President Uhuru Kenyatta today presided over the operationalization of the first berth of the new Lamu Port, marking a major milestone for the regional Shs 2.5 trillion Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor project (LAPSSET) launched in 2012.

When complete, the Shs 310 billion port will have 32 berths, 29 of which will be financed by the private sector, making it the largest deep-water port in Sub-Saharan Africa.

On his way to the port, President Kenyatta stopped at Minjila in Garsen, Tana River County where he launched the Garsen-Witu-Lamu Road. The 114-kilometer road will facilitate the movement of cargo in and out of Lamu Port.

The President witnessed the docking of Maersk operated MV Cap Carmel and MV Seago Bremerhavel, the first and second vessels to dock at the new port respectively.

MV Cap Carmel, a Singaporean container ship, docked at Lamu on its way from the Port of Dar es Salam in Tanzania to Salalah in Oman.

On the other hand, MV Seago Bremerhavel is hauling a cargo of premium Kenyan avocadoes from Kakuzi PLC, Makuyu Orchards in Murang’a County to France.

Speaking during the historical event, President Kenyatta said the new port will position Kenya’s economy on the continent and globally, aiding the country's post-Covid recovery.

“As a critical pillar of the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor project, this Port will connect South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Eventually, it will connect northern Kenya to the Middle Belt of Africa; which runs from Dakar, Senegal in the west to Lamu in the east,” President Kenyatta said.

The President noted that Lamu Port is strategically located at the convergence of major shipping routes, saying its operationalization will open up northern Kenya to international trade, thereby fortifying the country’s position as a top economic gateway to Africa.

“With one of the deep-water harbours on the east coast of Africa, Lamu Port has the potential to become a premier transshipment hub for all cargo destined for the continent. Furthermore, Lamu now joins Mombasa Port as a key entry and exit point of cargo, deep into and out of Africa’s hinterland,” he said.

The Head of State said Lamu Port reflects Kenya's boldness and clarity of vision as it strives to become a prosperous and newly industrialized, middle-income country by the year 2030.

The President said Lamu Port and LAPSSET form  an integral part of the broader connectivity the Government is establishing through the Kenya Transport and Logistics Network (KTLN), an ambitious infrastructure blueprint that seeks to seamlessly link the country's ports through railways and pipelines.

“In the next phase of LAPSSET, Lamu Port and northern Kenya, will be connected by rail and pipeline links, which will eventually reach Ethiopia, South Sudan and other regional States, with the final stop being Dakar in Senegal,” the President said.

President Kenyatta, who also commissioned the construction of the 470-kilometer Lamu-Ijara-Garissa Road that includes 214-kilometer 'security roads' to Baragoi and Kiunga, said the new infrastructure will create opportunities for Kenyan youth as well as address marginalization of some parts of the country.

“Lamu Port is intended to serve the upper Northern region of our country. The whole objective is to ensure the issue of marginalization is dealt with once and for all,” President Kenyatta said, pointing out that the seaport is of great significance to the East African Community and the African Union, as evidenced by the participation of  South Sudan and Ethiopian leaders during the launch of LAPSSET in 2012.

Addressing wananchi at Kibaoni on the new Garsen-Witu-Lamu road, President Kenyatta said with the new port, roads and associated infrastructure, residents of Lamu should expect new employment and trade opportunities.

“Once this infrastructure is complete all residents of Lamu will enjoy better life as their fellow citizens elsewhere in the country. This new project will also offer job opportunities to our youth, thereby discouraging them from taking part in criminal activities,” the President said.

He cautioned the youth not to be lured into criminal activities especially radicalization and terrorism saying with the new project, they have a better future to look forward to.

The President challenged the local community to work closely with security agencies to tame crime and insecurity in the area by reporting suspected criminals to security agencies.

Lamu Governor Fahim Twaha and Treasury CS Ukur Yatani also spoke at the launch, an auspicious event attended by several Governors, Cabinet Secretaries, MPs, diplomats and senior government officials.

Former Taita Taveta County Woman Representative Joyce Lay is not going back to politics anytime soon.

Taking to social media, Lay who has since joined gospel music said she is comfortable where she currently is.

For those who are asking, I'm at a different stage of my life, separate from politics. This is where I'm happy most." she said.

Adding "I found my purpose and I have just started walking towards it. I'm not looking back."

In the post, Lay also revealed that she has been approached by some unnamed quarters to position herself as the best deputy governor for the county.

"I'm not planning to vie for a seat inTaita Taveta County, in 2022. Even the Deputy Governor positions that were offered to me....I won't take any." she charged.

