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The Green Girl hurdling barriers in the race for sustainability

20 August 2023 Comments (0) Leaders

Many observers see that out of the many challenges facing modern Africa, two in particular stand out. The first of these is the continent’s massive untapped renewable energy resources. The African Development Bank estimates that there is an annual potential of 350 GW in hydroelectric power, 110 GW from wind, 15 GW from geothermal and a huge 1000 GW from solar. In addition, the International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that surplus forest wood could provide 520 GW/year in bioenergy.

The second and perhaps more daunting challenge is breaking down the gender disparity barriers that have been entrenched since colonial days. The World Economic Forum’s 2018 Global Gender Gap index estimated that it would take 135 years (at current rates of progress) for the gap to finally close in sub-Saharan Africa, with North Africa taking even longer at 153 years.

Anything that attempts to meet these challenges should be applauded and promoted, and when a person or project attempts to tackle both of them at the same time, then there should be even higher levels of recognition and encouragement.

Monique Ntumngia Determined To Give Something to Those Who Lacked Opportunities

Enter Monique Ntumngia, founder of Cameroon’s ‘Green Girls’ and a renewable energy entrepreneur. The 29-year-old Cameroonian had a hard childhood as an orphan. And as she entered adulthood, she was determined to give something to those who lacked opportunities.

The idea for Green Girls was born in September of 2014 when Ntumngia was working in Nigeria for the NGO, Human Rights and Education. While taking part in the traditional distribution of school supplies at the start of the school year, children kept asking her: “Madam, how are we going to use these notebooks and books without light?”

It was at that point that Ntumngia decided that her path forward lay in marrying sustainable development with the promotion and spread of renewable energies. She began organising fundraising events and contacting organisations such as UNICEF and the EU. After raising US$10,000 in just two months, she bought 2,500 solar lamps from Norway that she distributed across Nigeria.

Only 10% of The Population Have Regular Access to Electricity.

After Nigeria, she wanted to do the same in Cameroon. Her home country – and Africa as a whole – suffers from a real problem as far as electricity production and distribution are concerned. Most rural areas have no supplies all. Across Africa as a whole, only 10% of the population have regular access to electricity.

Monique Ntumngia: Leading the way in promoting renewable energy and sustainability in Africa

But this young social entrepreneur quickly realised that solar lamps were not a long-term answer. She carried out an in-depth survey looking at the sustainability of local economies across Cameroon. She also realised that many of these local communities had an acute waste management problem. Biogas seemed to be an obvious answer to work alongside solar energy. Biogas is a renewable energy source made from the anaerobic fermentation of organic waste. She set up a company – Monafrik Energy – to develop solar and biogas solutions, to provide affordable energy, and to help support sustainable communities. Since December of 2015, the company has built eight solar installations and twenty bio-digesters for biogas production.

But Monique’s vision extended far beyond simple provision of electricity. She wanted to tackle gender disparity and the poverty that both causes and accompanies it. In August of 2016, she founded the charity, Green Girls. Its mission? To promote sustainable development in every African rural community through the infiltration of renewable energy; and getting African governments to develop gender policies that provide access to finance in order for these women to run clean energy businesses.

To Plant Trees To Replace the Forests Used As Sources of Firewood

The charity also plants trees to replace the forests used as sources of firewood before the communities had bio digesters constructed. Within just a few months of starting the charity, 623 girls between the ages of 14 and 18 had received training in three areas of Cameroon.

The charity now operates programmes on several levels. They train girls in how to construct and maintain solar panels and bio digesting equipment. They also teach them about the relevant Sustainable Development Goals so they understand better the sustainable community models. In order to encourage financial independence, they train the women in how to set up SMEs, with businesses aimed at the packaging and selling of organic fertilizer, growing organic crops, and making solar lanterns.

In order to expand the ideas and the training, one aspect of the Green Girl programmes is identifying future leaders and training them to be trainers. This offers the potential of rapid multiplication of women and girls taking part in the various programmes as well as an expansion of ideas and practical solutions.

To Expand the Green Girls Operations across All of Africa

Her hard work and innovative ideas have led to global recognition. To date, she has been awarded the following prizes: WWF Africa Youth Champion award (twice), US$100,000 Visa Everywhere Initiative Award 2019, the Africa Youth Connekt prize for Best Project and best Pitch, and the Cameroon special tourism award for promoting sustainable development

Ntumngia’s vision is to expand the Green Girls operations across all of Africa but she knows that there are many hurdles to cross and that both governments and African society need to be part of the battle to break down gender barriers as well as working towards a more sustainable Africa.

