The Strathmore Executive: Issue 2

JUNE 2022

MAGAZINE

Great African Leaders

Breaking Barriers

Developing Great African Leaders

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From the Dean NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2021 The theme of this edition, ‘Great African Leaders Breaking Barriers,’ is a call to action for leaders to reimagine our policies and economic financial services from a background of colonial politics to a future of an Africa enabled economic environment. We are at the cusp of fighting corruption and mismanagement Before I turn my attention to the future, I would like of funds and ineptitude around management of the to reflect on the notable accomplishments of the continent’s assets and empowering our citizens to Strathmore University Business School (SBS) com- come together to devise solutions to Africa’s most munity that have made this year a truly remarkable pressing problems. year for the institution. Despite huge challenges, the university has sustained and even accelerated the In the past year, students from our MBA for Execmomentum we had before the pandemic struck by utives Programme participated in the Global Netdeveloping technology enhanced teaching, learning work for Advanced Management (GNAM) week and research systems for the future of learning and 2021 which attracted 24 participants from different hosting Summits and Conferences that brought to- GNAM partner schools. SBS also successfully cogether thought leaders from academia, the private ordinated the GNAM week for Undergraduate stusector and policy makers from the government to dents’ which attracted a total of 20 students; 11 from co-create initiatives to take Africa to the next level.

SBS and the rest drawn from Australia, Mexico, and Hongkong. The GNAM week was facilitated by SBS faculty and was themed “Entrepreneurship and As society gradually emerged from the pandemic in 2021, many windows of opportunity opened that brought the promise of new beginnings, novel ways of conducting business and the renewed incentive for the brightest African minds to come together to solve the challenges the continent faces.

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inovation in Kenya: A Focus on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)”. Moreover, the students from the MBA for Executives Programme cohort of 2019 had a successful Pan-African module at the IESE Business School in Spain despite Covid-19 disruptions. We saw an increase in the number of graduating students from 117 students in 2019 to 147 in 2021. Our Graduate students attended two virtual international modules; one at the University of Applied Sciences Neu-Ulm Germany for the Master of Science in Development Finance Programme students and another at the Israel Embassy Nairobi and Mashav (Israel’s Agency for International Development Corporation) for the Master of Management in Agribusiness Programme.

Additionally, SBS is working in collaboration with the United States Government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement the Kenya Small Business Development Centers (Kenya SBDC) program to address challenges faced by MSMEs and to expand business and trade opportunities for these MSMEs. The Kenya SBDC program is a five-year, $5 million program that will establish and operationalize an accredited network of county-based small business centers and establish sustainability mechanisms and support systems for them. It has set out to increase the capacity of at least 2,500 MSMEs and will ensure at least 40% effective inclusion and participation of women and youth.

I am proud to announce that SBS has been awarded a grant of USD 3,200,000 by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation effective 1st December 2021, which will run over a period of three years. The purpose of this grant is to transform social ministries owned and managed by Catholic sisters into sustainable social enterprises. The project will be implemented in four countries; Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia and will work with various Catholic sisters’ congregations from the Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA), who in their role as trusted servant leaders in communities play a critical role in supporting the most vulnerable groups in our societies.

Africa generates significant raw materials however it is disturbing to note that we only participate in 3% of the trade that derives from this. SBS aims to improve agribusiness value chains by combining business, agriculture, county development and extension programs with research, mentoring, and teaching in the Agri-Food Innovation (AFI) Hub. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has partnered with SBS to conduct a study to characterize business models and processes of different private actors along the poultry value chain, to document the typical enterprise budgets for value chain actors, and to assess their profitability.

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Digital transformation will also be key to Africa’s development. In September 2021 Strathmore University Business School in collaboration with TalTech University of Estonia hosted the first High-Level Think-Tank meeting on Sustainability for e-Governance in Kenya. The meeting was graced by the Estonian President H.E. Mrs. Kersti Kaljulaid. TalTech University and Strathmore University Business School have started a collaboration to develop a program in e-governance in Kenya. The cooperation between Estonia and Kenya is set to usher in a new era of digital governance in the 21st century with higher quality, cost-effective government services and citizen-centric systems that will serve society at all levels and bridge the digital divide across Kenya.

the key to unlocking our potential as an economic powerhouse.

THE CONTRADICTION OF LEADERSHIP IN AFRICA The achievements highlighted here are a small percentage of the many initiatives ongoing at Strathmore University that aim to build a connected, sustainable Africa.

The contradiction of leadership in Africa is that we have the brightest minds in healthcare, engineering, pharmacy, law and architecture and yet we have not created the right environment for them to thrive. Our brilliant young men and women are working at research institutes abroad and running large companies in other countries. The inflection point is how we can turn this trend around, increase patriOur healthcare system is still in dire straits in Kenya and otism by creating the right environment to nurture and de65 years after independence we are still working towards velop the potential of our people and retain African talent establishing a proper healthcare system. In contribution to devise strategies that will transform our continent. This to the implementation and realization of the Universal is the battle we are facing and I can see the tide is turning.

Healthcare Coverage goals, the Institute of Healthcare Management has been working on the Malaria LMG There has been a significant improvement in governance training project awarded in September 2021 by Bill and and leadership in the country with positive strides bring Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). The project will de- made in infrastructure development and policy and devovelop and equip leaders and managers of National Malaria lution levels, growing the blue marine economy and an imControl Programs (NMCP) to make effective use of data provement in education infrastructure. Furthermore, we to inform decision making, to function effectively in their have devolved our resources reasonably successfully. Instileadership and management roles, and attract resourc- tutions are growing at the bottom of the pyramid. es and efficiently use those resources to sustainably and cost-effectively manage malaria (and other vector-borne As we aspire to develop a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development, we must diseases) programs within the African context. ensure that we have good governance and the right infraAdditionally, the Frontier Global healthcare systems structure and systems in place to deploy our resources efproject funded by USAID October 2021 and the African fectively. The potential of the African people is unlimited Health Diagnostics Platform (AHDP) project seeks to im- and by engaging and empowering our youth, our women, prove access and quality of laboratory services for low-in- our entrepreneurs and all our citizens we will formulate the come populations in sub-Saharan Africa. The evaluation right strategies that will refocus the continent’s strategies project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Founda- to reduce aid dependency and finance its own develoption (BMGF) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) ment. We must create the right environment and culture and implemented in four countries: Kenya, Ghana, Ethio- for our people to grow and transform our beautiful continent and preserve our common heritage, shared values pia, and Rwanda. and uphold our moral integrity. The time is ripe for ‘Great The Strathmore Global Institute which has established African Leaders’ to rise to the challenge and usher in a new centers in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda continues to dawn for the continent. grow steadily and offers a suite of cutting-edge Executive Education courses that can be customized to the unique By Dr. George Njenga, Executive Dean, needs of leaders in these countries to help them overcome Strathmore University Business School their own unique challenges. I believe that education is

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From the Editorial Team Welcome to this edition of The Strathmore Executive!

As 2022 moves into full swing, we celebrate the restored vibrancy of campus life and the successful transition to both hybrid and in-person learning this year and the spirit of collegiality that characterizes the Strathmore University community.

tively impacting society and our local and international Partners that have helped us to extend our influence, initiatives and impact globally.

We also celebrate our distinguished Faculty and staff for the thought leadership and training they deliver to help strengthen our communities and equip business leaders with the necessary knowledge and skills to take their institutions to the This year’s edition focuses on the theme, ‘Great next level.

African Leaders Breaking Barriers,’ The magazine showcases some of 2021’s knowledge sessions, in- Every article in this issue speaks to our faith in the dustry round tables and conferences held at SBS future, overcoming challenges, and the transforto empower and develop our Great African Lead- mative power of hope. I will conclude with a note ers. of sincere appreciation to all our contributors and the entire team at Strathmore University Business Additionally, this edition celebrates our Alumni School. and current students that are breaking barriers and advancing frontiers in their respective fields By Shailja Sharma, Executive Editor as well as our dedicated Researchers that are posi-

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Contents 10 Research & Innovation

Key Events

38 Partnerships Regional Academies

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48 Featured Alumni Faculty Spotlight

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The First High-Level Think-Tank Meeting on Sustainability for e-Governance in Kenya Strathmore University Business School in collaboration with TalTech University of Estonia hosted the first High Level Think-Tank meeting on Sustainability for e-Governance in Kenya. The scope of the High-Level ThinkTank meeting was based on Estonia’s cooperation with Africa which aims at strengthening bilateral and multilateral relations based on shared values, interests and equal partnership.

Estonia has been dubbed ‘the most advanced digital society in the world,’ by Wired. The country boasts an efficient, secure and transparent ecosystem where 99% of governmental services are online. A key priority for Estonia’s engagement with African countries is to share their expertise in e-governance and e-services which has been developed over 30 years.

The meeting that took place on 10th September 2021 at the Strathmore University Auditorium, was

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attended by the Estonian President H.E. Mrs. Kersti Kaljulaid, Dr Vincent Ogutu, the Vice Chancellor Designate, Strathmore University, Hon. Joe Mucheru E.G.H, the Minister of Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, Kadri Humal Ayal, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Estonia in Kenya, Hon. Lady Justice Martha Karambu Koome the Chief Justice of Kenya, Prof. Bitange Ndemo, Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, University of Nairobi, among other key dignitaries.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Vincent Ogutu, talked of the importance of e-Governance and how it can help

Estonia has been dubbed ‘the most advanced digital society in the world,’ by Wired.

The country boasts an efficient, secure and transparent ecosystem where 99% of governmental services are online.

in enhancing efficiency, increasing transparency and accountability. He said, “Whenever you introduce any systems of change or innovation there is going to be a training element that is needed.”

The country also places importance on public-private partnerships, universal internet access and ensuring all individuals own their personal data.

Their three pillars for information security are: Confidentiality (e-identification, ID-card, mobile-ID, smartID, e-residency card), Availability (X-road, a free and open-source data layer software) and Integrity (KSI blockchain). Kedi Valba, TalTech University Alumni Regional Manager for Africa mentioned, “We have more than three thousand services online in Estonia at the moment. In Estonia the government could not have done it alone, public private partnerships and the inclusion of Academia is very important.”

In a panel discussion on ‘Best Practices in the areas of digital transformation, e-governance, e-democracy and cyber security,’ moderated by Abby Agina, Deputy Economy Editor, Standard Media Group, Prof. Bitange Ndemo, the Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Business According to Dr. Ogutu, before any systems are imple- and Management Sciences, University of Nairobi said that mented, it is vital to gauge how they can be adapted to the even though the Kenyan government has made progress particular context. He affirmed that the partnership be- towards digitalization which has brought greater productween Strathmore University Business School and TalTech tivity more work needs to be done. He said that Kenya can University which is being supported by the Estonian De- improve its productivity further by creating more opporvelopment Cooperation will contribute not only to skills tunities for those at the base of the pyramid and to ensure enhancement and capacity building, but also to research, that every citizen has access to internet, “Affordable, acces“I am pleased that the partner we are working with today is sible broadband internet access is key.” the best in the world which will do a lot for us as an institution and as a country.”

Reflecting on the Academic perspective, Dr. Joseph Sevilla, Director of @iLab Africa, Strathmore University talked Kadri Humal Ayal, Honorary Consul of the Republic of about how @iLab Africa has been working to use modern Estonia in Kenya talked of how Estonia is one of the cool- technologies to solve local problems. He explained how est digital societies in the world. It is ranked the highest in a for the last 10 years, @iLab Africa has been working with lot of global metrics and now the country is being referred counties in Kenya. This has enabled them to have all their to as a benchmark in technology, “For us it’s a way of life, tax collection online. Acknowledging Estonia’s achievewe take a lot of pride in what we have achieved since our ment of establishing a cashless and paperless society he independence in 1991.” remarked how this project with the counties strived to achieve this, “All that is cashless because we are using moAlthough Estonia is part of the Baltic states it is considered bile money. We have also been working on projects involvNordic. The country has achieved enormous strength by ing cybersecurity. Just like Estonia, we are aiming for our rebuilding itself from poverty to become one of the stron- citizens to be able to do all their transactions online.” gest opinion leaders in the world. The country’s systems are all citizen centric which has been key to its rapid suc- Elaborating on the country’s preparedness to undertake cess. All systems, services and deliverables in Estonia take a digital transformation journey in terms of cybersecuriinto consideration the needs of its citizens and the ease of ty, laws and frameworks, John Sergon, Research Fellow accessibility. at Strathmore University Business School said that even 12

though there is a lot in terms of knowledge regarding cybersecurity and at a technical level there is capacity, a lot still needs to be done. The key elements that are missing are at the policy level, the laws, frameworks and regulations that will guide implementation of cybersecurity systems.

should harness its expertise in this area which will necessitate a culture change in Kenya.

world for a better place than education. She emphasized how education is an obligation of every nation towards their youth and that every government has a mandate to provide education to their citizens with the help of the best digital technologies, “That is why TalTech University and Strathmore University Business School are starting a collaboration to develop a program in e-governance here in Kenya.”

“When you are dealing with technology and someone has gone ahead of you it is much quicker to catch up. This makes it easier for Kenya to be where we want to be in five years.”

The second panel attended by H.E. Mrs. Kersti Kaljulaid, Estonia President focused on Sustainability for e-Governance in Kenya and was moderated by Uduak Amimo, a Hon. Chief Justice Isaac Lenaola, Supreme Court of Ken- leading Journalist in Africa. The panel addressed the imya, also emphasized that the impact of technology on the portance of training and digitalizing education systems. work done in the country is critical and that the country H.E. Mrs. Kersti Kaljulaid, said that, nothing changes the

According to him, the current challenge in Kenya is trust.

He gave an example about how long it has taken Kenyans to accept the Huduma number, and talked of how the county is in a position to learn and move quickly to ensure that every citizen achieves their digital rights. Currently Kenya has over 120 services online. “Since the constitution says that we must carry everyone with us, we have invested heavily on the access to services across the country. And we have digitized many services from education to getting vaccination certificates. The relationship between the Kenyan and Estonian government will help the country to forge ahead in becoming a digital leader in the world.”

She also elaborated on the importance of inclusive national policies that can allow all citizens to access service at all hours, incentivizing digital participation and the gains and benefits of e-governance which include ease and speed of conducting transactions and reducing bureaucracy in government systems by having a single ecosystem.

In his comments, Hon. Joe Mucheru noted that Kenya already occupies a space in Africa similar to the position Estonia occupies in the world in terms of its digital achieve- The Estonian e-Governance Academy, a non-profit think ments. Reflecting on the country’s digital journey, he said, tank and consultancy organisation which has also has 13

been training some of the Civil Servants in the various Ministries in Kenya shared their expertise and best practices on the areas of digital transformation, e-governance, e-democracy and cyber security. Arvo Ott, the Director of e-Governance Academy commented on implementation of e-governance. He emphasized how trust and motivation of citizens is important. “Once we have the technology in place, we need to motivate people to start using the electronic services by offering services as cheaply as possible and ensuring privacy and data protection.”

have a few services that can be accessed online. The Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal and the Commercial Court Milimani are now conducting their proceedings online. Other courts are also doing online video hearings and e-filing is now being embraced despite some challenges.

