NEWS

Stay tuned for news about the latest developments with East African Solutions.

October 2024 -

DESPITE SHORT TERM CHALLENGES, INVESTMENT IN AND TRADE WITH KENYA CONTINUES

Between 1st-3rd October 2024, East African Solutions attended the inagural UK-Kenya Trade Mission, organised by CICL UK at the Weston Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. The event was healthily attended by representatives from the Kenyan government and private sector as well as athe Kenyan diaspora in the UK.

The event had a large focus on how to get the Kenyan diaspora particpating back in the Kenyan economy particularly in the real estate and agricultural sectors.

There were also organised tours to a number of Kenyan businesses and initiatives including to Konza Technopolis, a proposed USD $11 billion tech city modelled on Silicon Valley, which is mooted to be Africa’s ‘Silicon Savannah’.

In an interview with KBC 1, Kenya’s main national state broadcasting channel (awaiting clip), East African Solutions Managing Director, Ray Willbern on being asked why UK businesses should invest in Kenya said, “Unlike other countries in the region and further afield, Kenya’s economy is very resilient to shocks and despite recent civil unrest, liquidity issues and political challenges, international investment keeps coming into Kenya. Kenya’s competitive advantage is in it’s hardworking, enterprising and educated human resource and this is a large reason that despite whatever challenges the country undergoes from time-to-time, business goes on.”

April 2024 -

John Humphrey, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa at Developing Markets Association’s trade mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Kinshasa.

UK AIMING FOR DEEPER TIES WITH THE DRC

Between April 10th-April 11 2024, East African Solutions attended Developing Markets Association’s trade mission inaugural trade mission to the DRC at the Kin Plaza Arjaan by Rotana Hotel.

Whilst the DRC is not one of East African Solutions’ six core countries, it does border four of them, namely Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia and the DRC is critical to the work East African Solutions do in opening up regional value chains.

Whilst, the DRC has not seemed to be a Tier 1 African partner to the UK historically, it was clear to see the desire for both countries to deepen political and economic ties. This was highlighted by the fact that the event was attended by six DRC cabinet ministers and leading UK figures such as Lord Popat, the UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC and John Humphrey, King Charles III’s Trade Commissioner for Africa.

The event featured a number of panel discussions and networking sessions on the opportunties within the DRC economy with a large focus on big infrastructure, particularly opportunities and linkages presented that will arise with the Lobito Corridor passing through the DRC as well as opportunities in big energy - particularly in hydropower.

A UK company, Westminster Group plc also signed a USD $140m deal with the DRC government in the aviation support services sector.

Whilst East African Solutions will no doubt keep a keen eye on the DRC, for the country to become a larger focus would require the the DRC to do more with regards to peace and security in its eastern regions as well as looking at better integration into the East African Community (EAC).

February 2024 -

East African Solutions Rwanda Country Director, Ivan Ochieng (L) in conversation with the UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy for Rwanda, Uganda & the DRC, Lord Popat (R).

THE UK AND RWANDA FORGE STRONGER BUSINESS TIES

East African Solutions attended the UK-Rwanda Business Forum that took place at in and around Kigali between 29th-31st January 2024 to provide high-level dialogue and networking to bring together UK and Rwandan business leaders, investors, and senior government officials in discussing business opportunities. The UK is currently the sixth largest provider of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the Rwandan economy.

East African Solutions Country Director, Ivan Ochieng, noted one of his highlights of the forum as being networking with the delegates who were looking for opportunities in Rwanda, the majority of whom had an interest in the coffee sector.

Ivan said, “This shows that the quality of Rwandan coffee is known by those in the know despite the low volumes harvested.”

Other areas that appeared to be of interest from UK investors were from independent power producers (IPPs) and British companies with regional offices in Nairobi looking for further expansion and opportunities deeper into East Africa.  

Ivan noted that, “the ease of doing business seemed to be a major highlight which UK investors found as being attractive to investing in Rwanda.” However, Ivan added, “it is easy enough to get all of your filings done, but this should not create an illusion that every aspect of business is a walk in the park. There are certain licenses that are necessary for certain sectors and activities and there is still a need to engage with professionals with local knowledge that can predict, foresee and navigate challenges for investors to spend less time and money on these processes.”

