Vodacom is leading a three-part ICT development initiative in Kaduna State in Nigeria focused on education, health and agriculture. Kaduna State and Nigeria are only a part of wider plan of similar initiatives throughout the whole of Africa. Similar initiatives have already started in Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia, and other countries will be reached during 2017. The first part of the project is centered on education and will be implemented in 4 000 schools across Kaduna State by June 2017. It is a solution that allows the State to monitor feeding programmes mobile phone and tablets...
One of the main problems of farmers and people living in rural areas in the developing world is the lack of access to information on health and efficient farming practices. Other media such as Radio and TV, don't have the same reach of mobile phones, which are very widespread in the developing world. Human Network International (HNI) created the 3-2-1 Service, a service which provides access to a range of information on their mobile phones by voice message in local languages, with no internet required. The information provided includes Health, Gender, Agriculture, Microfinance, Water,...
Nano Ganesh - a mobile based remote control for water pumps and water tanks - developed by the Ossian Agro Automation , will be demonstrated at the Mobile World Congress , Barcelona, Spain, taking place from February 27th to March 2nd 2017. The electronic device will be part of the Mobile for Development in the Innovation City in the Mobile World Congress. GSMA has constructed a small grass plot irrigated by sprinklers controlled live by visitors with a mobile phone with the help of Nano Ganesh device. Nano Ganesh is a GSM Mobile based remote control system exclusively for the use with water...
After a two-year ban of unmanned aereal vehicles for non-military reasons in Kenya, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) has approved draft regulations on the commercial use of drones in the country. The law will be released soon, according to governemnt officials. Kenya is the second African nation after Rwanda to grant the permission to fly drones for commercial use. An article released in May 2016 by the Daily Nation newspaper, Kenya's largest, reported that more than 1,000 applicants were already seeking regulatory approvals to operate drone-based transport services in Kenya. Among...
Agricultural insurance is essential for smallholder farmers, as plots of land are small and the consequences of crop diseases and climate change effects can be disastrous. Yeld loss and damage monitoring and verification can be long and laborious task, causing huge delays in settlements. Although new technologies have been applied, drones, micro-satellites, digital photography can help improve the monitoring of crops and yelds for smallholders and insurance companies. Remote sensing can be a key tool for farmers to prove their crop and harvest loss to insurance companies. At the same time,...
The Internet of Food & Farm 2020 (IoF2020) project investigates and fosters a large-scale implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) in the European farming and food sector. With a €30 million budget co-funded by the European Union, the project has the potential to bring a paradigm shift in this domain, by drastically improving productivity and sustainability - source . It will demonstrate the added value of smart webs of connected objects, that are context-sensitive and can be identified, sensed and controlled remotely in the agri-food sector. The project has started on January 1st 2017...
Learn about how drones can be used in the humanitarian and development sectors by joining the webinar below. Drones have been used in agriculture and other fields, drones play an important role in mapping activities, damages assessment and facilitate the search and rescue operations. Date & Time Wednesday, February 22, 2017 18:00 CET Duration 1 hour 30 minutes Description How to use drones in the humanitarian sector? Mapping aereas of natural disasters and assess the damage on facilities is an essential part of the emergency response and it can be done thanks to drones. These tools can...
Webinar: The use of drones in the humanitarian and development sectors Date February 22, 2017, 18:00 CET Description How to use drones in the humanitarian sector? Mapping aereas of natural disasters and assess the damage on facilities is an essential part of the emergency response and it can be...
Rural mobile connectivity is still poor in Africa, according to the GSMA Mobile Economy Africa 2016 Report. Mobile connectivity can help smallholders get access to relevant market information and financial services, which are essential for their development. Affordability is another key issue, as the report states that in countries such as Chad and Niger, for example, "mobile broadband represents around 200% of the annual income of the bottom 20% of the population." Nevertheless, mobile financial services are hugely important in sub-saharan Africa, with the region representing 63% of active...
Today, the 13th of February is World Radio Day? What is this day all about? World Radio Day is about celebrating radio, a day to remember the unique power of radio to touch lives and bring together people from all over the world. This day was proclaimed by the UNESCO’s 36th General Conference in 2011 and has been celebrated in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 by the UN Member States . World Radio Day: 2017 Celebrations The theme of World Radio Day 2017 is Radio is You , highlighting the importance of listener dialogue and feedback to good radio. UNESCO has issued a statement from its Director-...
Webinar: The use of drones in the humanitarian and development sectors Date February 22, 2017, 18:00 CET Description How to use drones in the humanitarian sector? Mapping aereas of natural disasters and assess the damage on facilities is an essential part of the emergency response and it can be...