Procter & Gamble Bets on Feminine Hygiene Education to Grow Market Share in the regional sanitary pads industry

Procter & Gamble is looking at increasing its market share in the East African region by focusing on feminine hygiene education targeting women under 30 years.

The global consumer goods company currently controls 54 per cent of the sanitary pad market in Kenya. 

The company hopes that the allocation by the government of KES 300 million for the 2012/2013 financial year to providing sanitary towels to girls from poor families will provide an avenue to pass feminine hygiene education to Kenyan girls.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, more than one in ten school girls in Sub-Saharan Africa skip more than a day when menstruating due to lack of awareness on how take care of themselves.

Through the Always School Education programme, Procter & Gamble has been providing puberty education that empowers girls to stay in school during their period. The programme also aims to raise the girls’ self-esteem to ensure they are better placed to further their education and gain employment.

Communications Manager Salome Mwaura said that the company is providing the school girl with a free educational programme to equip them with sound knowledge and guidance on the physical and emotional changes experienced during puberty as well as to ease any concerns or confusion around this challenging phase.

“We hope that our programme will empower school girls to stay in school by providing them with puberty education and sanitary protection during menstruation,” says Ms. Mwaura.

In 2001, the Rockfeller Foundation funded a study that revealed that over 500,000 girls in Kenya miss at least four days of school every month as they are unable to afford sanitary pads. This is between 10 -25 % of their time in school thus creating a disadvantage on them over their boy counterparts. The study which was carried out by FAWE also found out that girls lack information on puberty and menstruation and this in turn affects their performance especially during the onset of adolescence. With this backdrop, P&G pledged to provide 3.2 million free sanitary pads to over 15000 teenage girls from poor families for a period of two years at a total investment of over $250,000 under the ‘Always Keeping Girls in School – AKGS. The AKGS program provides girls with three packets of Always pads during every school team. Using trained nurses, Always also educates the girls on issues of feminine hygiene puberty and menstrual protection. Today, the Always Puberty & Hygiene program educates over 300,000 11-13 year olds girls annually.  Always Keeping Girls in School program is a partnership with the Ministry of Education touched lives of over 85,000 girls so far.

In the East Africa region, Kenya is leading with 35 per cent market penetration with Uganda and Tanzania having 22 and 16 per cent penetration respectively. Sanitary pad market penetration is relatively low due to lack of awareness of affordable pads in the market as well as feminine hygiene education. This means that many women still use clothing, tissue and cotton wool to manage their menstrual flow exposing them to health threats.

It is Procter & Gamble’s hope to reach about 10 million school girls by end of 2020 with the feminine hygiene message.

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Nokia Siemens Network introduces a 1GBperday$ innovative approach to maximize consumers’ mobile broadband usage at a lower cost

 As the burden on local mobile broadband networks continues to increase, with an ever growing number of users expecting higher speeds and demand for capacity more than doubling every year, global infrastructure provider Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) is introducing new solutions that will help deliver services and content fluidly across a network and ease network congestion while bringing the focus of mobile networks on customer satisfaction.

According to the company, the growing importance of mobility in both developed and emerging markets is driving a massive shift in mobile broadband. The global proliferation of smart end-devices and the increased adoption of cloud computing has made mobile broadband the key enabler of these usage patterns.

Speaking during the launch of the new solutions, Nokia Siemens Networks Head of Sales for Africa Ranjith Cherickel noted that as the demand and adoption of mobile devices and services continues to grow in Kenya, the content and services that can be accessed on the move becomes the central value proposition of mobility, not the ability to merely connect to the Internet.

“This means that mobile network operators need to start moving to a model that supports connectivity which allows users to pay for what they consume and not necessarily how they consume it. This has a significant implication on current network resources and infrastructure, and also impacts on the established revenue streams of mobile network operators because, as demand grows, revenue per bit can fall,” he said.

However, Nokia Siemens Networks believes that with the right technology and network architecture mobile network operators can improve network resource efficiency, drive down opex and create a profitable business model. Its mobile broadband development activities are based on a view of the world where in 2020 1 Gigabyte of personalized data is delivered to consumers at a cost of about US1 dollar per day (#1GBperday$).

To achieve this, Cherickel said greater end-to-end intelligence and real-time monitoring capabilities needed to be built into the network to efficiently deliver a superior broadband experience. The capabilities make the network continuously aware of user traffic demands, service needs and the resources available to serve those demands. This enables the network to recognise where demand is coming from and use traffic and content management to adapt itself to cater for traffic fluctuations.