We look forward to leveraging on the experiences of Estonia,” said Hon. Chief Justice Koome.

“At the Judiciary, we have embraced technology and we

By Shailja Sharma, Executive Fellow and Coach

In conclusion, the discussions during the Think Tank sessions focused on the need for global normative principles, regulations, and standards for data governance and Arvo Ott reminded the participants that, avoiding the dig- the concrete policy and programmatic needs of governital divide is key to ensuring universal access. And this can ments and development partners. The discussions shed be done through awareness creation and training. There is light on Estonia’s experience in areas of e-governance and also need for change management to be implemented by e-services and importance of developing institutional and political leaders and business managers as well as the need human capabilities in Kenya through training. They also for competencies to be developed at different levels of gov- highlighted the potential of private-public collaborations ernment through training by experienced professionals to accelerate infrastructure development, the importance from Academia. of gaining citizens’ trust, culture change and training to facilitate the adoption of digital technology and open and Speaking during the session on technology and the Judi- inclusive data governance policies. ciary, Hon. Chief Justice, Martha Koome said that since she joined the judiciary almost twenty years ago, they have The cooperation between Estonia and Kenya is set to usher been talking about using technology as an enabler to en- in a new era of digital governance in the 21st century with sure justice to Kenyans. Since COVID-19 struck and their higher quality, cost-effective government services and citservices were reduced, they were forced to transform their izen centric systems that will serve society at all levels and systems overnight and embrace technology. bridge the digital divide across Kenya.

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Redesigning the Organization for High Performance in the New Normal Over the past 18 months, the Covid-19 pandemic caused unparalleled changes in the world of work with overnight shifts to remote work, drastic business transformation, and digitization to facilitate new ways of working. Many of these changes have become commonplace with many organizations adopting them as the future of the workplace.

into the driver’s seat given their central role in enriching the workplace culture, remote working cultures, leading and accelerating business transformations, and business continuity.

An organization’s design serves to align the organization’s capabilities with the demands made by its environment. In the past, an organizationWith the pandemic altering the workplace and al structure could remain intact for decades. Tothe way we work, HR professionals were thrust day, the business landscape is very dynamic and 15

even more so with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is critical to continuously restructure to protect the core business and adapt to new opportunities.

The post-pandemic world of work has been characterized by very many ‘firsts’ and demands for organizations to pivot themselves and adjust fast.

All these changes in the world of work destabilized all aspects of the workplace from the officeless organization, employee experience, employee engagement, performance management, employee productivity, mental well-being, collaboration, organiza-

Today, the business landscape is very dynamic and even more so with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is critical to continuously restructure to protect the core business and adapt to new opportunities.

tional culture, the workplace, and even the definition of work itself.

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For some businesses nothing stopped during the pandemic, they adopted and adjusted on the go. However, many businesses encountered many changes pushing them to remodel their organizational design for enhanced re-entry post-pandemic.

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ensure that employees had all the technology tools and infrastructure to work and collaborate.

Communication. Communication is very critical and more so during crises situations. In times of crisis, everyone looks to the leaders for direction. Communication from the leadership to both external and internal stakeholders is critical.

Employee safety: Establishing elaborate procedures and response protocols and policies that adopt agile work arrangements was critical.

In our case, we adopted staggered work schedules and remote working. Employee safety is also hinged

on the psychological well-being of the employees.

Deepening the working relationship with employees by leveraging coaching and mentoring.

Sean Hettema noted that according to research by the Boston Consulting Group, employee engagement has been declining worldwide since the 1950s. The current business operating environment calls on HR leaders to look at practical and effective ways to improve employee engagement and productivity.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the Annual HR Summit 2021, Dr. Angela Ndunge, Deputy Executive Dean at SBS noted that these drastic shifts caused by the pandemic changes have pushed many companies to adopt new structures and new ways of doing things. “You will see many new regulations and policies being created to give management some guidance in the new workplace,” she said.

Speaking at the summit, Dr. Anderson Uvie-Emegbo highlighted three practical frameworks that HR business leaders can use to improve engagement and productivity in the officeless organization: • Agile Leadership Traits • Digital Skills Framework • 3H Coaching Framework

The first session of the Summit looked into the future of the officeless organization. The discussion panel featured Michael Chemorei, Head of Talent at Amref Health Africa, Dr. Anderson Uvie, Adjunct Faculty Member SBS, Sean Hettema,Adjunct Faculty Member SBS, Dr. Elizabeth Kalei, Head of Human Resources Management at the Kenya Judiciary and Dr. Salome Gitoho, Lead Consultant at Lincoln Consulting as the moderator.

The role of HR has been often equated to mere administrative tasks and personnel management, however, the new normal provides an opportunity to reclaim the strategic role of HR while designing the HR system for the future workplace.

The Annual HR Summit provides a platform for HR leaders and HR professionals to interact, network, and learn from each other on how to navigate the changing terrain of the workplace from the HR perspective and the evolution of the HR profession.

Michael Chemorei, Head of Talent at Amref Health Africa noted that the officeless organization calls for a complete paradigm shift in the way leaders approach people management. Sharing his personal experience, Michael highlighted four key things that business leaders should take into consideration when restructuring the organization: • Leveraging technology. With remote work forced on us by the pandemic, there was no other option but to adopt relevant technology fast! Organizations had to

Article by Juliet Hinga

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Accounting and Finance Roundtable: Connecting Students to Industry On Friday, 19th November 2021, we hosted an accounting and finance roundtable for more than 150 students from the Bachelor of Commerce Programme; Finance and Accounting options. This was the fourth such event in a series of roundtables organized by the SBS Undergraduate department through the Strathmore University Career Development Services office.

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Over the past two months, we have organized four industry roundtables for the Bachelor of Commerce Students: The Management Science roundtable, the Human Resource roundtable, the Entrepreneurship roundtable and finally the Accounting and Finance roundtable. These industry roundtables are geared towards preparing the students for the expectations and the opportunities

available in the job market. The roundtable events give the and change their investment philosophy to building and students a chance to interact and network with profession- creating wealth. als and industry leaders in specific fields.

The industry leaders present for the event were Diana Geoffrey Odundo, CEO at the Nairobi Securities Ex- Kuria, CFO at (Africa Exchange Holdings), Catherine change (NSE), gave the keynote speech during which he Chepkonga (BAT), Johnson Mwawasi, Founder and took the students through the products and offerings at CEO, (Lean Africa Consultants Limited). Others includthe NSE. From his presentation, Mr. Odundo highlighted ed Emily Kigen from (NSE), Stephanie Kimani (NCBA the new products that the exchange has developed over Bank), Margaret Muthoni (I&M Bank), Kenneth Minjire the years such as the derivatives market; Ibuka incubator (AIB-AXYS), Morris Kavuti (Citibank), Tom Kalovwe and accelerator program to host SMEs for visibility and (Toyota Kenya), Julius Mwanzilo (PriceWaterhouseCexposure; Unquoted Securities Platform (USP) which oopers) Godwin Ouma (GSL International), John Ekada facilitates the trading, clearing, and settlement of securi- (KRA), David Njenga (Flexi-personnel limited), Martin ties issued through private placement; Exchange Traded Waigwa and Cynthia Mburu (both from Africa Legal NetFunds (ETFs) and Real Estate Investment Trusts (RE- work).

ITs). He was particularly pleased to announce the rolling out of ‘day trading’. Day trading would allow investors to The industry experts brought on board a myriad of knowlpurchase and sell a security within a single day or multiple edge and expertise ranging from capital markets, audit, times for the day thus helping deepen market liquidity. He tax, forensics, project finance, financial management, comencouraged the students to invest in the securities market modity exchanges, banking, advisory among many others.

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I had the rare opportunity to sit around with Geoffrey Odundo at the capital markets roundtable and I used the opportunity to engage him about my fourth-year management research project titled “The Influence of Ibuka programme in promoting listing to the Growth Enterprise Market Segment (GEMS) at the Nairobi Securities Exchange”. I was keen to note his response on whether he shared the view that the Ibuka platform would help attract and nurture potential SMEs to possibly list at GEMS thus catalyzing listing at the segment which has been faced by few and slow listing since its launch in January 2013. I was excited to note that he found my area of research very interesting and informative – he encouraged me to continue further with the research project.

Our Bachelor of Commerce Degree Programme is structured to reflect the changing world of commerce and to equip its learners with the necessary skills, ethical principles, and general knowledge needed for decision-making in a contemporary business environment. The course is structured into a series of modules designed to focus specifically on the core functions of management. The Bachelor of Commerce degree prepares students to work in the area of management, finance, accountancy, banking, micro-finance, administration, marketing and other related fields. Apply here for the 2022 intake of the Bachelor of Commerce Programme.

Article by: Peter Wanyangi, Fourth Year BCOM Student, Finance Option

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Global CEO Africa Programme 2021 Kicks off at the SBS Nairobi Campus The first week of July 2021 saw participants of the Global CEO Africa Programme 2021 go through the first Module of the Programme at the Strathmore University Business School, Nairobi Campus.

pool of participants brought out the different African perspectives in the business space which gave rise to rich class discussions.

During the week-long class sessions, the CEOs interacted with renowned Faculty members and This year’s Programme drew participants from business leaders from East Africa and South AfriKenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Eritrea. The mixed ca. Dr. George Njenga, Executive Dean at Strath-

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more University Business School, kicked off the class session with a discussion on Ethics in Leadership. Dr. Njenga emphasized the importance of ethical leadership in Africa and what implications this would have for the African continent.

Dr. Edward Mungai, CEO at the Kenya Climate and Innovation Center (KCIC), evoked an intense discussion on the need for corporate sustainability in African organizations. Dr. Caesar Mwangi, CEO of ICEA Lion Group, had an in-depth session with the CEOs on the definition of a good leader. “Leadership means different things to different people,” he noted.

Describing the Programme experience, Dr. Maxwell Okoth, CEO of RFH Group described the class discussions as rich and mind-opening. Chizo Malize, Managing ABOUT THE GLOBAL CEO AFRICA Director, FITC Nigeria noted that the content of the Pro- PROGRAMME gramme was well planned and thought through.

As an industry leader, you map out your company’s course, chart its strategy and foster a culture guided by clear obThe Programme culminated in a game drive at the Maasai jectives and a shared mission. Today the global, interconMara National Park on Saturday 10th July. The Next Mod- nected world calls for executive leaders who are uniquely ule will take place at Lagos Business School and the Third attuned to the economic currents and market shifts that and Final Module at the Yale School of Management in could advance or undermine their firm’s long-term sustainNew York. ability.

The Global CEO – Africa Programme has been designed to enhance your strategic vision and equip you with new tools to better navigate disruptive trends that could impact your business. This Programme aims to bring together African business leaders to co-create the African leadership solution as they individually transform their organizations.

It is delivered by Strathmore University Business School jointly with the Lagos Business School in Nigeria and the Yale School of Management in New York.

By Juliet Hinga

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SBS Rated a Level Four Business School in the Positive Impact Rating (PIR) Assessment 2021 Strathmore University Business School (SBS) was dimensions. Among the Schools that made it to recently included in the Global Positive Impact the rating for 2021, SBS was the only Business Rating (PIR) 2021 program for Business Schools School from Africa. and was rated as a level four Business School.

This rating was based on the feedback given by A level four rating means that the Business School the students directly to the rating agency. The top is transforming students with a positive impact schools in this exercise were rated as level five, culture, embedded in governance and systems, the score attributed to pioneering schools with with visible results and progress in many impact unique, sustaining global leadership progress in 22

all impact dimensions. The rating advocates for identify- talent, insights from research, and continuous education ing Business Schools that are best for the world rather than for their staff. Business schools thereby support business those that are best in the world. and the economy. Providing a positive impact on society has not been considered core to business schools. Still, deThe results for the PIR 2021 rating were announced during mands for it have steadily increased in the past decade, as the UN’s 2021 Principles for Responsible Management exemplified by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Education (PRME) Global Forum. Antonio Hautle, the This new business school rating responds to these deExecutive Director of the UN Global Compact Switzerland mands. said, “Business Schools can be a force for good, and this is strengthened by students who are the next generation In remaining true to the mission of developing ethical and of business leaders. The PIR supports business schools to influential leaders who positively impact society, Strathprioritize responsible management education – UN Glob- more University Business School was indeed proud to paral Compact and PRME principles strongly support these ticipate in and support these rankings for business schools ambitions.” globally.

Business Schools are traditionally seen to serve students by developing their management competencies and to serve Article by Roy Were business organizations by providing them with educated

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SBS MBA Healthcare Management Students Part of the Winning Team of the 2021 Business School Alliance for Health Management (BAHM) Case Competition Two Strathmore University Business School Postgraduate students, Abigail Ndirangu and Winnie Abuto were part of the winning team at the 2021 BAHM Case Competition. The other team members were Vanessa Folkerts and Penghui Jason Chen both from Wharton Business School, USA. Abigail and Winnie are both in their second year of the MBA in Healthcare Management Programme.

Speaking during the closing symposium, Kevin Schulman, President of BAHM and a Professor of Medicine and Economics at Stanford University applauded the students for their innovative business models. “Students developed truly innovative telehealth business models for under-resourced or underserved communities at a time when COVID-19 has accelerated the use of technology in delivering critical healthcare services. The results of this compeThe team’s winning business idea, Nufaika Health, is a B2B tition demonstrate the importance of collaboration across e-commerce marketplace for pharmaceutical procurement campuses and continents to drive solutions that can have a designed to empower small pharmacies to sell quality global impact,” he noted. medicines in rural areas in Kenya.

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ABOUT THE BAHM CASE COMPETITION 2021 The BAHM Case Competition 2021 was hosted virtually and brought together more than 80 students worldwide, with seven of the 21 competing teams representing a mix of schools and countries, including the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Spain, Kenya, and India. This year’s theme for the competition was, Use of Telehealth Business Models to Reach Underserved Communities. The teams came up with business proposals which were then scored by an international group of telehealth leaders in technology, health care delivery, policy, and investment.

ment. Winnie and I were in Nairobi while our teammates were miles across the world, with an 11-hour time difference. We would meet early mornings/early nights, several times a week, and towards the end of the competition several times daily. We were juggling professional work, schoolwork, and our personal lives but we were committed to bringing our heads together, draw on our strengths and experiences, and be reliable team members.”

Winnie described her competition experience as both rewarding and challenging. “The experience was both challenging and rewarding. It took a lot of hard work and sacThis year’s competition was hosted and organized by a team rifice; from brainstorming and evaluating ideas, to doing of faculty members from BAHM member schools: Ingrid research and conducting interviews, while juggling studies Nembhard and Steve Sammut, The Wharton School, Uni- and work at the same time. We were able to strike a good versity of Pennsylvania; Ben Ngoye, Strathmore Business balance and had fun too,” she said.