Photos: afrohustler.com/ Facebook.com / visamiddleeast.com

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Agricultural data is becoming big business in Africa

30 July 2023 Comments (0) Business, Non classé

Africa can often be a continent of major contradictions, but perhaps especially when it comes to agriculture. The African Development Bank (ADB) released a recent report which stated that the continent contained an astounding 65% of the world’s uncultivated but arable land. Many areas also have an abundance of fresh water. The soil is extremely fertile, and the continent has around 300 days of sunshine every year. And when you look at the working population, in excess of 60% of people work in the agricultural sector in some capacity. 

Yet despite that potential, the continent as a whole continues to import much of its food ($64.5 billion in 2017) and many regions continue to suffer annual famines with around five million Africans dying every year from hunger and over a quarter of the population classified as “severely food insecure in 2016”.

To increase efficiency and productivity – and thus hopefully reduce hunger and reliance on imports – many African countries are now looking to data collection and analysis for solutions and creating a new demand and market by doing so. 

A lot of Challenges to Face

There are a number of challenges that Africa’s agricultural sector faces. As far as development of uncultivated land is concerned, many areas have poor or no transport links. There may be little in the way of communications, little credit to buy the machinery and seed stock needed to cultivate the land, issues with property rights, endemic corruption at local and national levels, a lack of access to technology, and various other issues. 

Many now see the use of data identifying the areas offering the most lucrative prospects as the way to move forward. Coupled with simpler smart phones to be used in situ, data scientists can analyse data from satellite imagery and records of climate and weather patterns to help focus on those initially promising areas. 

Another major problem that faces the sector, and also another that technology may offer a solution to, is that many African agricultural products are subject to the overuse of pesticides (or the use of banned pesticides). This means that they do not pass the stringent standards of target markets such as the European Union. 

Using Technology

Companies such as Acquahmeyer in Ghana are now using drones to monitor the health of crops so as to allow farmers to reduce their reliance on these pesticides. At $5 to 10 per acre, this is a growing data market across the continent. 

The ADB are also investing in data and data collection. As of 2018, they had launched a drone programme partnering with the Tunisian government and the city of Busan in South Korea. The programme will include training 32 young Tunisians on how to pilot drones and collect agricultural data. 

South African startup, Zindi, is another African company looking to harness data to improve agricultural yields. They use their platform to host competitions that brings together over 9,000 African data scientists to crunch numbers and data from satellite imagery and other sources to provide real solutions on – and in – the ground. 

But it is also about different data sets being harnessed to improve agriculture. In Nigeria, the government are undertaking a major registration programme to include its farmers on an electronic wallet system. This will allow the government to make grants and subsidy payments, share information on better farming practices, and help improve the continental supply chain. 

Monsanto Has Established Data Sharing Agreements: Good News for Africa?

Multinational conglomerate, Monsanto, has already established data sharing agreements with the American agricultural machinery producer, Agco. They also launched Climate FieldView in 2018, a tool specifically designed to collect and exploit agricultural data from across Africa. Given Monsanto’s track history, there are justifiable worries that while African NGOs seek to reduce hunger and poverty by increasing crop yields. 

Hopefully, the Pan-African efforts by various parties will continue to yield promising results.

Photos : blogs.worldbank.org / idss.mit.edu / agroinformatics.org

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MENA Seeing Rise In Startups By 24% in 2022

29 June 2023 Comments (0) Business

Startups are roaring in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Compared to 2021, a rise of 24 percent was seen in investment value. Fueled by rapid growth, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are seeing a new group of well-heeled investors. 

Top three markets by region

The top three markets in the region that dominated the venture capital scenery were the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Having the most investments, UAE took the lead with a total amount of $1.85 billion across 250 deals (a rise of 5 percent in investment value) followed by Saudi Arabia with $907 million raised across 153 deals (a 40 percent rise in investment value).   Even though Egypt ranked third place with $736 million, they secured the second-highest number of new deals totaling 180 (a staggering 70 percent rise compared to 2021).

This rise in investments and deals was felt in nearby countries such as Algeria, Bahrain, Palestine, Oman, Iraq, Qatar, Yemen, Sudan and Tunisia.  On the contrary, Kuwait, Lebanon and Morocco saw a downward trend in terms of deal value.  The Jordanian startups dropped by 76 percent compared to 2021.

Value of investments by sector

Attracting $1.1 billion in investment, almost double compared to 2021, the fintech sector remains the favorite within the startup world in Mena.  A rise in funding was seen in top sub-sectors such as neobanks, crowdfunding, open banking, and corporate and personal lending.  Not to mention the cleantech sector is following closely behind with a whopping 101 percent rise from 2021, thanks to Yellow Door Energy’s $400 million rise in October 2022.  Bringing in $362 million in funding, logistics was the third-highest funded sector.

Quarterly investment activity fluctuated over the course of last year.  Quarter one recorded $1.04 billion which then dropped down to $997 million in quarter two.  Quarter three saw a severe decline with only $696 million raised and only to rise again to $1.21 billion in quarter four.  

