Insight

When Dorothy Kiprono took over as finance manager at Aerolink Uganda, she did not anticipate that one of her biggest challenges would be dealing with staff departures. She explains how she successfully managed a staff-turnover crisis and created a sound strategy for handling future exits.

The buy now, pay later (BNPL) model has grown popular in recent years as consumers seek alternatives to credit cards and huge upfront payments. De-risking the model offers the potential for greater profitability to organisations willing to explore this space.

Traditionally, healthy workplace competition often involved comparing your career progression with your peers and looking up to your seniors for mentorship. But as Nyumba Group CFO Vishal Soni observes, today's work environment where AI is an inescapable reality, demands a new approach to achieving success.

After four years of losses, Sanlam Kenya has finally turned the tide, reporting a historic Ksh 1 billion profit. Head of finance Fredrick Njoroge explains how the company overcame challenges to achieve sustained growth.

Revenue Assurance (RA) has evolved into a powerful tool for optimising revenue streams and strengthening financial decision-making. Specialist Joseph Nderitu explores how CFOs can harness it to deliver greater value beyond compliance.

In the past, CFOs were seen as financial gatekeepers who managed an organisation’s costs and risks. Today, finance leaders are expected to drive strategy, innovation, and growth. American Tower Company CEO George Odenyo, MAT Abacus Business School principal Professor Samuel Sejjaaka, and Strathmore University senior lecturer Professor James McFie weigh in on how finance executives can drive value and shape the future of their companies.

Traditionally, CFOs have relied on historical data and forecasting methods in creating strategy. But as panelists at the CFO Kick-off summit noted, changes in consumer habits and the global economy have placed heavier demands on finance executives.

First defined by the TM Forum, revenue assurance (RA) is a practice that employs data quality and process improvement methods that improve profits, revenues, and cash flows without influencing demand. And as revenue assurance and fraud management specialist Joseph Nderitu writes, CFOs who integrate RA into their financial strategies will be better positioned to protect revenues.

Kenya’s e-mobility landscape is growing in leaps and bounds, but players in the industry are still facing challenges in scaling up adoption. Watu Credit head of finance Steve Onyango, who is also the treasurer of the Electric Mobility Association of Kenya (EMAK), reveals what it would take to de-risk financing and create a friendly policy environment for the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs).

As the world prepares to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, finance leaders pause to reflect on the strides women have made in the profession. Ahead of the day, Lake Turkana Wind Power CFO Alice Wathika, Liquid Intelligent Technologies CFO Shime Baligira, and FINCA Uganda CFO Robinah Siima share their perspectives on how far the sector has come and what remains to be done.

Culture is the silent force behind any successful organisation. While the CFO role is often assumed to have little to do with influencing organisational culture, finance leaders are at the core of shaping a company's culture, writes Jackline Aluda, CFO of Cold Solutions. 

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the way business is done across the world, and finance is no exception. Kisima Farm CFO Francis Ngumbi, Liquid Intelligent Technologies CFO Shime Baligira, and Deposit Protection Fund Uganda finance director Dr Michael Lugemwa share their thoughts on the risks and benefits of generative AI.

Jubilee Health Insurance recently launched J-Force, a digital platform designed to streamline policy management, client engagement, and transaction processing with the overall goal of improving the insurer’s efficiency. According to CFO Eugine Mutekhele, the platform aims to transform the way insurance is distributed, accessed and experienced.

Kenya’s sole power distributor recently made headlines after declaring an interim dividend of Ksh 0.20 per share for the first time in nine years. Kenya Power's general manager for finance Stephen Vikiru speaks to CFO East Africa about the milestone, which marks a major turnaround for the utility.

When Nyumba Group CFO Vishal Soni lost his mother in 2018, he was left rudderless. All of his career decisions until that point, including rejecting any job offers outside of his native Mombasa, had been made with her in mind.

Safaricom CFO Dilip Pal, Spiro group CFO Wangeci Kanjama, and ZEP-RE CFO Rachael Gitonga spoke candidly about their triumphs and losses in 2024 and shared their hopes for the new year, during a panel discussion at the 2024 CFO East Africa Year End Summit.

EABL group CFO Risper Genga Ohaga and ICEA Lion General Insurance CFO Zipporah Mungai Chege recently participated in a multistakeholder committee to develop a roadmap for the adoption of the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards in Kenya.

At the 2024 CFO East Africa Year-End Summit, Bayport Tanzania CFO Rehema Sanare, acting MTN Rwanda CFO Dunstan Stober, Rocket Health Uganda CFO Fiona Nuwamanya, and Mitchell Cotts Kenya finance and strategy director Michael Nzule shared their highs and lows for the year and discussed the opportunities and risks of digital disruption

The UAP Tanzania CEO, who recently transitioned from CFO, urges upcoming finance leaders to expand the scope of their responsibility and discharge their role with the future of the business in mind. He shuns the notion of the CFO as purely a finance professional, urging CFOs to play a key role in shaping and driving business strategy.

In his partner address at the auspicious launch of the CFO East Africa Uganda chapter, EY Uganda managing partner Geoffrey Byamugisha hailed the community as a forum for advancing thought leadership within the finance sector, noting that it was vital for career growth.