Africa Young African innovators are leading the charge on food security By Esther Musembi, bird story agency From innovative energy solutions to effective financing options for farmers and advanced farming practices, young African inventors and entrepreneurs are finding novel ways to take on the continent's food security challenges, it emerged during a recent award ceremony in Nairobi. The award, a project of The Pamoja Founders, a regional leadership development initiative of the International Research and Exchanges […] todayJune 19, 2024 13
insert_link Environment Floating solar panels could provide much of Africa’s energy – new research By Iestyn Woolway, Bangor University and Alona Armstrong, Lancaster University New research has found that several countries could meet all their energy needs from solar panel systems floating on lakes. Climate, water and energy environmental scientists R. Iestyn Woolway and Alona Armstrong analysed how much energy could be produced by floating solar panels on just 10% of the water surface of one million bodies of […] todayJune 19, 2024 26
Africa Europe’s hydrogen rush targets Tunisia, other sunny African countries By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency TE H2, a joint venture that includes involves TotalEnergies (as the major partner), EREN Groupe, and Austria’s leading electricity company, VERBUND, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Republic of Tunisia to explore the viability of this project, according to a press statement. The move is just the latest in a flurry of announcements involving […] todayMay 31, 2024 10
insert_link Local Letshego Bank Namibia & Ongos Valley partner for affordable, sustainable homes Letshego Bank Namibia and Ongos Valley Property developers have united to provide affordable housing, specifically designed to cater to those in the middle to low income bracket. Through Letshego Home Loan your dream of owning a home is now within reach. This partnership is a game-changer in our approach to sustainable living. Beyond a mortgage loans, Letshego Bank and Ongos Valley are pioneering in 'Green living' property […] todayMay 20, 2024 11
insert_link Business / Economics South Africa’s electricity crisis: what political parties say in their election manifestos about solving it By Hartmut Winkler, University of Johannesburg South Africa is in the middle of a deep electricity crisis. In 2023 the public, many of whom are voters, experienced the worst loadshedding to date, losing power for an average of five hours a day. The power shortages were largely due to excessive breakdowns in the country’s coal power plant fleet, which generates over 80% of South Africa’s electricity, combined […] todayMarch 28, 2024 10
insert_link Environment 76% of Africa’s energy could come from renewable sources by 2040: here’s how By Christiane Zarfl, University of Tübingen and Rebecca Peters, University of Tübingen Over half of Africa’s people – about 600 million – lack access to even the bare minimum of electricity. The tough question to answer is how access can be extended without adding to global warming by relying on fossil fuels. We – a team from Rwanda and Germany who work in the field of renewable […] todayMarch 19, 2024 36
insert_link Africa bird TenX: 10 African projects that show the power and versatility of blockchain technology By Okwi Okoh, bird story agency 1. Catch of the Day (Senegal) The Bleu comme la mer platform connects fishermen and customers directly, eliminating brokers and financial gatekeepers. Payments for seafood can be made in Bitcoin, Ether and Tezos. Details like species, location, and dates are recorded by fishermen and shared with buyers on the blockchain as an attempt to reduce overfishing and waste. 2. Private Property […] todayFebruary 14, 2024 6
insert_link Africa Trucking innovation highlights Africa’s cold storage problem and opportunities By Bonface Orucho, via bird story agency A new, sustainable method of generating electricity to refrigerate trucks has been introduced into the African cold storage market. As reported by Creamer Media’s Engineering News, Global logistics company DP World partnered with food and clothing retailer Woolworths to unveil a mobile refrigeration trailer in South Africa powered by AxlePower technology. According to Engineering News, the project's AxlePower technology “transforms ordinary […] todayFebruary 9, 2024 9
insert_link South Africa South Africans are opting to go off-grid: how they’re being helped, and hindered, in their efforts By Germarié Viljoen, North-West University and Felix Dube, University of Pretoria Eskom, South Africa’s state-owned power utility, struggles to generate and supply a stable flow of electricity to meet demand. In 2023, there were times when households and businesses had no power for up to 11 hours a day. Eskom has warned that load shedding will be worse in 2024. The result is that many South Africans […] todayFebruary 2, 2024 12
Paying it forward: Kenyan coastal doctor Bashrahil Mohammed Mafudh has made it his life’s work to care for the most vulnerable in his community, at no cost.
