Zimbabwe is taking advantage of a technology used in South Africa and China, to develop ammonium-based fertilizers from coal SPECIAL FEATURE | BIRD AGENCY | A Zimbabwean government-owned entity, Verify Engineering, is preparing to use locally available coal to develop ammonia-based fertilisers as the country ramps up agricultural productivity. “We …
Read More »Solar-powered tricycles offer solution to transport problems in rural Zimbabwe
Locally known as ‘Hambas’, solar-powered three-wheelers, whose batteries last up to 100 kilometres on a single charge, are saving rural Zimbabwe dwellers hours of walking and chores. SPECIAL FEATURE | BIRD AGENCY | Small-scale dairy farmer Matius Khumbula has a new joy in his daily routine. The 70-year-old who hails …
Read More »Bridging the Vaccine Gap in Nigeria With AI
Nigeria has the highest number of unvaccinated children in Africa. Now, a novel AI-driven vaccination programme is showing the way to boosting vaccine uptake by up to 90%. SPECIAL FEATURE | BIRD AGENCY | Mariam Haruna has been struggling to keep up with her six-month-old baby’s vaccination appointments at the …
Read More »Transforming wastewater and solid waste into sustainable solutions
As more of Africa’s urban spaces recognise the importance of efficient wastewater treatment, one consultant is advocating public-private partnerships as a way to boost cleaner water, cleaner environments and in some cases, more energy for the continent’s cities. SPECIAL FEATURE | BIRD AGENCY | To Jean James, Africa’s fast-growing and …
Read More »West Africa edges East Africa as mobile money hotspot
West Africa now dominates growth in Africa’s mobile money sector Lagos, Nigeria| BIRD AGENCY | East Africa has lost its mantle as the engine of growth for Africa’s dynamic mobile money sector to West Africa, according to GSMA State of the Industry Report (SOTIR) 2023. East Africa – where the …
Read More »Agriculture and food: Africa’s economic engine
Agriculture is a sector that employs 290 million Africans and will be worth a trillion US dollars by 2030. And it is growing faster in Africa than on any other continent. SPECIAL FEATURE | BIRD AGENCY | Africa is leveraging its huge small-scale farming community to grow its agrifood sector and …
Read More »Two Africans among four winners of global youth climate prize
Foday David Kamara from Sierra Leone and Aziba Ekio from Nigeria have won The Young Climate Prize, an international award recognizing young sustainable climate designers under the age of 25. SPECIAL FEATURE | BIRD AENCY | Two young Africans have been selected as the global winners of the Young Climate …
Read More »Africa’s central banks lead the way, embrace open banking
Regulators on the continent are developing frameworks that allow customers of traditional banks to engage with third-party service providers via their banking apps – blowing open a multi-billion dollar market. Abuja, Nigeria | BIRD AGENCY | Nigeria in March became the first African country to launch open banking on the …
Read More »In this Nigerian school, plastic bottles have replaced school fees
To make his school more accessible – and help clean up his local community – 38-year-old Patrick Mbamarah accepts plastic bottles collected from the street instead of tuition fees Lagos, Nigeria | BIRD AGENCY | When a neighbour recommended Morit International School to Ijeoma Obiora three years ago and told …
Read More »Kate Karuri is creating dignity and visibility for Kenya’s house helps
After managing and supervising househelps for over 16 years, Kate Karuri started a training program that coaches both domestic workers and their employers on workplace dignity in the home Nairobi, Kenya | BIRD AGENCY | Kate Karuri worked with and managed domestic workers in Kenya for over 16 years before …
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