In Airline Business,Asky Airlines:...is part-owned by Ethiopian Airlines (which we recently did a cover profile on) and the two airlines are working together to create a West African hub at Lome. The start-up is led by former Ethiopian commercial vice-president Busera Awel...This is a regional carrier, which is good for the continent. Africa needs more point-to-point services, helped along by the support of a strong and well-respected partner...[continue reading]Related articles by ZemantaBattle for African Skies as Ethiopian Airlines Gets Ready to Join Star Alliance...
Red-i reports:The Pinnacle Point Group has selected SiMS as the property sales management platform for Lagos Keys, their high-profile leisure and residential development in Nigeria’s commercial hub. As one of Africa’s fastest growing economies the demand for exclusive residential property is soaring. The Lagos Keys development is set on a tropical peninsula with six kilometres of water frontage and will include a private marina with moorings for 100 vessels.Related articles by ZemantaLiterary Clusters-Lagos,Nigeria (africaunchained.blogspot.com)Lagos Disco Inferno! (africaunchained.blogspot.com)Applauding the Shadow City Dwellers of 'Welcome to Lagos'...
Next Billion reports on the Africa Health Fund:The fund will invest in SMEs providing health services including health service delivery, risk pooling and financing vehicles, distribution and retail organizations, pharmaceutical and medical-related manufacturing companies, medical education, as well as ancillary businesses. Investments are expected to be between $250,000 and $5 million, in the form of either equity or quasi-equity, with an expected exit from individual investments after 5-7 years. Although all SMEs in sub-Saharan African countries are eligible for financing, there are a number of target countries, including: Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, South Africa, and Ethiopia...[continue...
Ory Okolloh at WEF on entrepreneurs you should know:One thing that struck me this year (and last) were all the young entrepreneurial Africans who’d managed to circumvent the perennial challenges we complain about when it comes to doing business in Africa, who’d managed to build strong, profitable, businesses , and who the had ambition to scale even further heights. And this are not just businesses that make money but that touch on critical sectors for the future of Africa – media/information; technology; infrastructure; agriculture. The kind of stuff that makes you want to run back to your hotel room and start putting a business plan together instead of tweeting in my case Anyway, I thought I’d share the profiles of some of these entrepreneurs with you…always important to keep...
The DIY wireless network space gathers steam from Fabfi covered earlier to OpenBTS: Tech Review reports (subscr reqd):The task of running a cellular network has usually been reserved for major carriers. But now an open-source project called OpenBTS is proving that almost anyone can cheaply run a network with parts from a home-supply or auto-supply store. Cell-phone users within such a network can place calls to each other and--if the network is connected to the Internet--to people anywhere in the world.On their website it is described as:...an open-source Unix application that uses the Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) to present a GSM air interface ("Um") to standard GSM handset and uses the Asterisk software PBX to connect calls. The combination of the ubiquitous GSM air...
AIG African Fund Infrastructure investments in infrastructure and related industries.Old but still relevant article on Kenya's green gold, otherwise known as Qat.Churchgate group a leading Nigerian conglomerate.Africa Nazarene University a private university located in Kenya.Moulin Wikimedia knowledge for people in developing countries.Osun Designs 'Art to...
Patrick Onyechi Founder of Abuja Clinics on heart disease and local screening abilities:"This device (a Volume Computed Tomography machine) is useful in diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. In our environment about 30 per cent of disorders are due to cardiovascular events, with 30 million Nigerians having CVDs (cardiovascular disorders) but the number is probably higher. Those who can afford to go for accurate screening with devices such as this usually need to go abroad, but now these services are available here in Nigeria for everyone to access."More...
Le potentiel agricole de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) est immense. Un calcul rapide indique si les rendements des 80 millions d’hectares de terres cultivables de la RDC venaient à s’aligner sur ceux des frontières de production mondiales, ce pays pourrait nourrir près d’un tiers de la population mondiale.1 Mais le potentiel biophysique n’assure pas à lui seul un potentiel économique équivalent.
PDF file:
rebuildingpolicynote1.pdf(704.7KB)...
In
Africa,
Congo,
Democratic Republic of the Congo,
central africa,
IFPRI-1,
Poverty reduction,
Development Strategy and Governance,
DSGD,
Français,
Agricultural production,
Project Papers and Briefs,
Rebuilding after Emergencies and Crises,
Disaster Prevention & Recovery,
GRP 41,
production agricole,
réduction de la pauvreté,
Infrastructure
In the Vanguard, Kyari Bukar of ValuCard discusses mobile payments vs traditional electronic cards:"I don't believe mobile payments will replace cards," he answers, "but what will certainly happen is that it may actually enhance cards and there may be more cards issued as a result. And it would also complement the functionality of card payment because it's actually another channel of payments and therefore it would be added to other modes of payment". More...
Image via WikipediaAll the more reason for a Maker philosophy,in Africa Report:Africa needs more scientists. But it is this focus on research for research’s sake that is crippling the standard of teaching at African universities and stalling real advances that can tackle some of the most urgent development challenges.
