Author: Bird Agency

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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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A pregnancy and newborn health app that was first launched in South America is helping Kenyan women experience positive outcomes for themselves and their babies. Lucy Githugo Deep in the hills of Kajiado, Kisii, and Migori counties in western Kenya, expectant mothers are rewriting the narratives of their pregnancy experiences. And they have LUCY to thank. On the morning of August 12 2023, in Kenya’s bustling border town of Namanga in Kajiado County, 27-year-old Ann Warenga delivered a newborn baby girl. To her joy, baby Ann, whom she named after herself, was born healthy and weighed 3.7 kilograms. Just a…

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African countries are working towards a common legal regulatory framework for a multi-billion dollar carbon market that Kenya’s president says would allow the continent to place its carbon sinks “on the balance sheet”. By Conrad Onyango Kenya, Africa’s largest supplier of carbon credits, has joined a growing list of African countries embracing carbon trading rules to govern domestic trade in carbon and tap into a US$2 billion market. President William Ruto signed into law the Climate Change (Amendment) Bill 2023 on September 1, allowing Kenya to set up a national carbon registry and appoint an authority to run it. During…

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A new study released as Africa hosts a major climate conference sees heightened awareness of climate issues, a strong shift towards eco-friendly alternatives and remarkably low levels of climate denial amongst respondents in 8 African countries. The African Climate Awareness Report 2023 shows that growing awareness of climate change in Africa is spurring household demand for eco-friendly packaging and mobility options on the continent. According to the report, the continent is undergoing a shift in its attitudes to consumer staples like plastic and fossil fuels, as more people become aware of the environmental and health impacts of these products. Based…

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The Africa Climate Innovation Challenge, a climate-focused pitching competition, showcases youth-led solutions driving climate action in Africa. These innovations demonstrate that African youth are not only advocating for change but also creating innovative solutions to combat climate change. In recent years, calls for climate action in Africa have surged, targeting a burgeoning youth population of over 400 million young people aged between 15 and 35. A youth conference preceding the ongoing Africa Climate Summit—the Africa Youth Climate Assembly—brought together young leaders who not only exchanged ideas but also showcased innovative solutions in the global battle against climate change, including the…

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A Mombasa wildlife conservatory is turning elephant dung collected from roads into big business – in the process keeping community wildlife reserve landowners happy, building tree cover and becoming part of a growing Kenyan success story in elephant population recovery. By Gitonga Njeru Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary Chairman, Salim Mwanyongwe, is a happy man. The reserve he helps run is increasingly being recognised as a conservation success story. And so is one of the ecotourism experiment’s most important economic activities: the production of elephant dung paper. “The processed product is sold in Nairobi and exported to neighbouring Tanzania. The facility is…

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African countries are on an ambitious mission to enhance road transport efficiency, by leveraging digital technology. Digital licenses and a new generation of number plates are at the forefront of this much-needed transformation. African nations are in the midst of a mobility revolution, utilising digital technology to bolster road safety and combat crime. Governments are piloting and implementing digital number plates and electronic driver’s licenses, ushering in a transformative era for navigation, law enforcement, and road security. South Africa’s Department of Transport is to kickstart a pilot program for new digital driver’s licenses in November 2023, potentially rendering the existing…

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