Some of the products the company is introducing include the Liquid Radio WCDMA software suite which boosts performance of existing WCDMA networks. Building on the capabilities of Liquid Net, the advanced software combines three powerful and complementary features to deliver faster data uploads and extract the full benefit from network resources and smartphone capabilities. The feature set therefore helps operators improve customer satisfaction and cut churn while increasing revenue from greater 3G availability.

According to Nokia Siemens Networks, another key aspect that is central to differentiation in a commoditised mobile broadband market is customer service. The CEM for Liquid Net provides insight into the experience of people using a mobile network and converts that into specific investment and network optimisation projects using the company’s Liquid Net software portfolio.

“The approach extends traditional network and operational approaches by directly linking customer and revenue insights to improving network performance. This also helps operators to bridge the gap that sometimes exists between the network performance on record and service quality customers experience in reality,” Cherickel said.

The global infrastructure company has also launched a Service Operations and Management solution. The solution combines insights related to service performance with operations functions to manage mobile broadband services and tackle service degradation before subscribers experience poor quality. Together they help bridge the gap between network operations and service provisioning so that operators can provide subscribers with the best quality of service.

Cherickel noted that final technological element that can help boost network efficiency in an effort to reduce opex and drive down broadband costs are small cell products and services. These packages offer the most profitable blend of macro and small cells to help operators expand their coverage in areas like the home or small office, allowing more capacity to flow through networks. This further boosts customer experience and provides mobile operators with the best return on investment.

He said that all the technologies being introduced will allow operators to optimise their investments in high-quality mobile broadband access, improve the customer's experience at a lower cost. “This is the future of mobile broadband and operators need to start planning network upgrades along these lines if they wish to remain relevant in the next three to five years. There is little doubt that the mobile broadband usage paradigm is shifting in a market that is now, more than ever, driven by end-user demand. And what end-users are demanding is access to low cost mobile broadband that will allow them to benefit from all the promise and functionality that true mobility offers,” Cherickel said.

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Epson teams up with Manchester United and renowned photographer Walter Iooss

Epson has teamed up with Manchester United and renowned photographer Walter Iooss to capture spectacular high-resolution images of the team's star footballers.

The latest challenge for Iooss, who is known globally for his iconic shots of stars such as Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and Tiger Woods and for five decades of work with Sports Illustrated magazine, was to take studio still shots of some of the biggest names in world football. The results were remarkable, as Iooss used a Hasselblad H4D 60 and Hasselblad lenses to sublimely capture the intensity, determination, and raw power of players including Wayne Rooney (England), Shinji Kagawa (Japan), David De Gea (Spain) and Javier Hernandez (Mexico).

"With our rich heritage in photo printing we were very excited by this opportunity to collaborate with Walter Iooss, one of the world's greatest photographers," said Ian Cameron, general manager responsible for global communications at Epson. "And as the Official Office Equipment Partner of Manchester United we saw synergies among parties who are truly at the top of their game. Our state-of-the-art photo printers more than do justice to these fantastic works of art, which I am sure will excite and inspire our customers worldwide."

Beginning this autumn the images will be rolled out to Epson Group companies worldwide for use in print samples and other promotional materials.

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BRITAM BREAKS GROUND FOR THIRD TALLEST BUILDING IN AFRICA

…the 30-storey complex will house offices and rental space…

The construction of the tallest building in Kenya to date, a grade “A” office tower by Britam, is on course as the Group seeks to expand its property development portfolio to consolidate its position as the leading financial services provider in Kenya and the East African region. The target clientele is the multi nationals, institutions and even Government bodies.

The company filed an application for the construction of the 30-storey tower with relevant government authorities as well as environmental and survey authorities. Approvals have been received from the Local Authority, Ministry of Lands, Ministry of Housing, National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) as well as the Association of Land Surveyors of Kenya.

Speaking about the proposed project, Benson Wairegi explained that the design of the 30-storey tower, standing on 1.5 acres of land; comprises two buildings linked by an atrium with the tower housing office accommodation on the top levels, and retail facilities including banking halls, restaurants and shops on the ground and mezzanine levels. The roof has been designed as a viewing deck and an entertainment area.   The annex building is a 10-storey parkade as well as retail facilities on the ground floor. At the roof of the tower will be a wind turbine which other than being an iconic feature will also generate electricity to power part of the building.

The Britam Group Managing Director, Mr. Benson Wairegi said the construction period is estimated to be three years with the office space, in excess of 350,000 square feet and parking bays in excess of 1,000 in number, is expected to be offloaded to the market towards the end of 2015.

“This is our flagship project within the property development portfolio and it is driven by a rigorous research that showed great need for Grade ‘A’ properties in Nairobi. I am happy to note that the board of directors have approved all costs relating to this project. This project sets the pace for other similar projects that we have planned in the next five years, “said Wairegi.

