Author: staff reporter

IBL Group, the largest conglomerate in Mauritius, is the lead investor of a consortium that
has signed an agreement to acquire a significant minority stake in Naivas International
(Mauritius), with private equity firm Amethis exiting its investment. Naivas International
owns 100% of the shares of Naivas Limited, a leading supermarket chain in Kenya. IBL’s
partners in the consortium are Proparco, a subsidiary of Agence Française de
Développement (AFD) and DEG, a subsidiary of German KfW Group. This agreement is
subject to regulatory approvals.
The investment in Naivas International is the biggest investment in IBL’s history. IBL also
has significant expertise in the retail sector, operating the leading supermarket chain in
Mauritius, Winners.
“This is an exciting partnership by our shareholders that will drive us to the next phase
of growth. We appreciate the immense knowledge and capacity in the retail industry that
IBL brings to the table”, said David Kimani, Managing Director of Naivas. He further
added, “This transaction is testament to the hard work by Naivas’ management and
shareholders of having put in place strong governance and controls, enabling the
business to grow sustainably to become one of the leading retailers in the region.”
“I am proud that our partnership with the shareholders of Naivas International marks IBL
Group’s first investment as part of our expansion in East Africa. This is a symbolic move
for us. This family business created in 1990 is an example of success story that has
continued to grow despite the pandemic thanks to its strong business model. With 84
outlets in 20 cities and towns across Kenya, it has put modern grocery retail within
everyone’s reach. Naivas also contributes to the Kenyan economy, notably by employing
over 8,000 people. IBL Group has expertise in the retail sector with our chain supermarket
Winners – a flagship of the Mauritian economy.” said Arnaud Lagesse, IBL Group CEO.
Andreas von Paleske, Head of Strategy at Naivas commented, “Amethis invested in Naivas
International in 2020, and their strength in partnering with family-owned businesses has led
to a demonstrable step-up in governance and growth. Amethis sale of its stake in Naivas
International represents the successful culmination of their partnership with the business.
We are now thrilled to embark on the next phase this journey and welcome an exciting
partnership with IBL.”
Frank-Astère Ndiyo Butoyi, Investment Director at Amethis, added “We are proud to have
been in the Kenyan retail landscape and supported a very successful Kenyan business who
understands best the Kenyan consumer. As we exit our investment, we wish IBL and the

Naivas International team the best for the future”.

By Jeff Kizilah

It is estimated that 3000 pediatric cases per year in Kenya is based on population of 49.7million.

Speaking during the Heart to Heart run organised yearly held in Nairobi Dr. Dan Gikonyo ,the founder of H2HF, say the foundation has initiatives and programs throughout the calander year to train teachers on prevention of rheumatic heart diseases and lifestyle diseases.

This help to identify children with heart ailments in their schools promptly basis,he adds

The congenital heart diseases affects children from all classes.

However, each year over 10,000 babies are born with congenital heart defects.

Gikonyo said the only way to address the issue, is by upgrading cardiac services and increase of medical personnel at various hospitals.

EIB Global Report: The Impact (https://bit.ly/3n3Oq89) details the results and numbers behind development activities outside the European Union and discusses the many challenges facing the economy and societies worldwide, including climate change, the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic; EIB Global Report: The Story (https://bit.ly/3QOXoDU) illustrates the foundations of the European Investment Bank’s (www.EIB.org) new development arm and discusses ways to fill investment gaps in areas such as gender equality, innovation, vaccines and green energy.

The world is beset by crises that are reshaping societies, economies, healthcare systems, transport and workplaces. Many parts of our lives are changing. The greatest challenges, such as COVID-19, climate change, poverty and equality, will require larger investments and more partnerships as this decade progresses. No single institution can meet the world’s needs for innovation and cooperation.

There is a lot of work to be done. Africa needs to increase spending on climate action by several hundred billion a year. The continent is running far behind other parts of the world in COVID-19 vaccinations. In renewable energy in homes and clean drinking water, developing countries are struggling to make big leaps. Hundreds of millions of people in Asia, Latin America and Africa have no power in their homes and no easy access to good water. The EIB Group brought green electricity to 2.6 million households outside of the European Union in 2021 and improved water for 4 million. We helped provide nearly 800 million doses of vaccines against COVID-19 and other diseases. But we need to work together to do much more.

UN humanitarians issued an alert on Tuesday over the deteriorating situation for millions of mainly women and children in northeast Nigeria who continue to be affected by protracted armed conflict, just as the country enters the lean season.

Well over eight million people are in need of assistance in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states, and an estimated 600,000 face emergency levels of food insecurity because of extremist violence centred around the Lake Chad region, that’s now in its 12th year.

Boko Haram still a threat

Although previously dominant Boko Haram militia have been significantly weakened since the group’s leader was killed over a year ago, it continues to carry out indiscriminate attacks, said the UN’s top relief officialOpens in new window in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale. Another extremist offshoot, ISWAP, is also dangerous, although it had also suffered setbacks, he noted.

As in previous years, a staggering one million people are also beyond the reach of international aid teams, said Mr. Schmale, who is the acting UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria.

More than 80 per cent of those in need are women and children, who also face “abductions, rape and abuse”, while indiscriminate attacks in Borno state make it the most “unstable place to be”, he added.

