Eat. Drink. Chew. at this year's Nairobi Restaurant Week

Wrigley East Africa Head of Corporate Affairs Wanja Mwangi (L) poses with EatOut General Manager Michelle Slater at the recent launch of the 4th edition of the Nairobi Restaurant Week. The gum manufacturer has partnered with the online restaurant guide, for the second time in a row, to champion consumer education about oral care practices on-the-go through their Eat.Drink.Chew. campaign.

It is full steam ahead for the 4th edition of the annual Nairobi Restaurant Week, the city’s biggest celebration of food and drink, which officially kicked off yesterday, at an exclusive cocktail event held at The Tribe.

NRW is a celebration of the city’s colourful culinary scene which brings together over 60 sit-down restaurants across the city offering dazzling food and sparkling service for 10 days.

Several companies have come on board this year to support the initiative by Kenya’s largest online restaurant guide and booking engine, among them, the Wrigley Company through its East Africa subsidiary. The world’s leading manufacturer and marketer of gum, has partnered with the organizers, for the second time in a row, to enlighten participants about oral care practices on-the-go.

“We are essentially seeking to create healthy habits and reaching consumers through our oral care brand; Orbit. Through our Eat Drink Chew campaign, we believe that our partnership with EatOut will go a long way in educating consumers on the benefits of chewing sugar free gum such as its ability to wash away food debris and remineralize tooth enamel to help strengthen teeth,” said Wrigley East Africa Corporate Affairs Head Wanja Mwangi.
Wrigley has been championing the oral health agenda in Kenya having commissioned and released the first ever national oral health survey through the Ministry of Health and The University of Nairobi in 2015. They have also been advocating for the inclusion of oral health into the school curriculum during this reform period.
The company partners with dental professionals, supports scientific research and collaborates with governments, organizations and corporate partners to make a difference to oral health worldwide.

In major cities around the world, Restaurant Week has been a proven tradition and has registered success in the country as well. So as you indulge in the finest cuisine, at Nairobi’s top restaurants, remember to Eat. Drink. Chew.

LG SMART INSTAVIEW REFRIGERATOR FEATURES VOICE CONTROL, WEBOS AND REMOTE VIEWING CAPABILITIES

Industry-Leading Technologies Offer Intuitive Control, Home Management, Bringing New Meaning to Kitchen as “Heart of the Home”

NAIROBI, Jan. 17  2017 — LG Electronics (LG) has introduced a new kind of re-frigerator, called Smart InstaView™ that’s embedded with an array of convenient fea-tures provided by Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service and powered by LG’s own webOS smart platform.

Unveiled at CES® 2017, LG’s new flagship Door-in-Door® refrigerator features a 29-inch touch LCD display, which, thanks to its InstaView feature, instantly turns transpar-ent with just two knocks of the screen and allows users to look inside the refrigerator without opening the door. Now with webOS, consumers can also explore a host of WiFi-enabled features directly on the refrigerator, creating a streamlined and powerful food management system all housed directly on the front of the fridge door.

Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service gives users access to an intelligent personal assistant that, in addition to searching recipes, can play music, place Prime-eligible orders from Amazon.com including groceries, add items to a shopping list and more. With over 6,000 skills available, Alexa can also control one’s smart home, request car service, set kitchen timers and check the weather – all hands-free by just using your voice. With Alexa, daily tasks in the kitchen – such as cooking or planning for the day – turn into a dynamic, entertaining experience.

In addition to the services provided by Amazon, the LG Smart InstaView refrigerator offers a variety of other convenience-enhancing features. The Smart Tag menu allows users to add stickers and tags on the screen to indicate which foods are stored as well as the ability to input the expiration date of each item, so the refrigerator can issue remind-ers when foods near expiration. Family members can set up memos for each other and create to-do lists that display on the screen. To check inside the refrigerator remotely, a 2.0 megapixel panoramic super-wide-lens camera captures images of the interior from a variety of different angles which are accessible via smartphone, a must-have feature for anyone who would like to see what’s at home while grocery shopping.

“By working with Amazon, we are able to broaden our smart refrigerator’s capabilities and further provide our customers with a pleasurable cooking and dining experience,” said Song Dae-Hyun, president of LG Electronics and Home Appliance & Air Solutions Company. “Our Smart InstaView Door-in-Door refrigerator will allow users to enjoy their kitchen experience like never before.”

