major African economies such as Kenya and Nigeria are coming under increasing pressure to align their strategies for retaining talent, compensating employees and engaging with their  workforce  with good international practices. Gerhard Hartman, Head of Department for Sage Payroll & HR’s International Division says that African companies are facing stiffer competition for skills as economies grow, governments pump money into building infrastructure, and professionals are lured into the Diaspora by the promise of big salaries paid in hard currencies. A recent study conducted by Ernst & Young found that 70% of African firms are recruiting yet many report that they are taking longer to fill vacancies and experiencing higher staff turnover. The skills that are in short demand include engineering, technical and commercial skills, partly because of massive infrastructure products the continent. It ...

18 th May 2015 Government of the Republic of Ghana and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) signed a US$36.6 million loan and $10 million grant agreement to finance the Ghana Agricultural Sector Investment Programme (GASIP). This new programme will link smallholder farmers to agribusinesses to enhance growth by helping them access the assets they need to increase their productivity, competitiveness and incomes. The grant component is intended to promote climate change adaptation under IFAD’s Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme. With a total cost of $113 million, the programme is cofinanced with a $7.6 million contribution from the Government of Ghana, a $1.7 million contribution from the participating districts, and a $4.6 million contribution from the beneficiaries themselves. It is expected that this investment will leverage additional private investment of at least $17.5 million of agricultural loans from financial institutions over the i...

18th May 2015 A new African language is helping to reduce tensions and bring young people together in areas previously torn apart by tribal violence. And academics are so impressed by the language’s potential that a social media platform promoting it will form the subject of a major presentation at this year’s eLearning Africa, the continent’s leading conference on technology-assisted learning, training and development. The language - ‘Sheng’ – combines Kiswahili, English and a number of Kenyan tribal words, along with a smattering of Arabic, Hindu, French, German, Spanish and Italian. It was born on the streets of Nairobi, in some of the areas hardest hit by eruptions of post-election violence in 2007- 2008. Now a ‘social enterprise initiative’ in Kenya, ‘Go Sheng’, is helping to celebrate and promote the language, which is almost exclusively used by young people – so much so that it has become the first language of many young Kenyans in urban areas. The initiative ...