School in Nairobi, Kenya; and Magda Rosenmöller, IESE, Barcelona, Spain. Two additional BAHM schools—The She further noted that working as a team meant among Indian School of Business, in Hyderabad and Mohali, other things such as considering different perspectives, India, and the INCAE Business School in Costa Rica— appreciating each team member’s contribution, and acserved as collaborating institutions. knowledging that even though each of us had great ideas, we had to objectively choose the one that gave us the best Speaking on her experience, Abigail said, “It was a great chance of winning and implementing. learning experience that required teamwork and commitTelemedicine offers many advantages over the traditional healthcare visit but has until recently been underutilized.

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic caused an increased acceleration in the use of telehealth all over the world.

Could telehealth be the new post covid reality for the healthcare sector?

Our MBA Healthcare Management Programme aims to equip managers with relevant skills for leading and managing the various facets and challenges that confront professional hospital and clinic managers, managers of NGO and faith-based health providers, and professionals in the emerging insurance, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries.

Article by Juliet Hinga 25

Industrial Visit to Kuehne+Nagel Warehouses with the Bsc. Supply Chain and Operations Management Students On Wednesday, 25th August 2021, the second year students of the Bsc. Supply Chain and Operations Management students at Strathmore University Business School had an industrial visit to the Kuehne Nagel Warehouses at Sunflag Industrial Park, Syokimau along Mombasa Road. The students were accompanied by their Lecturers; Linda Susan Ingari and Felix Mogesa.

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Kuehne+Nagel Ltd. is a Fourth Party Logistics Provider (4PL) specializing in Warehousing, Inventory Management, Customs Clearance, Transport, Distribution, and Innovative Solutions. The purpose of the Industrial visit was for the students to appreciate the practical aspects of the theory learned in class during the Warehousing and Inventory Management and Transport and Logistics Management Units.

ABOUT THE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN SUPPLY CHAIN AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

During the visit, the students were taken through the issuing and receiving process; the warehouse activities, the roles of the warehouse staff; the key performance indicators; the warehouse layout and design, security, and safety in the warehouse, warehouse management system, transport management and reverse logistics. Due to COVID-19 protocols, the students were divided into two groups in the morning and in the afternoon. The students interacted with the Warehouse Operations Manager, Warehouse Supervisors and the Warehouse Management System administrators.

The Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain and Operations Management Programme is designed to integrate supply chain, logistics, operations and digitization. Special emphasis is placed on Production, Logistics, Big Data, BlockChain, Automation and Artificial Intelligence, and how they will impact supply chain and operations management in the near and far future.

The Programme aims to expose students to a better view of the supply chain with emphasis on the flexibility and performance in a complex and uncertain business environment.

By Juliet Hinga

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SBS Trains 50 Directors of Community-Based Schools from Kibera Slums in Nairobi Strathmore Universiry Business School trained 50 Directors of Community-Based Schools from Kibera Slums in a Programme aimed at improving the financial literacy, entrepreneurship skills and business practices of the school owners and heads.

arm of the SBS Executive Education department.

This initiative is intended for an initial pilot target group of 50 community-based schools in Kibra and Langata Sub Counties, which are under the Alternative Primary Based Education & Training (APBET) education sub-sector, with the projected multiplier effect of replicating the initiative to This training is a community service project ini- other informal settlements in the County of Naitiated by the Enterprise Development Center, an robi.

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preneurship skills, and poor business practices within education–providing organizations with Social Missions in Kibera Slums. This has been occasioned by poor project design and implementation along with poor basic start-up management skills, leading to the reduced economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and over-dependence on donor aid and sponsorships. The training project proposes to:

According to statistics from the Kenya Ministry of Education, Kibra Sub County has more than 54,840 school-going pupils hosted in the more than 200 community-based schools, most of which fall under Alternative Provision of Primary Based Education and Training (APBET), and the 4 government primary schools located on the immediate outskirts of these informal settlements, or slums. Of these pupils, 87 per cent are hosted by these community-based schools, while 21 per cent are hosted by the four government public schools.

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For most of these APBET schools, the community contributes monthly or term participation which can be understood as fees. All their programmes have previously been donor financed, and this has enabled them to continue offering their integrated services to the children.

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These schools have great visions and interventions targeted towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); SDG 1: No Poverty by 2030 and SDG 4: Quality Education for All by 2030. All the initial 50 schools in the SBS pilot training are already striving to provide safe learning spaces for children to access quality education, psycho-social support, and feeding to the children of the slums, despite the challenge of lack of self-sustenance capacity. It is these schools that the SBS training targets to intervene on and build their self-sustenance capacity and strengthen their business resilience against global crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Build Financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and good business practices within the structures of the target Community-Based Schools (CBS) Develop and legitimize a socio-commercial model that empowers the organization to operate as a Business and generate more revenue To expand the financial capacity of the schools to generate surpluses, and meet the laid out pre-requisites for the available SME and MSME capital support, and reduce the dependency on traditional fundraising and charity support as the main sources of revenue support To mitigate the challenge of the inability of these schools to meet the requirements for registration with the Ministry of Education, along with the very stringent guidelines, which also translate into resources and capital

The Enterprise Development Center at Strathmore University Business School is dedicated to developing and empowering entrepreneurs running SMEs and MSMEs. Consequently, we offer an array of entrepreneurship courses designed to help entrepreneurs develop their entrepreneurship competencies as well as gain best practice insights to manage the growth of their business ventures.

This initiative came about as a response to the presence of insufficient good financial literacy, insufficient entre-

Article by Juliet Hinga

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Innovation and Sustainable Solutions for Health in Africa: Resilience Beyond the Pandemic The call for reformation of health sectors across the world has intensified following the recent crisis that revealed that underinvestment in this critical sector had repercussions that reverberated across all sectors and effectively plunged the global economy into a severe contraction.

Protectionist-leaning policies across high-income countries, such as vaccine nationalism and trade (export) restriction served as a wake-up call to 30

sub-Saharan African countries following the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis exposed the fickle nature of development assistance in times of crisis. While Africa is home to nearly 17 percent of the world’s population, only three percent of the continent’s population is vaccinated compared to over 70 percent in Europe. Africa produces only one percent of its vaccine requirements, and imports over 70 percent of medicines

consumed, yet the continent carries the highest burden of disease globally. It is unsurprising therefore that Africa suffered some of the worst consequences of the pandemic’s direct effects such as vaccine shortages, reduced trade/ importation of essential commodities and reduced development assistance for health.

In his opening remarks, Dr. George Njenga, Executive Dean of SBS asserted that successfully innovating and improving the healthcare sector in the country requires the close partnership of those who govern and develop policies and those who are governed that apply those policies.

He went to reflect on the current state of the healthcare system in the country and noted that although positive strides have been made to address the issues there are still glaring problems in the sector such as lack of skills and capacity building, improper storage of medicines, improper use of equipment, lack of proper governance in hospitals, misuse of donor funds and unreliable statistics due to silos that undermine effective decision making. However, Dr. Njenga observed that the country has the brightest minds to solve these challenging issues, “We have built a beautiful community of healthcare scientists, healthcare managers and healthcare communities of practice and we look forward to setting up one of the best biomedical research centres in Africa and probably the world, with the support of mathematicians, healthcare workers, healthcare managers, accountants, financial managers, health economists and policymakers.’’

Setting the stage for the discussions, Dr. Frank Wafula, a Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Healthcare Management at SBS said, “We are standing on the cusp of a very pivotal moment in history, a lot of effort has gone into improving the policy and regulatory environment that allows private enterprises to thrive and healthcare and non-healthcare businesses to thrive in the country and we are seeing an unprecedented pipeline of innovations which are trans-

Leveraging experience and insights from government, academia, and industry, the 2021 Annual Health Summit hosted by Strathmore University Business School (SBS) created a platform for stakeholders to engage in an open dialogue to determine what is needed to shift the continent’s focus from aid dependence to self-sustainability by supporting and encouraging local innovators and entrepreneurs to find solutions that have the potential for rapid scaling to reach all segments of the population. The sponsors of the event were the Kenya Healthcare Federation and Open Phences which are dedicated to bridging the public-private healthcare divide.

Africa’s growing markets present massive opportunities.

The continent has a rapidly growing population, growing literacy levels, high mobile and internet penetration, and rapidly expanding economies (Africa has the second fastest GDP growth). Unfortunately, policy, structural and market challenges hamper the maximization of opportunities, especially among local entrepreneurs. The Summit which focused on ‘Innovation and Sustainable Solutions for Health in Africa: Resilience Beyond the Pandemic,’ initiated the conversation to explore the next frontier for healthcare in Africa.

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forming health services as we know them.’’ He mentioned that researchers are increasingly being asked to come out of their shells and participate in the conversations on how healthcare can go to the next level. Historically scientists have existed in a cocoon of their own, isolated from policy makers and private investors, but this is rapidly reversing as forums such as this Summit look at bridging the gaps to get the right partnerships in place to maximize the benefits of the improved climate and research breakthroughs.

critical to the economic and social development of Kenya and that the current policy direction envisaged that investment in healthcare systems will be scaled up to improve healthcare outcomes. Functional healthcare supply chains, respecting intellectual property rights and the ability of the country to manufacture its vaccines, access to healthcare for all citizens and walking towards sustainability by helping to scale up local entrepreneurs are also focal points of the current strategy.

The Chief Guest, Dr. Simon Kibias, Head, Directorate of Health Standards, Quality Assurance and Regulation, Ministry of Health (MOH) representing the Chief Administrative Secretary of MOH, Dr. Rashid Aman, emphasized the importance of placing quality at the centre of service delivery and stated that the challenge posed to both the private sector and government is to come together is to ensure quality is at the center of healthcare service delivery to ensure that locally manufactured products produced from the technologies of our researchers are safe for both internal and international use and consumption. Indeed, Dr. Aman’s remarks read by Dr. Kibias affirmed that pharmaceuticals and health products and technology (HPT) are

Public-private partnerships in healthcare are not a new phenomenon however the current draft of the PPP act is skewed towards capital-intensive infrastructure projects which serve as a disadvantage for the healthcare sector.

Additionally, the ecosystem is very fragmented which impedes the ability of both private and public sector players to define what is important from a community perspective and how they can work together towards realizing the need to move away from silos to an ecosystem-wide approach to partnerships.

Mr. Stephen Macharia, Chief Economist and Head of PPPs, MOH, outlined the key market incentives for pri32

vate sector investment in healthcare which ranged from tax incentives, stable pro-investment government policies, business-friendly reforms, large pools of skilled enterprising workers in Kenya, the strategic location of the country as a financial communication and transport hub, improved physical infrastructure and low cost of internet connectivity and leveraging the strength of the tourism industry to encourage medical tourism. He also mentioned some key challenges that included low uptake of PPP projects both at national and county levels, more interest in infrastructure-based projects, uncoordinated PPP projects in counties, lack of information sharing and the lack of PPP focal people in most counties. However, the establishment of the PPP Unit in the Ministry of Health (MOH) will act as a bridge between the MOH and National treasury to help mobilize resources and forge new partnerships with the private sector, philanthropists and civil society partners.

cessing capital and being supported by the government when they are negotiating with big corporations and helping them to develop their businesses by equipping them with the right skills.

Dr. Bahaa Eddine Sarroukh, Senior Advisor on Innovation & Technology to SDG Partnership Platform Kenya and Innovation Lead at the Philips Foundation– SDG Partnership Platform spoke about how the SDG Partnership Platform is working with partners to support the establishment of effective and sustainable partnerships in healthcare. The SDG partnership platform was co-created with Kenyan NGOs, civil society, academia and government actors. It aims to bring intellectual and financial capital together to translate ideas into impact and move from piloting projects to scaling them effectively and also addressed building toolkits to build capacity at a county and regional level. He mentioned that structuring effective partnerships will require ongoing continuous dialogue.

During the panel discussion on the healthcare collaboration ecosystem, Dr Leah Mwai, Technical Advisor for Science Technology and Innovation, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), EA, articulated the difficulties local scientists face when they want to patent their innovations and understanding the legal and policy frameworks that enable them to do so as well as ac-

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Furthermore, Dr. Wangari Ng’ang’a from the Presidential Policy and Strategy Unit observed that basic products such as tongue depressors can be locally manufactured and invited the private sector and entrepreneurs to look into overlooked opportunities such as these. She also noted that a shift in perception of locally manufactured products is needed to ensure effective uptake of these products.

Hospitals and other institutions need to trust local manufacturing standards.

In summary, the lively discussions during the Summit highlighted a few key points of focus for healthcare transformation:

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Building a connected ecosystem and adopting a whole country approach in advancing healthcare. Shifting from an aid-dependent to a self-sustainable healthcare economic model Collaborating ethically in both the private and public sector Collaborating instead of competing and structuring partnerships to allow partners to absorb the risks they are best placed to handle Focusing on projects at a granular level and holding forums at the county level to bring together stakeholders to co-create locally relevant solutions

Elaborating on the Kenyan private sector working effectively with the government, Dr Gakombe Kanyenje, Kenya Healthcare Federation Chair, said, “It is a good time for the health sector to get organized and work together as healthcare moves from a footnote to a level four agenda item.’’ He stressed the importance of private interests to be aligned with public interests to facilitate effective collaborations.

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed that no country in the world has an ideal healthcare system and that digital health systems provide huge opportunities that can boost the sector. The effects of the pandemic were far-reaching and required a whole country/continent/global approach.

It is therefore clear that the time is ripe for Africa to invest time, energy, intellect, and resources towards establishing ecosystems that support local entrepreneurs and businesses to deliver sustainable and social, gender and culture-sensitive solutions.

Article by Shailja Sharma, Executive Fellow and Coach 33

Driving SME Growth and Competitiveness Through Agribusiness Can Make the Sector an Engine for Economic Growth in Africa The SME sector is increasingly being recognized as the engine for economic growth in Africa and is also viewed as the future of work. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the sector which has inspired the government to put in place stimulus measures to support businesses in Kenya. However, there is a need for stakeholders’ engagement through structured discussions on how effective these policy mea34

sures can support and sustain Agribusinesses and SMEs during and after the pandemic.

During the 9th SME Conference and Expo hosted by Strathmore University Business School (SBS) on the 7th and 8th of October, 2021 and attended by key policymakers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives, Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),

development partners, the private sector, youth, women organizations, civil society organizations, researchers and academia, it was observed that agricultural sectors across the African continent require skilled and youthful workforces across the entire value chain to modernize food production systems and ensure the sectors are commercially viable.

Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) can create opportunities for SMEs not only in Kenya but across Africa. He added that “the government has concluded the development of the agriculture policy, in consultation with all stakeholders, and we also concluded the development of the agriculture sector transformation and growth strategy, our vision 2030, all these documents are designed to promote a commercially oriented, market-driven agricultural sector.”

In his opening remarks, Dr. George Njenga, Executive Dean, SBS said, “Driving SME growth and competitiveness through Agribusiness is the foundation of the growth and expansion of the African economy in a significant way.’’ He also noted that the expertise and knowledge of the Kenyan people in this sector can transform Africa.