She noted that she went through alot during her time in politics, at some point she was betrayed by her close associates.

"It's too early for me to go back now. It was too much on me. I lost everything. I had so much pain. I was shattered, Broken, wounded, Broke the whole time. People I trusted turned out against me, This was the most scary place in my life. To see your friend turning evil before your eyes. I have forgiven them".

She promised to reveal more on her upcoming series #JewelTalk.

http://ommydalla.co.ke/buzz/item/1617-former-mp-joyce-lay-turns-to-gospel-music

Idris Elba's wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba is in Kilifi, Kenya enjoying her holiday.

In photos shared on instagram, Dhowre is seen enjoying her stay in Kilifi spending most of her time at the beach with close relatives.

"Not tryna leave. #africaloveyou" she says in one of the posts.

Dhowre a former Miss Vancouver and a model of Somali descent got married to Idris in April 26, 2019 in Marrakech, Morocco before proceeding to Tanzania for their honeymoon..

British Vogue, who featured the two lovebirds last year, quoted Elba as saying, the couple’s spark was “love at first sight.” That first sight happened in 2017.

They were both at a jazz bar in Vancouver, where Elba was filming his survival tale, The Mountain Between Us, co-starring Kate Winslet, when he “locked eyes” with Dhowre.

Dhowre joins the list of international celebrities who have visited Kenya especially Kilifi county for their holiday with British super model Naomi Campbell being a frequent visitor.

Kenyan RnB singer Otile Brown and his former signee under the JustInLove record label Jovial seems to have buried the hatchet and are back to working together again, a year after their fallout.

The two talented singers have just released their latest song, titled 'Such Kinda Love'.

The undeniable chemistry between the two is evident in the song as it was in their previous songs Amor and Zichune.

http://ommydalla.co.ke/buzz/item/1149-jovial-ditches-otile-brown-weeks-after-car-gift

British supermodel Naomi Campbell has welcomed her first child.

Campbell, 50, shared a photograph of her hand cradling a pair of tiny feet on Twitter and Instagram on Tuesday afternoon, with the caption: “A beautiful little blessing has chosen me to be her mother.”

Adding "So honoured to have this gentle soul in my life there are no words to describe the lifelong bond that I now share with you my angel. There is no greater love."

Campbell, has not shared the baby’s name or date of birth, or any other details.

Naomi is the current Magical Kenya's International Tourism Ambassador, appointed by the the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has proposed several new approaches to financing of Africa's Covid-19 recovery efforts saying the private sector should be supported to play a more central role.

Alongside private sector participation, the President advocated for enhanced recovery packages from Africa's development partners, debt swaps and restructuring, and accelerated access to alternative sources of financing such as the Green Climate Fund.

"Innovative financing solutions that crowd in the private sector. These would include the issuance of private sector-backed financial instruments such as green bonds, supporting the issuance of local currency instruments, structuring guarantees to lower financing costs; and, developing and deepening public-private partnership opportunities," the President proposed.

"We need to move beyond traditional measures and implement truly transformational financing options that are commensurate with the enormity of the crisis," he added.

President Kenyatta spoke Tuesday at State House, Nairobi in his virtual address to the summit on financing of African economies hosted by President Emmanuel Macron of France, and attended by several leaders among them President Felix Tshisekedi of DR Congo who is also the current Chairperson of the African Union.

At the same time, the Head of State emphasized the need to upscale African countries access to Covid-19 vaccines.

“With regard to access to vaccines, we talk about economic recovery but there can’t be any recovery without access to vaccine and Africa is desperately lacking in vaccines,” President Kenyatta said.

He said Kenya will continue opening up its vibrant economy for private sector participation saying the country had strengthened its Public Private Partnership (PPP) regime.

"We commit to augment our limited fiscal space by revitalizing Public Private Partnership (PPP).  In Kenya, we have put measures in place to leverage on PPPs to provide greater operational efficiency and reduce pressure on fiscal space," he said.

The President cited the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit Road, a PPP project financed by French investors as an example of the huge financing potential held by the private sector and invited more investors to Kenya and the continent.

"Opportunities abound for private sector investments and Joint Ventures, in virtually all sectors. To close the infrastructure and development deficits. We welcome the private sector to invest in Africa," he said.

At the same time, President Kenyatta welcomed ongoing efforts by development partners to cushion the continent from adverse effects of Covid-19 saying Africa needs more resources to fight the pandemic, tackle debt vulnerabilities, and address poverty among other pressing needs.

"Kenya appreciates the extra-ordinary efforts from development partners to finance economic recovery and reduce debt vulnerability.