The company has also identified a real estate company, Acorn Group, to manage the construction of the property as well as engaged other Consultants with both local and international expertise to both design and ensure successful implementation of the project.

The total investment that Britam has put towards the project is in excess of Kshs 5 Billion.

In a bid to ensure that the tower is not detrimental to the environment, the designs of the environmental engineering components will ensure compliance with international environmental regulations. The tower design will incorporate green features including a wind turbine to generate electricity to power the common areas of the building. To this end, an Environmental Engineer of renowned international repute has been appointed to the Project to ensure that it meets all the requirements of Green construction.

Earlier this year, Britam announced, that  it was setting up a Ksh 10 billion property fund subject to statutory approval targeting high net worth individuals to pool funds for multi-billion shilling investments in the property sector.

The strategy to diversifying from government securities, equities and bank deposits, was with the aim of expanding the company’s product offering while responding to client’s appetite for assets that have little more stability like real estate and private equity.

Past Real Estate Investments by the Company:

Britam has a long history of property development which includes:

Britam Centre - an 8-floor office building with over 85,000 square feet lettable area situated in Upper Hill area of Nairobi constructed in the early 1990s when Upper Hill area was still largely a residential area. The area has since revolutionized and is considered the Financial Hub of Nairobi and East Africa in general. The building has over the years enjoyed full occupancy with clients of good repute amongst them multinationals, government bodies as well as diplomatic missions.

Thompsons Glade- These are apartments for residential accommodation that were completed by the Company in early 2010 and full sold off in just over a year.

Apple Walk Park – This too comprised of residential apartments that were constructed for outright sale and were sold off in under a year.

Hurlingham Park- Also residential apartments developed and successfully sold off by the Company.

The Company has recently unveiled its real estate investment strategy which looks at extending its real estate investment across the different property divides as well as beyond the Kenyan borders

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LG UNVEILS ADVANCED TOUCH 10 MONITOR OPTIMIZED FOR WINDOWS 8

Innovative 10-Point IPS Monitor Expands the Horizon of Touchscreen Technology

LG Electronics (LG) introduced its Touch 10 monitor (model:ET83), optimized for use with Windows 8, which was launched by Microsoft last week.

Whereas conventional touchscreens enable two-finger dragging, scrolling and pinching, LG’s 23-inch Touch 10 monitor allows all ten fingers to be used simultaneously. The

Touch 10 monitor is an excellent choice for those looking to enjoy an enhanced touch computing experience without having to upgrade their entire PC.

“This is a compelling new product that re-imagines the touch experience and shows that LG is an industry leader in developing the next generation of touch monitor products,”

said J.J. Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of the IT Business Unit at the LG Home Entertainment Company. “Smartphones and tablets have already proven that

consumers are ready to fully embrace touch features. Our 10-point touchscreen takes it one step further by exponentially expanding the range of interactive possibilities. We

believe this technology will excite and inspire software developers and users alike.”

For tablet and smartphone owners, the Touch 10 monitor will feel like a huge improvement in the intuitive user experience they’re familiar with. Most touchscreens

utilize a two-finger recognition system which allows for basic manipulation of onscreen elements. LG’s Touch 10 monitor affords users the ability to use all their fingers at the

same time, meaning they can perform a number of new actions, such as dragging and rotating multiple items simultaneously. The highly responsive touch screen also enables

the user to take advantage of Windows 8 features, including the on-screen keyboard. The Touch 10 monitor also supports a capacitive stylus (purchased separately) should

the user prefer a pen-like interface. It’s great to see LG bringing touch to computing in innovative new ways,” said John Case, Vice President WW OEM Marketing, Microsoft Corporation.  “Pairing LG’s Touch 10 monitor with a desktop or non-touch laptop will help create amazing Windows 8 touch experiences for customers.”

The impressive 23-inch monitor is great for musical applications featuring virtual pianos, synthesizers and string instruments. A bigger display is also makes watching movies, playing games and children’s educational programs much more enjoyable. A range of touch-friendly apps is available from the Windows Store. Moreover, from a consumer standpoint, the monitor’s setup is refreshingly hassle-free; full touch functionality is available as soon as the monitor is connected, and no extra software is required.

To ensure optimal picture quality, the monitor utilizes an advanced In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel. IPS displays have inherent advantages over conventional Twisted Nematic

(TN) displays in terms of both color and clarity. The range of colors displayed is both vibrant and naturalistic, with good contrast and overall consistency. IPS technology also

provides a more comfortable viewing experience for the user, reducing eye strain and thereby allowing extended periods of use.