Ivan also said that “a key theme of the forum was that new entry into a variety of sectors has to be done in different ways to those who have gone before due to the small size of the market and not having first mover advantage.” 

However, despite these potential challenges, there were a number of positives to come out of the forum.

Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana, Rwanda’s Minister of Finance & Economic Planning said, “We have made remarkable reforms in macroeconomic management, in governance and business environment making Rwanda one of the easiest places to do business globally. These reforms have paid off in terms of rapid increase of private investments both domestic and FDIs.”

John Humphrey, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa said, “The total trade in goods and services between UK & Rwanda is increasing by more than 9.4% over the last 12 months” with Lord Popat, the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy for Rwanda, Uganda & the DRC adding “we receive 10 tonnes of horticultural produce daily six days a week in London now from Rwanda, and there is scope to increase that to as much as 200 tonnes per day”.

The UK-Rwanda Business Forum showcased growing bilateral trade and investment ties, highlighting Rwanda's attractiveness for UK investors while emphasising the need for tailored approaches and local expertise to navigate challenges and maximise opportunities in key sectors in order to best grow business partnerships and opportunities between the two countries.

November 2023 -

EAST AFRICAN SOLUTIONS COMPLETE UK LONDON MOVE

East African Solutions have completed the move of their UK registered office to International House, 36-38 Cornhill, City of London, London, EC3V 3NG, United Kingdom.

The business in now located in the heart of the City of London, a major global financial and business district.

East African Solutions acknowledeges the problematic role in historical British imperialism of the City of London, including activities located on the street of Cornhill itself and its connection to the deeply unethical and inhumane slave trade which contributed to the economic development of the United Kingdom as well as causing immense human suffering and lasting social and cultural impacts still felt in many parts of the world, most especially on the continent of Africa to this date.

Despite the City of London and Cornhill’s connection as a force of ill to the African continent, we recognise the City of London’s potential as a current and potential future force for good for Africa.

In our target countries alone, most recent figures show that the UK is the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into Kenya and Tanzania, the second largest source of FDI into Malawi and Uganda, the third largest into Zambia and the sixth largest into Rwanda, with many of these investment decisions being made within a stone’s throw of our Cornhill location in the City of London near the Royal Exchange, a historically significant commercial and trading centre.

We hope our presence here can help shape London’s future role as a force for good in financing solutions that lead to the advancement of the societies, economies, technologies and environments across East Africa.

June 2023 -

EAST AFRICAN SOLUTIONS APPOINT NEW COUNTRY DIRECTOR FOR RWANDA

East African Solutions are pleased to announce the appointment of Ivan Isaiah Ochieng as our new Country Director for Rwanda.

Ivan is a Kenyan national who has been resident in Rwanda since 2019, where he is Group CEO of Limitless Africa Investment, a holding company consisting of subsidiaries conducting marketing and event management; efficiency management; developing mobile phone applications; an e-commerce platform; and industrial kitchen solutions.

Ivan is also Director and Co-Founder of a Kenyan based business called Green Pencils, a manufacturer of environmentally friendly pens and pencils made from recycled newspaper that has received significant international press coverage for its green initiatives.

Ivan is formerly Chairman of the SME Caucus for the Kenya Association of Manufacturers and a Board Member for the Kenya Chapter of the UN Global Compact, which is an organisation advising the private sector on ESG issues.

Ivan has also overseen imports for a variety of companies into East Africa and has worked as a Tax and Audit Consultant. Ivan holds a degree in Accounting and Auditing from B.A. Marathwada University in India and a Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainability & Responsible Leadership from the Swedish Institute.

Ivan Ochieng replaces Lydie Nyombayire Murorunkwere. We wish Lydie every success in her new venture ML Corporate Services, a business incorporating new ventures, performing corporate governance, legal and compliance assistance, notary services, tax and accounting services, fund services, intellectual property registration and corporate training.

October 2022 -

WHAT SUNAK’S RISE TO UK PRIME MINISTER MEANS FOR EAST AFRICA

During Diwali celebrations on October 24th 2022, Rishi Sunak became the leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party. The following day he was named as the country’s Prime Minister (PM). Sunak, 42, is the UK’s youngest PM in 200 years; the country’s third during 2022; the first PM born to immigrant parents; first Hindu PM; and with a combined wealth of GBP £730m with his wife, also the first frontline UK politician featured in the Sunday Times’ Rich List.