“For many families, the kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in the house, and a place where they often find their hands tied. Now consumers have even more convenience in their homes, all just by using their voice and Alexa,” said Mike George, vice president, Amazon Alexa. “In working with an innovative home appliance company like LG, we can truly showcase how much better life can be for consumers everywhere starting with updating one of the most important appliances in the home.”

Jambojet acquires a new Dash 8 Q400 aircraft to boost its domestic fleet

The Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 next generation aircraft

Jambojet has acquired a brand new Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 next generation aircraft, which is expected to improve the airline’s operations across its network.

The new aircraft is leased from Abu Dhabi Aviation and will replace one of the current two Q400 aircraft Jambojet is using. Currently, the airline operates two Q400s and two Boeing 737s.

The delivery of the plane is expected to help the no frills airline address the delays and stabilize its flight schedule across the country, especially the coastal routes including Ukunda (Diani), Malindi and Lamu.

“We selected the Q400 aircraft because it has the speed and range required to service all our current domestic destinations and targeted regional destinations. It has proven to be the right aircraft for this market.  In addition, the aircraft's cabin will provide a quiet and very comfortable experience for our passengers," said Jambojet CEO Willem Hondius.

“This new next generation aircraft has lower operating costs and will help us optimize our operations in terms of increasing the service quality as well as improving economics,” he further noted.

“We have some challenging runways for some of our destinations and the Q400 turboprop’s capability to operate in such terrains, its jet-like speed, long-range cruise capability and outstanding turboprop economics were key factors that guided us in selecting the aircraft for our operations,” added Mr. Hondius.

“The level of in-continent support that Bombardier offers is also very important for us.”

The 78-seater aircraft is expected to start operations in a couple of days’ time after gaining the necessary approval from the regulator, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority.

In the nearly three years of operation, the no-frills low cost airline has achieved undeniable business growth; increased numbers of routes from four to seven, increased frequency of flights due to fleet expansion and flown over one and a half million passengers. Currently, Jambojet flies to Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu as well as to Eldoret, Malindi Ukunda and Lamu.

CONTINENTAL FOOD STANDARDS MEETING KICKS OFF

Cabinet Secretary, Industry Trade and Cooperatives, Mr. Adan Mohamed

African countries have been called upon to adopt and harmonise international quality infrastructure with a goal to tackle food safety challenges bedeviling the continent.
Speaking during the CCAfrica Food Standards conference in Nairobi, Cabinet Secretary, Industry Trade and Cooperatives, Mr. Adan Mohamed, said there is need to synergize efforts in tackling food safety problems bedeviling the food industries in not only in Kenya but also Africa.
The Cabinet Secretary said effective implementation and enforcement of adopted policies and regulations and efficient functioning of institutions alongside adoption of international standards such as Codex, will be key factors for Africa to continue to enhance food safety.
“Without a doubt, food standards are mandatory for international trade. Currently in Africa, most industries are facing major challenges related to: Aflatoxin in foods, heavy metals and Carbon miles among others that will need to be addressed in order to make our food industries more competitive,” said Adan
Speaking during the same conference, Cabinet Secretary Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Mr. Willy Bett, said the African region has made steps towards enhancing market access through strengthening of food safety infrastructures.
“It is worth noting that CCAFRICA is spearheading development of regional standards for Shea butter, dried meat, fermented cooked cassava based products and gnetum species leaves,” said Bett.
He added, this will enhance competitiveness of these products not only in the regional trade but also globally.
According to the CS, food safety policies, legislation and regulatory frameworks are key to the competitiveness of regionally traded commodities/products.
“Efforts such as the standard setting technical working groups under Codex should be supported and lauded by all with a goal of growing trade in the continent, said Bett.
Standardization is a key factor to building robust economies at national, regional and global levels. This among other reasons is why CCAfrica is expected to play a key role in intra Africa trade. Trade among African countries is very low and is estimated by World Bank at about 12-15% of total trade compared to Europe at 60% and Asia at 30%. This is unfortunate considering that Africa is the second largest continent in the world.
Africa must embrace the agenda of standardization and harmonization of standards on the most commonly traded products across the various African regions and economic trading blocks. CCAfrica has a key role to pray in facilitating relevant standards to promote intra African trade in agricultural and other food products.

