Saturday, November 9African Digital Business Magazine

Tag: Water

Uganda News

How community-led conservation is boosting the local economy in Ugandan villages

by Leo Gripari, CEO, That Gorilla Brand  Water is the world’s most precious commodity. Its abundance has the power to create and renew existence; its scarcity has the ability to destroy and extinguish. With just over 1% of all water on Earth safe for human consumption, and the UN’s recent climate report warning of an imminent water crisis that is likely to ‘spiral’ out of control, immediate action is needed to prevent further loss of life.  The global story of water scarcity is not an untold one. Governments, NGOs and individuals are acutely aware of the impact that limited access to clean and safe water has on survival. However, a story that is less told, is the socioeconomic impact of communities with just enough water to survive. The story of school children having water as their only...
African News

A ten-year strategy to support the development of social protection systems in Sub-Saharan Africa

STORY HIGHLIGHTS Social protection, which comprises both social assistance and social insurance programs, is a powerful tool to reduce poverty and vulnerability The World Bank has a new 10-year strategy for social protection in Africa (2012-2022) The vision is to help governments build country-owned national social protection systems Social protection, once thought of as exclusive to rich and middle-income countries, is being increasingly employed in low-income countries in Africa, where policymakers are recognizing its potential as a powerful tool to reduce poverty, vulnerability, and social inequality. The food, fuel and financial crises of 2008 have shown the vital role that social protection can play in cushioning poor and vulnerable households from shocks. Acro...
Energy, Green Energy, South Africa News

AE-AMD Renewable Energy And Tenesol/SunPower Begin Work On Two Solar Projects In South Africa

Projects are Part of Government's IPP Procurement Program   JOHANNESBURG and SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- AE-AMD Renewable Energy, a joint venture between the Spanish AMDA energia and the South African Alt-E Technologies, and Tenesol, a SunPower company (NASDAQ: SPWR), today announced two South African ground-mounted solar power projects totaling 33 megawatts (MW).  Both projects, which Tenesol will construct, are located near Douglas, South Africa in the Northern Cape Province. Herbert, a 22-MW project, has begun construction, and groundbreaking for the 11-MW Greefspan project will begin in the coming weeks. They are both part of the South African government's Independent Power Producers Procurement Program and completion for both projects i...
African News, Senegal News

Africare to outline essential role of civil society, small-scale farming and best practices at this year’s AgriBusiness Forum

Agri2012 - AfriCare (Microsoft Word) Leading American NGO spotlights small-scale farming for a result-driven future for Africa’s Agri-Food sector. “Across Africa it is the small entrepreneurs and businesses that drive community livelihoods and national economic development. Yet without adequate financing or access to buyers, producers associations are not able to sell their products to increase their incomes and bolster their livelihoods. Furthermore without knowledge of the markets, they are unable to secure the inputs and technology needed to increase production,” explains Gwen Young Senegal Country Director for Africare who will be presenting Africare’s vision at this year’s AgriBusiness Forum taking place in Dakar, Senegal from 25-28 November 2012.   Focused on establishing s...
African News, Energy, Kenya News

The 2nd Annual Effluent & Waste Water Management Conference

The 2nd Annual Effluent & Waste Water Management Conference kick started yesterday with a compelling opening speech on Waste water Management in Kenya in regards to the implementation progress so far and challenges by Dr. Geoffrey Wahungu, The Director General, The National Environment Management Authority(NEMA). EWWMC proved to be the event of choice for the Effluent & Wastewater Management Experts as more than 50 delegates attended the first day.  
African News, South Africa News

Ireland’s Minister for Trade and Development Leads Enterprise Ireland Trade Mission to South Africa

On Sunday 10 November 2012, Ireland’s Minister for Trade and Development, Joe Costello TD, will lead an Enterprise Ireland trade mission with 37 companies to South Africa. The trade mission is being organised by Irish trade and technology agency, Enterprise Ireland in close cooperation with Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Embassy of Ireland in Johannesburg. It is aimed at cementing the growing trade relations between the two countries and is part of a broad, long term strategy to further develop Irish trade links and partnerships not just in the South African market, but in the wider Sub-Saharan region. Last year Irish exports to South Africa increased to €944m and exports for 2012 are expected to continue this momentum. South Africa exports ...
African News

Houston Hosts the PanAfrican Entrepreneurs Conference – Global Opportunities in Energy, Agribusiness, Technology, and Capital Access

WASHINGTON, Nov., 2012 /PRNewswire via African Press Organization (APO)/ — The PanAfrican Entrepreneurs Conference (PAEC) takes place November 15-18, 2012, in Houston, TX at the Four Seasons Hotel. PAEC is an arena for entrepreneurs and business people within the Black Diaspora to meet and further business connections. This is the newly formed international division of the National Black Chamber of Commerce.   The project strategies of PAEC are to promote, help develop and expose procurement opportunities for entrepreneurs. These opportunities will include infrastructure, energy, water management, agri-business, telecommunications, fashion, matchmaking, logistics, transportation, healthcare, environmental management, bidding/tender/RFP management, education facilities, f...
African News, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: ICT4Gov Project Uses Participatory Budgeting and Telecommunications to Build Transparency and Accountability

  Synopsis Project feedback mechanisms driven by participatory budgeting and new innovations in information communication technology are working to successfully build transparency, increase accountability and overcome a long history of mistrust in the Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu Province. Challenge Following decades of colonial rule, conflict upon conflict, mismanagement, and internal corruption, the Democratic Republic of Congo's national government was left with limited institutional capacity to provide effective services at the local level. This limited capacity has often prompted citizens' groups to view the central government as illegitimate, rent-seeking authorities uninterested in ensuring that resources filter down from the capital to far flung pr...
Energy, Green Energy, South Africa News

Abengoa Begins Construction on Two CSP Plants Awarded by the South Africa Department of Energy

- Khi Solar One and KaXu Solar One will be the first concentrating solar power (CSP) plants in South Africa and will use advanced technology specifically developed for the country's needs - Both plants will be able to store energy and generate power after sunset SEVILLE, Spain, Nov., 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Abengoa, the international company that applies innovative technology solutions for sustainable development in the energy and environment sectors, announced today that it has begun construction on the 50 MW solar power tower Khi Solar One and the 100 MW parabolic trough plant KaXu Solar One in South Africa. The concentrating solar power (CSP) plants were two of the 28 renewable energy projects announced late 2011 by the South Africa Department of Energy (DOE). The DOE ...
Energy, Green Energy, South Africa News

Serving up a POWER-GEN-sized slice of colossal Kusile

  As part of the inaugural POWER-GEN Africa, taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre from 6-8 November, an intrepid group of delegates had a unique opportunity to visit Kusile, which once operational will be the fourth largest coal-fired power installation in the world. By its scheduled 2018 completion date the station, located in Mpumalanga province, will have a total capacity of 4800 MW. The first of its six 800 MW units is due to commence operations in 2014. Under development by South African state-owned utility Eskom, Kusile is the country’s most technologically advanced coal plant and will be the first to feature flue gas desulphurisation (FGD), a key environmental objective for Eskom. A base-load facility, Kusile forms part of Eskom’s plan to increase...