Uncategorized - Afrikan Heroes

China’s Baidu Says it Has Caught up With ChatGPT

October 17, 2023

Robin Li, the founder of Chinese tech firm, Baidu has boasted that his company’s large language model has finally caught up with OpenAI’s most advanced GPT-4, claiming the lead in his country’s race to develop AI that can rival the US.

The billionaire took the stage in Beijing on Tuesday to run Ernie 4.0 through a Q&A designed to showcase its ability to provide answers and solve complicated puzzles on the fly. Ernie has matched OpenAI’s seminal product in terms of sophistication and general capabilities, Li told a packed house at a converted steel mill that now serves as an auditorium.

Baidu is leading a wave of aggressive investment across China after ChatGPT demonstrated the disruptive potential of generative AI — which can craft video and content from simple commands. It’s regarded as a leader in a race with Alibaba Group, Tencent Holdings and scores of start-ups to create a next-generation platform for the world’s biggest internet market.

Baidu hopes Ernie Bot will become a core business alongside online marketing, helping regain users lost

They’re trying to compete with American names from Microsoft to Google to create services like ChatGPT and Dall-E, but US sanctions on Chinese access to the most advanced chips to train and run AI models, coupled with Beijing’s stringent censorship, could cloud their prospects. Washington is tightening curbs on shipments of AI chips to the country, stoking that uncertainty.

“Ernie is not inferior in any respect to GPT-4,” Li told the audience.

It’s challenging to grade AI models because of their sheer complexity. Li put the latest version of Ernie Bot through its paces in real time. He voiced queries on topics like buying property, posed maths problems and asked it to write a novel based on the world of ancient martial arts. It’s a marked contrast to March, when the tech mogul unveiled China’s first answer to OpenAI’s red-hot bot via a scripted video.

Ernie

Back in June, Baidu said an earlier version of Ernie surpassed OpenAI’s chatbot built on GPT-3.5 in general abilities. It also outperformed GPT-4 on several Chinese-language capabilities, citing a test by a local state newspaper. Baidu now hopes Ernie Bot will become a core business alongside online marketing, helping regain users lost to all-purpose apps run by TikTok-owner ByteDance and Tencent.

Baidu aims to infuse Ernie into flagship products like search, maps, file sharing, work collaboration and data analytics.

Like its domestic rivals, Baidu benefits from clear government endorsement of a technology that has the potential to enhance not just entire industries, but also a struggling economy.

In August, China approved the first batch of generative AI services for domestic release, which included products from fledging players and major technology names like Baidu and ByteDance. Ernie Bot at one point topped the download chart on China’s iPhone app store, surpassing one million users on launch day, though it was soon overtaken by mainstay services like Tencent’s WeChat.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Digital Banks are Giving Big Banks Runs for Their Money

South Africa’s big banks are feeling the pang of the competition from small digital upstarts who are disrupting the market. Newcomers to South Africa’s banking industry – brands such as TymeBank, Discovery Bank and Bank Zero – are cannibalising retail markets previously “owned” by the traditional “big four” banks. And they are just getting started.

Last week, TymeBank announced it had signed up its eight millionth customer, a feat the digital bank achieved just four years after its 2019 launch.

And yet these challenger banks are not confining themselves to the retail sector in their quest for market share. Some have started to launch business offerings in the latest threat to traditional, branch-based institutions.

South African consumers are a lot more price conscious – no matter the income segment.

“Given the economic pressures we are facing, South African consumers are a lot more price conscious – no matter the income segment. This makes affordability a really strong differentiator,” said Cheslyn Jacobs, chief commercial officer at TymeBank, explaining why the company — controlled by Patrice Motsepe’s African Rainbow Capital Investments — has been successful in signing up so many retail clients.

For consumers, savings on fees for deposits, withdrawals and other transactions are one attraction of the new banks. Another is better interest rates on savings and deposits. Jacobs said TymeBank has managed to garner a sizeable portion of the consumer market by offering the “the best savings rates (up to 11%)” on top of a cost-effective banking suite.