My food scientist was doing some excellent work – researching better and more nutritious ways for women to ground cassava into flour for gari for example. But it sounds like his priorities are being set not by the farmers he’s trying to help, but by the cycle of research he’s tied into.More hereRelated articles by ZemantaAfrica's Research Output Dominated By Three Nations, According to Thomson Reuters Study...
Loy Okezie on Enspire:Enspire is an incubation programme that creates a conducive (physical) environment whereby sustainable small businesses can be birthed. The programme, which also looks to support the creation of business entities out of the groups of individuals who graduate from the incubation, will equip you with the necessary skills (and pay a monthly allowance) to grow your entrepreneurial wings.More...
In the Sanitation Blog:A third of Africans continue to practice open defecation, and half rely on unimproved latrines, the health effects of which are largely unknown. Despite this sobering picture, progress has been made in recent years by individual households eager to protect their health and improve their quality of life. The immediate sanitation challenge differs depending on prevailing practice. Where open defecation prevails, the policy focus should be on hygiene education. Where there is already widespread adoption of latrines, the challenge is how facilitate upgrading to improved models. Where improved sanitation is already prevalent, the key question is how to develop low-cost sewerage in the most densely populated areasMore hereImage of 'simplified sewers' from...
Indian 'Govt. to set up incubators in Africa for SME skill development' Emerging vegetable boom takes hold in African sahelA lift for Call Centres as improved communications take holdHouse of Makeda founded by Teni OlafisoyeEarth Spark a quality energy supply provider.Related articles by ZemantaIs Africa is Becoming the New Asia?...
In 2009 Finextra reported on Efulusi's mobile wallet application: Monitise says it will integrate its mobile money manager platform with E-Fusili's mobile wallet technology to create financial accounts that can be operated from consumer handsets....The E-Fulusi mobile wallet technology currently powers the Mobipawa and ZPESA services, the first two mobile banking services in Tanzania. The firm has worked closely with the national central bank to establish a regulatory framework for mobile banking in the country.More here Read related E-fulusi hereRelated articles by ZemantaMobile phones become pocket banks in poor countries...
Another one for the 'maker' chronicles, Boing Boing reports:Volunteers in Afghanistan -- both locals and foreigners from the MIT Bits and Atoms lab -- have been building out a wireless network made largely from locally scrounged junk. They call it "FabFi" and it's kicking ass, especially when compared with the World Bank-funded alternative, which has spent seven years and hundreds of millions of dollars and only managed its first international link last summer.Related articles by ZemantaJalalabad's Fab Fi: How Junk Was Turned Into a High-Speed Wireless Network [Wi-Fi]...
Dezeen reports on the construction of a school in Chimundo,Mozambique partly by use of sand bags:A framework of reinforced concrete makes a permanent bearing structure in the closed room. The framing allows for cheaper more temporary materials as in-fillings. We experimented with sandbags in the east and north facade, where they functions as thermal mass in the winter, while an extension of the roof prevents sun exposure during summer...The shaded south facade has a glass-bottle wall for letting in light and keeping dust out. Bottles give an aesthetic quality, and make a good alternative to expensive windows.More...
The AIDG blog profiles Enersa the fastest growing solar solutions company in Haiti:Enersa’s product line includes solar street lighting, residential and commercial solar systems, and solar chargers for smaller devices like cell phones and lamps. They initially settled on LED streetlights as a flagship product after seeing Japanese company Nichia’s white LEDs in action on Montreal’s streets. The big question for them at the time was what would they use as an energy source if they wanted to port this technology to Haiti. Haiti’s electricity infrastructure was notoriously unreliable in urban zones and nonexistent in rural areas. However, the country’s location in the sun-drenched tropics and the relatively modest energy requirements of LED systems made solar an attractive option...
Architecture for Humanity reports on a rainwater harvesting project within Mahiga Hope High School:The Rainwater Court is a full-court basketball court with an integrated rainwater collection and UV purification system with solar panels for the water system and night lighting in areas without electricity. The full-court configuration has a 4,850 sq ft playing surface covered by metal roof and guttered to collect an estimated 90,000 liters of water per year. The building incorporates 25,000 liters of rainwater storage, with UV purification.More...
"...Map Kibera trained 13 youth, one from each village of Kibera, in the tools and techniques of OpenStreetMap. Over three weeks, assisted by local GIS professionals, the youth collected data with GPS units and edited their map using open source software. Since we were newcomers to Kibera, this was made possible through strong local partnerships with Kenyan organizations Carolina for Kibera and SODNET (Social Development Network). We also engaged widely with the technical and international development communities in Nairobi, building relationships for the project and involving participants from the wider society..."-websiteRelated articles by ZemantaMap Kibera Is An Initiative To Create A Digital Map Of Kenyas' Biggest Slum (techmasai.com)Nairobi: Mapping Party (ushahidi.com)Faces of...
