Africa’s crypto surges to $117.1 billion in 12 months marked by a strong retail wave as Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa dominate the market. By Seth Onyango Africa accounted for US$117.1 billion in cryptocurrency transactions in the year to June 2023, constituting 2.3% of the global transaction volume. Centralised exchanges in this period, proved to be the go-to platforms, channeling over half of the region’s digital asset volume, according to blockchain analysis firm, Chainalysis. In a notable deviation from global trends, Africa’s digital coin market leaned heavily on retail investors. The bulk of the transactions were pegged under the…
Author: Bird Agency
In Africa’s energy landscape, a game-changing strategy is taking shape: harnessing ‘wheeling’ to slash transmission costs by leveraging the national utility grid. According to an expert, this model will encourage more private power producers. By Bonface Orucho Wheeling, an innovative power transmission approach, can significantly alleviate Africa’s power woes, according to energy sector expert Derick Coetzer during a recent webinar. “The ability to wheel onto the grid has led to quite interesting opportunities for private power producing companies … As a continent, we are very well placed to take advantage of this model,” said Coetzer during a webinar hosted by…
Kenya is on a roll, following a 2022 entry into the lucrative China market. The first shipment of its avocados into India means Kenya has tapped two key world markets amid surging global demand for the fruit. By Bonface Orucho Kenya has successfully made its first avocado exports to India, tapping into a promising 1.4 billion consumer market, according to reports by Kenya’s state broadcaster, KBC. In an interview on KBC, Harsama Kello, the Permanent Secretary in the State Department for Crop Development, described the shipment as a “big win” for Kenya because many of its farmers have begun producing…
Kigali teams up with a Canadian-German firm for an innovative nuclear reactor in a push to turbocharge its sustainable energy future. By Seth Onyango Rwanda is looking to alter the region’s energy dynamic after inking a deal with Canadian-German firm, Dual Fluid Energy Inc. to set up an ambitious, new technology nuclear reactor. Rwanda and the company envision a homegrown nuclear reactor production line to power its sustainable energy drive amid climate change challenges. As part of the landmark deal, Kigali, through the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board (RAEB), will provide the requisite site with Dual Fluid Energy Inc. steering the…
China’s solar panel exports to Africa rose 187% in the first half of 2023, propelled largely by South Africa, which saw an annual increase in rooftop solar installation of almost 350%. By Bonface Orucho The latest report from Ember, an energy think tank, shows that China’s solar module exports surged by a third to 114 GW in the first half of the year. Notably, exports to Africa experienced the most significant growth, an astonishing 187% increase. This surge was primarily propelled by substantial rises in South Africa, where the country imported 3.4 GW, a remarkable leap from 0.6 GW in…
African carriers are introducing larger aircraft and replacing older fleets to meet rising passenger traffic, largely driven by strengthening domestic post-COVID demand and expanding regional networks, according to an international trade association. By Conrad Onyango Over the next two decades, Africa’s jet fleet is projected to more than double to 1,550 aircraft – when Africa’s population is forecast to hit 2.17 billion, surpassing those of America, India and China combined, according to data from the International Air Transport Association. The growth will come on the back of significant growth in airline passenger numbers. IATA shows major airline markets in Africa…
When Mary Gargule was forced to leave school in grade seven, she would never have guessed that her little education would one day help her become one of the most respected – and needed – members of her community. By Nathan Ombuni Born and raised in the village of Korr, in Marsabit County, north-eastern Kenya, Mary Gargule’s life took a different turn when she was married off at the age of 14. She was in class seven. Then, at the age of 17, after the birth of her first child, Gargule spotted an opportunity. In Korr, livestock is not just…
Ghana ditches 5G spectrum auctioning for neutral shared infrastructure in its push for widespread adoption of superior internet speeds. Will other countries follow? By Seth Onyango Ghana has adopted a novel 5G rollout strategy in Africa, choosing neutral shared infrastructure to ensure widespread internet access. In hotspots such as busy cities, mobile network operators typically build their own infrastructure for their coverage, but this is costly and takes years to fully deploy. With neutral hosting, according to Ghana’s new model, operators share a single mast, owned and maintained by a third party (the “neutral host”) instead of each operator building…
A woman activist is supporting the work of Kenya’s rangers, including a network of women rangers at the frontline – protecting the country’s wildlife and forests. Bernard Muhia “During one of our patrols inside Kijabe Forest, we came across someone burning charcoal. When they saw us they hid in a bush. As one of the rangers was running towards the bush, the guy emerged and threw a panga (machete) at the ranger. Luckily, as if by divine intervention, the ranger tripped over and fell to the ground and it flew over his head. He would have gotten cut deeply and…
Lots of elephants can mean elephants in the maize. One elephant’s morning meal can quickly spell disaster for a family… a situation that can escalate, leaving dead or injured people, animals, or both. In a country like Kenya, where animals regularly roam well beyond park boundaries, human-animal conflict can be a bigger problem than poaching. One wildlife conservancy has a solution. By Lucy Githugo As the sun creeps above a rising mist to cast a warm, golden glow across the savannah and the hills beyond, the land is already busy with the routine of a thousand animals; the trek to…