“We expect continued customer growth and for our proposition increasingly to appeal to the more affluent customers as more South Africans demand banking that is affordable, without compromise,” said Jacobs.

The drive towards better value for consumers in retail banking is now shifting to commercial banking, which is far larger than the retail segment in terms of revenue. Challenger banks have taken notice and are now starting to target this market, too.

“Business customers at Bank Zero make up 12% of customer volumes; this is a higher percentage than traditional banks,” said Bank Zero co-founder and executive director Lezanne Human. “One of the reasons is that in the past, most banks focused mainly on the personal segment when differentiating on lower pricing and innovative functionality, neglecting the business segment. Differentiation in the business segment focused mostly on new products. That was a big gap in the market, which we were able to address.”

Much of the success that some challenger banks have achieved can be attributed to price differentiation, said Human. This is because these would-be disruptors usually take aim at the lower end of the market, where customers are price sensitive. The ability to deliver innovative products of value at low cost has, however, proven to have benefits beyond attracting the intended target market.

Traditional banks are not blind to the threat posed by the digital-first banks. Over the years, they have responded with significant investments into their own digitisation efforts. They have also introduced accounts with lower fees.

In a recent interview with TechCentral, Sanlam Fintech CEO Riaan van Dyk said it’s difficult, culturally, for legacy banks to transition from the old to the new paradigm. Yet it’s necessary for them to make this transition to shield them from disruption by newcomers.

“It is very difficult to change the way you look at the world and how you do things while you are running a successful business. It’s like trying to change the wings of an aeroplane in-flight,” Van Dyk said.

However, it’s not as if traditional banks haven’t been responding with sophisticated digital offerings of their own.

A key difference, said Bank Zero’s Human, must be noted here, though: while digitisation is a strong strategic pillar for challenger banks, not all of them can claim to be fully digital. A digital-first model allows them to offer their services at much lower cost because they do not have to maintain expensive legacy systems on which the traditional banks were built and which they still rely.

“The reality is, if internal costs are low, then the revenue we get from investing ‘lazy deposits’ as well as card interchange received and commission on prepaid products is more than sufficient,” said Human. “Our internal costs are low because we used new technology to build our own core banking platform and we are not burdened by expensive and clunky legacy systems that cost a lot to buy and to maintain.”

Some digital challenger banks are also edging into private banking, taking them into a potentially lucrative space. Although this may not bode well for the incumbents, it is likely that consumers will benefit from the disruption in ways similar to the mass market retail sector: with more choice and downward pressure on pricing.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Microsoft Announces Big Changes to Windows 11 Next Week

September 22, 2023

Microsoft has announced a “unified” artificial intelligence for its Windows 11 platform and four new Surface devices, upping the appeal of its products spruced with the latest technology.

The new AI tool, called Copilot, will work across the company’s web and productivity applications Bing, Edge browser and Microsoft 365 software suite.

The updated AI software will roll out with the latest changes to Windows 11 on 26 September. It will be available in Microsoft 365 Copilot on 1 November, when the highly anticipated enterprise AI tool will be generally available for purchase.

The launches come days after Microsoft’s longtime product chief, Panos Panay, stepped down

Microsoft released 365 Copilot in preview earlier this year and said in July that the features would cost its customers US$30/user every month at list prices on top of their existing subscriptions.

The company also said its Bing search will get OpenAI’s Dall-E 3, an image-generating AI.

Thursday’s news followed months of Copilot announcements. Redmond, Washington-headquartered Microsoft is stacking its growth on generative AI — computer programs capable of generating text, images, sounds and other data — and has incorporated the technology across a large section of its products and services.

Microsoft’s aggressive AI push is likely to put peers Google and Apple on notice as customers lap up the new services powered by generative AI.

Microsoft on Thursday also announced three laptops — Surface Laptop Go 3, Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Surface Go 4 For Business — and Surface Hub 3, the newer version of its interactive whiteboard.

