Category: LOCAL

Samsung Electronics East Africa Ltd (Samsung) has partnered with leading home appliances store Housewife’s Paradise to collect e–waste for recycling as part of a joint effort on environmental conservation. The collection of e-waste will begin in Nairobi and then be scaled up to the rest of the country by the end of the year. This comes as the world marks the United Nations World Environment Day that seeks to encourage worldwide awareness and action to protect the environment.

Under the e-waste management program, Housewife’s Paradise will collect Samsung brand-only e-waste at a customer’s preferred time and date via the mobile number 0110730305. Housewife’s Paradise will pick up the e-waste in different areas in Nairobi which will then be delivered to WEEE Centre the official Samsung recycling partner in Kenya. The e-waste will then be discarded as per set global standards.

While celebrating World Environmental Day, Samsung is prompting customers to dispose of their e-waste properly through the right channels in order to safeguard our environment for future generations.

 “We have been dedicated to responsible e-waste management for the last few years and we now want to scale it up to ensure that we minimize any negative environmental impact of our products. This includes taking responsibility for the end-of-life phase of our products to prevent environmental harm. Our e-waste program and recycling program are an important part of this commitment,” said the Head of Service Division at Samsung, Mr. Ronald Mitei.

The Government of Kenya passed the Sustainable Waste Management Act,2022 that establishes the legal framework for sustainable waste management. This would ideally require electronics manufacturing companies operating in Kenya to take responsibility for the pollution their products cause during their entire product life cycle. According to the global e-waste monitor report of 2020, 53.6 million metric tonnes of e-waste were produced each year. If left unchecked, this could double to 120 million tonnes by 2050. Globally, only 17.4 percent of e-waste is managed appropriately. Kenya’s annual electronic waste generation grew from 3,000 metric tonnes in 2012 to 51,000 metric tonnes in 2021.

“Samsung is strongly committed to proper e-waste disposal and we believe in safeguarding our environment through responsible disposal and recycling of electronic waste, transforming it from being hazardous to beneficial. Working together with our partners, we can ensure that waste is not just discarded, but transformed into reusable materials. This collaboration embodies our shared dedication to sustainable practices, conservation, and the health of our planet,” further added Mr. Ronald Mitei.

Electronic waste is a growing worldwide issue as more and more devices are produced, used, and discarded. Disposing of e-waste properly is important because it often contains hazardous materials that can be harmful to the environment and to human health if not managed correctly.

“As a responsible home appliance retailer, we understand the importance of proper e-waste disposal. It’s not just about selling new appliances; it is also about ensuring that the old ones are retired in a way that is safe for our environment. That is why we are devoted to providing our customers with easy access to responsible recycling options, and encouraging the sustainable disposal of electronic products,” said the Managing Director of Housewife’s Paradise, Mr. Zul Jamal.

In September 2022, Samsung Electronics announced its global environmental strategy, a comprehensive effort to join global endeavors in tackling climate change. This environmental commitment encompasses an enterprise-wide application to enhance resource circularity throughout the entire product lifecycle, from raw material sourcing to recycling and disposal. The plan also details investments in new technologies to reduce emissions from processed gases as well as to reduce power consumption in consumer products.

Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) has officially launched a new Smirnoff variant in the 7^th edition of Unleash your Edge Fiesta held at Impala grounds. 

The new variant termed ‘Smirnoff pineapple punch’ under EABL’s vast portfolio combines the smooth taste of Smirnoff vodka with a refreshing blend of pineapple and ginger beer flavors. The result is a deliciously fruity and crisp drink that’s perfect for any occasion with friends and family. 

This comes in two formats which is a 330ml can and 300ml bottle and has an Alcohol by Volume (ABV) of 5.5%. This will be sold in bars and restaurants at a recommended retail price (RRP) of KES 200/- for the can while the bottle format will be going for KES 180/-.