Of greater interest to East African readers is Sunak’s family connections to the region. His father, Yashvir Sunak was born in pre-independence Nairobi after his own father, had settled in Nairobi in 1935 from the Punjab to work as a casual labourer and later as an accountant and chief secretary. Yashvir moved to the UK for study in the 1960s where he went on to become a doctor and met Sunak’s mother, Usha in 1977.

Usha, also of Punjabi descent was born in Tanganyika (now Tanzania), where her father worked as a tax collector before they moved to the UK, where Usha studied pharmacology and became a pharmacist.

Sunak’s ascendancy to PM has caused some scenes of celebration in East Africa, reminiscent to when Barack Obama - born to a Kenyan father, was named as President of the United States and the first man from an ethnic minority to hold that position.

Darshan Chandaria, a prominent Kenyan businessman of Indian origin said, “We hope this will be like the Barack Obama effect and strengthen mutual positive perceptions between the region and the UK, leading to an improvement in already positive trade and investment relationships with more active participation between governments linking businesses with opportunities.”

The UK is already the largest provider of foreign direct investment to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and one of the largest providers of foreign direct investment into Rwanda.

Lord Popat, a UK policy maker with Indian-East African roots and the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy for Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC said, “I believe Sunak’s heritage will help him have a special relationship with the region and strengthen relations between the UK and Africa, as we look to trade with other countries post-Brexit. Due to Africa’s size and projected population growth, Africa is the continent on which we should focus more to help and support it; to make sure our inward investment continues to get people out of poverty. Rishi Sunak will not just be a great Prime Minister for the United Kingdom but will help champion and work towards the issues facing Africa.”

With Sunak coming from a background in finance and with links to a think tank called Policy Exchange - a proponent of free market economics, an encourager of competition and of a reduction in government interventions, we expect Sunak’s policy stances on East Africa to be focused around trade and investment as opposed to aid.

Sunak’s East African born family sacrificed to provide him with an education allowing him the chance to work for the wealth and opportunities he has earned. His father-in-law, NR Narayana Murthy, founder and chairman of Infosys, a multi-billion, multi-national Indian IT company calls himself a “compassionate capitalist”, so we would expect Sunak to value hard work, education and competition as well as compassion in his policy pronouncements.

From a policy point of view, despite his intentions to not attend the forthcoming COP27, Sunak is a supporter of electric vehicles and technologies which can achieve clean growth protecting the environment. This is likely to have a positive impact on DRC’s cobalt, copper and lithium mining sectors, Tanzania’s graphite mining sector and in the implementation of proposals from COP 26, where the DRC among others agreed to stop deforestation by 2030.

Sunak supports limits on coal with a greater focus on hydrogen which will have implications for regional power generation, potentially opening up new opportunities.

Sunak also supports a new Capital Markets Mechanism to issue green bonds in the UK funding renewable energy in developing countries as well as rewiring the global financial system for net zero, which would include better climate data, mandatory sustainability disclosures, climate risk surveillance and stronger global reporting standards.

As the African Development Bank says climate change is costing Africa up to 15% GPD per capita annually, this would be a welcome development for the continent.

Whilst Sunak’s premiership is positive news on many fronts for the region, there may not be ample time to realise these potential benefits. Following the resignation of Sunak’s predecessor Liz Truss after only 45 days as PM, Sunak’s Conservative party are languishing in the UK opinion polls and he has much work to restore the reputation of his political party both at home and abroad and deliver on his undoubted promise.

We wish Sunak the best and hope his premiership can act as a catalyst in stimulating further cooperation between the UK and East Africa.

The author is Ray Willbern, Managing Director of East African Solutions, an award-winning UK and Rwanda based consulting firm develop new projects and supply chains in East Africa and opening up supply chains both within the region and for global export.

www.eastafricansolutions.com

© Material is property of East African Solutions Ltd and any reproduction in part or in whole is allowed only on written permission of the owners of the material.

September 2022 - We recently attended the UK-Uganda Trade Summit in London. Find our what our Managing Director, Ray Willbern thought of the event:

TRADE SUMMIT WOOS UK-UGANDA TRADE AND INVESTMENT

The UK-Uganda Trade Summit went ahead on Saturday 10th September under difficult circumstances. The event sought to further cement greater economic ties between the UK and Uganda. While Uganda does punch above its weight in comparison with other larger African economies with regards to fostering trade and investment with and from the UK, much work has still to be done to make these ambitions a reality.