The launches come days after Microsoft’s longtime product chief, Panos Panay, stepped down and the company elevated Yusuf Mehdi, the head of consumer marketing, to take over the Surface and Windows businesses with the external PC makers and retail partners.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

New Technology is Making Cars Easier to Steal

August 20, 2023

By Rachael Medhurst

The theft of cars using advanced technologies is on the riseThere is much talk in the motoring industry about the “internet of vehicles” (IoV). This describes a network of cars and other vehicles that could exchange data over the internet in an effort to make transportation more autonomous, safe and efficient.

IoV could help vehicles identify roadblocks, traffic jams and pedestrians. It could help with a car’s positioning on the road, potentially enable them to be driverless, and provide easier diagnoses of faults. It’s already happening to some extent with smart motorways, where technology is used with the intention of managing motorway traffic in the most effective manner.

A more sophisticated IoV will require even more sensors, software and other technology to be installed in vehicles and surrounding road infrastructure. Cars already contain more electronic systems than ever, from cameras and mobile phone connections to infotainment systems.

Relay equipment for carrying out this kind of theft can be found on the internet for less than R2 500

However, some of these systems might also make our vehicles prone to theft and malicious attack, as criminals identify and then exploit vulnerabilities in this new technology. In fact, this is already happening.

Smart keys are supposed to protect modern vehicles against theft. A button on the key is pressed to disable the car’s immobiliser (an electronic device that protects the vehicle from being started without a key), allowing the vehicle to be driven.

But one well-known way to bypass this requires a handheld relay tool that tricks the vehicle into thinking the smart key is closer than it is.

It involves two people working together, one standing at the vehicle and the other close to where the key actually is, such as outside its owner’s house. The person near the house uses the tool that can pick up the signal from the key fob and then relay it to the vehicle.

Cars unprotected

Relay equipment for carrying out this kind of theft can be found on the internet for less than R2 500, with attempts often being carried out at night. To protect against them, car keys can be placed in Faraday bags or cages that block any signal emitted from the keys.

However, a more advanced method of attacking vehicles is now increasingly being adopted. It is known as a “CAN (controller-area network) injection attack”, and works by establishing a direct connection to the vehicle’s internal communication system, the CAN bus.

The main route to the CAN bus is underneath the vehicle, so criminals try to gain access to it through the lights at the front of the car. To do this, the bumper has to be pulled away so a CAN injector can be inserted into the engine system.

The thieves can then send fake messages that trick the vehicle into believing these are from the smart key and disable the immobiliser. Once they have gained access to the vehicle, they can then start the engine and drive the vehicle away.

With the prospect of a potential epidemic in vehicle thefts, manufacturers are trying new ways to overcome this latest vulnerability as quickly as possible.

One strategy involves not trusting any messages that are received by the car, referred to as a “zero-trust approach”. Instead, these messages have to be sent and verified. One way to do this is by installing a hardware security module in the vehicle, which works by generating cryptographic keys that allow the encryption and decryption of data, creating and verifying digital signatures in the messages.

This mechanism is increasingly being implemented by the motoring industry in new cars. However, it is not practical to incorporate it into existing vehicles due to time and cost, so many cars on the road remain vulnerable to a CAN injection attack.

Another security consideration for modern vehicles is the onboard computer system, also referred to as the infotainment system. The potential vulnerability of this system is often overlooked, even though it could have catastrophic repercussions for the driver.

One example is the ability for attackers to use “remote code execution” to deliver malicious code to the vehicle’s computer system. In one reported case in the US, the infotainment system was used as an entry point for the attackers, through which they could plant their own code. This sent commands to physical components of the cars, such as the engine and wheels.

The possibility of an epidemic of vehicle theft and insurance claims due to CAN attacks alone is a scary prospect.

An attack like this clearly has the potential to affect the functioning of the vehicle, causing a crash – so this is not just a matter of protecting personal data contained within the infotainment system. Attacks of this nature can exploit many vulnerabilities such as the vehicle’s internet browser, USB dongles that are plugged into it, software that needs to be updated to protect it against known attacks, and weak passwords.