Value of investment by gender, education and experience

Women-founded startups only made up 1.3 percent of the $3.94 billion raised last year whilst startups co-founded by both men and women performed far better, attracting $3.7 billion of the total amount raised. A hefty 94 percent of the total amount was raised.

The women-led startups that did raise investment were largely based within the UAE and Egypt.  They focused mainly on the healtech, edtech and e-commerce sectors.  

With regards to educational background, last year 1,186 co-founders successfully raised investment.  Between them were 694 first-time founders, 312 second-time founders, 124 third-time founders, 39 fourth-time founders and 17 fifth-time founders.  

Over half of the VC-backed founders have a bachelor’s degree as their highest educational level coming in at 53 percent whilst 34 percent have a master’s degree and 4 percent have a Ph.D. The more educated founders tend to be women, a third of them have a bachelor’s degree, 10 percent have a Ph.D. and 20 percent have a master’s in business administration (MBA).  The MENA region has certainly never been short on talented entrepreneurs.

Fadi Ghandour, founder of Aramex and executive chairman of Wamba stated “Saudi and UAE and Egypt are the three markets of size and significance of government and private and institutional support. That is where the entrepreneurs are coming and where they are trying to solve the digitization of bricks and mortar companies.”

Photos : .wamda.com – arabnews.com

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High-tech trains are coming to Cairo

11 May 2023 Comments (0) Featured, Technology

Egyptian Passengers will soon be able to travel through their country aboard a high-speed train. Indeed, the German group Siemens deals to construct 2,000 kilometers of high-speed rail lines across Egypt. The project aims to connect 60 cities by train, at speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour.

Rail travel is the most important method of passenger transportation in Egypt with 800 million passenger miles annually. Most of the network connects the densely populated urban areas of the Nile delta with Cairo and Alexandria as switching points. Train fares in commuter trains and 3rd class passenger trains are subsidized by the government as a social service.

Egyptian rail before

The history of Egypt under British rule lasted from 1882 to 1956 (the Suez Crisis), and we all know that Britain was a huge promoter of rail infrastructure: witness the 60, 000 km of line in India. The British introduced rail to Egypt in 1854.  Egypt has less than 20% of India’s rail length, yet it will soon have a rail network availability that any country would be proud of.

The development

Between September 2021 and May  of 2022, the German industrial group Siemens Mobility deals to construct 2,000 kilometers of high-speed rail lines across Egypt. The deal is worth over €8 billion and includes 41 high-speed trains, 94 regional trains, and 41 freight trains. It will connect 60 cities by train, at speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour, providing rail access to around 90% of the population. The maximum speed is 250 km / h but the operational speed of electric express trains is 230 km / h. The safety and speed factors offer any business transporting goods huge incentives to switch from road to rail as their network of choice.

The network from Abu Simbel to Cairo

Egypt will have the largest and most modern high-speed rail network in the Southern hemisphere! The City of the Dead, Cairo Necropolis, will soon be bustling with activity. The second stretch of track will connect Cairo with Abu Simbel.

Trains offer many advantages over other forms of travel. The check-in times are almost non-existent when compared with the two hours required on flights. Given a maximum speed of 250 km/h, that means that one could travel a distance of almost 1000 km in just over four hours! Baggage limits are generous, and the comfort factor on trains is a huge bonus.

Travelling through the desert at speed in an air-conditioned carriage gives one an opportunity to see a huge area of the country, an advantage not possible when flying commercially. When people choose to travel by express train rather than by car, it reduces traffic congestion. Trains also have a very good safety record, and the impact on the environment is less damaging to the environment than road travel. In addition, the new lines will aid in the economic development of existing and previously inaccessible towns.

Other benefits of the network

The benefits are not all about travel – over 500 new jobs will be created, and construction and technical staff from Siemens and associated companies will train staff from Orascom and other Arab contractors. The benefits to the nation of skilled technicians cannot be understated. Over 90% of the Egyptian population will soon have access to fast, cheap, and safe transport! That statistic is something for Egyptians to feel proud of, and it is a figure unmatched anywhere in Africa, and indeed even by several developed western countries.

Egypt presently has a population of almost 110 million, giving a population density of over 100 per square kilometer, which gives rise to frequent traffic jams and much pollution. An estimated 30 million passengers will travel annually on the new line that reduces travel time by 50%. It is hoped that volume of freight by rail will increase from the present 5% to 15%. 

The modernization of public rail travel in Egypt is on the fast track!

Photo : travelandleisure.com

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Sheikha Al-Mayassa grows Qatar’s place on the artistic stage

28 April 2023 Comments (0) Featured, Leaders

Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the sister of Qatar’s absolute monarch Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, is well known for her love of art. The daughter of the country’s father, Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, – himself a notable art enthusiast – she has been declared the most influential person in art on Art+Auction’s top-10 list and ArtReview’s Power 100, and she has even appeared in the Forbes’ list of World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2014. Her plans to expand Qatar’s already impressive art and museum collection show no plans of slowing, with three new museums set to open soon, showing off Qatar’s culture to the world.