John Hamilton, CEO of independent exploration and production company, Panoro Energy, will be attending and participating at African Energy Week (AEW) (https://AECWeek.com) 2022, Africa’s premier event for the oil and gas sector, which will take place from 18 – 21 October in Cape Town. Representing one of the international majors driving upstream developments across Africa’s leading hydrocarbon producing countries including Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, South Africa and Tunisia, the presence and participation of Hamilton at AEW 2022 will be crucial for the discussion on African oil and gas market challenges and opportunities and the role independents such as Panoro Energy can play in boosting the continent’s hydrocarbon energy developments.

Having spent over 25 years of his career in energy and upstream oil and gas financing, Hamilton will drive AEW 2022 dialogues around how Africa can address inadequate investments across the entire oil and gas value chain, boosting exploration and production. Insights from Hamilton will be vital at AEW 2022 as stakeholders look at developing a blueprint of how the continent can navigate through energy transition and investment-related challenges.

Moreover, with the COVID-19 pandemic posing further challenges to making energy poverty history, Hamilton’s experience regarding African energy makes him an ideal participant regarding high-level discussions and meetings on how Africa can maximize the exploitation of its 125.3 billion barrels of crude oil and 620 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves to address energy poverty, access and affordability issues.

Hamilton has led Panoro Energy in a series of exploration, production and asset acquisitions across Africa. Under the leadership of Hamilton, Panoro Energy has recently secured an extension of exploration and production contract for Block G with the Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons of Equatorial Guinea, was awarded an exploration license offshore Gabon in 2021 and expanded its portfolio with the acquisition of high-quality oil producing assets offshore Equatorial Guinea and Gabon from Tullow Oil.

With oil and gas production in Africa declining due to diminishes in legacy projects in leading markets such as Nigeria, Angola, Algeria and Libya, emerging markets such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could potentially help revive Africa’s hydrocarbons market. As the DRC government seeks to maximize the exploitation of its hydrocarbon resources to address energy poverty and economic growth issues while also expanding the monetization of these resources through improved trading with international markets, the central African country’s upstream sector is ripe with opportunities for regional and international oil and gas players and investors.

Behind the market readiness for expansion are favorable regulatory improvements and the country’s largely untapped and potentially rich hydrocarbon basins that have led to international firms TotalEnergies and Perenco, and DRC parastatal Cohydro launching exploration activities. With only 4.5% of the DRC’s 180 million barrels of proven crude oil reserves having been developed so far, the launch of a licensing round for exploration in 16 oil blocks in May 2022 will further open up the DRC’s upstream market and unlock the country’s estimated 5 billion barrels of crude oil and 30 billion cubic meters of methane and natural gas reserves for production. In addition, with only one company, Perenco, producing oil in the DRC – at approximately 23,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2020 – more players are set to enter the market, kickstart production and place the DRC on course to achieve its daily production target of between 500,000 and one million barrels of crude oil per day.

With additional tax alleviation and exemptions set to be introduced by H.E. Didier Budimbu Ntubuanga, Minister of Hydrocarbons of the DRC, to attract investments to boost upstream activities, the market is well positioned to be a new destination for oil investment.

What’s more, the government of the DRC is looking at improving cooperation with regional counterparts and leading hydrocarbons producers including Equatorial Guinea, Angola, the Republic of Congo and South Sudan, with the aim of expanding energy exploration and production while creating a regional market and accelerating infrastructure growth.

Farmers in parts of northern Ethiopia are in serious danger of losing the main planting season (June-August) if they do not receive urgent support from the international community to sow their fields, which would further deteriorate the already serious food security situation in the region.

With the rainfall outlook foreseen to be favourable, the season offers a crucial and cost-effective opportunity to improve food availability across the region. Most farmers in Tigray have completed land preparation and are waiting for the onset of the rains. However, limited access to agricultural inputs, particularly fertilizers and seeds, is a major threat to the season. 

FAO and its Agriculture Cluster partners are seeking to mobilize $96 million immediately, focusing specifically on the time-sensitive opportunity offered by the Government of Ethiopia to purchase fertilizers at cost price.

Over the last months, FAO and partners have mobilized $11 million, which enables them to meet just 10 percent of needs for fertilizers, leaving a gap of $85 million. 

FAO and partners are also exploring avenues to make 60 000 tonnes of fertilizers and locally-produced seed available to farmers (4 000 tonnes of seed, or 8 percent of the total needs). Given the very short window for planting (end-June to August), the first priority should be given to fertilizer, which is applied three to four weeks after planting.

The Zambian government’s recent actions to address the toxic legacy of lead in Kabwe, in central Zambia, brings hope to affected communities, 15 Zambian and international nongovernmental organizations said today.

In March 2022, Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema established a new technical committee to tackle extreme levels of lead pollution from a former mine and smelter in Kabwe, and to protect human health and the environment. The committee met for the first time on June 3 at the Ministry of Green Economy and the Environment and will propose a plan for a sustainable solution to the contamination in Kabwe.

“The Zambian government’s willingness to seek a long-term, sustainable solution together with stakeholders is a crucial development for addressing the environmental disaster in Kabwe,” said Namo Chuma, director of the Kabwe-based Environment Africa. “As civil society, we stand ready to support this process.”

The Ministry of Green Economy will oversee the committee, with representatives from the Zambia Environment Management Agency, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the University of Zambia, and civil society organizations. The president has asked nongovernmental organizations to take an active role in the committee’s work, expressing appreciation for their efforts to address lead pollution.