Therefore, all vehicle drivers with an infotainment system should have a good understanding of basic security mechanisms that can protect them from hacking attempts.

The possibility of an epidemic of vehicle theft and insurance claims due to CAN attacks alone is a scary prospect. There needs to be a balance between the benefits of the internet of vehicles, such as safer driving and an enhanced ability to recover cars once they are stolen, with these potential risks.

Rachael Medhurst, is course leader and senior lecturer in cybersecurity NCSA, University of South Wales

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Ghana Wants Armed Forces to Help Government’s Digitisation Agenda

August 19, 2023

The Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has called on the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Armed Forces Staff College, to contribute to Government’s digitisation strategies by making contributions, which will enhance the nation’s digital advancement.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony of the Ghana Armed Forces Staff College in Accra on Friday August 18, 2023, Dr. Bawumia acknowledged the historic contributions of the Armed Forces to the advancement of technology, urging the Ghana Armed Forces to be on board the digitization drive, because of the link between the military and technology.

“It has been acknowledged, the world over, that the military and technology are inseparable,” Dr. Bawumia said.

Ghanaian Vice President,Mahamudu Bawumia

“Indeed, many technologies that we are enjoying today are the product of military research. Examples include, the microwave ovens, computers, GPS technology, the internet, nuclear energy, walkie talkies, etc.”

“Therefore, I look forward to the Ghana Armed Forces, particularly GAFCSC, to help with strategies that will contribute to government’s digitization agenda,” added the Vice President.

“As I requested at last year’s graduation, government is looking forward to GAFCSC developing modules and programmes that will challenge the ingenuity of the youth, particularly in digitalization awareness and Cyber security related issues.”

IMPACT OF GAFCSC

Dr. Bawumia hailed the significant impact the GAFCSC is making as a citadel of knowledge, not only on Ghanaians, but also serving men nationals of other African country.

“I have repeatedly referred to GAFCSC, as a prime national asset with a place of pride in Ghana and the entire continent as it continues to serve as a citadel of knowledge for our military and that of allied countries,” he said.

“Over time, GAFCSC has convincingly carved a niche for itself as the destination of choice for Allied officers and countries who have a desire to achieve professional excellence in their respective Armed Forces.”

With the College’s growing reputation, Dr. Bawumia further urged the Staff College Control Board and the Military High Command to leverage its enhanced status and prominence, to work towards sustaining the gains already achieved and possibly venture into other unexplored areas necessary for national development.

“The increased demand for vacancies on your programmes should serve as a motivation to explore and tap into other areas of study that are necessary for the socio-economic development of our dear nation and by extension the continent.”

“With the status of the College as a tertiary institution and her flagship Integrated programme, namely the Passed Staff College (psc) and the Master of Science in Defense and International Politics, GAFCSC has assumed an even greater role in shaping the leadership and managerial skills of many professionals from Ghana and other sister African countries.”

Dr. Bawumia also assured the Armed Forces of Government’s continuous support for the military, including the expansion of its infrastructure, “as it has always done.”

The joint graduation ceremony was for the 2023 year group of the College for Senior Command and Staff Course 44, as well as the Master of Science in Defense and International Politics Class of 2023

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Google-Backed OpenAI Rival Raises $100-Million

August 18, 2023

South Korea’s largest telecommunications operator, SK Telecom, said it will invest US$100-million in US artificial intelligence firm Anthropic to strengthen its telecoms-driven AI business.

Anthropic, a start-up competing with OpenAI in building AI foundation models, is among the most well-funded AI firms, having raised $450-million from investors including Google and Spark Capital in May.

SK Telecom, which also made a smaller investment in May, said on Sunday that the two companies plan to jointly develop a global telecoms-orientated multilingual large language model and build an AI platform. SK Telecom declined to reveal the size of its May investment or the size of its stake in Anthropic.

Claude vs GPT-4

Anthropic was founded by former OpenAI executives in 2021. Its Claude models are seen as major competitors to OpenAI’s GPT-4.