A prominent family name in the art collecting sphere

The 31 year-old is often called the Queen of the Art World, and as the chair of Qatar Museums and a prominent art collector, the title is well-deserved. She has overseen recent purchases of works by Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, and Mark Rothko, as well as the record-setting purchase of Cezanne’s “The Card Players” for $250 million. In fact, it is said that Sheikha Al-Mayassa has nearly a billion euros to spend per year and has paid enormous sums for more than one major masterpiece.

Despite this, Sheikha Al-Mayassa did not actually study art, and instead she holds a double major in literature and political science from Duke University. Her prominence in the art world is not a surprise, however, as the Al-Thanii family, the absolute monarchy that rules the country, has several notable art collectors in its ranks. This includes her father, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, former Emir of Qatar from 1995 to 2013 and current President of the Museum’s of Qatar, the most important institution for the culture and art in the country.

Qatar’s art is open to world

Sheikha Al-Mayassa is a firm believer that creative and cultural work is a driver of economic growth, and points to both the M7, Qatar’s epicenter for innovation and entrepreneurship in design, fashion and tech, and an exhibition with Al Jazeera for its 25th anniversary, which ‘put Qatar on the map 25 years ago’ as evidence of this.

Especially in the wake of the World Cup, which has seen the international community take more and more notice of the small gulf country, she has been keen to promote the artistic and cultural attractions of Qatar. She has said that, “We’re trying to show the diversity of the Arab world, but also we want people to experience Qatar as it really is,” and that, “there are interesting exhibitions about the Arab world that [were showcased for the very first time at the world cup].”

Among the various offerings are 18 public artwork installations, the Museum of Islamic Art, Mathaf: the Arab Museum of Modern Art, the Al-Riwaq gallery, Qatar National Museum, and more.

This list is only set to grow with the opening of three new major museums:

  • The Art Mill, which will consist of a center with galleries exhibiting modern and contemporary art and that will run a program for resident artists, and whose construction will be under the control of Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena, a winner of the 2016 Pritzker Prize.
  • The Lusail Museum, designed by the Herzog & Meuron architecture studio and which will house the world’s most extensive collection of oriental drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures and texts.
  • The Qatar Automobile Museum, an enormous 40,000m2 building that will showcase the history of the car from its invention to the present day. It will be the work of OMA, the architecture firm founded by Rem Koolhaas.

Sheikha Al-Mayassa has said that their goal is to develop a cultural ecosystem in Qatar that encompasses museums, exhibition galleries, an ambitious public art program, schools, film, photography and performing arts festivals, events, spaces for emerging creatives and fashion professionals and of design. She said, “We know that culture and the creative industries are key drivers of economic growth, both in Qatar and globally. And another of our priorities, closely related to the development of a cultural ecosystem, is to help introduce Qatar to other nations and cultures and to welcome people from those countries. We encourage creativity and intercultural understanding.”

 

Photos : graziamagazine.com – ft.com – tdg.ch

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Astral Aviation expands towards Abu Dhabi

29 March 2023 Comments (0) Business

Astral Aviation has just signed a code-share agreement with fellow Kenyan cargo operator, Kenya Airways Cargo. It has also just signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Etihad Cargo, and looks set to take advantage of the closer ties being sought by the two countries.

Astral Aviation, a cargo-only airline in Africa flying scheduled routes to 20 destinations across the continent, has just signed a code-share agreement with fellow Kenyan cargo operator, Kenya Airways Cargo. It has also just signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Etihad Cargo to enhance cooperation between the two entities. With these partnerships, Astral Aviation hopes to increase trade between Africa and the Middle East. The announcements come off-the-backs of several other partnerships announced earlier in the year, including an agreement with Air Logistics Group, the world’s leading cargo sales and services agent, that would increase online booking capacity for the airline. As Astral Aviation has just celebrated 22 years in operation, we look back at its interesting history.

The humble beginnings of the company

Although Astral Aviation now flies regularly to 20 destinations across Africa, and delivers everything ranging from perishable goods, vaccines, mining equipment, up to humanitarian aid, it started in a very different, and much less secure position. Upon its foundation in November 2000, it was a simple charter airline operating wet-leased (where the aircraft owner will supply air crew members along with the aircraft) Russian-owned Antonov planes.

At the time, the company did not have the funds for Boeing or Airbus freighters, so Astral Aviation began operations with three Antonov AN-12 turboprop planes transporting UN food aid to Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Eight years later, Astral Aviation was in a position to be able to renew its fleet, where it returned the aging Russian turboprops and instead dry-leased (where the aircraft is leased without crew) Douglas DC9 freighters. This fleet was then expanded with McDonnell-Douglas MD83s, and eventually with Africa’s first Boeing 767-200F.