The Vision 2030 strategy incorporates an inclusion anchor: which focuses on smallholder farmers and other SMEs that support the agribusiness value chain by helping them to commercialize their products and organize them into smallholder farming groups or cooperatives to achieve scale through agro-hubs. It can also bring about Speaking regarding the achievements and emerging policy rural transformation in areas by placing agro-processing issues in the SME agribusiness sector during the confer- facilities nearer to smallholder farms as well as promotence, Prof. Hamadi Iddi Boga, Principal Secretary for the ing large scale farms that support smaller farms by sharing Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooper- knowledge, agro-processing opportunities, and market acatives noted that following the COVID-19 pandemic the cess. Such agro-hubs can empower the youth in agribusiAgribusiness Sector in Kenya is currently being impacted ness programs and build their capabilities to manage crises by drought, high fuel prices and rising fertilizer prices. Ac- such as COVID-19, locusts and climate change to improve cording to Prof. Boga, “the government is keen to facilitate the resilience of the sector. active engagement and investment by the private sector in agribusiness in Kenya and at the regional and continental Elaborating on the importance of SMEs participation level through the Africa Agriculture Development pro- in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), gram and enhance the Malabo Declaration which aims to Paulo Gomes, Co-Chair of the AfroChampions Initiative boost trade in agricultural goods and produce.” and Founder of Orango Investment Corporation said that African nations are under pressure to create jobs for their He mentioned that smallholder farmers form the bulk of youth. It is estimated that 20 million jobs need to be crefarmers globally and continental initiatives like the Africa ated every year in Africa to absorb all the youth that are

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entering the market.

The hybrid virtual conference which also hosted the first-ever virtual SME EXPO was attended by over 1000 participants. The event allowed the voices of SMEs to be at the center of discussions on the future of the agribusiness sector. The conference was focused on the following major themes in the agribusiness ecosystem: digital innovations and technology; policy support; access to finance and markets; and skills development. The conference also highlighted the importance of these drivers to agribusiness-centered entrepreneurship and competitiveness.

He noted that Africa has not managed to create an economy that can sustain shocks from crises such as the global pandemic, however, by putting the building blocks in place to achieve resilience and economic growth the continent can move in a positive direction. Considering that the AfCFTA has now established a Secretariat in Ghana and are putting policies in place, the initiative is geared to play an important role in pan-African security and creating enough jobs for the youth.

In conclusion, building a resilient, adaptive and powerful agricultural sector starts with empowering SMEs that are the engine of the Kenyan economy. The knowledge-sharing collaboration sessions in this conference between stakeholders spanning the triple helix of government, private sector and academia will help build an ecosystem where resourceful agribusiness entrepreneurs can take advantage of local, national, regional and international opportunities thus creating a dynamic, competitive and vibrant agribusiness sector in Kenya and across Africa.

Mr. Gomes said that even though the implementation of the AfCFTA will be gradual in terms of the countries adopting the policies as well as the sectors within those countries, the first sector to focus on is the agribusiness sector. He noted that African countries must be more proactive to partner with the private sector to inject resources into SMEs as well as accelerators and incubators through public-private partnerships. He commended Kenya’s agri-sharing economy where farmers share access to equipment and remarked that Kenya’s leadership in technology and its entrepreneurial mindset can play an important role By Shailja Sharma, Executive Fellow and Coach in Africa.

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Strathmore University Business School and Fairtrade Africa Sign a Memorandum of Understanding Agribusiness is considered the backbone of Kenya’s economy, contributes to 24% of Kenya’s GDP and accounts for 65 percent of Kenya’s exports. On Friday, 29th October, Strathmore University Business School (SBS) signed a partnership agreement with Fairtrade Africa aimed at fostering growth opportunities for Producer Organizations across Africa as well as increasing awareness on wealth creation, planning, innovation, clean energy environmental management and philanthropy.

Africa Network (FTA-ECAN) based in Nairobi, Kenya; West Africa Network (FTA-WAN) based in Accra, Ghana; Southern Africa Network (FTA-SAN) based in Cape Town, South Africa and the Middle East and North Africa Network. Its secretariat is based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Fairtrade Africa is owned by its members, who are African producer organizations certified against international Fairtrade standards producing traditional export commodities such as coffee, cocoa, tea, cotton, bananas, mango and Fairtrade Africa is a member of the wider International non-traditional commodities including shea butter and Fairtrade movement that represents Fairtrade certified rooibos tea. Currently, the organization represents over 1 producers in Africa and the Middle East. Fairtrade Afri- million producers across 33 countries in Africa. ca operates four regional networks: Eastern and Central 39

Speaking during the signing ceremony Dr. George Njenga, Executive Dean at Strathmore University Business School, highlighted the importance of agribusiness value chains, “We must find new ways of transforming the agribusiness value chain in Africa through sustainability and fair trade.

Through this partnership, we are going to look at the entire agribusiness value chain in a bid to alleviate the social economy and transform African farmers.”

Furthermore, Chris Olouch, Programmes Director at Fairtrade Africa, welcomed this partnership and highlighted some of the key areas of collaboration. These include: • Research on improving producers’ food security and income •

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Fairtrade Africa is a member of the wider International Fairtrade movement that represents Fairtrade certified producers in Africa and the Middle East.

generation needs Developing and implementing training collaborations as well as coaching modules for FTA Board and Management, FTA Staff, FTA producer organizations and FTA stakeholders Developing and implementing financial sourcing and resourcing mechanisms linking FTA Partner Organizations (POs) to financial institutions for business development and growth

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Incubating training modules to be incorporated in curriculum for tertiary and higher education institutions focused on areas where there are FTA Partner Organizations, and Developing and implementing innovations in the area sustainability with a focus on clean energy and environmental management

In conclusion, Fairtrade initiatives help to advance the socio-economic conditions that help small holder farmers and marginalized producers and workers to become self-sufficient and able to compete in the agricultural sector. The partnership between SBS and Fairtrade Africa has the po-

tential to lay a solid foundation that can empower generations of producers and associated stakeholders to achieve sustainability and greater equity in international trade in the future through education and training.

Article by Shailja Sharma, Executive Fellow and Coach

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SBS Partners with Evercare Healthcare Group to Offer a Customised Training for Senior Leaders at Evercare Group On 3rd September 2021, SBS and Evercare efficiency in their current and future roles.

Healthcare Group entered a partnership agreement whereby SBS will train senior leaders at This partnership is expected to see the capaciEvercare Healthcare Group. ty strengthening of 25 senior leaders in the first phase and more than a hundred middle-level and The objective of this training is to build the capac- supervisory level managers of the Evercare Ecoity of middle to senior managers in leadership and system hospitals in Kenya; Avenue Group of Hosmanagement to improve their effectiveness and pitals, Nairobi Women’s Hospital, Metropolitan

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Hospital and Ladnan Hospital.

This partnership comes amidst the pandemic and at a time when there have been shifts in consumer behaviour that require senior leaders and managers in all health institutions to adopt a high degree of agility in response and plasticity in people.

Healthcare and hospital structures have been forced to adapt to new ways of doing things. In addition, the health sector has also seen tremendous changes and advancements with technological innovations, new treatments, and new types of healthcare service-delivery models being employed.

The healthcare industry is one of the fastest-growing and constantly evolving industries in the world. The industry in Africa is also rapidly changing and has to face challenges such as the resurgence of old diseases such as tuberculosis

Since healthcare is a complex adaptive system, meaning that the system’s performance and behaviour change over time, the leaders and managers in the sectors must not only have technical, leadership, and managerial skills, they must also have the requisite professional ethics and values to guide them through environmental and professional uncertainties.

capacity of approximately 1,000 beds in Kenya, the Evercare Ecosystem Hospitals are committed to providing best-in-class, accessible, private healthcare for all.

ABOUT THE SBS INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT The healthcare industry is one of the fastest-growing and constantly evolving industries in the world. The industry in Africa is also rapidly changing and has to face challenges such as the resurgence of old diseases such as tuberculosis as well as an increase in chronic diseases caused by a growing ageing population. Healthcare providers must also understand and evaluate

new dynamics such as health managed organisations, rapid advancement in medical and information technology, increased competition, and growing demands for greater transparency from patients.

At SBS, we offer a range of healthcare management Programmes aimed at catering for the training needs of healthcare organizations and strengthening the leadership and management capabilities of healthcare professionals. Learn about our Healthcare Management Programmes

The Evercare Group is the leading impact-driven healthcare group across Africa and South Asia. The Group operates an integrated healthcare delivery platform with 30 hospitals, 16 clinics and 82 diagnostic centres. In Kenya, this portfolio includes; the Nairobi Women’s Hospital, Article by Juliet Hinga with nine hospitals, Avenue Healthcare Group with three hospitals and 15 outpatient clinics, the Metropolitan Hospital and Ladnan Hospital. With a combined hospital bed

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Strathmore University Business School and Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) Sign a Partnership MOU Strathmore University Business School has signed an vided a great opportunity for both NSE and SBS. “ This MOU with the Nairobi Securities Exchange. partnership is aimed at adding value, cooperation and collaboration between the two parties in a bid to improve the This partnership aims to promote knowledge transfer, capital market,” he added. quality research and innovation within the Strathmore University fraternity mainly through the provision of rele- NSE CEO, Geoffrey Odundo noted that NSE was very vant and cost-effective historical trading data as well as tai- pleased that this partnership finally was officially signed. lored training and capacity building programmes for both “ It has been a long journey and we are delighted that lecturers and students. we have partnered with Strathmore University Business School,” he said.

The two institutions shall further work together on research initiatives geared towards the growth of the NSE Dr. David Mathuva, Director of Undergraduate Proand the capital markets as a whole. grammes at Strathmore University noted that this partnership was both timely and very important for undergraduSpeaking during the signing ceremony, SBS Executive ate and postgraduate students.

Dean, Dr. George Njenga noted that the partnership pro43

SCOPE OF THE PARTNERSHIP 1. To make available historical trading data and listed companies’ information to SU in agreed format and frequency.

2. To provide tailored training to student groups hosted at Strathmore University premises or any other agreed appropriate venue at a discounted rate.

3. Seek possibility of working with SU to conduct Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment Training and Certification on a revenue sharing model.

4. To collaborate in areas of mutual interest including but not limited to data analysis and research disruptive technologies such as block chain.

The two institutions shall further work together on research initiatives geared towards the growth of the NSE and the capital markets as a whole.

5. To hold any other joint collaborations as may be mutually agreed from time, for the benefit of both institutions Strathmore University Business School as one of the schools in Strathmore University endeavors to transform leadership in Africa in the 21st Century by influencing the leadership of public and private sectors. Through a mix

of local relevance with well selected international collaborations and partnerships, the Business School seeks to transform society through the development of international executive business management and leadership Programmes: https://sbs.strathmore.edu/ The Nairobi Securities Exchange is a leading African Exchange, based in Kenya – one of the fastest-growing economies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Founded in 1954, NSE has a six decade heritage in listing equity and debt securities. It offers a world class trading facility for local and international investors looking to gain exposure to Kenya and Africa’s economic growth.

NSE plays a vital role in the growth of

Kenya’s economy by encouraging savings and investment, as well as helping local and international companies access cost-effective capital. https://www.nse.co.ke/

By Juliet Hinga

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Strathmore University Business School Signs MOU with Africa Water Watch Limited (AWWL) Strathmore University Business School has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Africa Water Watch Limited. This partnership is aimed at establishing a framework for cooperation between the parties to create and operationalize the Water Governance and Innovation Hub.

ecutive Dean, Dr.George Njenga, highlighted the need for effective water management systems in Kenya, Africa and globally. “In the next two years, we envision to have created a global center for water governance and innovation through the Water Governance and Innovation Hub,” he noted.

Speaking during the MOU signing event, SBS Ex- William Mboya, CEO, Africa Water Watch Limit-

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ed emphasized the commitment that AWWL had towards the partnership with SBS and more so towards creating • sustainable development through the proper management of water. “Today marks a great milestone for AWWL as we seek to change the conversation in water management systems and beyond,” he said.

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short courses and postgraduate studies.

Collaborate with governmental and non-governmental experts and agencies from a wide range of professional sectors and disciplines in water governance, technology, and innovation.

Promote innovation and knowledge generation on water governance, technology, and innovation through The two institutions will collaboratively engage in definresearch, policy dialogues, symposia, workshops, and ing the framework for cooperation and collaboration and seminars. outline the basic structures for operationalization of water • Undertake consultancies in water governance, techgovernance, technology, and innovation. nology, and innovation.

• Convene dialogues with communities to lobby for and The specific objectives of the Water Governance and Innopromote relevant policies for the provision of safe wavation Hub are: ter, sanitation, and waste management in a sustainable way in accordance with SDG 6 • Build capacities and promote water education through Strathmore University Business School endeavours to

transform leadership in Africa in the 21st Century by influencing the leadership of public and private sectors.

Through a mix of local relevance with well selected international collaborations and partnerships, the Business School seeks to transform society through the development of international executive business management and leadership Programmes.

Africa Water Watch Limited aims to attain responsible and beneficial life with water and wastewater management for sustainable development. The main objective of Africa Water Watch is to contribute towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) through interventions that enhance availability, accessibility, equity and sustainable management of Water and sanitation for all.

By Juliet Hinga 46

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Great African Leaders Breaking Barriers: Isaac Awuondo, Advanced Management Programme Alumnus KEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ADVANCED MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME The biggest highlight for me from the Advanced Management Programme at SBS was being able to experience different styles of management from a very diverse group and the opportunity to travel and meet people in different settings and countries particularly in Lagos, Nigeria and Barcelona, Spain. Additionally, the Faculty members running the Programme were very well experienced and brought out a lot of interesting perspectives on management and different ways of running a business.

My name is Isaac Awuondo, I am currently the Chairman of NCBA Bank Group PLC and Chairman of Bank Tech, the digital business arm of the NCBA Group. I have been in the banking sector for thirty-five years. I began my career as an accountant and then found my way into the banking sector.

One of the biggest changes I have seen over the past thirty-five years is how much technology has transformed the banking sector and how it is driving financial inclusion globally. Before the merger, NCBA was part of the Mpesa story and was a key player in founding technology-based solutions like Mshwari and Fuliza both of which have The greatest benefits I got from the Programme was creplayed a key role in transforming financial services in Ken- ating new networks, as well as getting a better and more structured way of looking at things and how we could use ya and across the continent. the learnings from this Programme to develop our teams ADVICE TO OTHER AFRICAN LEADERS IN at the organizational level. Post the Programme, I have enTHE BANKING SECTOR sured that I encourage and support my senior team memPrincipally I will advise them to be bold, try out new things bers to go through this Programme. and be prepared to give opportunity to new markets, most of which the banking sector previously took for granted. By Isaac Awuondo They should ensure they are investing in the future based Chairman, NCBA Bank Group PLC on what they have learnt from the past.

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Great African Leaders Breaking Barriers - Toseef Din, Alumna of the Managing Healthcare Business and a PhD Student I have been working at the M P Shah Hospital for the last ten years. I began in finance, then operations and now I am the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital. I am an alumna of the Managing Healthcare Businesses Programme at Strathmore University Business School and I am currently pursuing my Doctoral studies- PhD in Business and Management at the same institution. In all this, I have also delved deeper into my spiritual 50

and religious existence.

