How Moringa seeds are saving thousands of rural Kenyans without clean water
by
Bob Koigi in Environment, Agriculture and Food, Health, Water
In Kenya 17.3 million people lack access to clean water with water borne diseases like diarrhea and Cholera being the leading cause of death for children under five years. But a group of women have found a low cost method of purifying water, which is now backed by science - embracing seeds from the wonder tree Moringa oleifera.
Solar-Powered Motorcycle Innovation Set To Revolutionize Kenya’s Rural Transport Sector
by
Antony Ochieng in Climate change, Energy, Transport
Kenya is a first in many a renewable energy innovation. The latest addition to this space is a solar-powered motorbike, a prototype of its kind in the transport sector. With the innovation of rural transportation interfacing with renewable energy, a lot of benefits are set to be realized in the rural transportation and trade sectors.
More youth and women to get involved in energy issues
by
David Kariuki in Climate change, Energy
Energy Africa Indaba was held on February 21 to 22 in Sandton, South Africa and set to catalyze development of energy sector in Africa. It brought together political leaders, experts in energy, and stakeholders from all around the world. It saw its first ever Youth Energy Innovator exhibition and launching of the energyDRIVE initiative, in addition to the panels, keynote addresses and energy agreements reached at during the event. It also hosted the third annual Women in Energy conference.
TALA: Of Data, Money and Mobile Technology
by
Eric Mutei in Information technology, Work
Identity means everything to humankind. We are who we are because we hold onto an image of ourselves. This is power. It is control. Nothing gives people control over their lives more than financial identity. It’s with this knowledge that the Android app called TALA (formerly InVenture) came into play, riding on that concept. TALA is a FinTech (Financial Technology) company and app that allows customers in East Africa to access loans and other forms of credit directly through their mobile phones. The app collects data from around 10,000 data points and assesses borrowing potential to create a financial profile of the user.
Pastoralists and researchers meet under the University of Bush
by
Bob Koigi in Climate change, Environment, Agriculture and Food
It is one of a kind university, whose setting under acacia trees in Kenya’s North Eastern area and neighboring Ethiopia makes it ideal for its students. There are no exams or assignments and the students together with their lecturers meet after every three months. Yet this university has been credited with gathering landmark findings that are shaping academic discourses and guiding governments in policy making. Dubbed ‘The University of the Bush,’
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.