Recently, Astral Aviation has made the news again by ordering the first Brazilian-made Embraer E190Fs in Africa. They join a long order list: two Boeing 767-300Fs, two Airbus A330-200Fs, four A330-300P2Fs, and four Boeing B777-300ERSFs. These aircraft will join the current fleet of 14 that includes four Fokker 50s – used for short landing strips in remote areas – and two Boeing 747-400Fs.

Covid-19 creates huge demand for cargo carriers 

Astral Aviation found itself extremely busy during the first fourth months of Covid-19, flying every single day. Originally this was perishables and pharmaceutical cargo, and then increasingly, masks, personal protective equipment, and PCR and rapid-testing equipment. Astral found itself delivering to 48 of the 54 African countries.

When the first vaccines arrived in 2021, Astral Aviation was ready to assist. In particular, a million doses of AstraZeneca, refused by the Kenyan Government due to the lower efficacy shown against the dominant variant in Kenya at the time, were re-distributed across 16 other countries on the continent. To date, Astral Aviation estimates they have delivered 59 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines across Africa.

As jet fuel prices soar, cargo operators face new pressures

In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. The resulting backlash against Russia saw it ostracized from much of the international community and demand for its oil and gas exports fell, or were intentionally cut off. Fuel prices across the world rose quickly, with jet fuel right alongside.

Cargo airlines like Astral Aviation found themselves facing costs rising by as much as 35%, in part due to the older age of cargo aircraft compared to those operated by passenger airlines. For example, production of the Boeing 727-200Fs that Astral Aviation leases ended in 1984, and the aircraft is significantly less efficient than more modern planes. On top of this, cargo flights are typically unbalanced between outward and return journeys – a flight from Europe to Nairobi will be nearly full of high value-added products, but on the return trip Astral Aviation often has no choice but to fly a near-empty plane. Nonetheless, the airline has shown resilience and continued to operate.

Closer links to the Middle East could fuel growth for Astral Aviation

In October 2022, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates agreed to expedite trade agreements and investment opportunities between the two countries. Astral Aviation’s new code-share agreement with Kenya Airways Cargo and MOU with Etihad Cargo will mean Astral Aviation is likely to see more flights into Abu Dhabi, taking advantage of the closer ties being sought by the two countries.

Photos : aircargonews.net

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TotalEnergies becomes QatarEnergy’s first partner on the North Field South LNG project

21 February 2023 Comments (0) Business, Featured

TotalEnergies, already heavily involved in the North Field East liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, has been chosen as the first international partner for the North Field South LNG project. Under the new agreement with QatarEnergy, TotalEnergies will gain a 9.375% stake in the North Field South project.

TotalEnergies takes second stake in the world’s largest LNG project

TotalEnergies, already a major partner of QatarEnergy and heavily involved in the North Field East liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, has now also been chosen as the first international partner for the North Field South LNG project. Expected to produce 16 million tonnes per year (Mt/y) of LNG, the North Field South project will, along with further development of the rest of the North Field project, increase Qatar’s LNG export capacity to 126 Mt/y. The offshore project will be developed via 50 oil wells that will feed 5 oil platforms, all of which are linked to the onshore processing plant by gas pipelines. Two liquefaction trains will also be installed as part of the project.

Extracting from the world’s largest LNG field

North Field South and North Field East combined make up Qatar’s North Field project, which it claims is the world’s largest LNG project in the world in terms of capacity. The field itself is a natural-gas condensate field located in the Persian Gulf, part of the South Pars/North Dome Gas-Condensate field that is shared between Iran and Qatar, holding around 51 trillion cubic meters of in-situ natural gas, plus around 50 billion barrels of natural gas condensates. The field is by far the world’s largest natural gas field, and the extremely high amount of resources present means that the area is incredibly geopolitically important.

Qatar is already the world’s largest LNG supplier, but nonetheless it aims to expand LNG production from the North Field, along with producing condensate, LPG, ethane, sulfur, and helium. LNG production from the new North Field South project is expected to start in 2025.

High tech, low-carbon

North Field South is aiming to use the highest standards of extraction to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the project. The processing plant will be connected to Qatar’s electricity grid, meaning it will be powered in-part by renewable energy, mostly from the 800MW Al Kharsaah solar plant and the QatarEnergy solar plant currently under construction. Along with this, native CO2 released during natural gas production will be captured and sequestered rather than lost to the atmosphere. A system to recover gas evaporated during shipment will also be implemented that is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 1 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually.