My background is in finance; I hold a BSc in Applied Accounting and a Masters Degree in Financial Management along with professional qualifications; ACCA, CPA(K). I started my career, like many others, with wide-eyed anticipation and worked in audit firms and various other logistics and education sectors.

I have advanced frontiers in the healthcare indus-

try by making healthcare affordable and removing inequities and barriers to quality healthcare and social services.

There are so many barriers especially for those who are poor and underserved. The link between healthcare services and social influencers of health requires drastic transformation. Addressing inequities is critical. The ability to afford and obtain health insurance, cost of care just to name a few.

In addition, we need to shift from a provider-centric mindset to a patient-centred focus. My hospital’s mission is to provide excellent healthcare every day and I have been developing strategies and policies to achieve this. We are making progress but have a long way to go to fulfil that promise. If there was something I could fix overnight, it would have to be making sure that I could help every person in our country receive the quality, culturally sensitive care and social services they need in a way that’s affordable and easy to navigate.

practice, our lives, our communities and to provide mentorship.

People believe that Successful CEOs have larger than life personalities with exceptional charisma and confidence. I always advise that we should be humble and that we should bring ourselves down and be approachable leaders.

As a leader, you need to foster trust, empower people and support them while letting them grow through challenging assignments and learn through mistakes. Tap into the creativity of your employees and allow them to be creative and propose innovations.

Measure all that you deliver and have your mission statement. The most important things for me have also been faith in the Almighty God almighty, love and kindness for people, good health, happiness and service to others.

One of my wise mentors once told me to regularly ask myself “are you making a difference in the lives of the people you serve?”

My greatest achievement would be hiring and supporting women. Making safety and quality in healthcare a core value and advancing our environmental stewardship program. Any of the work we’ve done to make healthcare more accessible and equitable gets me excited, but more than anything, I am proud of the culture we are building at the hospital. We have launched the strategy for the next five years and one of the pillars is to build highly engaged patient-centric teams. Our staff know they are now part of a special transformation, a hospital that is improving the health of our communities in so many ways. Here they know they are making a difference in people’s lives every day and that is incredible.

Finally, look after your mental health and well-being, create that self-awareness and don’t burn yourself out. Have regular check-ins with yourself.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MANAGING HEALTHCARE BUSINESSES PROGRAMME AT SBS? It was an absolute pleasure to undertake the course, this was the first course I ever took at the Strathmore University Business School. I was impressed by the cleanliness of the entire campus, friendly staff and still remember the orientation where spirituality was the cornerstone of the school.

We recently launched the accreditation journey through Joint Commission International Accreditation in a bid to improve our systems and clinical governance protocols.

Our patient experience program promotes patient-centered care to the next level and our Home-based care program provides monitoring and access to nursing and other diagnostics with respiratory support.

The professors and lecturers covered the material well with case studies that depicted real-life situations hence increasing the applicability in our daily working lives. It opened my mind to various sustainability and innovation practices that organisations can adapt to plan for business continuity. This course and the school inspired me further and I have just embarked on doctoral studies in business and management.

Moreover, I am proud of how quickly we ramped up telehealth for patients during COVID-19 and continue improving these services through adopting digital transformation. Expanding our commitment to diversity, equity The course covered several aspects of innovation, change and inclusion and advancing many initiatives to address management, culture change, finance and strategy among others. I was able to apply several aspects learnt almost imaccessibility is also important. mediately. I was able to share whatever I have learned with Women, in all their diversity, bring fundamental contribu- the team and built areas of leadership. I encourage others tions to governance and democratic spaces, but their roles to pursue this course. and input are too invisible. It is with this concern in mind that I take every opportunity for recognizing women lead- By Toseef Din, ers and provide them with opportunities to reflect on our CEO M P Shah Hospital 51

Great African Leaders Breaking Barriers: Dr. Maxwell Okoth My name is Dr. Maxwell Okoth, CEO and Founder of hospital offers services such as critical care, surgical care, RFH Healthcare Group. RFH is a group of healthcare fa- diagnostic in-patient and many other specialised services. cilities that have been operating in Kenya for the past nine years.

I started this business just after I completed university.

Building a business from scratch is not one of the easiest ACHIEVEMENTS AND THE SOCIETAL things, you find that in Africa most businesses will not IMPACT survive to their sixth month and about 80 per cent do not Today, we have six facilities, two outpatient centres, two go past the sixth month. To start a business from nothing maternity centres and a referral hospital; a specialised Lev- and with limited resources to build it to where we are; that el-Five hospital which has a 100-bed capacity. Our referral alone for me is a very huge achievement. From the number 52

of employees, we have to the impact we have brought to society and the lives we have changed by transforming healthcare delivery today.

Sometimes while walking on the streets, someone stops you and says: “Hi! You are RFH, thank you, I had my baby there!” These are the small things that change lives and make me proud of what we have done as an institution.

EDUCATION AND LIFE- LONG LEARNING First and foremost, I greatly believe

It is time for the business leaders to take the frontier. We have left Africa in the hands of politicians for far too long.

in education and consistently, I am always upgrading my knowledge. Over and above the medical training that I went through, I realised that a doctor is not a business leader per se and so I needed to go for training in business management.

ADVICE TO FELLOW AFRICAN BUSINESS LEADERS As leaders in Africa one thing that sets us back is disintegration. We need to stop looking at Africa as 52 countries and more as one united continent.

As a continent we have a market of four billion people. We can benefit from trading with each other and enhancing local production. This would change the face of Africa completely.

It is time for the business leaders to take the frontier. We have left Africa in the hands of politicians for far too

long. We do not have a problem with politics but we need to look at more progressive ways to advance the agenda for a Pan African unity that can change the livelihoods of Africans.

The sad state of affairs is that when you walk across the I came to Strathmore University and did my CPAs at the continent you will see that the problems in Kenya are the Strathmore School of Accountancy after which I joined same ones in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Congo and the MSc. Economics and though I did not complete this even worse in some of the countries. course, there is a lot of information I got there.

If we can unite and change the narrative by using shared The nature of the work I do does not allow you enough value to start businesses that impact communities, we can time to take extended courses so I settled for short execu- change the story of Africa. tive education Programmes such as the Managing Healthcare businesses Programme which I did at Strathmore By Maxwell Okoth, University Business School after which I was enrolled in CEO & Founder of RFH Healthcare Group the Stanford Seed Programme. I then went to Havard and did the Senior Executive Programme, currently, I am part of the Global CEO Africa Programme 2021 at the Strathmore University Business School.

These courses have expanded my knowledge of how to run a business. On top of the training and classwork, you get to interact with your peers in your industry and other sectors.

One thing I have learnt about running a business is that the same principles apply across the board, whether you are selling flowers or treating patients or are in logistics, in brokerage or the service industry, the rule of the game is the same; always make your clients happy and at the same time keep the investor happy. It is one of those mid-points that you need to balance very well depending on the industry you are in.

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Great African Leaders Breaking Barriers: Caroline Mwangi - Alumna of the Senior Management Leadership Programme My name is Caroline Mwangi, Human Resources Director at Schneider Electric East Africa which comprises Kenya,Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia.

Schneider Electric is a French Multinational energy management company, with presence in 62 countries and over 162,000 employees globally and 206 employees locally.

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My background is in Information technology (IT) but I have never practiced it. My first job was as a personal assistant to a great gentleman-Mr. Mwai- in the Motor Sector. Since he did not have a human resource department, I asked him if I could put up one for him.

So, I googled and using LinkedIn I put together a

human resources department and that is how my journey that.Additionally, read books about every problem began . He saw the passion that I had and later sponsored that exists out there somebody has written about it. So me to do a Higher Diploma in Human Resource Manyou can only know solutions exist if you read agement at Institute of Human Resource Management 2. Mentorship: It has taken a number of people to get (IHRM). you to where you are, as a leader be willing to give your hand to other people, be a mentor.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS 3. Never shy away from claiming your achievements, if There are so many achievements that I can think about, you don’t, promotions and other opportunities will however what is notable for me was when I worked in a bypass you because there are people who are better logistics company. It was a big organization and we had in verbalizing what they have done and they could be a challenge getting early careers in the system. We intromore vocal than you. duced a management trainee program and we did recruit- 4. Ask for help, you might find yourself in a male domiments across East Africa. I am very proud of this because nated area and you want to prove what you are doing, most of the trainees who joined today are world leaders ask for assistance. and managers across the country in different areas. This was the first project we did, but looking back at the impact KEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SENIOR MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME that it had in society is fulfilling.

The Senior Management Leadership Programme journey Schneider Electric East Africa recently acquired a fami- was very interesting in that we were the first pandemic ly owned business six years ago and we never really went cohort, it was challenging as well because the world was through a proper culture transformation process which shifting and this taught us resilience and to be patient with is very important when you are merging companies. I de- ourselves and with each other. Our classes were virtual and cided to work on this culture transformation process as being a class president meant an extra effort to keep peomy project for the Senior Management Leadership Pro- ple connected , interactive and making sure the class attengramme at SBS and we embarked on a culture transforma- dance was good. tion journey. In terms of employer branding,collaboration I obtained good genuine friendships and networks , people and engagement, we have grown greatly in the last twelve I can reach out to and get assisted. My journey at my workplace and the current transformation project has held me months and the impact can be seen. accountable and it was my Senior Managers Leadership Programme project.

I sum up my advice to other women in four key points: 1. Life-long learning. Never stop reading and never stop By Carol Mwangi learning to better yourself. Even if it means going back HR Director, East Africa at Schneider Electric to school to better what you are doing, keep doing

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Congratulations

Peter Njuguna on your appointment as the CEO of the SACCO Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA).

SBS Masters Student Appointed to Head Kenya’s Sacco Regulator, Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA) Strathmore University Business School wishes to congrat- the SACCO industry. ulate Peter Njuguna on his appointment as the CEO of the He holds a Master of Science in Management Science from SACCO Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA). the London School of Economics in the UK and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of NaiPeter brings on board 20 years of professional experience robi, Kenya. in the financial sector, both in the market and regulatory space. Prior to his appointment, Peter has been leading Peter was part of the pioneer class of the Master of Science the Supervision team at SASRA in formulating and imple- in Development Finance at Strathmore University Busimenting the regulatory supervisory strategy towards safe ness School. He has successfully completed all the requireand sound Sacco subsector in Kenya. ments for course work and is finalizing his dissertation in preparation for graduation.

Currently, he is part of the SASRA’s team leading the project on a shared technology platform for SACCOs. This ini- Congratulations Peter! tiative is supported by the Government of Kenya and the World Bank to address policy and market challenges that By Juliet Hinga undermine the financial stability and competitiveness of

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SBS Alumna Appointed Head of Department, Sustainable Business and Social Impact at Safaricom PLC Strathmore University Business School congratulates Karen Basiye on her recent appointment as the Head of Department, Sustainable Business and Social Impact at Safaricom PLC.

University of Manchester (UK), Central European University (Hungary), and University of the Aegean (Greece), and a Bachelor of Environment Science degree from Kenyatta University. She is also alumna of the SBS Senior Management Leadership Programme

Karen is a keen sustainable business leader bringing to the table more than 15 years of experience. She has previously By Juliet Hinga held other positions at Safaricom and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) where she developed competencies in leadership, governance, strategic thinking, sustainability reporting, corporate environmental management, and environmental management systems among others.

She holds a Joint Master of Environmental Science, Policy and Management degree from Lund University (Sweden),

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SBS Alumnus Appointed Managing Director at Coca-Cola Kwanza, Tanzanian subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) Strathmore University Business School wishes to congratulate Unguu Sulay on his recent appointment as the Managing Director at Coca-Cola Kwanza, Tanzanian subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA).

rette Company (TCC), in different capacities.

Unguu is an alumnus of the CEO Apprenticeship (CAP) Programme which is facilitated by Strathmore University Business School in partnership with the CEO Roundtable of Tanzania.

Unguu brings on board extensive leadership experience in risk and compliance, business strategy and governance.

By Juliet Hinga Prior to his appointment, he served as the Chief Financial Officer at Plasco Limited, Tanzania. He has also worked at Alliance One Tobacco, Tanga Cement and Tanzania Ciga-

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MBA for Executives Alumnus Appointed General Manager - Enterprise and Strategic Accounts at Dimension Data Strathmore University Business School congratulates Joseph Ouko on his recent appointment as the General Manager - Enterprise and Strategic Accounts at Dimension Data.

tomer Experience solutions such as CRMs and Robotic Process Automation solutions among others.

He also serves as a mentor in the Strathmore run Standard Chartered Women in Technology Program and the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI ).

Joseph is a digital technology leader with a passion for using technology to solve everyday business and social problems. In his current role, he leads the Dimension Data Strategic Sales business Unit comprising Client Managers and Technical Solution Architects in the Eastern Africa region (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Djibouti, and Ethiopia).

Joseph holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electronic and Computer Engineering from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology ( JKUAT), a Masters Degree in Computer-Based Information Systems from Strathmore University, and an MBA for Executives from Strathmore University Business School.

Over the years he has transitioned from technology engineering to leading technical teams in designing, implementing, and supporting Employee Experience and Cus-

By Juliet Hinga

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SBS Alumnus Appointed Head of Public Policy at Bolt Kenya Strathmore University Business School congratulates Anthony G. Mwangi on his recent appointment as the Head of Public Policy East Africa & the Horn at Bolt.

Government, Public Affairs & Communication (GPA) for Tullow Kenya and has previously served as the Leader-IBM Government & Regulatory Affairs for East Africa.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University Anthony is an accomplished professional with more than of Nairobi, a Certificate of Public Policy from New York 20 years of experience in government & regulatory affairs, University (NYU), and a Master’s Degree in Public Polipublic policy, public affairs, communication, stakeholder cy and Management from Strathmore University Business management & business development.

School.

Prior to his appointment, Anthony served as the Director– By Juliet Hinga

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MBA for Executives Student Appointed General Manager, PAYG, East Africa at Greenlight Planet Strathmore University Business School wishes to congrat- Prior to joining Greenlight Planet, Victor held senior sales ulate Victor Agandi on his recent appointment as the Gen- management roles with Airtel Networks, a Bharti Group eral Manager, PAYG, East Africa at Greenlight Planet. subsidiary in Kenya and Rwanda working within their direct sales and distribution, mobile-money, and B2B diviVictor is a seasoned sales and renewable energy profes- sions. sional with a passion for direct sales, channel management, and distribution. In his current role, he leads Greenlight Victor holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Banking Planet›s pay-as-you-go direct business operations in East from Moi University and is currently pursuing the MBA & South Africa. for Executives Programme at Strathmore University Business School.

Over the last six years, he has played a pivotal role in building the world›s largest pay-as-you-go solar network By Juliet Hinga that delivers affordable, clean energy to more than 60,000 low-income individuals in rural Kenya each month. He has been instrumental in the company›s expansion to Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

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BUSINESS SCHOOL

BUSINESS SCHOOL

BUSINESS SCHOOL

BUSINESS SCHOOL

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Researchers from Strathmore University and the University of Pittsburgh Convene for a Qualitative Research Workshop A team of researchers from Strathmore University led by Principal Investigator Dr. Pratap Kumar, a Senior Lecturer in health systems, convened a three-day workshop to discuss the early emerging qualitative results of the study on improving blood transfusion services.

