My blog posts and external op-eds/articles on business-related topics
The Trans-African Highway network, a bold blueprint conceived to foster economic integration on the African continent, has been a captivating vision since its inception in 1971. Initiated by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the project aims to integrate the continent through an expansive road network. Despite political obstacles and inconsistent collaboration between…
Africa has the demand, destinations, and trade potential. What it still lacks is affordable, practical air connectivity. This article looks at how high flight costs hold back tourism and business across the continent, and why airspace liberalisation could become one of Africa’s most important growth levers.
Kenya has the destinations, infrastructure, and investment climate to attract far more visitors. What it does not need is a visa process that blocks last-minute trips, frustrates frequent travellers, and sends tourism revenue elsewhere. This article argues for a simple fix: bring back visa-on-arrival, or go further with visa-free access for key source markets.
As the world reopens, and leisure tourism gradually resumes, African countries have a competitive advantage in the scramble for tourist arrivals. As the world continues to battle Covid-19, most African countries seem to have weathered the global public health crisis quite benignly. This has left newsrooms across the planet puzzled. For decades if not centuries, the…
Remote work has changed the tourism equation. Digital nomads stay longer, spend locally, and can turn destinations into part-time homes rather than short holiday stops. For Kenya, the opportunity is obvious: strong internet, coastal lifestyle, good regional access, and a tourism sector that needs higher-value, longer-stay visitors. The question is whether the country moves fast enough to claim the advantage.
Kenya was already ahead of much of the world on mobile money before Covid-19. The pandemic simply pushed the shift further. This article looks at how M-Pesa, digital payments, health concerns, and changing consumer habits helped move Kenya closer to a cashless economy.
Kenya is bustling with roadworks at the moment. Nairobi is leading from the front. With the promise of great highways soon, however, comes utter chaos now. Every other major road seems to be under construction in 2020. As an inevitable result, brace for slow, bumpy rides through choking traffic jams on temporary mud roads. Nairobi…
The first-ever African Innovation Week took place in Addis Ababa at the African Union Headquarters, Oct. 28 – Nov. 2. AIW is an international conference, showcasing entrepreneurship in Africa. I was honoured to be among the keynote speakers. Our experience of scaling HotelOnline across Africa is one of my favorite topics! Africa is experiencing an…
Why terms like “impact business” or “social entrepreneurship” are outdated Henry T. Ford once said “A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business”. The attitude behind his statement remains emblematic for some of the most successful businesses in history. Businesses that change the world, have invariably been driven by visions greater than…
The CEO of Africa Innovation Network, Flemming Sørensen, reached out recently, asking if I could do a video appearance at a seminar, telling the story of HotelOnline. Sure, I love telling about how Endre and I built our now pretty successful traveltech company. So how to make a video? I neither had the time, nor…
