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…
Author: Bird Agency
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
As a global coalition of states and industrial interests coalesces around the promise of hydrogen economy, Africa sees a path to future riches. By Seth Onyango As the West vies to counterbalance China in Africa, many experts see green hydrogen as an area where Brussels and Washington will have leverage over Beijing – as well as an opportunity to strike energy “gold”. The emerging green hydrogen market will redraw the global energy and resource map as early as 2030, creating a US$1.4 trillion-a-year market by 2050, according to Deloitte. And while the world’s attention has been fixed on traditional energy…
Female athletes put in an impressive performance at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, with women runners bailing out most of the world’s top running countries – including Africa’s – and keeping them in the medals. By Joel Omotto While the USA was the top-ranked country in Hungary, with 29 medals (12 gold, eight silver and nine bronze) and Kenya the most successful African nation, with 10 medals (three gold, as may silver and four bronze), it was the women athletes who brought home most of the medals in both cases. The year’s premier athletics event saw America’s women…
Privatised 20 years ago, the Maputo Port’s success offers a model for African ports seeking efficiency and growth, with growth likely to continue, according to investors. Two decades after Mozambique privatised its only international harbour, the Port of Maputo is recording remarkable progress, both in terms of the volume of goods it handles and the dividends it delivers to its shareholders, according to one its shareholders. “Maputo port reported an increase of 30% on prior period volumes” Grindrod Limited, a South African ports, terminals, and logistics operator, said in an August 25 statement on its interim financial report for the…
Africa’s largest airline is looking to tap into a rising global demand for spare parts. By Conrad Onyango State-owned Ethiopian Airlines is to start the large-scale manufacture of aircraft parts to tap into a multi-billion dollar market driven by changing aircraft technology and a rise in commercial air travel. In a joint venture with Boeing the biggest carrier in Africa will initially invest US$15 million to build a facility in the country’s Kilinto Industrial Park to produce the parts, the government’s investment agency recently announced. “The airline in collaboration with the international aircraft manufacturer, Boeing will produce various aircraft parts…