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), an institution of the National Institutes of Health in the United States.

The team is composed of an international, multidisciplinary team with partners from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre (UPMC) and the Center for Public Health and Development (CPHD), a Kenyan NGO focused on public health. The key aim of the PITS project is to explore gaps and identify solutions across the blood continuum in a diverse set of sociopolitical contexts within Kenya’s current

This workshop forms a key activity for the BLOODSAFE project – Pathways of Innovation in Blood Transfusion Systems in Kenya (PITS Kenya). The project is focused on understanding how to optimize blood transfusion services in lower middle-income countries and is funded by the 64

health setting, namely in Nakuru, Turkana and Siaya counties. The team eventually seeks to implement supply chain solutions and innovative-disruptive techniques aimed at ensuring sustainability and generalizable to similar contexts within the Sub-Saharan subcontinent.

line Aridi and Tecla Kivuli, both post-doctoral research fellows at Strathmore. Research assistants from the three county settings included Tonny Epuu, Hellen Nyagol, Kevin Ochieng, Robert Kamu and Cindy Makanga.

This team discussed critical parts of the study including key frameworks, constructs and measures from the literature that are essential in understanding the meanings of the data from the field. The discussions also included collaboratively building a coding framework to make meanings from the collected data.

The Qualitative workshop was centered on an initial understanding of the emerging results of the first phase of the research study. The results focus on results from the aforementioned counties – Nakuru, Turkana and Siaya that face varying challenges with the blood transfusion systems.

Study teams consisting of research fellows, research associates and assistants gathered to provide feedback and insights on the data collected.

Many of the research assistants reported on the learning experience that they had. One of the research assistants, Cindy Makanga, said “The workshop provided an opporThe UPMC team was led by Dr. Linda Barnes, a global ex- tunity to gain hands-on skills such as learning how to use pert in the blood transfusion systems, Dr. Jennifer Makin, the MAXQDA software. It also provided an opportunity an obstetrician/gynecologist with long working relations to explore how different research models are used to gain in Kenya, and Dr. Alejandro Munoz-Valencia a medical a deeper understanding of the blood transfusion services doctor doing his PhD in translational research in trauma. that are qualitative, quantitative and process maps.”

The team from CPHD included Chairman Dr. Bernard Olayo, Executive Director Dr. James Okongo, Muthono Article by: Jackline O. Aridi Ph.D., PITS Mate and Gatwiri Murithi. The Strathmore University Project Manager/Research Fellow/Adjunct team included Prof. Jana Macleod, a leading trauma sur- Faculty, Institute for Healthcare Management at geon in Kenya, Abdirahman Musa, the Turkana County Strathmore University Business School focal point for non-communicable disease, and Drs. Jack-

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The First Kenyan Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) Roundtable with County Governors Meeting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are acknowledged by multilateral organizations, development agencies and Governments as a key enabler of economic growth and development globally. In Kenya, MSMEs represent a core pillar of the economy and play a significant role in business, innovation, wealth creation and employment. MSMEs have the potential to solve the high rate of youth unemployment as well as play a critical role in poverty reduction and increasing tax revenues that can contribute towards infrastructure development in the country. However, the lack of resilience demonstrated by these businesses is a cause for concern as the majority of them do not survive beyond a year or two of their founding. This represents a hurdle for leveraging the MSME pillar as a key driver of growth in the country.

Some of the challenges faced by MSMEs include insufficient access to financing, poor adaptability to rapid technological changes, and limited access to local, regional, and international markets. Moreover, most MSMEs in the country are negatively affected by a lack of market intelligence and data, insufficient training opportunities, and an unfavourable business environment compounded by inefficient policies and legislation. These challenges limit the growth of their businesses, which often excludes them from investment and trade opportunities.

To address these issues, Strathmore University Business School (SBS), in partnership with the United States Government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), launched the Kenya Small Business Development Centers (Kenya SBDC) program in May 66

2021 to support MSMEs by working in partnership with work of county-based business centres. The project also the County Governments to tailor MSME support to local builds linkages between Kenyan and American MSMEs to business needs. transfer best practices which will help Kenyan MSMEs to effectively take advantage of local and export market opThe program will offer MSMEs support by facilitating portunities, have improved access to finance, apply market access to finance, provision of business advisory services, analytics, and benefit from a supportive business-enabling providing trade/market information and exploring poli- policy environment at the county level. This will strengthcy innovations. Additionally, the program will ensure the en Kenya’s economic competitiveness and generate posiinclusion of women-led and youth-led MSMEs. Further- tive impacts for its citizens. more, it will set up Development Centers in the Prosper Counties. To ensure ownership, self-reliance and trans- The Governors’ Roundtable held on the 7th of December, parency, the Program will be people-centric ensuring it 2021, was the first step in creating a network among the is led, planned and managed by the MSMEs. The project Governors to discuss the importance of MSMEs at the takes the best practices in business development and ad- county level on job creation and economic growth. visory services from the U.S Small Business Development The golden triangle of research, academics and communiCenter (SBDC) model and transfers them to a local net- ty service enables Universities to build platforms such as

these to bring together the right development partners and Government actors to champion the spirit of innovation, inclusion and equity to solve the complex challenges faced by the marginalized MSME sector. During his opening remarks, Dr. Vincent Ogutu, Vice-Chancellor Designate, Strathmore University, elaborated on the importance of creating an enabling environment for MSMEs and stressed the importance of empowering MSMEs through capacity building and the importance of partnerships to share knowledge, conduct research and co-create impactful solutions.

Africa will begin to move towards relationships based on

trade rather than aid through capacity building projects such as the SBDC program. Co-creation is essential to USAID’s Prosper Africa mission to ensure local ownership of development projects. Speaking during the event, Mr. Mark Meassick, Mission Director, USAID Kenya and East Africa asserted that, “USAID has mandated that our implementing partners plan, manage, and implement programs in lockstep with County Governments. This is a process of ownership, shared commitment, and transparency that we want to foster across our activities.” He also appreciated the sustained efforts from all the County Government teams to identify joint priorities and to co-create approaches and 67

activities with Strathmore Business School and said that this demonstrates local ownership and fosters sustainability.

The University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA) will partner with Strathmore University in executing a proven 5-phase approach that will create a successful Kenya SBDC Network that creates economic impact for program stakeholders and is sustainable over the long term. Mr. Cliff Paredes, Director of the International Trade Center elaborated on the SBDC Model which is characterized by a focus on longterm and results-oriented advising, assisting large numbers of clients from start-up to gazelle phases, fostering a culture of constant measurement, generating economic impact results, leveraging resources and reducing program fragmentation and produces a positive ROI that results in program sustainability.

Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, Governor, Kisumu County remarked “MSMEs have been the backbone of Kenya’s economy since colonial times.’’ He observed that formalization of the business processes of the MSME sector will lead to taxation and that taxes should be seen as an investment in a public sector that works. MSMEs need to be formalized and have a proper legal framework that regulates MSME financing from the public and private sectors. There is a need to devise an MSMEs act that allows different MSMEs to get financial aid at minimal interest rates. This will ensure that devolution is not a mere philosophy but a source of wealth, employment creation and eradication of poverty.

County Governments are the agents of change and co-creation leads to trust, local ownership and sustainability of programs The provision of support for youth-led businesses that account for 57 per cent of the Kenyan population MSMEs by providing access to finance and linkages to market is an avenue to reduce poverty and create wealth. H.E. Hon Mohammed Kuti, the Governor, Isiolo County observed that increasing county own-source revenues working directly with County Governments for co-creation efforts will ensure counties do not merely rely on the National Government and are thus able to play important roles as positive agents of change.

The Governors Roundtable enabled key stakeholders to gain a comprehensive understanding of the program and allowed the Program Directors to receive insights from the Governors on ways the program can be curated better to address individual County needs on supporting their MSMEs. All four Governors in attendance and their representatives committed to offer support to the Kenya SBDC team for the successful implementation of the Program by assisting with land/infrastructure to set up the Development Centers in their respective Counties and forging local collaborations to ensure the growth and sustainability De-risking MSMEs is vital to their growth which can help of MSMEs. them become globally competitive KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GOVERNOR’S ROUNDTABLE County Governments need to create legal frameworks that support MSMEs. During the Governor’s Roundtable, H.E Hon. Professor

H.E Hon. James Nyoro Governor of Kiambu County stressed the importance of de-risking MSMEs by connecting them with financial institutions and ensuring they have access to loans at subsidized rates and encouraging innovation. He said, ‘’To create demand, we as Kiambu County 68

have dedicated one week for Entrepreneurs where we invite MSMEs innovations and bring entrepreneurs together for networking.”

In his closing remarks, Dr. George Njenga, the Executive Dean of SBS and Program Manager of the Kenya SBDC program stressed the importance of customized training that builds value chains, “Generic training of MSMEs does not work but building value chains works. Through value chains, we can reach our targets and ensure global competitiveness.” He went on to explain that developing MSMEs at random will not work. The critical factor is to identify the competitive advantages in each sector and build value chains. By building infrastructure around MSMEs they will be able to compete regionally and internationally. The inter-county dialogue will also facilitate the process of building transportation networks and encourage collaboration that can fast-track progress.

There is a need to democratize MSMEs to enable self-reliance “There is a need to democratize MSMEs to be resilient,’’ stated H.E. Professor Kibwana, the Governor, Makueni County, “In Makueni County, we have a global exchange program for the youth where they are trained to run businesses in a better way at a minimalistic fee. The training is held at an innovation centre built on government land. He went on to explain that deepening partnerships enhance co-creation. And when co-creation efforts are consistent they become more efficient and impactful. Therefore, gathering data on MSMEs to inform planning as well as continuous feedback will help advance development projects.

Mr. Kenneth Ombati, The Governor’s representative from Nakuru County also reinforced the need to collect data to inform decision-making.

In conclusion, the Roundtable event marks the promising start of a journey to champion the empowerment, inclusion and active participation of MSMEs in realizing Kenya’s full potential as a global trading partner and advancing economic prosperity for all its citizens.

There are enormous opportunities to increase Kenya’s Article by Shailja Sharma, Executive Fellow and exports under the African Growth and Opportunities Coach Act (AGOA).

There are significant opportunities to build partnerships linking U.S. and Kenyan firms in ways that include and empower women, youth, and underserved communities.

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SBS Holds Second Stakeholders’ Validation Workshop with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Last week, Strathmore University Business School (SBS) hosted the second stakeholders’ validation workshop to present the results of the findings of the poultry farming study conducted in Kiambu and Nairobi Counties.

value chain actors, and to assess their profitability.

The first phase of the project started in 2020 and began with SBS, on behalf of FAO, which documented the business models and typical enterprise budgets for medium-scale actors along the FAO partnered with SBS to conduct a study to poultry value chain in Kiambu and Nairobi Councharacterize business models and processes of dif- ties. This phase of the study focused on the different private actors along the poultry value chain, ferent nodes of the poultry value chain; poultry to document the typical enterprise budgets for meat producers, traders of live birds, processors 70

of poultry meat, transporters, and retailers of poultry products.

• • •

This year marked the second phase of the project during which SBS assessed the impact on the profitability of the actors adopting good practices. The findings from Kiambu County were presented on 21st July 2021. The findings from Nairobi were presented during this second stakeholders workshop. This second workshop aimed at showcasing the findings on poultry slaughtering in Nairobi County and further, the comparison between businesses adopting and those not adopting biosecurity practices during slaughter.

such as tiled tables or stainless steel surfaces Slaughter healthy birds only Poultry meat must be inspected Poultry offal must not be sold for human consumption

In attendance at the event was representation from the poultry farmers association, Financial Institutions, Millers, and farmers as well. The representative of the poultry farmers association noted that the association was keen on working with the farmers on the ground. She added that it was important for the farmers to get the required support to implement the biosecurity best practices.

The research team lead by Prof. S. Wagura Ndiritu from the Agri-food Innovation Hub in SBS, found that although adoption of good practices is profitable, the profitability is dependent on the end market. For example, the current mass market poultry prices do not compensate the actors for the adoption of good practices, therefore there is a need for capacity building of the consumers so that they start demanding high quality poultry beyond weight attributes.

However, there is a niche market that is willing to pay for a premium for the quality poultry meat. Unfortunately, the niche market is very small. To increase the uptake of the research output, Joy Kiplamai from FAO presented the way forward where there will be co-creation of the interventions.

The Food and Agriculture Organization Africa Sustainable Livestock 2050 project is supporting a One Health policy dialogue in Kiambu and Nairobi counties. The One Health policy dialogue aims at identifying policy interventions to facilitate the adoption of good practices of private sector stakeholders along the poultry value chain, as a means to minimize livestock-related public health threats. The adoption of good practices in any value chain involves advocacy actions to create business models that can produce clear trade-offs; farmers invest in good practices and decisions based on incentives that promise the highest payoff.

The Africa Sustainability Livestock Project (ASL) 2050 aims to do two main things; the first is to explore the longterm dynamics of the livestock sector and to identify the FAO had previously conducted an assessment on priori- emerging challenges for society. The other objective is ty good practices in terms of biosecurity measures for the to cooperate with local and national governments in an value chain. Here are some of the priority good practices: attempt to minimize livestock-related threats through improved implementation of existing policies, laws, and • Ensure ante mortem is done regulations. This is done through evidence-based policy • Operate in a licensed facility dialogue at the local level, which is where policy enforce• Observe drug and feed withdrawal before slaughter ment happens.

• Slaughterers need to obtain health certificates • Farm slaughter must observe minimum requirements Article by Juliet Hinga

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CEO Apprentice Programme (CAP) Uganda Regional Module Kicks Off Physically at the SBS Nairobi Campus Participants from the CEO Apprentice Programme Uganda class of 2020 and class 2021 visited, the SBS Campus for their regional module.

During the week-long training sessions, the participants have been interacting with business leaders from different sectors in the country. Through the various sessions, the participants were able to get invaluable insights and

tips on leadership.

Thomas Mundia took the participants through the first session where they looked into the self-awareness journey. By taking the Clarity 4D personal assessment test, the participants were able to see themselves through a different lens; both on a personal level and from a leadership perspective. They were also able to understand why they behave the way they do and why certain people are inclined to behave in a certain way, this was aimed at giving them a better 74

understanding of their teams.

Musyoka Consulting took the participants through a session on the importance of strategically aligning the CEO Speaking during one of the sessions, Caroline Mutoko, and the board.

General Manager, Radio Africa Group Kenya spoke on how to build your CEO Brand and how to be an authentic With the current turbulence brought about by the leader. “Building your CEO brand begins with managing Covid-19 pandemic, leaders must be prepared to lead and leading yourself,” she noted. She gave the participants through disruption. Ken Njoroge, CEO Celullant, gave the three key tips for better managing and leading yourself: participants a snapshot into his leadership journey from a delegation, organizing your personal life, and embracing start-up to a Fintech leader in the continent. Being a playspirituality. er in the technology space, Ken knows all too well about It is imperative that the Board of Directors and the CEO disruption and though Covid and natural disasters bring are aligned in terms of the company’s strategic vision and about a different kind of disruption to businesses, the leadmission, Carol Musyoka, Founder and CEO of Carol er of the future must be prepared to give direction even

when there is no clarity post-pandemic.