In July, SK Telecom agreed with Deutsche Telekom, e& and Singapore Telecommunications to form an alliance to jointly develop telecoms-driven AI businesses.

South Korea’s largest telecommunications operator, SK Telecom, said it will invest US$100-million in US artificial intelligence firm Anthropic to strengthen its telecoms-driven AI business

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Uganda to Host the 2nd Africa Coffee Summit

August 12, 2023

The 2nd Africa Coffee Summit (ACS) will take place in Uganda. The Summit is a high-level event that aims to transform the African coffee sector through value addition and domestic consumption.

Organized by the Government of Uganda in collaboration with the Inter-African Coffee Organisation (IACO), which represents 25 African coffee-producing countries. It will bring together heads of state, senior government ministers, heads of coffee authorities, and senior ministers from African coffee-consuming nations, as well as representatives from the African private sector, including farmers, processors, exporters, roasters, and coffee associations.

The theme of the summit is “Transforming the African Coffee Sector through Value Addition”. The summit will seek to promote the declaration of coffee as a strategic commodity in line with the African Union Agenda 2063, which aims to build a united and integrated Africa. The summit will also explore the impact of climate change and COVID-19 on the coffee industry and share knowledge and strategies to address these challenges.

This summit follows the success of the 1st G-25 African Coffee Summit, which took place in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 25, 2022. The Nairobi Summit adopted a declaration on coffee as a strategic agricultural commodity in the AU Agenda 2063 and called for the development of an evaluation framework to track down the socio-economic impact on coffee farmers and the enactment of the AfCFTA to facilitate cooperation between African countries and encourage inter-African trade.

Hosting the 2nd African Coffee Summit gives Uganda a unique opportunity to showcase its rich coffee heritage and potential to a diverse range of African countries and promote economic integration. Uganda is one of the leading coffee producers in Africa and has a vision to increase its annual coffee exports from 4.6 million bags in 2018/19 to 20 million bags by 2025.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Bybit Unveils Elite Wealth Management to Elevate User’s Crypto Portfolios

Bybit, one of CoinGecko’s top five most trusted crypto exchanges, is delighted to announce the launch of its Wealth Management product. Designed to cater to the needs of discerning investors, Bybit’s Wealth Management offers personalized solutions and attractive returns with minimized risk.

Bybit’s Wealth Management aims to deliver consistent returns through cutting-edge strategies and robust risk management, regardless of market conditions. It features tailored products, which address individual goals and risk tolerances, allowing investors to chart their unique paths to success.

Recognizing the importance of safeguarding capital, Bybit’s Wealth Management employs a low-risk approach, providing users with a secure environment for long-term growth. Launched in two phases, the Fund Pool is the first step, offering access to diversified assets managed by industry experts. Following this, Bybit will introduce Structured Products, expanding investment horizons for its users.

Bybit’s Wealth Management provides various asset growth methods, empowering investors to navigate the dynamic crypto market confidently. Wealth Management is an inclusive platform accessible to all users and also provides unparalleled benefits to high-net-worth individuals through its VIP system.

“We are thrilled to introduce Bybit’s Wealth Management, a product that embodies sophistication and prudence in the crypto investment space,” said Ben Zhou, co-founder and CEO. “With tailored options, stable returns, and low-risk strategies, our Wealth Management product offers seamless access to the exponential opportunities in the crypto market.”

Bybit’s Wealth Management also opens doors for potential collaborations with institutions, inviting industry players to explore strategic partnerships and collectively contribute to developing the crypto investment landscape.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Afrika Insights Inc Joins The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business

Afrika Insights Inc., an Ontario-based risk advisory and publishing company has joined The Canada-Africa Business Chamber (https://www.CanadaAfrica.ca) last month, ahead of the annual Canada-Africa trade and investment forum, Africa Accelerating (https://apo-opa.info/3Yt3v56). The firm’s primary objective is to provide Canadian companies and individuals with the information and knowledge to make beneficial investments in Africa.

During Africa Accelerating 2023, the Chamber’s premier event each year, CEO Felix Ofulue will address the 3-day gathering during the session on Knowledge Generation: The Role of the Chamber’s Institutional and Research Members across Africa.