The event proceeded during a challenging period, two days after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and as a mark of respect, senior government officials, including Ugandan President HE Yoweri Kaguta Museveni chose not to participate in the event, however as a credit to the organisers, the panel discussions were still insightful and informative with valuable input from private sector actors and essentially if UK-Uganda trade and investment is to further increase, the private sector needs to drive this over and above any government intervention from either side.

That is not to say that the two governments can simply spectate from the sidelines and watch trade and investment grow and enjoy the benefits without any intervention at all. Engineer Ronald Kibuuka, Executive Assistant to the Chief Coordinator for Uganda’s Operation Wealth Creation said, “we cannot do anything without the farmer. Economic growth and increase in international trade needs to be driven by agriculture.”

Kibuuka’s sentiments are backed up by statistics. Pre-COVID economic growth figures (averaging 6.3% over the past 30 years) were mostly driven by value added activities in the agriculture sector. 72% of Uganda’s land is made up of agricultural areas and four out of five of Uganda’s top exports are agricultural or agro-processed products. 

Uganda’s exports are growing by 17% annually, but if these exports are to grow further by leveraging the strong bilateral relationships between Uganda and the UK and tapping into the UK export market, this is where the two governments can intervene. 

One noticeable theme made by many delegates in private discussions were that their samples for display at the Trade Summit did not make it into the UK due to concerns surrounding paperwork and phytosanitary issues.

Feedback that we as East African Solutions have received from various exporters across East Africa is that exporting to the UK has become more challenging since Brexit. From the UK perspective, one of the main Brexit benefits was that it was to develop the UK to being a greater economic player on the global stage and opening up wider trade and investment opportunities beyond the traditional ties with the European Union.

If the UK genuinely wants to make this a reality, greater cooperation needs to be had, particularly with developing Commonwealth countries with regards to helping exporters and government bodies involved with the facilitation and regulation of exports to better understand UK import requirements to increase the ease of doing business with the UK post-Brexit.

Uganda has a goal of doubling its agricultural exports over the next seven years and the UK could be a major export market. However, this trade is not likely to be only one way. An increase in Ugandan exports to the UK also means greater opportunities for UK producers of agricultural inputs and machinery to sell to or even invest directly into Uganda.

Other parts of the summit focused on the number of large new infrastructure projects which will help to further stimulate intra-regional and international trade with Uganda, opportunities arising in Uganda’s burgeoning oil and gas sector, fintech, manufacturing and solving Uganda’s significant housing deficit.

It was noted that Ugandans were among the most successful immigrant groups in the UK and many were interested in contributing back to Uganda’s economic growth and it was highlighted by many panellists that the returns on investment to be earned from investing in Uganda were likely to be significantly higher than equivalent investments in the UK.

Subhash Thakrar, a past chairman of the London Chamber of Commerce said, “I have two mothers – the Uganda where I was born and the UK, where I moved to and made an impact with my life, but I have to look to both. Uganda will always be a home to me and many others in the Ugandan diaspora feel the same way.”

Overall, despite the reduced participation looking at the circumstances surrounding the event, it was a success and highlighted ways in which the two governments, the private sector in both countries as well as the Ugandan diaspora in the UK can all contribute to enhanced cooperation, trade and investment and growth of both economies.

August 2022 - East African Solutions Managing Director, Ray Willbern quoted on East African food security issues in International Banker, a global leading source of authoritative analysis and opinion on banking, finance and world affairs.

Click here to read the article.

August 2022 - East African Solutions wins New Management Consulting Firm of the Year - Africa at the CorporateLiveWire Innovation & Excellence Awards.

EAST AFRICAN SOLUTIONS WINS NEW MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM OF THE YEAR – AFRICA

East African Solutions, a management consultancy with offices in the UK and Rwanda has scooped the 2022 CorporateLiveWire New Management Consulting Firm of the Year – Africa during the Innovation & Excellence awards ceremony held at London’s Gorse Hill Hotel.  