Nokia Lumia 510 now available in East Africa

Bright 4-inch display and signature Lumia experiences in Nokia’s newest Windows Phone

Nairobi, Kenya, November 28^th 2012 – Nokia today announced the local availability of the first Lumia smartphone in East Africa. The Nokia Lumia 510, is the most affordable in the current Lumia family of smartphones.

“We are pleased to announce the availability of the Nokia Lumia 510 in East Africa,” says Bruce Howe, General Manager for Nokia East Africa. “There has been so much excitement globally about our Lumia smartphones and it is great to now be able to bring them to the East African market, starting today with the Nokia Lumia 510. This builds on our commitment to bring Lumia to lower price points and welcome more consumers to the Windows Phone experience”.

Windows Phone is different to other smartphone platforms thanks to Live Tiles, making it easy to see incoming messages and updates; People Hub, which brings together contacts and updates from across social networks into one location, and access to Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer 9 on the mobile.

Unique Lumia experiences also make the Nokia Lumia 510 unlike any other entry-level Windows Phone. Downloading the Camera Extras app provides exclusive digital lens functionality to go with the five megapixel camera and built-in autofocus. Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive and Nokia Transport also offer the most comprehensive smartphone location and navigation experience available.

The Nokia Lumia 510 is based on the current Windows 7.5 platform, upgradeable to Window 7.8 which brings great new functionality and experiences to the existing platform. It is currently available at selected retail outlets across East Africa in black, white and red.

Local pricing for East Africa

Kenya: KES 16,900

Tanzania: TZS 355,000

Uganda: UGX 600,000

Product specifications:

	Nokia Lumia 510
Operating System	Windows Phone 7.5
Display	4-inch WVGA 800x480 TFT Capacitive Touch Screen
Battery	1300 mAh
Processor	Snapdragon™ S1
Main camera	5MP Autofocus
Memory	256MB RAM 4GB mass memory (no memory card slot) 7GB free SkyDrive storagehttp://businessnewseastafrica.blogspot.com/2012/Nokia Lumia 510 now available in East Africa11/

Epson makes label creation easy

Saving businesses, consumers time and money with versatile LabelWorks range

Building on its success in the business printing and labelling markets, Epson has announced its range of versatile, easy-to-use label makers. Addressing both mobile and desktop labelling needs, the range comprises the compact LabelWorks LW-300, ideal for office labelling, and the lightweight LW-400, with backlit screen, designed for mobile labelling in almost any environment. Both models are compatible with a wide selection of Epson label tapes and offer savings with economical, nine-metre tapes.

Straightforward to use, the LW-300 and LW-400 feature an integrated keyboard for standalone operation and dedicated buttons for quick access to cutting and printing functions. Businesses can save time by storing favourite label designs in the label makers’ internal memory for re-use: the LW-300 stores up to 30 designs and the LW-400 up to 50.

Targeting both businesses and consumers, the two models offer versatility with a choice of font types, character sizes, symbols, borders and styles. The LW-400 also provides barcode printing.

Epson’s wide selection of labels in 6, 9, 12 and 18mm widths cover practically every labelling need. The range includes standard, black, transparent, matte and writable matte paper labels, index tab and flag labels, a variety of colours such as fluorescent and pastel, and two adhesive strengths. All Epson labels are very durable, resisting water and withstanding hot and cold conditions.

 “To help our customers get more labels for their money, our label makers minimise the margins of each label to prevent tape wastage. Furthermore, at nine metres long, our economical tapes are some of the longest in the market,” said Mukesh Bector, Regional Sales Manager for Epson East Africa.

The Epson LabelWorks range will be available for purchase from January next year.

Key features	LW-300	LW-400
Integrated keyboard for standalone operation	●	●
LCD screen	●	●
LCD screen backlight	-	●
Can be used with batteries or included AC adaptor	●	●
Choice of 14 font types, 5 font sizes, 10 font styles, 457 symbols and 87 borders/frames	●	●
Prints multiple lines	2 lines	4 lines
Prints barcodes	-	8 types
Print a series of labels with incremental alphanumeric sequence	●	●
Supports 6, 9 and 12mm label widths	●	●
Supports 18mm label width	-	●
Compatible with a wide range of label/text colour combinations and label types, including transparent, fluorescent, metallic	●	●
Durable labels resist water and withstand hot and cold conditions	●	●
Minimal label margins mean more labels per tape	●	●
Economical 9-metre tapes	●	●
Two four-metre tapes included in the box	●	●
Two-year warranty, extended to three years when product is registered on Epson website	●	●

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