Kenya is hosting the FAO/WHO Codex Coordinating Committee for Africa (CCAfrica) meeting which brings together representatives from 49 African countries.
The conference is very significant in the realm of food safety and fair trade practices in food. The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is the joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, whose mandate is to develop standards aimed at safeguarding the health of consumers and fair trade practices in food.
Speaking about the meeting, KEBS Managing Director, Charles Ongwae, said the conference is important not only to Kenya but also Africa and a step aimed at information sharing on food standards.
“Kenya being the coordinating country, our goal is to ensure we harmonise our standards as a continent while benchmarking or aligning with food standards developed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission – which are recognised by the World Trade Organisation (WTO),” said Ongwae.
CAC has 189 members with Africa Region Codex Coordinating Committee (CCAFRICA) accounting for 49 member countries.
Kenya has been a member of CAC and CCAFRICA since 1969. In July 2015, Kenya was appointed as the CCAfrica coordinator for Africa whose mandate is to come up with regional Codex Food Standards for African countries with a goal to facilitate trade in the continent.
The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), is the Codex Contact Point and consequently links CAC Secretariat in Rome with Kenya in regard to any CAC activities, such as drafting Codex food standards and related text development.
KEBS has adopted over 200 Codex Food Standards and several codes of practice to protect the health of consumers and facilitate trade. Codex Food standards are also used when harmonising EAC-COMESA standards and whenever there is dispute in EAC trading within the region.
CAC is recognized as the biggest intergovernmental organisation body which takes into account concerns while ensuring fair practices in the food trade thus preventing fraud, deceptive practices, avoiding unjustified barriers to food trade.
The Commission’s mandate is to ensure that food standards developed are science-based, with a goal to protect the health of consumers and also in facilitating fair food trade. The Commission also works with three FAO/WHO independent Scientific Expert committees.

NIC Bank expands university internship programme in bid to tap youth talent

University students sit for the NIC Bank University Internship programme aptitude test as part of the selection process held at Bomas of Kenya , Nairobi on 17th December ,2016. The internship programme aims to tap into the youth’s talent to give the bank a competitive edge and to create employment for the youth.

NIC Bank administered an aptitude test for 2,278 college students at the Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi. The students, who were selected from different local and international universities across the country, undertook the test as part of the selection process for the NIC Bank University Internship Programme.

The number of applicants for the internship programme has more than doubled this year when compared to the 1,112 applications received in December 2015.

“The twofold increase in the number of applicants demonstrates the growing profile of NIC Bank as an employer of choice for the youth,” said Monica Kihia, the Human Resource Director at NIC Bank.

NIC Bank’s internship programme aims to tap into the youth’s talent and creativity to not only give the bank a competitive edge in the market, but also present the youth with an opportunity to access stable and fulfilling careers.

“In just one year we have had 75 interns, many of whom have been retained in full time entry level jobs in line with the branch expansion,” remarked Kihia. NIC Bank has expanded its branch network from 27 in the beginning of 2016 to the current 33.

All successful recruits will receive comprehensive induction into the bank and acquire mentorship, coaching, branch exposure and project delivery opportunities in the different departments.

NIC Bank’s initiative to create employment for the youth comes at a time when youth unemployment in Kenya has soared to alarming levels. Unemployment among Kenya’s youth is now estimated at 17.3 per cent compared to six per cent for both Uganda and Tanzania, a World Bank report released in March 2016 indicates.

Kenya created only 128,000 formal jobs in 2015, according to the recently released Economic Survey 2016. In contrast, the number of graduates from universities and colleges stands at more than 450,000 annually.

“The huge mismatch between job opportunities and graduates joining the job market underlines the need for more proactive recruitment policies such as the ones we have embraced at NIC Bank” said Kihia.

NIC Bank’s University Internship Programme comes hot on the heels of the University Innovation challenge, which was launched by NIC Bank in November 2016 in partnership with Junior Achievement (JA) Kenya and BRCK Education at Nailab Nairobi. The innovation challenge, which drew over 150 participants, was aimed at fostering innovation among the youth in the areas of financial inclusion, financial literacy and practical financial solutions.

The bank’s engagement with youth and students is part of its broader efforts to improve the quality of education and innovation in Kenya. “Education is one of the strategic pillars under our corporate citizenship agenda,” concluded Kihia.

