Contador Harrison

New research figures show the mobile phone market continued to grow during the second half of 2013, with sales up 22% on average in sub Saharan Africa. Samsung, Tecno, LG and Huawei all powered by android followed by Nokia, Lenovo, ZTE and HTC phones as well as Blackberry did particularly well across Africa, recording a 30% increase in shipments, according to a continental mobile phone sales tracker. It is not just smartphone vendors that have driven the market forward in Africa but also the companies with a presence among entry-level handsets and mid-range devices like Nokia and Tecno, which have long been the domain of the African market leaders. Samsung managed to maintain its lead with 38% share, followed by Nokia at 27 %, Tecno at 16%, LG Electronics 5%, Blackberry 7% and Sony at 1.25% with rest taking the remaining market. However, these five companies are not expected to hold for long. The upward pressure from vendors outside the current top five vendors, particular...

Respected Bank of Uganda Governor Emmanuel Mutebile was last year quoted as saying that the economic prospects for Uganda will improve once taming of inflation to single digits is achieved. Credit to his policies that target was met and the pearl of Africa is expected to grow by more than six per cent this year. According to experts in the country, Uganda needs to manage macro-economic more intelligently. For example, the national government can print money and borrow as long as other nations are willing to lend and they can print as much as they need or want except when citizens and other nations will no longer accept that money. In macro economic as long as others will still accept the money or others will still lend you more money is acceptable.  Bank of Uganda defines macro economic objectives as growth, full employment, and price stability. In its own words, the Bank of Uganda objective is to have jobs for every Ugandan who wants to work, to grow the economy so ev...

One of the principles of capitalism is that economic growth should benefit all members of society. The yawning income gap between the poor, middle class and the rich has become common phenomenon. Income inequality is rising in East African countries and the widening income gap is hurting social stability and slowing overall gross domestic product growth that many say should be double figure. According to a study, the wealthiest 5% of East Africans are expected to enjoy 20% of the region’s GDP in 2014, while the poorest 5% will only be able to enjoy 1%. In cities across the region like Kampala, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Mombasa, Arusha, moshi, Nakuru, Entebbe shopping malls are being built, people are buying more cars and fast-food restaurants are opening faster to meet the growing appetite of an emerging middle class with Kenya and Uganda leading the way. With shift in the population, rural areas are losing out, being passed over for development. Traditionally, research has ...

East African retailers are failing to keep up with the mobile phone based payments. More than 40 percent of East Africans have been described as “mobile buyers” who prefer to pay via mobile money platforms where possible. More than half of retailers were expected to generate close to 25% of their festive sales via mobile payments. It’s not just mobile services that are changing the way East Africans do business. Social media continues to be a strong point for many companies in the region. There’s research released few months back that shows traditional print and broadcast media are still valuable for creating awareness of brands although most East Africans don’t make that final commitment of buying until they consult their trusted friends or partners. With region’s mobile based retailing poised to grow significantly, companies stand to benefit from providing services that facilitate mobile commerce. The potential take off of mobile based retailing could have a positive flo...

Technology experts are predicting mobile Internet will be the key transformer of business and the way people live and transact in Africa together with automation of knowledge and adoption of the cloud technologies. In key main markets of sub Saharan Africa notably South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Angola organizations are striving to deliver powerful capabilities for consumers and employees who need secure and reliable technology infrastructure. South Africa businesses are moving towards converged systems that provide powerful, mobile Internet-scale applications and at the same time managing streamlining of operations, driving growth, cutting costs and improving business efficiency that is so badly needed in other African countries where more than 40-60% of businesses are making losses. With the connection of millions of consumer devices in Africa, communities ushering in new era where the technology lines of work, play and home may become blurred. Time has come for ...