TotalEnergies enjoys booming LNG prices

TotalEnergies, just like BP, Shell, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and others in the gas sector, has had a windfall year, with oil and gas prices being pushed to record highs in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Due to Western sanctions on Russian exports, the destruction of the Nordstream pipeline, and public outcry of the invasion pushing nations to move away from Russian oil and gas, buyers in Europe scrambled to replace Russian imports, which caused prices to skyrocket. TotalEnergies sat in an enviable position with access to 20 million tonnes of regasification – roughly 15% of the total capacity available on the continent – and was able to leverage this by maximizing spot purchases and sales.

All of this fueled a year of record net profits for TotalEnergies – $36.2 billion in 2022 – and has led some to call it the ‘year of LNG’.

The company has since indicated it will double-down on the LNG business, aiming for it to make up 50% of its energy sales mix by the year 2030. CEO Patrick Pouyanné has even stated that it will be a “pillar of the company’s growth in the years ahead.”

Under the new agreement with QatarEnergy, TotalEnergies will gain a 9.375% stake in the North Field South project, with QatarEnergy holding 75%. The remaining 15.625% will be available to other international partners. Pouyanné has said that, “we are very proud and honored that Qatar has once again chosen TotalEnergies as its first partner on the North Field South project…We see Qatar as a long-term strategic country for TotalEnergies and this new addition of capacity to our portfolio marks an important step towards achieving TotalEnergies’ growth objectives in low-carbon LNG, a key pillar of our transformation into a sustainable multi-energy company. It will also enhance our ability, alongside Qatar, to contribute to Europe’s energy security. “

Photos : offshorewind.biz and splash247.com

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Growing Africa’s Tech Startup Sector

24 January 2023 Comments (0) Business, Featured

Africa is home to a rapidly-growing tech startup scene. From 2015 to 2020, the number of African startups receiving financial backing stood at over 6 times the global average. Thanks to hosting the world’s largest free trading area and a young, growing population that makes use of new technology like e-banking and mobile phones to leapfrog traditional development pathways, the tech startup sector grew by about 46% a year. For the continent to truly become a launch pad for innovation and for the tech sector to maintain its stunning growth trajectory, it will need some help.

An increasingly attractive continent for investors

For any startup, obtaining early-stage funding is crucial, and entrepreneurs often seek external investment to raise this. Historically, venture capital on the continent has been limited, however this is changing. In 2014, only 70 venture capital deals were recorded in Africa, while by 2020 this had risen to over 300, with around a third of investors from the United States. This growth in investments has led to the rise of new unicorns – privately-held companies valued at over $1 billion – with four companies holding the status in 2021.

In addition, the continent is an easy place to start a company, with one of the highest entrepreneurial rates globally. This is not unusual – developing economies often have high numbers of startups driven by a lack of employment – but the increasing prevalence and the sinking cost of mobile phone technology has meant Africa is increasingly digitized. This has motivated entrepreneurs, especially in the technology sector, to innovate to match the continent’s needs. From this, a wave of investment followed: In 2015 only $190 million was invested into startups in Africa, but by 2021 it had gone up to $2 billion. South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya were the most favorable African countries for startups in the last year, hosting high numbers of companies, good co-working spaces, and a generally robust economic system.

A growing sector, but one that is still far behind

It is easy to conclude that the continent is already a hotbed for tech startups, especially as economic forecasts predict a record year for tech in Africa in 2022, with the possibility of total investments into startups reaching more than $7 billion. But while there is more money flowing into more companies than ever before, Africa’s record of scaling up these companies or even sustaining them, is poor.

There are only 4 unicorns on the entire continent, compared to over 50 in the EU, over 100 in China, and over 200 in the United States. Even for lower-value companies, such as African ‘Zebras’ valued at $200 million, numbers are slim. There are only 20 zebras across Africa, as most startups only make it to the series B funding stage. In fact, the returns on venture capital investments in Africa are less than 3% over 5 years on average, compared to 11% in Asia-Pacific and 16% in Europe.

A challenging place to grow a startup

Startups struggle in Africa for several key reasons:

  • Despite the free-trade area, the market is very fragmented
  • Consumer purchasing power is low
  • Data communication infrastructure is inadequate for the number of people it serves
  • Digital talent is scarce
  • Regulations across the 54 countries are varied, inconsistent, and often-times complex

On top of this, key sectors, especially business-to-consumer ones such as financial services and energy are often controlled by state monopolies that use their market power to prevent new companies from challenging the status quo, rather than advancing the national interest or providing a level playing field.

This leads to an inhospitable startup environment that in turn stops job creation and economic development, and threatens the entire startup sector by preventing innovative products from reaching the market.

The outlook for the future

Africa has all the pieces needed to become one of the most innovative regions in the world: high entrepreneurship, a large free-trade area, and a young and growing population that adopt new technology quickly. To see continued growth in the sector, African governments need to build and deploy a digital economic policy that encourages investment, improves the business environment through clearer regulation, and creates support networks for startups, as well as expand the continent’s digital infrastructure. Not only does this lead to short-term startup growth, but it stops the biggest companies from growing dependent on the world’s leading technology players, making the continent more self-sufficient in the longer term.