233Tech reports The Ghana Cyber City:The $40 million Ghana Cyber City (formerly Ghana Technology Park) is designed to facilitate incubation of innovative firms, manage offshore IT and business process outsourcing ventures, and seek to create 5,000 jobs in 5 years. GCC will also provide high tech office space and a Tier IV data center. We were planning to start on a small-scale basis but it our prospective partners encouraged us to scaled it up right from the conceptual stage.More hereRelated articles by ZemantaUshahidi Ghana Meet up...
Wana Energy's "...main focus is to service comprehensive needs of her customers in organised homesteads, light commercial industries, and private homes through distribution, installation and maintenance of bulk and cylinder Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)..."via...
Jean Pierre Nshimyimana initiator of the LifeEngine Clean Water Project, is developing a business that will provide clean water and green energy technologies and environmental engineering consultancy to provide superior services, designs, knowledge, and green energy solutions to community-based initiatives in Rwanda-LegatumJean Pierre Speaks at Harvard from Sean Clauson on...
At TEDMED Eric Topol presents advances in wireless medicine that will lead to enhanced...
The New York Times has an interesting story on the controversy surrounding improvements to South Africa's bus lanes. The government has been building special bus-only lanes and modernizing its fleet with new Brazilian-made buses, making it cheaper and faster for workers to travel from townships to wealthier suburbs:
The new Bus Rapid Transit systems planned for South Africa’s major cities in recent years have promised to ease those hardships by providing fast, affordable, dignified travel on bus lanes cleared of other vehicles.
Prodded by a national commitment to improve public transportation for soccer’s 2010 World Cup, Johannesburg is carrying out the nation’s most ambitious program. The city predicted that buses would be rolling from Soweto, where a quarter of...
TechMasai profiles Celltrust:...Celltrust, following the Kenyan model of mobile payment services, has introduced iSecureSMS Mobile Banking and Payment Pilot for the African region...The company expects that the new Secure SMS/Text Mobile Banking program launched through its Global SecureSMS Gateway will be adopted at high rates within the first few months of operation. After the introduction of the platform in the region, end-users will be able to make mobile cash transfers, payments and securely access other microfinance banking products.More hereRelated articles by ZemantaNigeria plans to issue naira-denominated bonds...
Light Up Malawi: "...will use business, government and design to make a concerted difference in one basic need in Malawi. Manufacturers get a break on tariffs, get to participate in a sanctioned high profile program and villagers without power get an energy source at low cost or no cost and get to speak up about the products they find most useful..."Light Up Malawi from Raina Kumra on...
Nigeria’s economic performance since 2002 has improved, with growth averaging about 7.3 percent during 2002–07 (Global insight 2008). While the production of cassava, rice, and maize has responded to the associated improved policy incentives in recent years, factors such as poor infrastructure and limited market outlets have served as great disincentives to farmers. Using household data in a “Policy Analysis Matrix” (PAM) framework, the comparative advantage of Nigerian farmers in producing cassava, rice, and maize in high potential states, given current national policies, is examined.
Enhancing the competitiveness of agricultural commodity chains in Nigeria...
In
Nigeria,
West Africa,
rice,
English,
AFRICA SOUTH OF SAHARA,
Country Development Strategy,
GRP-32,
Development strategies,
MAIZE,
Nigeria Strategy Support Program,
Cassava,
NSSP Brief,
NSSP,
commodity chain,
Crop production,
Africa,
IFPRI-1,
Development Strategy and Governance,
DSGD,
Agriculture,
Infrastructure
Since registering a disappointing growth of 1.2 percent in 2002, Nigeria’s economic performance has rebounded, averaging growth at 7.3 percent between then and 2007. However, the pressing challenge for the nation lies in maintaining and improving current economic growth indicators and translating these recent gains into an improved standard of living for the majority of its citizens. Poverty within Nigeria remains staggeringly high with over 50 percent and 70 percent of its general and rural population respectively, living on less than US1$ a day.
PDF file:
nsspbp13.pdf(1MB)...
In
NSSP Background Paper,
Nigeria,
West Africa,
rice,
English,
AFRICA SOUTH OF SAHARA,
Country Development Strategy,
GRP-32,
Development strategies,
MAIZE,
Nigeria Strategy Support Program,
Cassava,
NSSP,
commodity chain,
Crop production,
Africa,
IFPRI-1,
Development Strategy and Governance,
DSGD,
Agriculture,
Infrastructure
Veronica Sianchenga highlights the improvements to her to crop yields which are largely the result of the IDE inspired "Mosi-o-Tunya" pressure...
iHub: Nairobi’s Tech Innovation Centre,Techshops next?:iHub First Look - Nairobi's Tech Innovation Hub from Ushahidi on Vimeo."...will have a redundant 10Mbs connection, hardwired and WiFi, and it’s freely available to any tech person in Nairobi to use once they become members. Membership is free, our only requirement is that you are indeed involved in the tech space as a programmer, web designer or mobile application...