"Kenya welcomes commitments from bilateral and multilateral agencies to support emerging and low-income countries in response to the COVID-19 pandemic," the President said, adding that despite its devastation, Covid-19 presents an opportunity for African economies to bounce back stronger.

The President also spoke about the key role played by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in supporting livelihoods in Africa, and welcomed the establishment of the Alliance for Entrepreneurship in Africa (AEA) as special instrument for mobilizing finances for the sector.

"In Africa  most livelihoods are supported by the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which have not been spared by the impact of the pandemic.

"Kenya, therefore, welcomes the launch of the Alliance for Entrepreneurship in Africa to support mobilization of financial and technical resources for MSMEs," the President said.

In his address, President Macron called for a change of tack in financing African development by enhancing the Special Drawing rights (SDRs) to boost the continent’s capacity to combat the Covid-19 pandemic as well as recovery efforts.

The French President also underscored the need for debt cancellation to accord African countries the requisite liquidity to build better post-Covid.

“We should turn this emergency into an opportunity to boost Africa’s economic growth,” President Macron said.

On his part, President Tshisekedi said African leaders expect a swift and bold action from the international community especially the G7 and G20 to accelerate Africa’s economic growth.

HEVA’s East Africa Creative Business Fund (EACBF) is a patient loan facility being made available from 2021 onwards to successful applicants through debt investments of between USD 20,000 and USD 50,000, over a maximum period of 4 years. 

The fund, which is a timely response to the loss of resources and opportunities for creatives during the COVID-19 pandemic, has announced a receipt of 76 eligible applications out of a total of 430 applications from Kenya (248), Uganda (59), Ethiopia (33), Tanzania (30) and Rwanda (60).

All the aforementioned applications were submitted between September and October 2020, when the call for EACBF was officially opened. 

76 of all the 430 applications are eligible for the fund, having met its specific requirements: a business’s annual revenue of no less than USD 20,000, and a minimum of one employee (part time or full time).

All the eligible applicants are registered and operational in the East African countries as follows: Kenya (40), Ethiopia (4), Uganda (11), Tanzania (7) and Rwanda (14). Out of these firms, 28 are female-owned or run, while 43 are owned/run by men. 5 applicants preferred not to state their gender.

The value chain distribution was as follows: Crafts (3),Cultural Education (4), Cultural Infrastructure (3), Cultural Tourism (4), Digital Media (10), Events (1), Fashion (21), Film and Photography (9), Food (7), Interior (3), Live Music (4), Music Production (6) and Hair and Beauty (1).

The successful applications will undergo several stages: the business panel to look at the viability of these businesses; a creative panel that will look at the products and market fit; and then a pitch panel that will interrogate the businesses deeper to better understand their alignment to the criteria of the fund.

These businesses will then undergo a due diligence process to review their compliance, and then  go through a financial modeling stage that will assess the ability of the business to absorb the loan amount applied for.

The final stage shall be contracting and then announcements of the finalists. 

The East Africa Creative Business Fund, worth USD 380,000, is additional financing to HEVA’s existing Growth Fund, designed to provide growth capital to medium sized creative businesses in Kenya (2019), and now East Africa, over the next few years.

The fund is providing financing for creative businesses to help restructure interrupted supply chains in the wake of COVID-19, as well as increase production capacity, diversify offerings, increase market share; increase integration in local and regional value chains; support transition to low-touch and digital capabilities; and take advantage of new opportunities.

Through the new fund, as well as the active Growth Fund Facility, HEVA aims to build on increasing contribution of the creative and cultural industries to the regional GDP and the region’s economy.

Business support remains an essential aspect of the fund’s strategy.

As such, the beneficiaries will also receive tailored strategic assistance on demand, to synergise with their direct cash-flow investment, including relevant financial modelling, with legal and, human resource support, alongside tax, accounting and cash flow management support, as well as access to training and international platforms for market access.

Wakiuru Njuguna, HEVA Partner and Investment Manager says, “HEVA is committed to allocating capital to the creative sector, and we are particularly excited about being able to expand to the rest of East Africa especially at a time like this when availability of capital is limited.”

Adding” We are cognisant of the particular challenges that businesses in this sector face,and a result, we hope that the impact of this facility will be a testament to more capital allocation to East African businesses in the creative sector. Our goal is to commit more capital, as we are looking to raise 20M USD for the regional sector in the next three years.” 

HEVA is facilitating the East Africa Creative Business Fund debt investments in partnership with the European Union, and Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

The Growth Fund that feeds EACBF is also in partnership with Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

Both fund facilities cater to creative businesses that are registered and operational in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Ethiopia.