Sources : cioafrica.co and visualcapitalist.com

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Winners of the African Youth Adaptation Solutions Challenge

12 December 2022 Comments (0) Featured, Leaders

The YouthADAPT competition, an annual competition and awards program for youth-led enterprises jointly organized by the Global Center on Adaptation, the African Development Bank, and Climate Investment Funds (CIF) has announced the 2022 winners list.

The YouthADAPT Competition expands in its second year

The goal of the YouthADAPT competition is to boost sustainable job creation through entrepreneurship and innovation in climate change adaptation and resilience across Africa. The competition invites young African entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 35 from micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises to submit ideas that can deliver innovative solutions to adapt to and build resilience against climate change. The twenty winning entries, half of which are women-led, won grant funding of up to $100,000 each, as well as a 12-month accelerator program to help them grow their businesses, deepen their impact, and create jobs on the continent.

Launched in 2021, this year’s competition received over 3,000 applicants. Despite its short history it is already delivering results. One of last year’s winners, Juveline Ngum Ngwa from Bamenda in Cameroon has been able to scale up her business, Bleglee Waste Management, as a result of the grant. This has meant a second waste sorting center and the development of software for drones which identify garbage blocking drainage systems.

Competition winners from all across Africa

Winners of the 2022 African Youth Adaptation Solutions Challenge come from across the continent:

Namibia

  • Kaveto Tjatjara, of Flushh, produces waterless toilets for schools in underserved communities. 

Malawi

  •  Joyce Sikwese, of Green Impact Technologies, accelerates the productive use of climate-smart agriculture technologies and organic fertilizers among smallholder farmers.
  • Ulaya Mwale Mpatsa, of Engineering Company Limited, offers a solution for the recovery and treatment of rainwater, desalination of seawater, and groundwater extraction. 

Kenya

  • Maryanne Gichanga, of AgriTech Analytics, uses satellite data analytics and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to halt and reverse soil degradation, crop pests, and diseases. 
  • Esther Kimani, of Farmer Lifeline Technologies, reduces greenhouse gas emissions from synthetic fertilizers and farm chemicals and creates more environmentally friendly versions.
  • Robin Ndungu Kisumeo, from Organics Limited, empowers smallholder farmers to create sustainable and climate-resilient aquatic food systems by leveraging artificial intelligence.

Egypt

  • Reham Yehia, of Baramoda, reduces CO2 emissions by decreasing the use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture, helping soil that has been affected by climate change to recover. 
  • Moataz Yousry Voltx, from Engineering & Industries, produces a smart irrigation system that saves up to 40% of the water used to irrigate agricultural crops. 

Cameroon

  • Pelkins Ajanoh, from Cassavita, provides improved cassava seedlings that are resistant to climate change effects. 
  • Anna Ngwenyi Mafor, of Multi-Tech Sustainable Solutions (MTTS), uses smart technology for the early detection of crop diseases caused by climate change.

Nigeria

  • Rita Idehai, at Ecobarter, improves adaptive capacity to flash flooding by keeping drainage and streets free of waste. 
  • Rebecca Andeshi, from Grocircular Agro Services, produces organic fertilizer generated from poultry waste, food waste, rice husks, and wood chips. 
  • Olowoseunre Oluwadamilola, of Pazelgreen Technologies, provides sustainable and cost-effective industrial cooling processes to address the problem of post-harvest loss of fruits and vegetables caused by climate change. 

Rwanda

  • Yvette Ishimwe, of IRIBA Water Group Ltd, offers an adaptation solution for floods by collecting rainwater from the roofs of houses, purifying it, and then distributing it to young women. 

Botswana

  • Mmakwena Moesi, from Viva Organica, improves soil moisture and health of plants affected by climate change.

Ghana

  • Rose Noah, of West African Feeds, leverages tropical insect farming techniques to convert food waste into climate-resistant food alternatives for Africa’s livestock feed industry. 

Senegal

  • Moussa Diouf, from Agroexpert farming, tackles the effects of drought on agriculture, especially at small scale through the use of drip-drop irrigation. 

Algeria

  • Nassim Ilmane Eurl Algerienne, of Des Industries Technologiques, created a mobile app that helps small and mid-sized farmers receive recommendations and disease alerts to optimize fertilizers and pesticide usage while improving their yield.

Côte d’Ivoire

  • Noël N’guessan, from Lono, improved fertilizers to address climate change effects on soils, especially those suffering from severe degradation. 

Uganda

  • Frank Mugisha, Akatale On Cloud, created an original technology using flies to decompose organic waste into livestock feed, addressing the fodder deficit that can be caused by climate change. 

