Kenya Airways launches Economy Max seat-blocker to address in-flight additional personal space.
National carrier Kenya Airways (KQ), has unveiled, Economy Max, a product that allows customers to create additional personal space by booking a seat or a row next to them. Economy Max, a first of its kind for an African carrier, will be available for purchase between 48 to 3 hours before departure to all KQ customers purchasing Economy Class tickets globally.
According to a July 2020 IATA Study, travelers are seeking ways to feel more comfortable about flying again. This has led to increased accountability for airlines to ensure passenger confidence.
Regional forum explores inclusive green growth as a sustainable path to Africa’s development
“Current growth trajectories suggest that many countries will fail to achieve the SDGs by the 2030 deadline,” said Jean-Paul Adam, Director of Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resource Management at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
The ECA director underscored the importance of “reconstructing our socioeconomic systems by leveraging opportunities presented by green and low carbon development trajectories with a view to building a resilient, inclusive and sustainable Africa.”
It is against this backdrop that deliberations at the seventh Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD2021) will evolve around the theme “Building forward better: towards a resilient and green Africa to achieve the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.”
The regional forum is an annual ECA event aimed at advancing an integrated implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063. It serves as a multi-stakeholder platform for follow-up and review of progress and challenges in the implementation of the two Agendas, while strengthening learning and advocating effective policy measures and actions.
Some 900 million people in Africa still unconnected, says report
A new report by the global system for mobile communications titled effective spectrum price in Africa showed governments in Africa have assigned approximately half the amount of mobile spectrum compared with the global average. The report, unprecedented in scope and in-depth through working spectrum assignment across nearly fifty African countries for the 2010 to 2019 period.
The mobile market in the Sub-Saharan region is expected to reach several important milestones over the next five years: half a billion mobile subscribers in 2021, 1 billion mobile connections in 2024, and 50% subscriber penetration by 2025.
For governments that want to continue to expand coverage and maximize the benefits from connectivity, making sure there is a more affordable spectrum is the first step. At the end of 2019, 477 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa subscribed to mobile services, accounting for 45 percent of the population. Also, the rollout of mobile technology has driven a fifth of income per capita growth over the last 20 years. These are impressive numbers. But with some 900 million people in Africa still unconnected.
Spectrum licensing decisions, and pricing in particular, play a crucial role in accelerating the adoption of mobile services and providing better networks and services for consumers and businesses. Our new “Effective Spectrum Pricing in Africa” report is unprecedented in scope and depth, tracking spectrum assignments across nearly 50 African countries for the 2010–2019 period.