The funds are set to consistently grow dynamic, youth-led creative enterprises over the coming years, with a further focused vision of increasing creative business ownership, enterprise management and general sector leadership among women (especially young women).

This is set to contribute to the growth of the East African cultural footprint in regional and international markets.

Value chains tapped for creative economy value chain investment by these funds include craft, cultural education, cultural infrastructure, cultural tourism, digital media, events, fashion, film, photography, food, interior, live music, music production, and hair and beauty. 

HEVA is Africa’s first creative economy catalyst program and has been working in the Eastern African region with continental and international networks since 2013.

HEVA’s addition of the East Africa Creative Business Fund into its existing growth fund financing was specifically designed to address the impact of COVID-19 on medium-size businesses as identified in HEVA’s 2020 study, which was titled “COVID-19 Resilience: Creative Industry Options and Strategies''.

The creative sectors include fashion and apparel; film, TV and digital content; live music and performance (including events, festivals and experiences); and finally, gaming and e-sports.

Nigerian singing sensation Davido has excited his fans after turning the “frog voice” jab Wizkid threw at him years ago, into a big swank.

The 'Jowo' hitmaker shared on his social media pages a diamond-encrusted pendant in the shape of a bossy frog face, which has a cigar at the corner of its mouth.

In 2017, Wizkid sent in a tweet that was supposedly a jab at him. Wizkid wrote at the time, My people make una remember say Yankee passport no be baba blue, e no dey cure frog voice.

The tweet which is still on Wizkid’s page up till this moment, is one of the reasons why Davido has been linked with the “frog voice” insult from time to time online.

Among those who have so far reacted to Davido's decision is his brother Adewale Adeleke who took to twitter to commend him.

Warner Music has announced a new 360 partnership with East Africa’s number one artist Diamond Platnumz and his leading independent record label WCB-Wasafi.

The new deal will see WCB-Wasafi incorporated into Warner Music South Africa and Ziiki Media, while Warner Music’s global network will help propel Diamond Platnumz and the label’s artists to a worldwide audience.

Diamond Platnumz is one of Africa’s most successful artists, having released more than 30 hit songs, and is one of the region’s most recognisable figures, which has led to him becoming a brand ambassador for companies such as Pepsi, Parimatch, Nice One Brand and Coral Paints.

He has the number one artist YouTube channel in Sub-Saharan Africa, with more than five million subscribers, and also has more than 12 million Instagram followers.

Over the course of his career, Diamond Platnumz has won numerous awards from the likes of MTV and Channel O.

Diamond Platnumz founded WCB-Wasafi and turned it into one of the top labels in Africa. The label has enjoyed success with artists such as Lava Lava, Mbosso, Rayvanny, Zuchu, and Queen Darleen.

The new 360 strategic partnership will see Warner Music, Diamond Platnumz, Ziiki Media and WCB-Wasafi artists collaborate on new releases, catalogue, brand partnerships, live and sync deals.

Diamond Platnumz said: “I’ve built WCB-Wasafi from the ground up and believe that Warner Music and Ziiki are the right partners to help further grow our reach. I’m also looking forward to plugging into the Warner network myself. We’ve got some exciting plans and I can’t wait to share more music with the world.”

Alfonso Perez-Soto, President, Emerging Markets noted " The East and Central African music scene has exploded over the last few years and we believe by working together, we can help promote Diamond and his artists to more fans around the world and introduce Bongo Flava scene to a broader audience."

Adding "This 360 partnership establishes a new way to engage with artists in Africa and our ambition to bring African talent to the rest of the world. I’d like to thank WM South Africa and Ziiki Media for their outstanding support in making this deal happen.”

Temi Adeniji, Managing Director of Warner Music South Africa said: “Warner Music’s nuanced approach to the African continent contemplates different blueprints across the various sub regions and in that vein, this partnership with Diamond Platnumz and Wasafi firmly underpins our entrance into East Africa.”

On his part Arun Nagar, CEO & Managing Director, Ziiki Media, said: “ We hope to engage with a wide range of artists across different music genres from all over Africa, and the partnership with Wasafi is central to that approach. We’re investing sizeable resources into the market because we’ve got faith in its artists and belief that we’ve only just scratched the surface of what we can achieve here.”

Ziiki Media is Africa’s leading entertainment provider. Through partnerships across Africa and India, it works with a broad array of businesses engaged in content aggregation and distribution in various formats such as recorded music, music publishing, audiovisual content, and live events.

Warner Music announced its partnership with Ziiki Media in May 2020.