A tech hub for young women in Mombasa offers entry into the world of IT to girls and young women from all walks of life, whatever their background. Velma Pamela and Irene Mumbi, bird story agency It’s quiet at Pwani Teknowgalz. Really quiet. You’d almost think no one was home. Across from the reception counter, a handful of young women are engrossed in activities on their laptops. Many are wearing coloured hijabs; brown and black are the predominant colours, initially making it difficult to identify Latifah Noor. It turns out that the 25-year-old is seated right at the front of…
Author: Bird Agency
As the globe gathers for COP28’s first-ever Global Stocktake, Africa demands that the world’s biggest polluters to fund the fallout of their actions. By Seth Onyango African nations are intensifying their push for substantial climate finance from the world’s biggest polluters as the 28th edition of the Conference of the Parties (COP) gets underway in Dubai. As the lowest overall emitter of greenhouse gases, the continent wants to ensure that the Global Stocktake (GST) – a key focus of COP28 – reflects its needs and priorities for climate adaptation, loss and damage, and access to finance and technology. The GST…
Recent surges in home solar energy installations across Africa indicate that more people on the continent may have access to electricity than previously thought. By Seth Onyango Emerging data is shedding new light on the electricity landscape in Africa, indicating the oft-cited statistics of those without power might be considerably lower than recent figures indicated. Fresh analysis suggests that more and more homes and businesses are being powered by off-grid solutions, a factor that was not accounted for in past estimates. The World Energy Outlook 2023 notes a significant uptick in the number of homes and businesses turning to solar…
Press freedom has emerged as a crucial barometer of Africa’s democratic progress. Across the continent, ten nations are scripting a new narrative of empowerment and transparency, where a bold and free media is not just a dream but a burgeoning reality. This list was compiled with the help of the online data-gathering platform, Statista. Namibia’s position as a leader in African press freedom is no accident. The country’s media is offered a political and legislative environment that actively supports the free exercise of journalism. This commitment reflects Namibia’s understanding of the crucial role of the press in a thriving democracy,…
A new report from the International Energy Agency sheds light on the shifts in the energy job market, with clean energy outpacing global opportunities in fossil fuel sectors. While employment in fossil fuels is higher in Africa, the continent houses half of the critical mineral sector’s workforce, underscoring the continent’s pivotal role in global energy transition objectives and the substantial economic gains it’s reaping. By Bonface Orucho More than fifty percent of the job opportunities that have been created in the global critical minerals subsector are to be found in Africa, according to a new report by the International Energy…
The last two decades have been tumultuous for African banking, with big international banks moving out of the continent and a bevvy of more nimble local banks stepping in to mop up opportunities in a fast-growing region. A technological revolution in the form of digital banking helped smaller banks spread swiftly across the continent. Already, however, a disruptive new technology is sweeping Africa; cryptocurrency. And banks are going to need to decide quickly: are we in? By Conrad Onyango The transition has been swift. Just two decades ago, most banking in Africa was performed offline, due to limited internet reach.…
East Africa’s largest country by land mass is moving forward with plans to use its extensive natural gas reserves as a substitute for gasoline in transportation. However, there are concerns about its long-term sustainability. By Bonface Orucho Tanzania has pushed East Africa into a new era of gas-powered mobility with the commissioning of the country’s first integrated compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station and conversion centre. TAQA Dalbit, a joint venture of Egyptian energy company TAQA Arabia and JCG Oil &Gas announced the inauguration of the facility branded as “Master Gas” on November 11. A press statement by TAQA Arabia…
African nations are increasingly favouring green bonds over emissions trading to power their transition to green energy. Conrad Onyango African countries are now favouring raising funds for projects that have positive climate and sustainability outcomes over emissions trading as green bond issuances soar across the continent. While legislative plans to regulate the sale of carbon credits are proliferating the continent, this race has been beset by controversies, with critics claiming it allows companies to continue polluting without reducing their emissions. Green bonds are becoming a popular financial vehicle for promoting sustainability, and the market is showing strong signs of growth across…
The Conversation On the shores of Lake Turkana in east Africa, about 5,000 to 4,000 years ago, pastoralists buried their dead in communal cemeteries that were marked by stone circles and pillars. The north-west Kenya “pillar sites” were built around the same time as Stonehenge in the UK. But these places have a different story to tell: about how mortuary traditions reflect people’s environments, behaviours and reactions to change. The burial sites appeared at a time of major environmental and economic changein the region. The Sahara, which received enough rainfall 9,000-7,000 years ago to sustain populations of fisher-hunter-gatherers and pastoralists, was drying, causing groups of people…
Professor Taiwo Lateef Sheikh wants suicide prohibition laws repealed because they inadvertently contribute to an increase in suicide rates across Africa. By Bonface Orucho Suicide prevalence rates in Africa are the world’s highest, estimated at 11 people per 100,000 per year, against a global average of 9 per 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organization’s estimates. While African countries have undertaken a range of efforts to provide mental health support, including prioritizing mental health in national and regional health strategies, legislative gaps pose a threat to these efforts. A new campaign that seeks to advance suicide prevention and support…