LG INNOVATION AT ITS BEST

When one thinks of design, the first image one paints is the look and feel of something. Whether it’s the couch you want to buy for Christmas or that sleek four door car that you saw at the showroom. Everything around us has its own unique design.

Designers to look at the term ‘design’ from many angles. Whether it is choosing the ideal material, creating the ideal consumer experience or boosting efficiency, the designer of any product has a number of things to consider when coming up with a new product.

How customers interact with the product is key for the designer. From shapes to sizes of the product, designers should not put in too much emphasis on how the product looks, yet, they should think of how the consumer shall use it. LG stays ahead of the game when it comes to this. The rear-facing innovative buttons on LG smartphones is an example of the out-of-box thinking that has opened up possibilities for the phone to be slimmer.

When coming up with a new product, ta consumer’s first impression goes a long way in determining their opinion of a particular product. Designers use a number of ways to ensure this is achieved such as the quality, texture and premium look of the product. Such are the wide range of LG refrigerators that are translucent allowing the user to have a glimpse of what is inside, or the LG Door –to – Door refrigerators that assist in reducing loss of cold.

Speaking at a recent conference, LG’s Marketing Manager Mr.Marji said, "At  LG, we strive to bring out the best in every product we put out in the market, whether it’s a phone or a refrigerator, our standards of high quality and value have to be maintained.”

With the production of portable devices on the rise, one cannot neglect the need for battery-powered portable electronics that are small and lightweight which perform on par with their counterparts. Such is the LF Musicflow portable speaker and minibeam projectors that are versatile and allow users to experience the product in their own comfort and on the go. Battery life is also key when it comes to such devices, capable of operating for 20 hours on a single charge, the LG sound pop 360 is an example of the unique design LG has been able to innovate in this new era of portable devices.

With no doubt LG goes to the limit of creating a unified consumer experience with each and every product they set out to create.

LG trendsetting in Customer-Centric Technology

LG East Africa General Manager Marketing Moses Marji (Right) explains the features of the newly launched LG 4K OLED TV in the Kenyan Market to a customer Edith Onyango (Left)

Innovation is becoming more and more sophisticated with each passing year. But more importantly, companies are adding customer-centric technologies to their technology mix with a sole purpose of creating a unified consumer experience that will make their customers feel personally connected to brands.

Companies have shifted from a competitive landscape in which they are more exclusively focused on external forces affecting their industries and sectors, to one that has become significantly more customer centric and that creates mass appeal. Every company of any scale and in any sector wants to be closer to its customers, to understand them more deeply, and to tailor their products and services to serve them more precisely.

One such company that has taken the first step in response to the rapid advance of intuitive technology, and increase in intensive customer focus ahead of the competition, is LG Electronics that has focused on incremental delivery of new capabilities to its products that can respond very quickly to new or changing customer needs with the aim to increase customer intimacy.

LG differentiates itself from the competition with its consumer centric philosophy which considers ergonomic principles while still paying close attention to style and elegance, for instance, the rear -facing buttons on LG smartphones exemplify the company’s willingness to embrace outside- the -box thinking in order to enhance the user experience. These innovations open up many new possibilities for users, and allow designers to make LG smartphones even slimmer.

Other examples of LG‘s ergonomic expertise are apparent across the company’s diverse product line up. Whether its tilting a front –loading washing machine’s drum by six degrees to make it easier and efficient to load and unload, the intuitive arrangement of appliance control panels, the form fitting brilliance of the company’s Tone Bluetooth headsets, the flexibility provided by the corded zero line of vacuum cleaners or the newly launched LG Oled TVs with an aesthetic streamlined design which compliments their utility, LG products provide top notch performance, comfort and convenience.

So, what drives LG ahead of competition in innovation that personalizes the consumer needs? LG East Africa Marketing Manager Moses Marji explains how innovation and sophistication remain the company’s top priority; “Our robust Research and Design department work tirelessly to deliver fundamentally different and better user experiences with the vast of our products ranging from Home appliances, Home entertainment to smartphones. As LG, we continuously seek to bring our innovative and design thinking muscles to explore on how our customers experience could be better in the future.”

Marji further notes that LG is alive to the fact that the way consumers interacts with products is fundamental in shaping the user experience, making ergonomics a design priority for products of all sizes and shapes.