Dr. John Olukuru, Head of Data Science and Analytics at Strathmore University, brought in the aspect of data analytics and focused on how CEOs can use data analytics to redefine their businesses. Dr. Olukuru took the participants through the various types of data analytics and reviewed how each type would work for different businesses.

Data is the new oil, if utilised properly and in good time, data can propel your organization to the tip of its industry.

Executives in the organisation and more so, targeting the CEO position or are CEOs in waiting. Recognizing the demands on the participants’ time, the Programme is condensed into an intensive 12 months Programme.

The CAP Faculty members use case studies of global leaders; introspective individual exercises; and classroom discussions with other global and regional leaders.

This Programme enables participants to explore their personal development as globally competitive leaders within a After three days of intensive training, the Programme cul- group made up of senior leaders from other sectors. These minates today in an industrial site visit to Isuzu East Africa peer exchanges provide opportunities to examine and dewhere the participants will be able to see the process and velop a participant’s approach to Corporate leadership and service excellence component of the component and get its unique challenges in a supportive and intimate setting. tips which they can apply in their own companies.

This Programme is offered by SBS in partnership with the CEO Summit Uganda.

ABOUT THE CEO APPRENTICE PROGRAMME UGANDA Article By: Juliet Hinga The CEO Apprentice Programme is designed for Senior 75

SBS Trains the Uganda National Oil Company Board Members in the Board Excellence Programme Strathmore University Business School recently trained 10 members of the Uganda National Oil Company Board and Executive Committee in a customized training Programme dubbed the Board Excellence Programme. This training Programme ran between 27th September 2021 – 1st October 2021 at the SBS Uganda Leadership Academy in Kampala, Uganda.

The Board Excellence Programme aimed to fur76

nish the participants with trending boardroom issues and directorship matters. The participants gained skills ranging from financial oversight, strategic boards versus operational boards and risk assessment in the current VUCA environment among others.

The training provided an opportunity for the participants to learn practically by looking at emerging trends in the boardroom and exploring

the different board skills required to better lead the board The Board of Directors is a critical instrument of corporate along with the various practices and principles needed for governance and plays a critical role in economic developeffective board management. ment in all sectors. Research shows that the board effectiveness is dependent on a variety of factors: the orientaThe week-long Programme culminated in a graduation cer- tion of new board members, procedures for board training emony. Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Dr. Robin and development, boardroom discussion and participaKibuka, Chairman of the SRCC, Uganda Advisory Board, tion, formal board member appraisal, remuneration of emphasized the constant need to learn and unlearn. He board members and timeliness in making decisions. highlighted four key things that a growth mindset allows you to do: Ideally, a board should comprise good ethical leaders who • Constantly challenge the status quo to ascertain what are mentally aggressive, value time, are intrinsically motineeds to be modified and strategizing to effect such vated and open to regular evaluation as a tool for improvechanges. ment.

• Explore ways to keep learning and unlearning with a focus on solving problems as opposed to finding or as- By Priscillar Nassimbwa signing blame.

• Work in teams; servant leadership with no dominant types but collegial approaches and team performance appraisal rather than individual appraisals and rewards.

• Promote teamwork and always share information and the limelight.

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Strathmore University’s Vice-Chancellor Designate Visits the SBS Uganda Leadership Development Academy Strathmore University Business School-Uganda Office The visit culminated with lunch at Golden Tulip Hotel, hosted Dr. Vincent Ogutu, the Vice-Chancellor Designate, Uganda.

Strathmore University.

ABOUT THE SBS UGANDA LEADERSHIP Dr. Ogutu began his visit by meeting the Ugandan team DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY and the Advisory Board Members led by the Chair Dr. Robin Kibuuka. He further commissioned the ongoing Strathmore University Business School’s Uganda Leadership Development Academy (ULDA) is one of the three classes that are at a 70 percent completion rate. leadership development academies which are making a During the visit, Dr. Ogutu met with Owekitiibwa Rob- footprint in Eastern Africa. ert Wagwa Nsibirwa, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Our overarching aim is to provide a transformational expefor Finance and Planning in the Buganda Kingdom. Their rience which includes the way of learning, the comprehenmeeting centered around creating a CEO Apprenticeship sive curriculum, the excellent faculty team, the experiences Programme for the Buganda Kingdom which would en- of remarkable leaders, and the lifelong business and social hance the leadership of the Masaza and Gombolola Chiefs connections. Learn more about the Uganda Leadership in their supporting and enhancing the kingdom’s mission. Development Academy

By Priscillar Nassimbwa

They also discussed youth empowerment and how they could ably skill and groom them for a better kingdom.

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Participants of the CEO Apprentice Programme (CAP) Tanzania Visit the SBS Nairobi Campus for their Regional Module Between 24th and 26th November 2021, 16 participants of the CEO Apprentice Programme (CAP) Tanzania, This regional module takes place in Nairobi and aims to Class of 2021 visited the Strathmore University Business give the participants a deeper understanding of the busiSchool (SBS) Nairobi Campus for their regional module. ness landscape in Kenya and the East Africa region as a whole.

The participants of the Programme this year are drawn from various sectors and consist of executive committee The Nairobi module had a rich Faculty bench who covered members, general managers, directors, chief operating offi- sessions on strategy execution, corporate governance, stracers, chief executive officers and other senior leaders being tegic finance and ethical leadership and many other topgroomed for CEO positions. ics. The module culminated in a guest speaker session by 80

James Wambugu, Former CEO UAP-Old Mutual Group second cohort of the CAP Programme with the next intake on the leadership journey and succession planning and a scheduled for Q1 of 2022. dinner at Carnivore Restaurant giving the participants the opportunity to enjoy Kenyan cuisine and hospitality.

CAP is a senior level executive development Programme run by SBS through the SBS Tanzania Leadership DevelAbout the CEO Apprentice Programme Tanzania opment Academy in partnership with CEO Roundtable Tanzania. This Programme aims to develop Tanzanian In a bid to support efforts under the Tanzanian Develop- CEOs and company directors in a move by the country to ment Goals 2025 the CEO Roundtable Tanzania (CEOrt) develop local leaders and rely less on expats. partnered with Strathmore University Business School (SBS) to develop and deliver the CEO Apprenticeship By Juliet Hinga Programme (CAP). This flagship leadership programme is designed to identify talented Tanzanians through rigorous mentorship and coaching sessions and prepare them to become Tanzania’s future leaders. The class of 2021 is the

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Professor S. Wagura Ndiritu Promoted to Associate Professor at Strathmore University Business School ACADEMIC JOURNEY Prof. S. Wagura Ndiritu holds a PhD. in Economics from School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. He completed his MA (Economics) degree with the best master thesis, and a Bachelor of Education (Economics and Mathematics) degree (First class Prof. Ndiritu is the academic director of Master of Man- honours) all from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Before agement in Agribusiness, an Environment for Develop- joining the PhD program he taught at the School of Ecoment Initiative (Ef D) senior research fellow and advisor to nomics, University of Nairobi, Kenya.

Kenya Climate Innovation Center Sustainability initiative.

He spearheaded the establishment of the Agri-Food Inno- RESEARCH Prof. Ndiritu received his first research grant in 2016 under vation (AFI) Hub where he serves as the Hub lead. the project of Pathways to Resilience in Semi Arid EconAfter a rigorous vetting process, Prof. Simon Wagura Ndiritu was recently promoted to Associate Professor, Development Economics at the Strathmore University Business School. He has been serving as a Senior Lecturer at the Business School since May 2015.

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omies (PRISE). This project focused on researching how pastoralists in semi arid areas in Kenya adapt to the impacts of climate change ; their responses and resilience .

The beef value chain in Laikipia was the core focus of this project.

ed Nations (“FAO”) as one of his key milestone research projects in 2020/2021. “Through this project, we seek to understand the business models of the poultry value chain in Kiambu and Nairobi counties and how the models can change if the actors adopt good practices,” he said. Strathmore University Business School serves as the research arm of this project with its role being impact measurement and advice on poultry value chain adoption of good practices.

He is currently involved on a project on Leveraging remote sensing and ICT to facilitate yield maximization, structured trading and inclusive value chain participation for smallholder staple grain farmers in Kenya. The project is funded by Innovate UK and is being undertaken by a consortium of institutions, which include AGRI-EPI Centre Limited, Harper Adams University, Usomi Limited and Strathmore University.

“We are now finalizing the study on implications of adoption of good practices on business models, profitability, and bankability along the poultry value chain for the urban and peri urban in Kiambu and Nairobi City Counties,” he added.

Prof. Ndiritu has worked extensively on topics such as Climate change adaptation and mitigation, food security, gender issues, Agricultural technology adoption, Applied Micro- Econometrics, Economics of Water Resources, Livestock Economics, Corporate Environmental performance, and post-harvest losses.

Prof. Ndiritu has won several prestigious scholarships and awards. For instance, The African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) Academic Board prize for the best Master’s thesis in the 2006/2007 Academic year and the best gender paper for CCAFS 2011 (Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security). His research work has been He also has great interest in agribusiness and post-harvest published in reputable journals. management. He has been engaged in coaching business Access his publications here: https://scholar.google.com/ entrepreneurs in the livestock value chain especially feed- citations?hl=en&user=IvH_UjYAAAAJ lot entrepreneurs in Taita Taveta, Garissa and Laikipia Counties, and poultry SMEs in Kiambu and Nairobi.

Congratulations Prof. Ndiritu!

By Juliet Hinga

Prof. Ndiritu highlights the One health policy dialogue with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the Unit-

Agribusiness Management Programmes

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Investing in Agribusiness Primary Production

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Investing in Agribusiness Value Addition

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Dairy Investors Programmes

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Financing of Agribusiness Value-chains

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Sustainable Investments in Agriculture Programme

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Exploring International Markets Programme

SBS Senior Faculty Member Joins the World Health Organisation’s Technical Expert Group (TEG) Dr. Francis (Frank) Wafula, a Senior Lecturer in Healthcare Management at Strathmore University Business School has been appointed to join the World Health Organisation (WHO) Technical Expert Group (TEG) on healthcare regulation.

The Technical Expert Group will develop policy guidelines to support the 194 WHO Member States in designing, reforming, and implementing health practitioner regulatory systems.

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Dr. Wafula has spent the past 13 years supporting regulatory reforms across various countries.

Locally, he has worked closely with the Ministry of Health and Health Regulatory Boards and Councils to refocus regulatory systems from the older command and control-style models driven by sanctions to responsive and risk-based models that encourage collaboration between regulators and providers. He has served on various technical working groups (TWGs), including the Joint

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT The healthcare industry is one of the fastest-growing and constantly evolving industries in the world. Healthcare providers must also be able to understand and evaluate new dynamics such as health-managed organisations, rapid advancement in medical and information technology, increased competition, and growing demands for greater He completed his Ph.D. in Health Systems and Policy in transparency from patients.

2012 and has since worked with various regional and international organizations to improve regulation, quality At the Institute of Healthcare Management at SBS, we offer and patient safety, health sector coordination, and collab- healthcare professionals an array of Healthcare Manageorations. These include the World Bank, the Global Fund, ment Programmes aimed at equipping healthcare leaders DFID/UKAID, USAID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foun- with the skills and frameworks needed to implement new dation, and UN Agencies (including WHO and UNICEF). processes, organisational designs, and leadership strategies His current research projects include studies on strength- within your organisation. ening regulation in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and India.

Health Inspections TWG, the Kenya Quality Management TWG, and the Kenya Certification and Accreditation Taskforce, and is now supporting the newly created Kenya Health Professionals Authority (KHPOA) to develop mechanisms for improving regulatory coordination.

He is a founding member and the current vice president of the Society for Quality in Healthcare Kenya.

Article by Juliet Hinga

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Commentary Article by SBS Senior Faculty Member Published in the BMJ Global Health Journal Dr. Pratap Kumar, a Senior Faculty Member at Strathmore University Business School, alongside Stephen Sammut, Jason Madan, Sherri Bucher, and Meghan Bruce Kumar wrote a commentary titled Digital ≠ paperless: novel interfaces needed to address global health challenges. Their commentary was subsequently published in the prestigious BMJ Global Health Journal.

Executive Programme in Global Health Innovation Management (SEPGHIM).

The SEGHIM Programme provides a unique opportunity for the Global Health Innovator to gain knowledge, insights, and skills to make a real difference in Global Health.

Through an innovative experiential learning model, participants will experience hands-on innovation in three differThe commentary delves into health information systems ent global settings while interacting with peers and workand looks at health information systems going digital as ing on their executive challenges. opposed to going paperless as an ideal information system of the future.

The learning journey will lead to personal and professional growth and a heightened ability to innovate in a complex “When the decision to use information technology is and fast-changing environment for better health outcomes made, ‘going digital’ is commonly equated with ‘going equitably and sustainably. Indeed, we need to respond to paperless’. Going paperless is challenging, especially for the increasing Global Health needs, while realizing the healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings,” reads potential of the opportunities given by digital, precision the commentary article in part. Read the full article here: health, and big data, providing solutions to more connecthttps://gh.bmj.com/content/6/4/e005780 ed and better-informed users.

Dr. Pratap is the Academic Course Leader for the Senior By Juliet Hinga 88

SBS Adjunct Faculty Member Appointed as Chairperson of the Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation Board Strathmore University Business School congratulates Carol Musyoka on her recent appointment as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation.

She has previously served on, and retired from the boards of at least 15 private, public and not for profit organizations including BOC Gases, Competition Authority of Kenya, Transcentury Ltd, Institute of Economic Affairs, Opportunity Kenya and the African Legal Support Facility of the African Development Bank.

Carol is the founder and CEO of Carol Musyoka Consulting, a firm that provides leadership and corporate governance training solutions in the East African region.

Carol holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Nairobi and a Master of Law degree from Cornell She has extensive management and board experience University, USA. Carol is also an alumna of The Effective which she accredits to her time spent as the Corporate Director Programme at Strathmore University Business Director, Barclays Bank of Kenya as well as the Executive School.

Director and Chief Operating Officer of K-Rep Bank, now Sidian Bank.

Carol is an Adjunct Faculty Member at Strathmore and the Lead Faculty in the SBS Board Governance Programmes Carol currently sits as a non-executive director on the in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. boards of East Africa Breweries Limited, British American Tobacco Limited, Limited and Kenya Airways.

By Juliet Hinga 89

SBS Adjunct Faculty Member Appointed to Chair the 12th National Social Security Fund (NSSF)- Uganda Board Strathmore University Business School congratulates Dr. work and Consulting experience gained in Uganda, East Peter Kimbowa on his recent appointment as the Board Africa, South Africa and Europe.

Chair of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) - Uganda Board for the next three years.

He has trained well over 50,000 people in more than fifteen countries in the last couple of years Dr. Kimbowa is a Dr. Peter Kimbowa (P.K.) is a co-founder and Chairman leading Process and Resource Consultant with expertise in of IFE – a leading Leadership & Management Develop- Governance, Enterprise Development, Strategic Planning, ment consulting firm based in Kampala. His company, Executive selection, Leadership Development, OrganizaIFE, was awarded the International Arch of Europe for tional restructuring, Research, Coaching, and Capacity Quality and Excellence Gold Category in Paris (2009). He building. Peter was awarded – The Best Professional Man is the founding member of the emerging ABACUS Busi- of the Year by the British Council and Management Foness School affiliated to the India Institute of Management rum.

(IIMA) and University of Sunderland.

Dr. Kimbowa is a member of the SBS-Uganda Advisory Dr. Kimbowa is an internationally certified Trainer first Board and an adjunct Faculty Member at Strathmore Uniby World Trade Organisation /UNCTAD and secondly versity Business School. by the International Finance Corporation, and a certified Public Sector procurement expert with over 20 years of By Juliet Hinga

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Driving SME Growth and Competitiveness Through Agribusiness Can Make the Sector an Engine for Economic Growth in Africa The SME sector is increasingly being recognized as the engine for economic growth in Africa and is also viewed as the future of work. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the sector which has inspired the government to put in place stimulus measures to support businesses in Kenya. However, there is a need for stakeholders’ engagement through structured discussions on how effective these policy measures can support

and sustain Agribusinesses and SMEs during and after the pandemic.

During the 9th SME Conference and Expo hosted by Strathmore University Business School (SBS) on the 7th and 8th of October, 2021 and attended by key policymakers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives, Continental Free Trade Area

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(AfCFTA), development partners, the private sector, youth, women organizations, civil society organizations, researchers and academia, it was observed that agricultural sectors across the African continent require skilled and youthful workforces across the entire value chain to modernize food production systems and ensure the sectors are commercially viable.

He mentioned that smallholder farmers form the bulk of farmers globally and continental initiatives like the Africa Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) can create opportunities for SMEs not only in Kenya but across Africa. He added that “the government has concluded the development of the agriculture policy, in consultation with all stakeholders, and we also concluded the development of the agriculture sector transformation and growth strategy, our vision 2030, all these documents are designed to promote a commercially oriented, market-driven agricultural sector.”

In his opening remarks, Dr. George Njenga, Executive Dean, SBS said, “Driving SME growth and competitiveness through Agribusiness is the foundation of the growth and expansion of the African economy in a significant way.’’ He also noted that the expertise and knowledge of the Kenyan people in this sector can transform Africa.

The Vision 2030 strategy incorporates an inclusion anchor: which focuses on smallholder farmers and other SMEs that support the agribusiness value chain by helping them to commercialize their products and organize them into smallholder farming groups or cooperatives to achieve scale through agro-hubs. It can also bring about rural transformation in areas by placing agro-processing facilities nearer to smallholder farms as well as promoting large scale farms that support smaller farms by sharing knowledge, agro-processing opportunities, and market access. Such agro-hubs can empower the youth in agribusiness programs and build their capabilities to manage crises such as COVID-19, locusts and climate change to improve the resilience of the sector.

Speaking regarding the achievements and emerging policy issues in the SME agribusiness sector during the conference, Prof. Hamadi Iddi Boga, Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives noted that following the COVID-19 pandemic the Agribusiness Sector in Kenya is currently being impacted by drought, high fuel prices and rising fertilizer prices. According to Prof. Boga, “the government is keen to facilitate active engagement and investment by the private sector in agribusiness in Kenya and at the regional and continental level through the Africa Agriculture Development program and enhance the Malabo Declaration which aims to Elaborating on the importance of SMEs participation in boost trade in agricultural goods and produce.” the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Paulo Gomes, Co-Chair of the AfroChampions Initiative and

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Founder of Orango Investment Corporation said that African nations are under pressure to create jobs for their youth. It is estimated that 20 million jobs need to be created every year in Africa to absorb all the youth that are entering the market.

He noted that Africa has not managed to create an economy that can sustain shocks from crises such as the global pandemic, however, by putting the building blocks in place to achieve resilience and economic growth the continent can move in a positive direction. Considering that the AfCFTA has now established a Secretariat in Ghana and are putting policies in place, the initiative is geared to play an important role in pan-African security and creating enough jobs for the youth.

in Africa.

The Vision 2030 strategy incorporates an inclusion anchor: which focuses on smallholder farmers and other SMEs that support the agribusiness value chain by helping them to commercialize their products

The hybrid virtual conference which also hosted the first-ever virtual SME EXPO was attended by over 1000 participants. The event allowed the voices of SMEs to be at the center of discussions on the future of the agribusiness sector. The conference was focused on the following major themes in the agribusiness ecosystem: digital innovations and technology; policy support; access to finance and markets; and skills development. The conference also highlighted the importance of these drivers to agribusiness-centered entrepreneurship and competitiveness.

In conclusion, building a resilient, adaptive and powerful agricultural sector starts with empowering SMEs

that are the engine of the Kenyan economy. The knowledge-sharing collaboration sessions in this conference between stakeholders spanning the triple helix of government, private sector and academia will help build an ecosystem where resourceful agribusiness entrepreneurs can take advantage of local, national, regional and international opportunities thus creating a dynamic, competitive and vibrant agribusiness sector in Kenya and across Africa.

Mr. Gomes said that even though the implementation of the AfCFTA will be gradual in terms of the countries adopting the policies as well as the sectors within those countries, the first sector to focus on is the agribusiness sector. He noted that African countries must be more proactive to partner with the private sector to inject resources into SMEs as well as accelerators and incubators through public-private partnerships. He commended Kenya’s agri-sharing economy where farmers share access to equip- By Shailja Sharma, Executive Fellow and Coach ment and remarked that Kenya’s leadership in technology and its entrepreneurial mindset can play an important role

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The Circular Bioeconomy – from Niche to Norm The oldest business model in the world is the circular bioeconomy; nothing is wasted, everything used and reused, with nature as the powerhouse.

A growing number of the world’s top CEOs, investors and leaders do think that this is the blueprint for a post-COVID world. So, what is a circular bioeconomy and how can it help build a more sustainable and equitable future for Kenya?

vehicles, global aviation, amazing branded packaging, plastics everywhere, new textiles, and construction. It was all about the versatility of oil and our growing addiction. But the consequences of endless burning and processing of fossil fuels, is a world filled with pollution that is harmful to both people and planet.

The circular bioeconomy seeks instead to draw Back in the 1970s, ideas of modernity were in- on nature-based solutions to our everyday needs. extricably linked to fossil fuels; new affordable With an expanding range of innovative products 94

from agro-forestry and biological processes, consumer markets are opening up to biobased solutions across the world. The circular bioeconomy has the potential to solve the multiple challenges of encouraging local investment, generating livelihoods and improving health, education and food security whilst protecting ecosystem services such as clean water, biodiversity and cultural heritage. So how does it work, and could it happen here in Kenya?

mapping, GIS, and earth observation in planning.

WOOD AS A MIRACLE BUILDING MATERIAL First, consider commercialising parts of our forests, not simply as a source of timber, but as raw resources for a wide range of products that are made in the country. An example of what can be achieved is UPM.com. Formed in the 1870s as a timber company producing pulp and paper, it now produces a myriad of products for local and global supply chains. These include renewable and sustainable biofuels to help companies replace fossil fuel raw materials and reduce their carbon footprint, self-adhesive labelling materials, bio-composites combining cellulose fibres and polymers into new high-performance products for construction, revolutionary fillers for light­weight applications with electrical insulating properties, without polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, different kinds of bioplastics and a nanofibrillar cellulose hydrogel for 3D cell culturing that is highly biocompatible with human cells and tissues – but free from any animal- or human-derived material. The wood comes from certified forests globally which safeguard biological diversity. Another example is Stora Enso, the largest producer of wood in the world and the oldest forestry company dating back 1000 years. This company is now reshaping the construction and textiles industries with wood products. Modular housing with good static load capacity, that reduce the need for multiple container loads, and noise in construction sites, multi-storey buildings up to 20 floors that are light enough to be built over tunnel areas and withstand seismic shifts, and construction products that are strong and light, produce half the emissions of concrete and steel, store carbon for their lifetime and at the end-of-life can be used for energy or recycled.

In one summer day, they can grow enough wood for a very large building. And all with biodiversity, conservation of ecosystems services and carbon storage at the core.

A project on hotspots funded by the UK National Centre for Earth Observation where Strathmore University Business School played a critical and enhanced collaboration between the UK and Kenya Space research communities revealed the importance of informing communities on the impact of climate change and their role in circular bioeconomy.

This is because climate change and rural economic development are having a major impact on the ecosystem services, biota, and agricultural productivity of Kenya. However, detailed information on the nature of the multi-hazard risks that communities are now being exposed to is very limited. Knowledge of the changes in crop and species diversity, soil productivity and water quantity will be vital for County governments in planning infrastructure developments, for households when deciding on which crops to grow, for pastoralists in determining stocking rates and for national agencies tasked with restoring and sustaining vital ecosystem services. The aim of this research was to establish the approach and methodologies needed to collect and analyse data to support county-level decision making in the domain of climate adaptation and rural development.

Field sampling of tree and plant species and biomass in the Mau Forest (Narok, Kericho and Bomet), Maasai Mara (Narok) and Cherangani Hills (Elgeyo Marakwet) and crops and livestock on farms (Narok, Elgeyo-Marakwet and Vihiga) was undertaken during the period January –May 2019. Data on the socioeconomics of farmers and landowners and communities was also collected through user surveys. This data was integrated into map layers using the 1960s Kenya Survey and multispectral earth observations of land cover from Landsat and Sentinel 2 missions to produce detailed threat maps. Time series of changes in relation to climate change (temperature and precipitation), land cover and land use change (i.e., agriculture, forestry, biodiversity) and surface water, showed increasing levels of environmental degradation in climax forests and pollution, such as erosion and siltation, throughout the catchment areas. These data are being used in the development County Integrated Development Plans. An e-learning based training certificate course is also being designed for county officials to encourage the use of community

In a warming world where greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced and carbon stored, it makes social and business sense to invest not only in planting millions of trees, but also in the R&D and new product technologies to create new value chains linked to domestic and export markets and generate livelihoods for millions of Kenyans in the construction, packaging and textile industries.

ENHANCED FORESTRY AND REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE Kenya has many millions of rural farmers, many barely making enough to provide food or school fees or medicine. With well-devised policies on land stewardship and well-articulated product regulations, many different biobased industries could be established in Kenya to the benefit of local farmers. Novamont, an Italian company, 95

has been able to generate new bioproducts, as well as increase rural employment, reinforce community resilience, and increase soil health through land regeneration. Using the principles of agroecology or regenerative agriculture for improving soil health and productivity, the company has integrated composting and all streams of organic waste from crops and vegetation into the industrial production of bioplastics and lubricants. This has enabled local communities to flourish and enjoy the financial and social benefits of locally derived resources.

bioeconomy does more than simply reduce externalities, it can fundamentally shift the risk profile of an investment.

Whether it is impact development bonds, green financing or social impact bonds, the evidence is that investments in nature-based solutions and the bioeconomy are top-tier.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, with partner countries in northern Africa, has earmarked portfolios of green projects and social projects against which the proceeds of its Green Bonds and Social Bonds are tracked. These bonds are issued in accordance with the Green Bond and Social Bond Principles and are linked Vava Coffee is a Kenyan company with a commitment to to projects such as sustainable and stress-resilient agriculsustainable and ethical growing practices. Working with ture, including investments in water-efficient irrigation and local producers to create a specialised product of washed sustainable forest management, reforestation, watershed coffee it has buyers all over the world wanting to combine management, and the prevention of deforestation and soil an excellent product with the knowledge that local farmers erosion. Private investors are seeing the benefits of the bioare benefitting. Expanding the co-production of special- economy and projects that have environmental and social ised crops, such as coffee and tea, within the setting of a purpose as well as profit as their purpose. healthy, biodiverse forest with intact ecosystem services, is another way that Kenya can become a global leader in the CIRCULAR BIOECONOMY OF WELLBEING AND THE GREAT RESET circular bioeconomy.

Investing in Nature to Transform the post COVID economy sets out six transformations and four enabling actions WHERE POLLUTION BECOMES A SOURCE OF SAFE PRODUCTS to build the new circular bioeconomy, within The Great In another step up to addressing some of the most tena- Reset as outlined by the World Economic Forum. In it, cious problems of our fossil-fuel economies, LanzaTech is researchers from leading institutions around the world, turning the global carbon crisis into a feedstock company including Strathmore University Business School, present with the potential to displace 30% of crude oil in use today a new economic model that builds on transformative poliand reduce emissions by 10 percent. Using bacteria to take cies, purposeful innovation, access to finance and risk-takcarbon emitted from industrial processes such as steel pro- ing capacity and new sustainable business models and duction, the carbon is turned into ethanol. Most recently, markets based on valuing nature. the company has set up its carbon recycling technology in China next to a steel mill and turned it into aviation fuel The potency of these ideas are gaining traction and Kenused in a Virgin Atlantic flight. ya already has many of the ingredients that would enable it to benefit from a shift to a circular bioeconomy: there INVESTING IN THE CIRCULAR BIOECONOMY are vast areas of land linked to bioproduction, significant Imagine a setting where virtually everything that is used in forest resources with a political and social commitment to everyday life could be biobased and reused or recycled. The increase their extent, recognised innovative entrepreneurs, flows through the economy would add value without cre- a young and increasingly literate population and a vibrant ating the large-scale negative externalities associated with market economy connected to global export markets for fossil fuels and chemical pollutants. However, the circular some of its specialist crops. Turning these around into a circular bioeconomy where biobased value chains are enhanced through domestic processing and manufacturing and the wellbeing of communities could become the core of a prosperous future that can be realised by Kenyans.

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Figure 1 Flows in the circular bioeconomy of wellbeing.

Source: European Forest Institute The circular bioeconomy relies on healthy, biodiverse and resilient ecosystems and aims at providing sustainable wellbeing through the provision of ecosystem services and the sustainable management of biological resources (plants, animals, micro-organisms and derived biomass, including organic waste) and its circular transformation in food, feed, energy and biomaterials within the ecological boundaries of the ecosystems that it relies on. It is powered by renewable energy and includes and interlinks: land and marine ecosystems, green infrastructures and the services they provide in cities primary production sectors (agriculture, forestry, fisheries, aquaculture and aquaponics), economic and industrial sectors relying on biological resources and nature-based solutions (food, wood industry, bulk and speciality chemicals, construction, packaging, textiles, pharmaceuticals, bioenergy, and all sectors benefiting from biobased solutions or ecosystem services such as nature tourism or water supply).

Article by Prof Jacqueline McGlade and Rosemary Okello-Orlale

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With presence in 8 African countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Zambia, Malawi, Senegal and Ivory Coast, SBS focuses on providing locally relevant solutions in an ever changing global environment.

BUSINESS SCHOOL

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