The company supports and improves the decision-making process for businesses, government organisations, and non-governmental organisations. Primarily, the firm’s clients have an interest in Commonwealth countries across mainland Africa, where English is the main language of governance. These countries are classified as East Africa by the UN and include Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. East African Solutions bridges the gap between a range of international institutions and East Africa, enabling those organisations to feel comfortable doing business in the region.

CorporateLiveWire is a business publication with 77,000 subscribers include professionals from a range of industries including legal, finance, energy, healthcare, manufacturing and more with subscriptions available from CorporateLiveWire with printed copies distributed at select corporate events and major airport lounges.

Notable winners included companies such as Amazon and Intercontinental Hotel Shanghai Wonderland alongside dozens of SMEs worldwide who are thought leaders in industries ranging from advertising, consulting, law, finance, technology, manufacturing, energy, healthcare, lifestyle, events, travel, construction and education.

Winners were selected based on their performance respective to innovation, products and services, industry recognition, use of technology, sustainable development, marketing and branding, service excellence, ethical practice and employee satisfaction.

East African Solutions Managing Director, Ray Willbern said, “it’s great to be recognised for our hard work at such an early stage in the company’s life and hopefully this recognition can act as a further springboard in our work helping clients to develop exciting new projects and value chains. Africa has an abundance of opportunities and clients have been showing an interest in East Africa as a fast-growing region that has lower correlation to other global markets which can protect against global economic shocks such as COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict in a diversified investment portfolio. Clients has mentioned they have been impressed with our diverse range of cross-sector and government contacts and access to information and insight which is typically difficult to obtain.”

David Smith, Chairman of the British African Business Alliance, a diaspora led network for business leaders, investors and development organisations in Africa or expanding into Africa who collected the award on behalf of East African Solutions said, “It is a pleasure to collect this award on behalf of East African Solutions.  I admire their work in supporting and improving decision making for businesses, NGOs and government organisations with interests in East Africa. Using strategic, multi-disciplinary approaches they facilitate and support both foreign direct investment and trade, whilst working to solve some of the region’s biggest economic, political and social challenges.”

On their decision to honour East African Solutions with the award, the independent judging panel said, “we were particularly impressed by the range of services the firm provides, all of which help generate strong relationships between the region and their clients. They offer assistance in numerous ways, including the provision of fundraising support for new commercial projects and non-governmental organisations. The firm offers a range of import and export guidance, opening up brand new supply chains and developing off-take agreements, and producing insightful analysis and studies surrounding feasibility and market entry – key research which helps its clients make important business decisions. East African Solutions design and support projects from the outset, ensuring they reach a productive conclusion for all parties involved and ultimately, it ensures that business undertaken in East Africa improves the lives of those living there.”

July 2022 - We started our relationship with The New Times Rwanda, Rwanda’s leading daily print and digital media platform and Rwanda’s largest media company, providing opinion pieces around accelerating more rapid and equitable economic and social development in Rwanda and the East African region at large.

Our first piece for The New Times was around the economic threats and opportunities posed by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, particularly from the perspective of food security, regional and international value chains and intra-African logistics.

Russia-Ukraine crisis presents challenges for Rwanda, EAC but there’s a silver lining | The New Times | Rwanda

Our second piece with The New Times Rwanda was about how the country can capitalise on and develop its multilingual status to become a hub for business in Africa.

Rwanda’s multilingual status creates opportunity as business hub for Africa | The New Times | Rwanda

March 2022 - We have opened our business in Rwanda to act as a regional headquarters to better serve our African clients. As the name East African Consultants was not available for registration under the Rwanda Development Board, we have registered under East African Solutions Ltd and subsequently changed the name of our UK registered business from East African Consultants Ltd to East African Solutions Ltd through the UK’s Companies House.

We are registered in Rwanda with TIN 120051046 under the address, East African Solutions Ltd; Iwacu, Tetero, Muhima, Nyarugenge, Umujyi wa Kigali, Rwanda.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Lydie Nyombayire Murorunkwere as Non-Executive Director for Rwanda. Lydie works as Chief Executive Officer for Juristax (Rwanda), a trust company service provider, serving corporate, private and investment fund clients and also providing a range of structuring, company secretarial, corporate trustee, accounting and fund administration services.

Our company opening in Rwanda is reflective of the investment conditions being created by the Rwandan government and their desire to make Kigali a continental business headquarter location and a regional financial centre.