Entertaining revelers at this weekend’s Fiesta were some of Kenyans top acts such as Khalighraph Jones, Fena Gitu, Grauchi, DJ Karowski, MC Gogo and DJ Roq, Fathermoh, Pierra Makena, Ssaru, DJ Linsey, DJ Tophaz, Reedah Yvonne and Sir M

Speaking at the launch event, KBL Managing Director Mr. Mark Ocitti said the creative idea is to let consumers discover the alternative to the ordinary by creating flavour drinking experiences that are effortless, yet mischievous and distinctive.

“As a consumer-based business, we take time to study the market and identify our consumer needs and how to satisfy them. Our innovations department took a deep dive into what our consumers needed and noted a pattern in which they wanted a new, refreshing and exciting brand. We are constantly investing and renovating our brands to stay on par with dynamic consumer trends,” said Mr. Ocitti.

“This will be our seventh edition of the Unleash Your edge fiesta”, a campaign we introduced last year that is all about good vibes and good times with friends. Since our first event, our aim was to bring to life adventures that are beyond the usual, by creating flavourful experiences that are effortless yet mischievous,” he added.

On the other hand, KBL’s Innovations Commercialization Manager Lillian Ndirangu noted that the new variant is for consumers who are looking for exciting and unique experiences, who want to express themselves in new ways and spaces creatively with flavorful drinks (Sweet and fruity) at affordable prices. Smirnoff Pineapple Punch is best enjoyed when crispy cold to bring out the flavours in the drink.

“The target consumer for Smirnoff Pineapple punch is your 25 to 34 years old consumer who are trendsetters, and fun lovers. Their key passion points for these consumers are Music, are into the latest trends, Art and Technology on content on social media whenever they have the bundles, key connection point for this consumer is Facebook where they tend to enjoy trendy, entertaining & humorous content,” the Innovations Commercialization Manager added.

KBL has emphasized innovation as one of the company’s key growth pillars, with the company’s profit growth in the financial year ending June 2022 being partially attributed to investment behind brands and innovation in the route to market in response to consumer behaviour shifts.

Huawei Technologies has called for a collective adoption of the 2.6 GHz as the dedicated spectrum with the most cost-effective 4G Fixed Wireless Access for home broadband service to scale up the current low penetration rate.

Currently, only 9.8 million Kenyans (9 percent), mostly living in urban and semi-urban areas have access to broadband internet. Thirty eight percent have low-speed dial-up internet, while up to 22 million people still have no access to internet connectivity.

Addressing delegates at the just concluded Annual Africa Spectrum Roundtable in Maputo, Mozambique, Yao Hongjie, Vice President of Huawei Sub-Saharan Africa ICT Solutions said that a number of initiatives were required to drive up the rate of home internet penetration.

“These include full allocation of the entire Sub-3Ghz for affordable and universal mobile broadband towards closing the digital gap and fueling the growth of our digital future. It also involves full utilization of 2.3Ghz and 2.6Ghz bands for further mobile broadband improvement,” he noted.

The meeting agreed that for home internet access to achieve a formidable leap, it will be crucial for the country to adopt defragmentation practices with win-win cooperation between internet service providers, regional and large mobile network operators.

In addition, the ramp up requires overall development of 4G/5G fixed wireless access in order to uplift overall national broadband penetration rates and tax incentives and rebates, affordability considerations for both devices and services, digital literacy for rural and underserved areas.

The event brought together regulators, operators and spectrum industry leaders from all over Africa to discuss the key spectrum opportunities and challenges for lobbying investment and improving mobile service levels.

Mr. Yang outlined the unique potentials of Sub-3GHz to meet the realistic demand in the Africa region, noted with the experience of strong demand growth to improve the last-mile broadband infrastructure, the Sub-3GHz spectrum’s full utilization will be the best way forward.

Spectrum is a scarce resource and efficient use of spectrum is one of the key objectives of spectrum management, yet there is clear evidence that the volume of data flowing over mobile networks is growing rapidly and is being accelerated by the popularity of smart phones and the growth in music and video downloads, the 2.6 GHz band will allow operators to address rapidly increasing traffic volumes in an efficient and harmonized way.

