New technology to help farmers counter the fruit fly menace
by James Karuga in Agriculture and Food
In Kenya, a solution to counter the menace of fruit flies rampant among small holder farmers is now available. Dubbed the Fruit Fly Mania, this protein bait is made from brewer’s yeast was developed through the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology research, and is being commercially produced for farmers, by Kenya Biologics.
Kenya Leading Africa on Cloud Technology Support for SMEs
by
Sally Keys in Information technology, Work
In Nairobi telecommunications firm MTN have opened a new data office with 70 racks aimed at supporting small to medium sized businesses. Liquid Telecom’s East Africa Data Centre has 600 racks and IBM have recently opened a cognitive cloud computing service in conjunction with Sidian Bank. Kenya is now a growing hub for online supported services and cloud technology not just in East Africa, but across the continent as a whole.
Recycled poles answer to plastic waste menace and wanton deforestation
by
Bob Koigi in Waste
In a country that has over the years decried wanton destruction of forests which has taken a toll on environmental conservation, while chocking from the plastic bags eyesore, new and innovative ways of utilizing the bags while easing pressure on trees is giving the country a new lease of life. A group of vanguard entrepreneurs have sought to combine the plastic menace and the demand for building materials to come up with plastic poles which are long lasting, environmental friendly and sturdy compared to traditional wooden poles.
Africa needs to strengthen energy mix
by
David Kariuki in Climate change, Energy
Africa needs to invest in more mini grid and off grid solutions to provide more people with power and support economic growth and social transformation, so says Africa Progress Panel - led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Traditional methods of supplying power are unreliable and experience many challenges, with mini grids and off grids as modern methods can help bridge that gap. Their demand is increasing and costs decreasing.
How Kenya Could Teach the Developed World About Smart Communities
by
Sally Keys in Climate change, Energy, Urbanization
Is Kenya about to lead not only Africa, but the world, in terms of smart cities and combining the Internet of Things (IoT) and LEDs to make smarter, more environmentally friendly, communities? It may well happen. Kenya, as part of Africa, often gets lumped in with the general impression of lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of technology and innovation, but that’s set to change as the country leads the race to utilize new technology-rich ecosystems.
First Eco Medical Village to Support Medical Tourism
by
Sally Keys
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West Africa's largest healthcare project has been launched in Accra, Ghana. The Eco Medical Village is set to become a 1,100-bed sub-regional project, providing specialized medical centers across 40 acres. Offering African's an alternative to traveling to India, Europe or the US for their healthcare needs, it also keeps this valuable investment within West Africa.
Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2018
by
Angela McClowry
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The United Nations Environment Programme in collaboration with Bloomberg New Energy Finance released their annual Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2018. The report focuses on investment in renewable power and fuels - wind, solar, biomass and waste, biofuels, geothermal and marine projects, and small hydro-electric dams. The rise of solar power has dominated renewable energy investment in 2017, more than that new coal, gas and nuclear plants put together.
Important infrastructure projects in Vietnam look to make the country more efficient
by
Hanna Johnson
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One of the most exciting ventures a country and its cities can undergo is that of modernizing and redeveloping its buildings. The progress made is almost always positive, and literally can give cities a new face. Major infrastructure projects in Vietnam are not so slowly transforming the city for the better, upgrading various aspects ranging from transportation to water treatment and infrastructure.
Water conservation technology helps fight food insecurity in Northern Ghana
by
James Karuga
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In Northern Upper East Ghana, a water conservation technology is enabling about 400 smallholder farmers from 10 communities to farm in dry seasons. As a result they are now getting at least two crop seasons annually as opposed to one, after implementing the PAVE irrigation Technology which harvests flood and rain water, and stores it in underground aquifers where it lasts for up to 180 days.
Pico-hydro a new source of energy in Rwanda
by
Boris Bahire Kabeja
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In Rwanda, a ‘Pico-hydro’ refers to a power system with a capacity less than 50kW. Their advantage over other power systems is their cost-effectiveness and simplicity, and come in different designs, planning and installation processes. It is an economical source of power that has proven useful in delivering clean energy to some of the world’s poorest and most remote places.
Solar milling machine to ease grinding systems
by
Boris Bahire Kabeja
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Whether they are consumed as grains or flour they are always products in high demand in Africa - these being cereals such maize, sorghum, millet and wheat. One of the issues with these widely consumed crops is when people want to grind them and consume them as flour, with most remote areas lacking access to electricity and therefore use expensive fossil fuel to run milling machines.
Earthen floors can really make it in Rwanda!
by
Boris Bahire Kabeja
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Better housing is one of the key indicators of the economic development, but most developing countries still have a challenge to secure clean homes for their habitants. Dirt floors are often responsible up to 80 percent of diseases. In most cases, parasites live in soil in form of feces and bacteria that can be contagious by either absorption or a simple contact. EarthEnable has introduced a solution to all those problems.
Croton plant offers some hope for biofuel enthusiasts
by
David Kariuki
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The Croton tree, which is commonly known as Mukinduri in Eastern and Central part of Kenya, is now a good known source of biofuels and that is being practiced. It grows in a challenging environment and unlike jatropha and palm, it won't bring food and fuel competition. It has no chemical additives and burns cleaner than traditional diesel fuel, with no sulfuric content. It can save our environment from carbon emissions and help in better land usage.
Using lean data to improve the solar power sector
by
David Kariuki
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Many companies use traditional methods to measure the impact of solar power investments such as quoting the many dollars invested, number of people using their kits and areas covered by their product, which are inadequate tools for measuring social impact for solar power investments if we have to get it right. Traditional approaches of gathering data are not only expensive, take time to give results and complicated to use, but are also not helpful in terms of boosting solar power funding. The lean data approach proposed by Acumen could, not only bridge solar power funding gaps in developing worlds, but will also help companies to understand emerging markets.
Emerging Economies Leading the Way in Off Grid Home Energy
by
Sally Keys
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Research undertaken by Greentech Media (GTM) predicts that over the next five years, the global solar market will demonstrate a cumulative average growth rate of around 8%, with emerging economies including India and Latin America leading the progress.
