Tech

Three African startups win Heifer International’s $1.5m agritech challenge

Published

1 year ago

February 1, 2023

Three African tech startups from Nigeria, Kenya and Botswana, have won the 2022 AYuTe Africa Challenge which supports agritech innovators.

The challenged which was organized by Heifer International, selected the three startups, ThriveAgric from Nigeria, Kenya’s DigicCow and Botwana’s Brastorne Enterprises, having successfully built technologies to improve agricultural practices and production in their respective countries.

The three companies will receive a total of $1.5 million in grants, along with ongoing support from a team of expert advisers to help them translate their funding into an aggressive expansion strategy.

The competition which was launched in 2021, had thrown up a challenge to African youths to bring innovations that provide positive disruption useful to farmers in the continent.

While making the announcement on Wednesday, the Senior Vice President of Africa Programs at Heifer International, Adesuwa Ifedi, said the challenge came at “a time when Africa is facing unprecedented food-related challenges.”

“It is incredibly inspiring to see these young African startup champions firmly focused on an agriculture-led future that provides farmers with the innovations they need to succeed,” Ifedi said.

A breakdown of the three startups shows that Nigeria’s ThriveAgric addresses the lack of access to finance, technical advice, business skills, and market opportunities.

The company has a team of 2,000 field agents that support nearly 500,000 farmers across 22 Nigerian states with insights that help them improve production and profits.

Nairobi-based DigiCow helps small-scale African dairy operations increase productivity with technology that provides free access to livestock management experts and links farmers to skilled and qualified veterinarians, artificial insemination providers and feed supply services—all from their mobile phones.

Botwana’s Brastorne Enterprise uses technology to give farmers access to farming information, markets and short-term finance using the capabilities of any feature phone, such as SMS and interactive voice technology.

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Tech

Institute calls for responsible social media usage among youths

Published

2 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Smart Zambia Institute has reiterated the importance of youths to use social media responsibly.

Senior Business Applications Officer at the e-Government Division, Kamuvwi Lungu, emphasized the existence of strict measures on government communication platforms aimed at prohibiting users from posting profanity or engaging in abusive behaviour.

This information was conveyed in a post reflecting on the digital transformation discussion held on the Smart Zambia official Facebook page on Tuesday.

“These security measures are crucial for identifying and regulating individuals who violate these guidelines,” Smart Zambia stated.

The institute said the primary purpose of such policies was to maintain a respectful and constructive online environment while promoting responsible online behaviour among users.

“It served as a reminder of the importance of creating a safe and respectful online space while harnessing the benefits of social media for personal and professional growth,” it added.

The institute described social media as a powerful tool for communication and networking adding that it is a platform that requires careful monitoring and regulation to ensure a positive user experience.

Tech

UN signs MoU with Kenya’s Konza Technopolis

Published

2 days ago

April 22, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

The United Nations has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kenya’s Konza Technopolis that will provide a wide range of interrelationships with the various UN agencies domiciled in Nairobi.

Konza CEO, John Paul Okwiri, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday, said the MoU would see Konza Technopolis working together with UN-Habitat, the World Food Programme, United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), among other UN agencies.

“This MOU provides us with a collaborative platform whereby we bring our strengths and unite for a common good,” Okwiri said.

“The MoU will see Konza Technopolis partner with UN-Habitat and allow city-to-city benchmarking and learning exchanges, strengthening smart city growth including research and data sharing, implement local climate action initiatives including greening initiatives, promotion of non-motorised transport and formulation of smart city frameworks,” he added.

Also speaking on the partnership, Dr. Stephen Jackson, the Resident Coordinator for UN Kenya, said:

“Our MoU will support to explore points of synergies, and strategic partnerships in supporting Kenya and Konza Technopolis as part of Vision
2030 and UN Agenda 2030.”

Konza Technopolis, also known as the Silicon Savannah, is envisaged to be a smart city that will provide work and living space.

“The smart city spatial planning has taken into account provision of clustered industries, educational facilities, recreational parks, green spaces. It has one of the most modern waste recycling and water treatment plants,” Okwiri stated.

“The other areas of cooperation is with the UNDP whereby more than 20 innovators have received technical and financial support to achieve
commercialization and market entry, strategic partnership in the implementation of joint programs based on the Kenya Innovation Ecosystem Mapping.

“We have established the Konza Innovation Ecosystem Initiative (KIEI), which supports the creation of new enterprises, training of young innovators, and commercialization of research findings.

“To date the KIEI has supported over 100 startups and innovators, providing them with mentorship, funding, and access to market.

“We have established partnerships with over 50 institutions, such a UNDP, universities, research centers, and industry associations, to foster knowledge transfer and innovation.

“It has also facilitated the development and commercialization of over 30 innovative products and solutions, such as smart irrigation systems, e-health platforms, and
blockchain applications.

“The cooperation with UNESCO involves a tripartite Agreement together with the Chinese Association of Natural Science Museum (CANSM) which will see the development and management of Konza Natural Science Museum, resource mobilization for the development of the museum and technical advice support and capacity building and professional development programs,” he added.