The 2.6 GHz spectrum is the ideal complement to the 700 MHz spectrum, also known as ‘digital dividend’, and will enable the most cost-effective nationwide coverage of Mobile Broadband across both rural and urban environments.

The agricultural sector is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for an estimated 19-29% of these emissions according to the World Bank. This figure climbs even higher to 40% when we consider the emissions produced throughout the entire agricultural value chain, encompassing transportation, storage, and processing.

With the global population expected to double by 2050 and consequently increase demand for food, emissions from agriculture are expected to increase unless action is taken to stem the harm to the environment.

The solution lies in embracing agricultural technology (Agtech) to revolutionise agricultural practices, boost yields, increase farmer incomes, and promote sustainability. Technologies such as climate-smart agriculture, precision farming, soil carbon sequestration, and digital tools for value chain optimisation all aim at raising the production per square inch of agricultural land while recovering more from loss and damage.

Agtech offers numerous tools and techniques for sustainable crop and livestock management, including the use of climate-resilient seeds, and improved breeding techniques that result in higher yields with reduced land, water, and chemical inputs. By increasing the productivity of land, agtech helps preserve natural ecosystems, reduces deforestation, and prevents the conversion of additional land for agriculture, thus mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.

Soil health technologies are also important for transforming the output of agricultural land for increased food production and soil sequestration. Soil mapping and monitoring enable farmers to apply the appropriate nutrients in the right quantities leading to enhanced crop productivity and increasing the capacity to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Additionally, through regenerative agricultural practices like cover cropping, reduced tillage, and agroforestry, agtech actively contributes to carbon sequestration.

As well, more climate goals are linked to climate-smart agriculture, which leverages digital technologies for weather forecasting and data-driven analytics to provide farmers with real-time information on rain patterns, crop diseases, and market conditions. As a result, farmers are equipped to make climate-smart decisions, such as adjusting planting schedules, selecting suitable crop varieties, and adopting climate-resilient farming techniques. The AgriBot co-developed by AGRA and Microsoft is one such agtech, designed to optimise resource utilisation and minimise climate-related risks, ultimately helping farmers adapt to changing climatic conditions. The AgriBot provides valuable agricultural information to farmers through SMS and social media platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram. Deployed in two Kenyan counties since 2020, the Bot today serves 47,470 farmers with vital information on good agronomic practices, pest management, weather prediction, and insurance as well as linkages to county approved agrodealers and certified seed varieties. The same is being scaled to three other counties in Kenya and three countries of Nigeria, Malawi and Uganda through the partnership of AGRA and IFC.

Precision farming involves the application of data collected using drones and sensors to drive precision irrigation and nutrient management. This minimises wastage of resources, prevents pollution from excess chemicals, and decreases the overall carbon footprint of agricultural operations. CropIn’s Smartfarm is a good example of farm monitoring and management solutions that utilise advanced analytics to help farmers geotag their land, digitise their records, and optimise their use of water, fertilisers, and pesticides. The tool also supports the real-time monitoring of crop performance. The technology has already digitalised 10,626 village-based advisors in six countries – Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Tanzania – where it supports delivery of inputs, services and information to 2.7 million farmers on nearly 600 million hectares of land. Overall, the World Economic Forum estimates that the adoption of precision agriculture on 15-25% of farms could boost global yield by 10-15% by 2030. It would also lead to a 10% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 20% decrease in water usage.

The optimisation of agricultural value chains is critical in advancing food and nutrition sufficiency without increasing the size of land under cultivation. Technologies like blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT) enable better tracking, traceability, and management of agricultural products throughout the value chain. This reduces post-harvest losses, optimises transportation routes, and ensures timely delivery, thereby lowering energy consumption and emissions.

A good example is the deployment of IBM technology in Rwanda that combines satellite data with machine learning to identify where maize is grown and the forecasted yield. Farmer organisations can also use the technology to identify areas of low yields and provide timely output-enhancing measures such as the adequate supply of fertilisers.

