Mercer and Alexander Forbes launch Arrive financial services programme in Kenya

Pan-African financial advisory firm Alexander Forbes has entered into a partnership with global health and wealth management consultancy Mercer to develop a financial solutions programme by the name of “Arrive” for individuals in Kenya as well as across the entire continent.

While foreign investment has been on the rise in Africa – given that the region boasts a substantial and young population and a number of resource-rich economies that are looking to diversify – a number of firms have struggled with developing products and solutions that are suitable across the wide variety of economies and cultures on the continent.

Several consulting firms have rushed in to support with this integration process, and the Arrive programme is designed with precisely such an objective in mind. The programme – to be developed jointly by Alexander Forbes and Mercer – is designed to help international firms with tailoring solutions across African markets.

The solution will take into consideration the various regulatory and economic conditions of each country, while endowing its services with knowledge from international best practices in the domain of health, wealth and career management. The collaboration comes at a time when firms across Africa are struggling with digital and regulatory disruption.

Mercer has come to be increasingly active in supporting this transition across the continent, through a number of collaborations. Just earlier this year, the firm announced a strategic partnership with Learning Organisation in Ghana to offer comprehensive HR solutions in the country.

Commenting on the partnership, Peter Botha, CEO of Mercer Africa said, “With Arrive employers can enjoy improved efficiency, easy decision-making and affordability from a single point of contact while enabling employees to arrive at financial well-being, a rewarding career and better health throughout their life journey.”

Dawie de Villiers, Group Chief Executive at Alexander Forbes added, “Because each country has its own regulatory and benefit rules, it makes it difficult for multinationals to standardise benefits when operating in multiple jurisdictions and countries.”