The list has doubled since 2021, where only ten winners were selected, with awards totaling $1 million. For 2022, this was increased to twenty winners with the awards pool doubling to $2 million. Next year, it is hoped that the total of the awards will reach $4 million.

The awards ceremony was held at the African Pavilion of the COP27 Climate Change Conference. African Development Bank Group president Dr. Akinwumi Adesina said, “Africa’s needs cannot be ignored…Our young people must be part of the solution. They are creative, dynamic, and engaging. They are futuristic and must be part of the solution for climate adaptation in Africa.”

Photos : un.org – LinkedIn

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Germany looks to Africa as energy crisis looms in Europe

20 November 2022 Comments (0) Featured, Politics

With a sixth round of EU sanctions against Russian oil, Europe is looking to leave Russian gas behind for good. Germany is already looking at alternatives in Africa but ramping up production will not be a small task, with infrastructure challenges and increasing preference towards renewable energy over fossil fuels.

Europe looks to Africa as an alternative to Russia

With Russia ostracized in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine, and a sixth round of EU sanctions targeting Russian oil recently implemented, many countries in Europe are looking to leave Russian gas, oil, and coal behind for good. But cutting the use of Russian gas by 60% before the end of 2022 may come with a nasty side-effect – a lack of energy – especially over the winter where demand in Europe increases. Germany is already looking for alternatives in Africa, with the continent’s oil and gas reserves being an important topic at the June 2022 German-Africa Energy Forum in Hamburg. In 2020, African oil made up nearly 9% of global exports, with over 327 million metric tonnes produced on the continent. But ramping up production and getting it to Europe will not be an easy task, with infrastructure challenges and the zeitgeist in Europe moving towards renewable energy over fossil fuels.

Lack of investment at home raises questions for export

The first major barrier for gas exports to Germany is the lack of infrastructure. Energy development projects are capital-intensive and generally require private-public partnerships. Sultan Wali, Ethiopia’s energy minister said that “African governments cannot carry out these projects alone.” Ndiarka Mbodji, the French-Senegalese founder of Berlin-based Kowry Energy echoed this, saying, “They need financial support from Germany and other rich western countries. Africa holds the key to resolving Europe’s energy crisis. And if we look at Africa’s resources, for example gas, you cannot underestimate its importance.”

Despite such a positive outlook for Africa to fulfill Germany’s gas demands, half of the continent’s population lacks access to clean energy, with many households dependent on burning biomass for energy. Moreover, some 900 million Africans lack access to clean cooking solutions, and on top of this, South Africa is in the midst of its own energy crisis. Load shedding is now a daily occurrence, and the situation is predicted to worsen despite the country holding significant natural gas potential. There will no doubt be those who question whether the continent can afford to export gas when it could be put to good use domestically.

Africa must act quickly to profit

Many German companies are keen to help finance African initiatives that produce hydrogen and natural gas for export to Europe, and African nations are keen to power up using gas. Because natural gas, which is mainly produced in Algeria, Nigeria, and Egypt, creates fewer carbon emissions than other fossil fuels like oil and coal it is seen as a ‘transitional fuel.’ Mbodji says that gas should not be overlooked, stating, “you can see at the moment, with the Ukraine war that we are going through, that there is a need to diversify the source of energy. And if we look at the resource that Africa has in terms of, for example, gas, which is a source of transition, we can see its importance in Africa.” 

The International Energy Agency (IEA) produced its Africa Energy Outlook for 2022, published on 20th June, where it said that Africa could be in a position to export some 30 billion cubic meters (bcm) to Europe by the end of the decade. If all of Africa’s natural gas discoveries are turned into production, Executive Director Fatih Birol has stated that it could make an additional 90 bcm per year by 2030, with around two-thirds of this going towards domestic needs and the rest for export.

But the IEA has said that Africa must act quickly if it is to profit from these vast reserves of natural gas. Europe will only want Africa’s gas until it can shift towards lower carbon technology, something that is being increasingly championed with ever more lofty net-zero promises being made by politicians.

Renewable energy also ramps up exports

There is another energy source that could be exported – solar. Taking advantage of the huge potential for solar energy near the Sahara Desert, a massive undersea power cable is coming to Europe from Egypt. The GREGY intersection, going from Northern Egypt and into Attica, Greece, brings 3,000 megawatts of clean solar power to Europe. At the same time, the Xlinks Morocco-UK power project will connect Alverdiscott, Devon, with a solar site in Morocco, providing enough power to supply seven million homes by 2030.

There isn’t enough African gas available right now to save Germany from an energy shortage this winter, and with Europe pushing for cleaner energy, by the time production has increased to a suitable level it may already be too late to capitalize on Africa’s reserves.

 

Photos : dw.com – logupdateafrica.com – foreignpolicy.com

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