Yet, even with the transformative nature of the technologies, many remain beyond the reach of a vast majority of smallholder farmers in Africa due to the high costs of acquisition and lack of infrastructure to support such solutions.  In the short-term, stakeholders can ensure an equitable and inclusive transition through investments in digital infrastructure and connectivity driven by a collaborative approach for developing a conducive policy environment, and the advancement of regional integration. Sustained investments in agricultural research and development also remain crucial, as has been shown in developed countries, which increased their adoption of agtech by committing 3.25% of their GDP compared to only 0.52% in developing countries. The increasing disparity in R&D expenditure exacerbates the gap in productivity, thereby rendering the poorest countries incapable of rapid progress.

The writer is a Senior Programme Office, AGRA

• Developed by Sahamiye Foundation, Daariz is a free language app helping people in the Horn of Africa to learn essential reading, writing and comprehension skills
• The app has reached 350,000 users and reduced the time it takes to become literate in mother tongue from 450 to 50 hours

Over 350,000 children and adults across the Horn of Africa (Somaliland, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya) are learning to read and write in Somali with a free language app, Daariz. Launched in 2021, Daariz aims to address the region’s low literacy rates by making language skills more accessible and inclusive for learners of all ages.

Daariz was developed by the Sahamiye Foundation, a charity working to improve education in the Horn of Africa and empower all people with lifelong literacy skills.

The Horn of Africa currently faces a multitude of challenges, from an absence of rural schools to recurring droughts and ongoing conflict, coupled with a highly mobile population which all contribute to low school enrolment and limited access to quality education.  As a result, over 70% of late primary school students in the region cannot read and understand a simple story in Somali. The region’s average school enrolment, at around 30%, also continues to be one of the lowest in the world.

Developed in response to these challenges, Daariz offers virtual reading, writing, comprehension lessons and a digital library, ensuring everyone can access a consistent and high-quality education.

Daariz is designed to help in-school and out-of-school children and adults achieve functional literacy in Somali language within a short period of time. It combines fun, interactive games, and personalised feedback with a reward system, making learning enjoyable and engaging.

The app’s offline access has critically enabled more women and girls, who face significant educational barriers, to acquire literacy skills remotely. About 48% of Daariz learners are women and girls which is significantly higher than female school enrolment in the region.

Safiya, a market stall owner in the city of Hargeisa, said:

“In the beginning, reading was difficult for me and I struggled to understand names or other texts. I spend most of my time at my stall in the market of Hargeysa. I downloaded the Daariz programme and began using it regularly, dedicating two hours each morning.  I would spend 30 minutes reading each page. I continued this way for six months. Now, my reading has improved significantly and I have started to read and write on my own.”

With speed and automaticity being essential for effective literacy development, Daariz helps people to develop their pace with reading and retention of information. This focus has significantly reduced the time it takes to achieve functional literacy, from 450 hours to just 50.

Daariz also incorporates culturally relevant elements like virtual camels and badges to engage learners. Earning a herd of a hundred ‘virtual camels’ – cherished symbols of wealth in Somali culture – indicates achievement of functional literacy, a critical milestone.  To date, learners have earned an impressive five million ‘camels’ for their literacy achievements. Soon, learners’ virtual camel stock will outnumber the actual seven million-strong real Somali camel grazing in the Horn of Africa region.

Ismail Ahmed, founder of The Sahamiye Foundation, said:

“Daariz fills a critical gap in the Horn of Africa, providing accessible and engaging literacy education where it’s most needed. The 350,000 learners is not just a number, but a testament to our shared belief in the transformative power of literacy. Each person represents a story of resilience, potential, and a brighter future.”

“Our vision is to unlock the potential of every learner, regardless of their location or situation. Daariz equips people of all ages with the confidence to learn at their own pace, to challenge themselves and have fun in the process. This is particularly important for girls, students who are out-of-school and adults who may have missed out on schooling.”

Daariz further supports learners to progress and improve their skills by monitoring test results, app usage, engagement levels, speed reading performance.