“For many businesspeople and investors in developed countries such as Canada, Africa was for long an uncharted territory,’’ says Felix Ofulue, who is proud of his experience working for The Coca-Cola Company across Africa for almost two decades. ‘’Many money and asset managers avoided the continent for reasons including political instability, lack of amenities and utilities needed to run a business, frequent policy changes and the absence of the kind of predictability that minimizes risk.”

“Yet for those who dared, Africa consistently yielded among the highest rates of return on investment globally for the past two decades when compared with other emerging and frontier markets, adds Ofulue. ‘’Whether in long-term foreign direct investment or in portfolio flows, Africa has hugely benefited those who understood it’s terrain and navigated it’s risks with knowledge.”

Afrika Insights argues it is in prime position to provide timely and up-to-date business and political risk analyses to guide investors to profitable investment decisions across Africa: ‘’In a globalized world in which people are increasingly interconnected and can engage in real-time, instantaneous communication from any point in the globe, business opportunities are also transcending old barriers and boundaries. New risks are also emerging. Afrika Insights is led by outstanding professionals with the right skills and experience to deliver actionable advisories in a rapidly changing global environment.’’

Felix Ofulue, Afrika Insights Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer, says his experience at The Coca-Cola Company across Africa for almost 20 years included ‘stints in the east, south and west of the continent.’’ He now manages a team of researchers and analysts located across the continent to deliver information in easily digestible formats to our clients and readers.

Included on the team is Dulue Mbachu, a writer and journalist with more than two decades of experience. ‘’Dulue worked for the Reuters and Associated Press news agencies as a journalist covering Africa before he joined Bloomberg News in 2008 as an energy correspondent and went on to become the pioneer Nigeria bureau chief in 2010,’’ says Ofulue. ‘’He worked in other capacities as speed editor and government editor during his 13 years at the company. We are proud to have him serve in overseeing our research and publications at Afrika Insights.’’

Felix Ofulue says he looks forward to the active role he and his colleagues will play, following Afrika Insights’ accession into The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business: ‘’Jointly, and in collaboration with other partners and professionals, we will put our best efforts to support the work of The Canada-Africa Business Chamber toward boosting business relations between Canada and African markets.’’

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Kenya Plans to Double Milk Production in Five Years

The Kenyan government has said that it has laid down solid plans that will see the increase in milk production from 5.2 billion litres to 10 billion litres a year.

This was made known by President William Ruto who argued that milk is one of the highest influencers of income in Kenya, generating at least Sh200 billion a year. He explained that the Government will modernise Kenya Cooperative Creameries plants and install milk coolers countrywide so that more milk can be processed.

“We want to fetch more from value-added milk. Our farmers are not thriving because they have been selling raw milk,” he said.

He said the Country has enough facilities to create powder and long-life milk to ensure the surplus milk does not go to waste.

The President noted that farmers will be at the centre and front in the new plan to give the sector a new lease of life.

“We will also rid the market of brokers so that farmers can earn maximum returns from their milk.”

The President spoke on Tuesday in Kiganjo, Nyeri County, where he commissioned the Modernised Kenya Co-operative Creameries Kiganjo Factory.

The plant is now equipped with new product lines to process camel milk and drinking water.

Present were Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui, Governors Mutahi Kahiga (Nyeri), Abdi Guyo (Isiolo) and MPs led by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah.

Other interventions outlined by President Ruto include the removal of taxes on animal feed imports — including yellow maize — and the reduction of the cost of semen.

He said subsidised fertiliser will be instrumental in increasing the production of animal feeds. The President also instructed KCC to minimise expenses shouldered by the farmers to increase their profits.

Mr Gachagua said the Government is committed to protecting dairy farmers from exploitation. “We will have a conference in September to deliberate on issues affecting dairy farmers,” he said.

Governor Guyo said the launch of the camel milk processing line at KCC Kiganjo will transform the lives of the people of Northern Kenya.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry