www.atpsnet.org

Issue No 018, DECEMBER 2020

TECHNOPOLICYAFRICAThe official newsletter of the African Technology Policy Studies Network

ISBN 978-9966-124-87-6

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

Highlights
ATPS Wins Top Advocacy Award in Open Contracting
Smart Villages- A New Holistic Development Paradigm
A New Real World Skills MBA Programme for the Future of Africa

Contents

EDITO RI A L TE A M

ATPS Vision:

Editor in Chief:

To use Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) as a means for achieving
sustainable development in Africa.

Dr. Nicholas Ozor

ATPS Mission:
To improve the quality of science, technology and innovation (STI) systems
research, policy and practice by strengthening capacity for STI knowledge
generation, dissemination, and use for sustainable development in Africa.

Editor:Felix Musila

Overall Objective:
To build Africa’s capabilities in science, technology and innovation forsustainable development.

ATPS Motto:

Contributors:• Tebogo L.
Mogaleemang

Building Africa’s capabilities in science, technology and innovation
policy research, policymaking and policy implementation for sustainable
development.

Inside...

• Sir Brian Heap•

ATPS Vision & Mission...................................................................................... 2• Chibuike Utaka•

Board Chairman’s Message..............................................................................3• William Owande•

Executive Director’s Message.......................................................................4-5• Bronson Eran’ogwa•

ATPS  Hosts the 1st Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding (SVNP)
Eastern Africa Regional Policy Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.................6-7•

ATPS Wins Top Advocacy Award in Open Contracting..............................8•

Courtesy Call by the ATPS to the National Commission for Science,
Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) Kenya............................................. 9•

Digital Technologies and COVID-19 – Opportunities, Lessons and Blind
Spots...............................................................................................................10-12  

•

Smart Villages: A New Holistic Development Paradigm.......................13-17•

A New Real World Skills MBA Programme for the Future of Africa...18-20•

Media in a Pandemic: Technology to the rescue..................................21-22•

Consequences of COVID-19 and the Way Forward.............................23-24•

Agricultural  Innovation: Productivity Innovation through Early
Identification, Surveillance, Disease and Pest Reporting Control.....25-28•

Scholarships/Opportunities/Grants........................................................29-30•

Picture Gallery..............................................................................................31-35• ATPS Team
Design and Layout:
Felix Musila

2 											www.atpsnet.org

Chairman’s message

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

Chairman’s messageI

am more than pleased to welcome
you to the eighteenth edition oftheTechnopolicy
Africanewsletter.
The ATPS continues to witness remarkableprogress in its endeavours to build Africa’s
capabilities in Science, Technology andInnovation for sustainable development.

As we draw closer to the end of the year,
we continue in our resolve to aggressively
implement our Phase VIII Strategic Plan (20172022) which is the core of ATPS’s five-year
strategy in using Science, Technology andInnovation (STI) as a means for achieving
sustainable development in Africa. We continue
to strive to make sure that all our Programmatic
Strategic Objectives and Sector Priority Areas
are fully implemented. The current phase VIII
Strategic Plan aligns with the Africa Union’s
Agenda-2063 that recognizes STI as one of
the major drivers and enablers for achieving
development goals in the AU and its member
states. Additionally, the plan mirrors the global
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
that call for actions to eliminate hunger andpoverty, promote good health and well being,ensure environmental  sustainability and global
inclusion.
It is difficult to speak about the year 2020
without taking note of the dire consequencesand effects posed to humanity by the
COVID-19 pandemic. However, amidst theconfusion, anxiety and fear occasioned by thispandemic, lies even stronger signs of hope,
optimism and an acute desire for solidarity andtogetherness. I call upon the global Science,
Technology and Innovation fraternity to keep
vigil and continue to endure and draw comfort
and solace from stories of hope and solidarity.
I implore on them to continue seeing value
in the positive and encouraging lessons thatare emerging for our post-COVID world.

Prof. Crispus Kiamba, ATPS Chair of Board
The ATPS will continue to serve its wide rangeof stakeholders even better, in spite of thedisarray brought about by this scourge. In
this regard, we continue to solicit for financial
support from our consortium of donors andpartners and remain open to collaborations
andpartnerships
withlike-mindedorganizations and institutions around the world.
Lastly, on behalf of the Board, I take thisgolden opportunity to thank all those
who have supported us this far throughdevelopment grants, linkages, partnerships
and in the implementation of our numerous
programmes. We welcome new partners tojoin us in our work as we develop Africa’s STI
capacity for sustainable development andthe betterment of the future. In conclusion,
I gladly take this opportunity to wish all our
stakeholders and network members a merry
Christmas and a Prosperous New Year, 2021.

www.atpsnet.org 											

3Executive Director’s Message

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

Executive Director’s message
Contributions (NDCs) in Selected Eight
Countries in Africa that was funded by
Pan African Alliance for Climate Justice(PACJA), and the Civic Engagement for Open
Contracting that was funded by Hivos EastAfrica. We remain confident that the significant
number of proposals and partnerships that
we have submitted and engaged in will bear
positive outcomes.
The ATPS won the top award on Innovative
Advocacy Approach, under the Civic
Engagement for Open Contracting project
funded by Hivos East-Africa. The award waspresented in a virtual award ceremony held
during the programme close-out week thatran from 21st September till 24th September
2020. This significant achievement goes along way in cementing our top position as aleader in matters of policy advocacy in Africa.
Dr. Nicholas Ozor, ATPS Executive DirectorIt gives me great pleasure to welcome you all
to the eighteenth edition of the Technopolicy
Africa newsletter. I am delighted toannounce to you that we continue to makeremarkable strides towards becoming theleading international centre for excellence
and reference in Science, Technology andInnovation systems, research, training andcapacity building, communication andsensitization, knowledge brokerage, andpolicy advocacy.
During this period, a number of our projects
came to a close: The Bridging Climate
Information Gaps to Strengthen Capacities for
Climate Informed Decision-making that was
funded through the ClimDev Special Fund
(African Development Bank), the Developmentof Implementation Index and, Monitoring andTracking Tools for the Nationally Determined

The ATPS in collaboration with its partners
recently hosted the First Southern Voices
Network for Peacebuilding (SVNP) Eastern
Africa Regional Policy Conference in Nairobi,
Kenya from the 7-8 December 2020. The
conference was held in conjunction with
the Center for Media, Democracy, Peace& Security, Rongo University, Kenya; the
Women’s
International
Peace
Centre,Uganda; the Centre for Conflict Management,
University of Rwanda; the Institute of Policy
Analysis and Research, Rwanda; Addis Ababa
University, Ethiopia; and the Wilson Centre,
USA. The conference themed “Preventing andCountering Violent Extremism in the COVID-19
Era” was borne out of the fact that there is needfor coordinated efforts at the level of research,
policy and practice in order to formulate
workable regional interventions that put into
consideration changing dynamics occasionedby the COVID-19 pandemic.   Participants
were drawn from relevant governmental nongovernmental organizations, the civil society,4 											www.atpsnet.org

Executive Director’s Message

the Diplomatic Community, organized private
sector, and the academia from countries in
Eastern Africa, USA and beyond.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we havecontinued to perform to standards and thedesired expectations of all our stakeholders.  
We pledge to continue to push on with thefull implementation of all of our Programmatic
Strategic Objectives and the Sector Priority
Areas as contained in our current Phase VIII
Strategic Plan (2017-2022).   We continue tofurther seek for financial funding assistanceto enable us undertake more activities that
advance the course of Science, Technology
and Innovation (STI) in Africa.  We call on all our

stakeholders to continue harnessing STI as oneof the greatest potentials for addressing the key
societal challenges in the continent including
food insecurity, poverty, climate change, energy
crisis, unemployment and other social ills.
We welcome more development partners anddonors to support us in our work.  We pledge toremain astute in the delivery of our mandate withthe highest value for money. Lastly, I do takethis opportunity to wish all our stakeholders,
network members and the entire global Science,
Technology and Innovation community a merry
Christmas and a Prosperous New Year, 2021.

www.atpsnet.org 											

5SVNP Conference

ATPS hosts the First Southern Voices Network for
Peacebuilding (SVNP) Eastern Africa Regional Policy
Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.
By ATPS Team,T

he African Technology Policy Studies
Network (ATPS) in collaboration with
its partners hosted the First Southern
Voices Network for Peacebuilding (SVNP)
Eastern Africa Conference under the theme“Preventing and Countering Violent Extremismin the COVID-19 Era” in Nairobi, Kenya fromthe 7-8 December 2020.
The ATPS partnered with the Center forMedia, Democracy, Peace & Security, Rongo
University, Kenya; the Women’s International
Peace Centre, Uganda; the Centre for Conflict
Management, University of Rwanda; theInstitute of Policy Analysis and Research,
Rwanda; Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia;
and the Wilson Centre, USA in organizing theconference.  The conference explored criticalissues under the following sub-themes:
1. Understanding Violent Extremism in East
Africa – Issues, Drivers, Facts and Figures
2. Regional Mechanisms in Countering
Terrorism and Violent Extremism: Strategies
and Policies in Eastern Africa
3. Violent Extremism in the context of
COVID-19: Issues, Impacts and Lessons
4. The Place of Technology in Violent
Extremism in Africa: Promoting Or
Countering?
5. The Role of Youth in Countering Violent
Extremism in Eastern Africa
6. Challenges
inpreventing/countering
terrorism and violent extremism in Africa
7. Religious radicalism and violent extremismin Africa
8. Strengthening Eastern Africa’s capacity for
PCVE: Options for the Way Forward

The conference sought to achieve the following
objectives;• Increased understanding and sharedknowledge on preventive efforts ofcountering violent extremism in East Africa• Reaching consensus on the bestcollaborative approaches in research,
policy direction and practical interventions
in East Africa• Analyses of capacities and gaps of existingmechanisms, action plans, institutions andstructures for countering and preventing
violent extremism in East Africa• Underscoring the potential role oftechnology (social media) in radicalization
and recruitment• Exploring the use of social media platforms
in preventing and countering violent
extremism and digital peace building• A plan of action for the SVNP annual
conference
Mr. Moffat Kangi, Principal Administrative
Secretary for Interior and Coordination of
National Government (who represented
the Chief Guest Dr. Fred Matiang’i Cabinet
Secretary for Interior and Coordination of
National Government) officially opened thetwo-day hybrid conference. Mr. Kangi, calledon the need for more research based policy
approach in the fight against violent extremism
and radicalisation across Africa. He went
on to reinforce the Government of Kenya’s
commitment in supporting the efforts of all theactors in tackling violent extremism.
The keynote speaker, Mr. Onno Koopmans
from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the6 											www.atpsnet.org

SVNP Conference

Onno Koopmans, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands delivering the
keynote address at the conference
Netherlands, delivered the keynote address on“Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism
during and Post COVID-19 Era”. He went on tounderscore the impact that COVID-19 brought
to the social media space that has impacted
on the speed of recruitment to insurgent
groups like the Al-shabaab. He added that
due to the significantly large amount of time
being spent on social media as a result ofgovernment curfews, a lot of individuals werebeing lured to these insurgent groups via thesocial media platforms. Mr. Onno Koopmans
also noted that the conference was focusedon Eastern Africa and that we had high level
Government representation underscoring theimportance of the forum. The conference wasgraced by participants comprising of highlevel representatives in the counterterrorism
enterprise
includingthe
National
Counterterrorism Center, National Crime
Research Center, Scholars for Universities,
Non-Governmental Organizations, Scienceand Technology Institutions, DiplomaticCommunity (Embassy of the Kingdom of theNetherlands), SVNP members among others.
At the end of the two-day forum, a communiqué
was adopted. The delegates noted that theissues of violent extremism and radicalization
have been a major issue in the East African
Region. This has grown to even cross bordersites not traditionally known for recruitment.
The emerging new sites include Migori in
Kenya where extremist groups are targeting
to recruit new members. There have been
complaints by parents about teenagers joining
strange groups and disappearing for certain
periods or even calling themselves strange
names characteristics of children becoming
recruited or radicalized. Another observation
was that religious literacy is a major issueMisinterpretation of Religious teachings is very
common and the Clergy have a big role to play
to prevent this. Extreme religious ideologies
need to be addressed through Inter-faithdialogue groups. The action plans need to
involve all actors on the ground such as opinion
leaders, bloggers, business people etc.

www.atpsnet.org 											

7Advocacy Award

ATPS Scoops Top Advocacy Award in Open Contracting
By ATPS Team,
Nigeria, Zambia, Malawi, Ghana, Senegal,
Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa);• Conduct a comparative analysis of thestate of open contracting in the selected
African countries to identify and document
what works, what doesn’t work andwhy in the implementation of open
contracting in the respective countries; and•AfricanTechnology
PolicyStudies
Network
AfricanTechnology
PolicyStudies
Network(ATPS)
African Technology
PolicyStudies
Network( ATPS)(ATPS)

Conduct
lobbying
andadvocacy
activities through the use of knowledge
products to advocate for the uptake ofopen contracting in African countries.

The ATPS has been one of the partners
running the programme from November 2019till July 2020 having been awarded a grant of
EUR 35,000  by the donor (Hivos East-Africa)
to undertake the study.

T

he African Technology Policy Studies
Network (ATPS) won a top award dubbed
the Innovative Advocacy Approach,under the Open Contracting Programme
funded by Hivos East-Africa. The award waspresented in a virtual award ceremony held
during the programme close out week that ran
from 21st September till 24th September 2020.
The main aim of the Civic Engagement for Open
Contracting programme is to ensure that citizens
have equal and inclusive access to public
goods and services and can meaningfully
engage in public resource allocation andpolicy decisions. Under this programme, the
ATPS was specifically mandated to:•

Conduct an in-depth review of the stateof open contracting in ten (10) Africancountries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania,

8 											www.atpsnet.org

NACOSTI Courtesy Call

Courtesy Call by the ATPS to the National Commission
for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI)
By ATPS Team,A

delegation from the African Technology in its pursuit to regulate and assure quality in
Policy Studies Network (ATPS) paid a the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI)
courtesy call to the Director-General sector and advise the Government of Kenyaof the National Commission for Science, in matters related thereto. The meeting also
Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) Prof. sought modalities of operationalizing a MoU
Walter Oyawa, in Nairobi. The delegation was signed between the two organizations in theled by the ATPS Chair of Board, Prof. Crispus year 2015.
Kiamba, Executive Director, Dr. Nicholas Ozor,
Communications and Outreach Officer, Felix The meeting was also attended by Dr. Stephen
Musila, and Finance and Administrative Officer, Karimi, Director, Research, Accreditation
and Quality Assurance (NACOSTI) and Ms.
Rachel Maluki.
Emily Ongaga - Director, Corporate Services
The meeting sought to discuss modalities and (NACOSTI) among other top officials fromareas of collaboration for the development of NACOSTI.
Science, Technology and Innovation sector in
the country. The ATPS also used theopportunity to reaffirm its support to NACOSTIATPS Executive Director, Dr. Nicholas Ozor (fourth from left), Ms. Rachel Maluki(second from left), Prof. Crispus Kiamba, ATPS Chair of Board (fifth from left),
NACOSTI Director-General, Prof. Walter Oyawa (fourth from right) together with
top officials from NACOSTI
www.atpsnet.org 											

9COVID-19 Article

Digital Technologies and COVID-19 – Opportunities,
Lessons and Blind Spots
By Tebogo L. Mogaleemang- Founder/CEO, Spectrum Analytics-BotswanaC

OVID-19 has left a huge marker on thehistory of our civilization. Despite its
heavy toll on human lives, businesses
and economies, the pandemic may be theultimate eye opener on so many things, all at
once. Mark Twain once said “Time is what
keeps everything from happening at once”
but COVID-19 defied on many levels. At somepoint it felt like we had time-travelled into
the future in just a few months. COVID-19
forced us to stare ourselves in the mirror as a
global village. For once, every aspect of how
we live and work came under the focus of ahigh-resolution magnifying glass. Lessons
that would have taken 20 years plus to pickinstantly became available. Everything that islimited with our ways stared at us right back in
our faces. Many things that can be improved
with digital technologies became self-evident.
I doubt humanity may ever get a better
opportunity to stare at itself. Systemic defects
that would have taken a lifetime or two can nolonger be ignored.
Without digital solutions, the impact of
COVID-19 on our lives could have been
perhaps more catastrophic. Globally, many
governments used digital solutions to
identify vulnerable communities and provide
them with emergency relief. In my beloved
Botswana, we had a COVID-19 Food Relief
Programme, which was all manual and paperbased though, missing out on many benefitsof digitization. With schools closed due tolockdowns, educators leveraged on e-learning
platforms for learning.

integration of digital technologies. With all the
movement and travel restrictions that camewith the pandemic, digital communication
platforms have kept friends, families andonline communities connected. The need for
digital solutions for business continuity andglobal competitiveness has never been more
pronounced. The message to all the service
providers has been simple; transform or gounder. By now, anyone in the tech space who
hasn’t received a meme peddling COVID-19 as
the biggest catalyst for digital transformation isperhaps out of times!

Technology as a Global Enabler
With technology now a global enabler, Africa
saw a sharp rise in the demand for local
solutions in almost all African countries.
African youth stepped up and provided
solutions to their community challenges. With
60% of its population under 25 years, Africa
is the youngest continent in the world. With
enabling policy environments and evidencebased interventions, Africa has the potential tomobilize its young human capital to address
its overwhelming dependence on imported
solutions. COVID-19 sent a loud and clear
message that there is a new breed of Africans
that is emerging. Africa’s youth finally seem tocare more about the impact of their solutions intheir communities, and with African countries
beleaguered by socio-economic challenges,
empowering the continent’s youth to be
problem solvers is essential to the continent’s
future prosperity and sustainable development.

Businesses finally caved in and gave a nod This has been a continental chorus for years
to the idea of working from home, something now, but COVID-19 has put the issue in thethat wouldn’t have been possible without the spotlight, and for the right reasons. It is time for10 											www.atpsnet.org

COVID-19 Article

Aiport officials using thermal scanners to screen passengers arriving at an airport
sector should re-think collaboration to provide
connectivity infrastructure and connect thecontinent to e-services and platforms. With
e-commerce now booming, as we adapted topurchasing what we need online, ensuring thatno one is left behind on access to the internet
means even the lady who makes traditional
The buzz around emerging technologies and products can list her items online and accessthe Fourth Industrial Revolution sometimes the global market.
conceals the fundamental fact that technology
is just a tool. COVID-19 reminded many A New Normal or Derailment by Old
innovators and wannabes on the need for Habits?
human-centred solutions. What we need tosee is the use of technology to solve Africa’s Talks of the new normal without
community challenges in agriculture, health- acknowledgement of our attitudes and habitscare, education, manufacturing etc. This that created the old normal! The pandemic
also exposed the most downplayed danger has not just accelerated our technologicalof digitalization; it stands to widen the digital transformation, but also provided a desperately
divide and magnify economic inequalities.
needed mirror for us to discover what is broken
Access to the internet is still a challenge in with ourselves. It is increasingly becoming
many African communities. We cannot achieve clear that our current economic model driven
sustainable development on such a trajectory, by endless consumption and exploitation ofhence, African governments and the private resources is unsustainable. The fact that thisthe African youth to shape the post COVID-19
agenda of the continent. Our leaders need toaccommodate perspectives of the youth into
policy making. How many African countries
are genuinely having such conversations?
Something must give in on this one!

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11COVID-19 Article

came with widening inequalities and economic
exclusion in many countries makes it difficult
even for neutrals to ignore that something isbroken with our economic system. In January
2020, during the World Economic Forumat Davos 2020, Yuval Noah Harari, an Israeli
public intellectual warned the world’s leaders
about existential threats humanity faces in the
21st century.

Our culture may perhaps need to accept that
despite all the advances we have made, we still
do not know how to take care of our planet. The
time has come for us to admit to ourselves that
our actions have an impact; we cannot live as
if our actions have no consequences. Maybe
we should humble ourselves before natives
everywhere and learn about harmonious coexistence with nature, they have done it for
thousands of years in all continents. Thanks
There are talks of the new normal without to COVID-19, the myth that ‘modern means
acknowledgement of our attitudes and habits better’ has been debunked.
that created the old normal! The pandemic
has not just accelerated our technologicaltransformation, but also provided a desperately
needed mirror for us to discover what is broken
with ourselves. It is increasingly becoming
clear that our current economic model driven
by endless consumption and exploitation of
resources is unsustainable. The fact that thiscame with widening inequalities and economic
exclusion in many countries makes it difficult
even for neutrals to ignore that something isbroken with our economic system. In January
2020, during the World Economic Forumat Davos 2020, Yuval Noah Harari, an Israeli
public intellectual warned the world’s leaders
about existential threats humanity faces in the
21st century.  
There are talks about a ‘new normal’ almost
everywhere. Technology as a tool cannot
address the systemic challenges of our ‘old
normal’; we did not get derailed by technology
but our learned habits and beliefs. [Scale ofTech Disruption – Yuval Noah Harari’s point.]
Technological advancements without humantransformation would tear the world apart. We
witnessed the dark side of this through COVID-19
misinformation; the inability to separate
truths from fiction made the containment of
COVID-19 a harder challenge. Our responses
to COVID-19 addressed systemic symptoms
as they emerged, but a sustainable approach
may be to re-think our ways from a systemiclevel. What responsibilities should we take in
how the world has become? Can the worldchange while we remain the same?  
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Smart Villages

Smart Villages- A New Holistic Development Paradigm
From Horizons (https://www.cirsd.org/en/horizons) by permission

By Sir Brian Heap, CBE SCD FRS, Honorary Fellow, St Edmund’s College,
Distinguished Fellow, Centre of Development Studies, University of Cambridgeof cooling and heating, electrical appliances
and industrial employment typical of a modern
society.
Example of a smart village

Sir Brian Heap
What is a smart village?

Could smart villages - a sister of smart
cities - shift the balance of opportunities
between cities and villages throughtechnological advances and game-changing
innovation? The concept is that access torenewable forms of energy when linked withdigital communication technologies (ICT) can
act as a catalyst for development.

‘Smartness’ comes from capturing energy
from accessible and renewable sources suchas photovoltaic solar power, wind power andbiofuels combined with mobile telephonyand the internet. Electricity supplies basic
needs such as lighting and cooking andfacilitates better health and education. But
more importantly it leads to productive uses
for pumping water, mechanised farming, small
businesses and shops, and finally the luxury

Gram Oorja is a social enterprise that created a
micro-grid in a remote hamlet of 39 households
and 220 people located 140km from Pune,
India and an example of a smart village. A
solar power plant provides power to a flour
grinding mill and two water pumps. Villagers
have electricity throughout the day, with power
for television sets and computers. The BuildOperate-Transfer model has now been used
for over 200 households in 10 villages withmicro-grid costs that are recovered over 5-7
years.    
This is but one of many examples.  
What is the problem?
Extending the grid to rural communities canbe prohibitively expensive with estimatesranging from $6,000/km in densely populatedareas to $19,000/km in countries like Mali.
Geography and size of demand determine
the cost per kWh so for public authorities
or impoverished utilities the economic caseis weak. An unplanned grid extension canundermine the confidence of investors bycreating uncertainty. A national energy accessplan is needed to integrate national grid andoff-grid planning setting out which areas areplanned to get national grid access and on
what timescale.  

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13Smart Villages

A case for off-grid solutions‘Off-grid’ solutions can be implemented
worldwide on much shorter timescales. A
realistic opportunity for ‘off-grid’ smart villages
is the 15kW minigrid, a quick way towards
developing a distribution network for clustersof villages. Small scale electricity generation
can be produced from solar photovoltaic
panels, wind turbines, hydropower, biomass,
traditional fuel generators using kerosene ordiesel, and hybrid systems. Further investment   
gives a more sophisticated smart minigrid
with a management system that measures,monitors and controls electric loads coupledwith a remote operation that optimises theoperation.

Education: A solar-powered internet school
equipped with ICT technology provides anincreasingly important medium of information
for schools in the modern age and a definite
pull-factor in terms of school attendance
and the retention of good teachers. The
mobile network coverage of many developing
countries is extensive with more than 100
educational learning platforms listed on theWorld Wide Web.
Food security: Approximately one in every
seven people in the developing world is foodinsecure and unable to have access to enoughfood to sustain a healthy and active life. Smartvillages have the potential to improve foodsecurity if farmers take advantage of solarpowered pumps for irrigation systems, weather
forecasting, cold-storage infrastructure, andagronomic and market information. Electricity
access provides the opportunity to use ICT
for the timely delivery of crops advised byinformation on market conditions.

Minigrids also appeal because they overcome
the problems of blackouts and help villagers totake a step onto the energy escalator. Minigrid
solutions have now entered the mainstream
and are here to stay, with $28 billion invested
so far in more than 19,000 products across
134 countries.              Economic activity and productivity:
Energy poverty hinders the development of
Six elements of smart villages
rural industries through the inability to provide
suitable lighting to extend working hours,
The central premise of the smart villages while the lack of ICT access limits the ability toconcept is integration - modern energy transport and distribute goods and services.
services harnessed to give the appropriate The tracking of products and inventories
enabling conditions for development and can be improved upon by radio frequency
poverty alleviation as indicated in the following identification tags. The RFID tags can also be
categories.  
used to monitor the conditions of perishable
foods, such as temperature and humidity,
Health: Energy poverty has a very real and which benefits both the consumer and thesignificant negative impact on the health of rural seller. These tags are quickly becoming
many villagers. Households lack access to ubiquitous and the global RFID industry is
potable water and a nutritious diet due to worth over $13 billion.
the cost of boiling water and cooking food.
They resort to kerosene lamps and traditional Environment Smart villages seek to produce
cook stoves which result in extremely harmful and use biomass in ways that are sustainableindoor area pollution and a high incidence of and renewable, that do not deplete resources,
respiratory disease, particularly in women and and that utilise them efficiently. ‘Smart’ in thischildren. The success of the Oorja cookstove context means the sustainable intensificationin India inspired the development of other of food production by high-quality seed,innovations and women entrepreneurs have the best practices of agronomy, and thewitnessed a substantial increase in incomes.     protection of genetic resources. Smallholder

14 											www.atpsnet.org

Smart Villages

farmers can exercise a stewardship role for
their local environment by remotely monitoring
environmental indicators such as forest
diagnostics, water quality, soil conditions andlandscape changes.

What are the solutions to barriers thatpersist?

The ‘Smart Villages Initiative’ started in 2014
gives a disaggregated and simple breakdown
of an individual’s energy requirement as a
Quality of life: Patterns   of behaviour   useful first step to see what energy is required
associated with tradition, value systems, in a smart village for each person.   
ideologies and heritage come under scrutiny
during periods of deep societal change.
A coffee farmer and journalist in Uganda
writes of the arrival of electricity in his village.
‘Nowadays’ says Michael Ssali, ‘many farmers
safeguard milk by keeping it in refrigerators,
farmers’ groups have set up coffee hullers andmaize mills which use electricity - adding value
to their produce’.  

	
  
	
  
Level	
  Basic	
  human	
  needs	
  
	
  
	
  
Productive	  uses	
  

	
  

	
  
Modern	  society	
  needs	
  

	
  
	
  
Electricity	
  use	  	  (or	
  equivalent)	
  Lighting,	
  health,	
  education,	
  	
  basic	  ICT	  	
  Agriculture,	  	
  rural	  industry	  	
  Domestic	
  appliances,	
  cooling,	
  heating,	
  advanced	
  ICT	
  Common barriers and ways to breakthem down are summarised as follows:

	
  
	
  
kWh	
  per	  person	  per	
  year	  50	
  –	
  100	
  
	
  
500	
  –	
  1000	
  
	
  
2000	
  

should be the villagers themselves.

Investment: Symbiotic private and public
Integration: All stakeholders - villagers, sector investment with enterprise growth
entrepreneurs,
NGOs,
civil
society capital funds are needed to de-risk and bridge
organisations, policy makers and regulators, the financial ‘valley of death’. Investment isdevelopment
organisations,financiers, needed for practical appliances such as sewing
researchers, decision makers - have important machines, food mixers, and bread bakers,
roles, but need to achieve much better levels and at the village cooperative level for grindingof coordination and collaboration going equipment, welding tools, refrigerators, andforward. The smart villages concept is seen as water pumps. At the company level accessing
an integrated approach to rural development affordable working capital is essential as therather than a ‘technology-fix’ only. The drivers banking sector’s lack of familiarity with off--

www.atpsnet.org 											

15Smart Villages

grid energy adds to the perception of risk andconsequently high interest rates.
Access to finance: The financial community
needs to familiarise itself with the issues
associated with off-grid energy schemes.
Enhanced rates of financing with affordable
interest rates and innovative approaches torisk mitigation help to build the confidence ofthe private sector to invest and maximise theleverage of government and donor funding. All
stakeholders should work together to reduce
the transaction costs for companies seeking
finance.
Policy and regulatory framework: Clear,
supportive and stable policy and regulatory
frameworks bring together the interests of therelevant ministries. Effective indicators of shortand long-term impacts are required for boththe public and private sectors. Simplificationof licensing frameworks, reduction in red tape,allowing sufficient breathing space in respectof taxation regimes for businesses to get off
the ground are needed.
Can smart villages help to stem themigration flow?
For smart villages to thrive, agriculturaldevelopment is key to developing stability inmuch of sub-Saharan Africa, where farmland
is producing below its capacity and wise
investments stand to reap great rewards.
Smart villages could help to address the
migration issue by making rural communities
places where people can prosper, and many
governments are beginning to realise this with
policies to improve rural infrastructure andservices and pro-poor laws and regulation.

a smart village in Chhotkei in Orissa, India, asmall remote village situated amidst rich natural
resources. It was previously without electricity
and had a primary livelihood of rain-fed paddy
cultivation once a year. Private investment
provided a 30kW solar-powered Smart
NanogridTM to meet the energy demands of
140 households, 20 streetlights, a temple, andthree community centres. Electricity is available
for irrigation pumps and microenterprises suchas poultry, stitching, price-puff machines,
refrigerators, and welding machines thatenables value-addition to agriculture andemployment for local youth to help ensuresustainability of the project. A mother in thevillage aptly summarised developments - ‘now,
we have hope for the future!’
Many organisations still fail to grasp thesignificance of energy as a catalyst ofdevelopment, or the value of an integrated
approach. Perhaps this explains why impact
investors have been slow to see the potential
opportunities of community-led smart villages
initiatives that foster innovation, wealth creation,
entrepreneurship, social development andmarkets. Nonetheless, the Financial Times
remarks on an emerging revolution amongasset managers in ‘splashing of cash’ to gaina foothold in the environmental, social andgovernance (ESG) investing sector now thatclients demand that their money is used to dogood as well as to generate returns.

Investor opportunities
Proto-smart villages are under construction
in several developing countries though
as yet not all elements of integration havebeen incorporated into a single prototype.
Sunmoksha Ltd. was one of the first to launch

16 											www.atpsnet.org

Smart Villages

An image depicting how energy connects to the various aspects of smart villages

Image attribution: e4sv.org
www.atpsnet.org 											

17Real World Skills Article

Smart Villages

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

A New Real World Skills MBA Programme for the Futureof Africa
By Prof. Adonis-Emmanouil Fragkakis (President Zurich Elite Business School)
and Dr. Akanimo Odon (Zurich Elite Business School, Switzerland; Email: akan.
odon@zebs.ch)T

he problem of un-employment is a huge
African issue. The Africa Development
Bank estimates that more than half ofthe over 420 million young people in Africa areeither unemployed or vulnerably employed andwhether this is due to lack of practical industry
skills, limited university support systems, or
the gaps between academia and industry, it’s
the graduates who suffer from this.
With Africa’s rapidly increasing youth
population which is projected to be over 830
million by 2050, and an average age of youth
population estimated to be 25 years of age by
2046, the problem of unemployment would
most likely continue for longer except there isa change. As a matter of fact, statistics showthat these young graduates will make up
nearly half of the population of many Africancountries in the next three to five decades. As
such it is a ticking time bomb but at the sametime an incredible resource to invest in. Yes,
Africa’s young talents are the continent’s mostimportant asset.
US Tech Giants are hiring candidates who
don’t have the traditional degrees but arelooking primarily for job-related skills set andnot just theoretical knowldedge.   Additionallya US survey showed that the majority of 750
HR leaders undertake effort to de-emphasize
degrees and prioritise skills. There is a bigchange currently taking place in the gobal job
market and Africa and it‘s talents must alignwith this new change to be relevant in thisfourth industrial revolution.

Over the years, there has been several
talent development initiatives which includes
working with different African universities
to roll out knowledge transfer schemes
including students doing their dissertations
as a practical research driven by a SME’s
need; delivering several training programmes
on models of developing practical work
experiences and skills acquisition; supporting
mentoring and industry partnerships incurriculum development and delivery All of thisis an attempt to bridge the ever-growing gap
between academia and industry. On top ofthis, we believe in the entrepreneurial capacityof the African youth and so all this expertisehas culminated in the development of a new
disruptive MBA programme known as the

A picture of a student in a graduation
gown

18 											www.atpsnet.org

Real World Skills Article

The programme has been developed by Prof
Adonis-Emmanouil Fragkakis, the Founderand President of the Zurich Elite Business
School (ZEBS) in Switzerland, a reputable,internationally accredited and multi-awardwinning business school in Europe and Dr.
Akanimo Odon, the Chief Executive of Envirofly
Consulting UK Limited, a top consulting firmthat supports the development of strategic
partnerships between European and African
institutions in the educational space.

in Europe and especially Africa including theAfrica Development Bank, the British Council,
City and Guilds UK etc, His project portfolio
and networks spreading over 30 Africancountries. He specialises in cross bordereducation and innovations in research andhe is an expert in navigating, developing andmanaging relationships between universities
and industry in Africa for economic viability,
research impact and graduate employability.

Together, the Real World Skills MBA was
For several years, the Founder and President developed. It has been designed as an onlineof the Zurich Elite Business School, has MBA with a difference and is a practicalengaged with several young African business programme with faculty made of top
managers, professionals and entrepreneurs global experts from industry. It has an incredible
who have complained about the current low tuition fees of 2,500 dollars which beats
economic situation and the lack of real- most international online MBAs of this natureworld business knowledge to suceed as because the programme tries to make it as
managers or entrepreneurs. He realised that inexpensive as possible for Africans to be ablewith many traditional International MBAs to afford it. On top of that, it is coming with anbeing too theoretical, far away from real extensive scholarship scheme for all students
corporate life, too expensive, non-flexible, up to 1,000 USD.
requiring qualification from top universities
and extensive work experiences, the huge There is an opportunity also to enter into aopportunities and potentials of the African special African Entrepreneurship Fellowship
youth and future business leaders will not be which will support graduating students withrealised. As someone who has worked as a business support from an extensive network
management consultant for global companies of global partners, and a seed capital for
as Mercedes Benz and Siemens in projects them to start their business. The programmedealing with strategy, re-organization and aims to educate future African leaders andprocess optimization, business development entrepreneurs and to prepare African talents
and sales, he understands the work place. The through their acquired business know-how
fact that he is also a Professor of Leadership, to transform the African continent, create
Strategy and Entrepreneurship with academic innovations and successful, sustainablebackground in Engineering, Business and businesses, which will lead Africa to a brighter
Finance, means he fully understands what future.
the new global work environment needs. His
business engagement and network spreads With due understanding of the importanceover Japan, Germany and the US – a transverse of getting the programme to as many youngof three continents.
graduates and professionals as possible,
the Real World Skills MBA programme isOn the other hand, Dr. Akanimo Odon is the partnering with the African Technology Policy
Africa Strategy Adviser of several international Studies Network (ATPS), one of the most
Universities including Lancaster University, the reputable think-tank network bodies in Africa
University of London and has worked as a with chapters in 30 countries. It is clear that
consultant and adviser to global universities, ATPS vision and mandate to empower thebusinesses and governmental organisations Africa youth through special programmes
www.atpsnet.org 											

19Real World Skills Articlealigns with the vision of the programme and needs to be interactions and engagement
between academia, industry and government.
we wish to work together to make it a reality.
These interactions cannot be left to chance
After engaging with more than 100 Universities and needs to be orchestrated through the rightand their Vice Chancellors and over 100,000 strategies and interventions for sustainability.
academics, students and professionals in We hope to achieve this in the Real-World
Africa in the last three years, it has become Skills MBA. Registration is now open for the
obvious that one of the biggest challenges they April 2021 cohort. Register now at www.
all face is the huge gap between academia zebs.ch/africa/mba/registration. However,and industry. This disconnect between the to discuss an institutional partnership in order‘town - society’ and ‘gown - academia’ has to make the programme available to yourfar-reaching consequences and stands out organisations, contact the ATPS.
as one of the major factors resulting in less
impactful and solution-driven research andincreased unemployment in many universities’
graduates.
The triple helix model of innovation suggeststhat for true social and economic development
and transformation to occur in societies, there

A picture of students in a graduation ceremony

20 											www.atpsnet.org

Media Article

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)Media in a Pandemic: Technology to the rescue
By Chibuike Utaka – Senior Producer, BBC Media Action Nigeria/Development
Journalist

Physical distance will for a while remain Challenges on the Ground
one of the most popular vocabulariesof the year 2020. The world was getting Prior to the pandemic, I travelled an average ofsmaller with an increased demand for the 1300km/week to gather content and interact
internet, social networking, global commerce with people whose voices are crucial in myand international transportations. The year media programmes. I produced a popular town
2019 recorded a significant increase in the hall meeting show where people gather in a
number of scheduled passengers boarded by hall to discuss and ask questions to their public
the global airline industry reached over 4.54 office holders. So, in the wake of the intensebillion people.
restrictions and lockdowns, everyone had tobe isolated from colleagues and communities.
All of that was going to change with the That became the most challenging time to beunannounced entry of the COVID-19 onto a media personnel. Just like myself, a lot of
the global stage that would dictate the turn of journalists and media professionals reporting
events for the rest of the century. The media on COVID-19 had to rediscover new ways
across the world had one of the most daunting of staying within the health protocols whiletasks at the onset of the pandemic. News of still living up to expectations of keeping up
corona virus first threw in a lot of confusion, with an increasing demand for information
profound anxiety, and an unimaginable in a fast paced moment. When most offices
proportion of misinformation across the world. and establishments shut down, besides theNovel Corona virus it is. Nobody readily had frontline health workers, the media never
the accurate and adequate information about blinked.
the virus. Institutions of state and global
economies were greatly threatened and Technology to the Rescue!
shaken from the pre-existing stability they all
enjoyed. Information and directives evolved in Technology provided the much-neededa speed of light.
answers and solutions when it mattered the
The global media was thrown right into the
middle of it all.   An average journalist had
the responsibility to help people figure out
everything irrespective of the fact s/he exists
in the same circle like everyone else. Everyone
wanted information to stay sane, protected andupdated. Global demand for news and social
media information grew above 60% especiallyduring the intense lockdown.

most for the media in this pandemic. Some of
the ways in which technology was deployed
are:Information and Training-Keeping up withthe pace of information about the pandemic
and accessing adequate skills wouldn’t havebeen easier without the technology. Media
professionals were able to access the rightand accurate information/skills through the
dedicated websites and training portals. Thatwww.atpsnet.org 											

21Media Article

The author conducting a media interview in Nigeria
made alot of difference in terms of coping with of remote video conversations as well as
the huge task of informingand educating the meetings. Holding of large gatherings for radio
and television was not possible. No wonder
masses about the pandemic.
the drastic rise in number of users of the Zoom
Meetings-Various technological applications App globally from 200 million to 300 million
made newsroom editorial and administrative users in April 2020.
processes very seamless. Microsoft teams,
Zoom, Whatsapp and other meeting platforms While the world awaits the promisingconnected everyone and made sharing of breakthrough with the COVID-19 vaccines,
information and updates about COVID-19 less the media have long adjusted to the new life/
normal, thanks to technology.
cumbersome.
Contributors: In the moment when everyone
was keeping away from contacts andgatherings, getting interviews and contributions
became even tougher. Media practitioners
innovated the use of the phone calls to get
voices of audiences unto their programmes.
The studio recordings, which weren’t possible
anymore, migrated to phone conversations.
Gatherings-Town hall gatherings and suchmedia events were not possible and they
may never be for a long time. The Zoom
App revolutionized the way media did a lot
22 											www.atpsnet.org

Media Article

COVID-19 Article

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

Consequences of COVID-19 and the Way Forward
By William Owande- ATPS Research Assistant InternIn the early 1980s, a dreaded pandemic wasreported in the African continent. It tooktime for it to manifest itself among people
who became curious to see the victims of the‘’longest living pandemic”-HIV/AIDS. Several
myths were populated in a bid to understandthe origins of the pandemic. In many healthfacilities, the victims of HIV/AIDS had a special
ward for isolation and admission-ward 8 where
people interested in seeing the victims would
visit and interact with them freely.

In the year 2019, a strange ‘anti-social’
pandemic was reported in the Wuhan provinceof China. When the alarm was raised acrossthe globe, many thought it would just be in theEast, and perhaps Europe. Soon it caught up
with the ‘black continent’ of Africa. This timeround, no one was interested in interacting withthe victims of COVID-19. In fact, everyone tried
as much as possible to avoid travelling closer
to COVID-19epicentres just to avoid getting
closer to what would be called the ‘polluted
environment’.

The Double Tragedy
Just before a cure is discovered for HIV,COVID-19 pandemic has gone round theglobe like wild bush-fire in the Harmattan. This
triggered the enforcement of the now common
term, lockdown, by many governments in order
to contain the spread of the virus. While Africa
is still grappling with HIV/AIDS challenges, theconsequences of the COVID-19 pandemic
have since overshadowed the former. For the
first time after Noah’s biblical flood, learning
institutions, places of worship, markets andworkplaces were totally closed. Access tohealthcare was paralyzed with some careproviders abandoning patients for fear ofcontracting the dreaded virus. HIV/AIDS,
hypertension and tuberculosis patients among
others were the worst hit by the virus, as they
could not attend their clinics routinely owing to
the fear of contracting the virus.

Social Life Amidst COVID-19
Recreational facilities, worship services, oneon-one or group interaction, all have a bearing
on well-being of an individual’s life. Without
these, life becomes socially incomplete, as
witnessed during the lockdown and curfews
in Kenya. Basic needs must be met too. Rightat the household level, trouble brewed slowly
as couples begun to disagree on social rights
issues. Children also expressed their rights tobe allowed to interact and play with their peers,
as would have been the case. For spiritual
nourishment, large traditional trees played
host to worshippers who gathered to continue
praising their creator, despite the directives
against such gatherings. Some worshipped
in designated homes without fearing theconsequences of breaking the laws. Spiritual,physical and emotional nourishment becamerare but had to be searched through thick andthin.

COVID-19 and its Economic Sting
Many employers have had to send theiremployees on compulsory leave, retrench/downsize or completely shut down theirbusinesses during the pandemic. The worst
economic bite was experienced in the private
sector where many lost their jobs. Teachers
in private institutions were also hit. Privatecompanies and other institutions closed down
fully or partially, sending hundreds of thousandshome without a penny. The effects rippled backwww.atpsnet.org 											

23COVID-19 Article

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

to their families and dependents. Since there
was no movement, communities like theMaa who depend on tourists visiting gamereserves and participating in their culturalactivities had to lose their source of livelihoods
when no tourists buy their artefacts. The
clergy alike cried foul as they could no longer
depend on the congregants while keeping
worship places closed. It became a ‘struggle
for survival and survival of the fittest’.      COVID-19 and Innovation
Everyone has had to accept changes in theway of life. There was a big shift towards
manufacturing of COVID-19 related goods
such as the facemasks and hand sanitizers.
It also led to increased innovation, especiallyin the health sector where university students
from Kenyatta University in Kenya invented
a ventilator for use in hospitals by COVID-19
health care service providers. Another area of
innovation was seen in the application of simple
technology to make hand washing equipmentthat minimizes chances of contracting
COVID-19 by reducing contamination of thehand with the virus during hand washing. A
public health student at Jaramogi Oginga
Odinga University of Science and Technology,
Kisii Campus invented a foot-operated handwashing machine. The equipment dispenses
soap and water without the user touching it.

Not Yet Freedom

A pictorial of how COVID-19 is spreading
around the world

As global leading scientists have put it,
COVID-19 is here to stay. Everyone has to work
hard to contribute to strategies that will help
the world to get rid of or completely containthe pandemic. This is only possible throughintensive innovative research, with governments
and financial institutions coming in handy, notjust playing the second fiddle. This will enablecitizens to discover new technologies to handle
challenges caused by COVID-19.

24 											www.atpsnet.org

Innovation Feature

Innovation Feature Interview
Innovator: Mr. Bronson Eran’ogwa (Executive Director, The SOURCE PLUS)
Lead Innovator, Productivity Innovation through Early Identification, Surveillance, Disease andPest Reporting Control
1. How would you best describe yourself? big data/data analytics, machine learning/
AI, advanced image pattern recognition and
am a highly effective team leader with cloud/mobile computing).
experience in executing and running of
public/community interest projects. My It is a technology that incorporates spectral
focus is on networking, exploration and the system designed explicitly for plant studies anddevelopment of scientific refinement solutions with focus on early disease recognition system
to solve global challenges like food security for visually asymptomatic disease phases.
and climate change. I have been recognized The technology is anticipated to deliver anfor my collaborative leadership style, active innovative, scalable, non-invasive diagnostic
approach and keen ability to effectively system for crop disease detection using largetranslate complex operational concepts into multi-modality images from smartphones,
drones and satellite imaging. The system will
tangible action plans.
enable a deep multi-scale diagnosis at both
2. As the Executive Director of the leaf and field scales. In simple lingo, it is a
SOURCE PLUS, briefly tell us what your system that uses data captured from digital
devices to diagnose crop diseases/pests thatorganization is all about?
are normally asymptomatic.
The SOURCE PLUS is an agricultural
innovation for Profit Company that was formed 4. What was the motivation behind thisby a group of youthful volunteers to support amazing innovation?
marginalized individuals and communities in
Sub-Saharan countries. We solve human- Agriculture is the engine of economic growth incentred agricultural problems through novel Kenya.  About 75% of Kenyans earn all or part
technological innovations and big data of their income from this sector.   Agriculture
services. We find solutions to the root causes accounts for 33% of the nation’s gross domesticof agricultural problems and how they arise, product (GDP). Despite continuous population
then develop technologies to address these growth, agricultural productivity has stagnatedproblems, thereby creating a sustainable in recent years partly due to crop diseases andagricultural practice and providing long lasting pests. However, crop production has been
more constrained by pest & diseases resulting
solutions.
in low yields and returns (30 –40% annually)
3. Briefly expound on what is “Productivity amongst the small-scale farmers. Small-scale
Innovation through Early Identification, farmers supply 92% of the foodsuffs that are
Surveillance, Disease and Pest Reporting consumed globally, and yet they are among
the poorest in the world. These imbalances
Control”?
This is an innovative system that is built on neccesitated us to come up with this  innovative research on automatic crop disease innovation.
detection using modern technologies (e.g.

Iwww.atpsnet.org 											

25Innovation Feature

5. How does this system work?
The mobile App uses a deep learning
convolutional neural network (CNC) algorithm
to classify 4 different cassava diseases that
express themselves through leaves marking
abnormal appearance, shape or colour of theleaves. We analysed 3000 cassava leaves
handpicked from the JKUAT farm. A disease
consultant helped us in identifying and labellingof the leaves affected by different diseases;
cassava blight, cassava mosaic, etc. The
labelled images are then transferred to a window
OS computer for analysis and classification.
The algorithm gives 95% accuracy that means

it is able to classify each disease effectively.
The algorithm is then transferred and deployed
into an Android phone. One can use a phone
camera to capture affected cassava images
and predict accordingly the specific disease
and the percentage or level of infection inpercentage form.

Ways in which a mobile phone can add value in a farm26 											www.atpsnet.org

Innovation Feature

6. How has the journey been, right fromcoming up with this innovation till now?
The journey has had its fair share of challenges
and triumphs. First of all allow me toacknowledge the team that participated in the
project. All my team members participated in codesigning the system, data processing as wellas in writing out the manuscript. Dr. Nahondocarried out the plant pathogen analysis (proper
identification of the biotic disease-causing
agents), Elias Baya developed the User
Interaction Interface (UII), feature classification(Diagnosis Mobile App) and the overall modelof the project. Nicholas Musa engineered thedata set/analytics. Thomas Masibo developed
the mathematical modelling/reconstruction
techniques. I developed the feature selection
and support vector classifications (algorithms)
and the overall model of the project. All theteam members were also involved in the trial
designs. We also sought the technical adviceof our lecturers in Jomo Kenyatta University ofAgriculture and Technology (JKUAT) namely;
Prof. Antony Waititu, Prof. Stephen Kimani, Dr.
Jane Aduda and Dr. Nahondo to help us finetune the model.
After all the components were developed andassembled, it was then developed into one
final model/kit.
7. Who is best suited to use/apply thisinnovation?
This innovation best suits the rural and often
disadvantaged African small-scale farmers,
Agri-businessprofessionals,
extension
services providers and also Government
entities involved in agriculture.
8. Have you commercialized
innovation as yet?

thisadoption that requires a simple consumption
model. A significant business model is being
developed, creating the right commercial
proposition and also a go-to-market strategy.
Funding also remains to be a huge challenge
to the commercialization of the model.
9. In November 2019, your innovation won
the top prize in the inaugural HatchHack
Hackathon competition held by the
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture
and Technology (JKUAT) Main Campus.
Congratulations are in order for that
achievement. Tell us more about that?
It was an honour that my team and I werecrowned the overall winners of the inaugural2019 HatchHack Hackathon competition,
held at the JKUAT Main Campus. The Kenya
Airports Parking Services (KAPS) and JKUAT
organized the Hackathon.
The competition, held on November 21,
2019 saw 17 groups pitching against eachother for the top prize of a full year academic
scholarship, a cash prize of KES 175,000 andtrophies. We did use part of the cash prize
money to improve our innovation.
10. Has your innovation secured any
regulatory approvals?
We are yet to secure any regulatory approvals
for our innovation due to financial constraints on
our part. The current scourge that is COVID-19
has not made the situation any better. We dohope to secure funds to enable us to swiftly
proceed with this endeavour.
11. In closing, what is the future of thisinnovation…and how do you see ittransforming agriculture in Kenya?

The precision farming technology is increasinglyThis innovation has not yet been commercialized, gaining popularity as it holds the potential to
but we are in process of doing that. There is increase crop yield by exploiting advancedneed for a rapid commercial
e-based agriculture approaches, enabling
farmers to accurately manage variations in

www.atpsnet.org 											

27Innovation Feature

to food security in Kenya. There is currently nosimilar service available on the market basedon available information. This technology will fill
Current major players in precision farming the gap and add significant value in precision
are farm equipment vendors, such as Deere farming industry for both Kenya and Africa at& Co, and satellite/GPS service providers large.
such as Trimble Navigation, drones providers
DJI (China), PrecisionHawk (US), Trimble Inc. Through our innovation, we hope to improve(US), Parrot Drones (France), etc. Amongst the the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in themarket leaders mentioned, there are no Big region. We also anticipate that our technology
will:
Data specialists.
the field, increase productivity, and reduce
production costs.

This project is a multidisciplinary project,bringing together global experts from bothindustry and academia in big data analytics/
machine learning, cloud computing/mobile
computing, and agricultural science to design
a novel data-driven approach using provenmethodologies to tackle the major challenge•

Increase yields and productivity in thefarms and hence alleviate poverty• Offer more widespread and affordable
foodstuff availability & higher returns fromfarming by providing agricultural technology
diversification

A drone being used to spray pesticides in a farm28 											www.atpsnet.org

Opportunities/Grants

New Grants/Scholarships
New Grant
During the reporting period, the ATPS
Executive Director, Dr Nicholas Ozor
received a Consultancy Contract worth USD
82,500 from the African Development Bank(AfDB) to develop an Analytical Note on“Higher Education Science, Technology andInnovation, Research and Development (R&D)
and Entrepreneurship in Africa”. The Analytical
Note will provide insights to inform how the
AfDB can support the re-skilling/upskilling ofAfrica’s workforce with demand-driven scienceand technological skills, strengthen relevanceof R&D to industry and build resilient enterprisesthat can weather economic shocks and pivot
businesses to models that meet the changing
demand of market. Ultimately, the result would
be synthesized to inform the development of acontinental Skills Development Strategy 20212025 of the Bank.

Scholarships• MasterCard Foundation
Scholars Program at McGill

opportunities and sustained programming
relevant to their personal development.
Application deadline: 31st January 2021
For more information please visit:https://www.mcgill.ca/mastercardfdnscholars/apply-program• MSc in Transition and Innovationand Sustainability Environments
Scholarships
Building on a Complexity Science fundamental,
the program presents an inter and crossdisciplinary view of Socio Cultural Studies,
Social Sciences, Economics, Technology
and Design, but also integrating communities
of practice and the tacit knowledge ofpractitioners in order to address “real-world”
complex problems. The program promotes
Transdisciplinarity as an innovative approach
towards the challenges encountered by social
systems today.
Application Deadline: February 28, 2021

The central goal of the MasterCard Foundation
Scholars Program is to create a globally For more information, please visit:
educated and highly qualified group of future https://www.tise-master.eu/
leaders, who, upon graduation, can return toAfrica to help foster the region’s development.
Towards these ends, McGill complements • Royal Society Africa Prize andScholars’ education with a comprehensive
Rising Star Africa Prize-(Call for
support system that includes mentorship,
nominations)tailored support services, community service
opportunities and sustained programming The Royal Society Rising Star Africa Prize isrelevant to their personal development.
meant to recognize early-career researchscientists based in Africa who are making
Towards these ends, McGill complements an innovative contribution to the physical,
Scholars’ education with a comprehensive mathematical and engineering sciences. The
support system that includes mentorship, prize was established in memory of Paul
tailored support services, community service O’Brien FRS his work encouraging excellence
www.atpsnet.org 											

29Opportunities/Scholarships

in science and education in Africa. Winners
will receive a grant of £14,000 to support theirresearch and a personal gift of £1,000.
Application Deadline: 15 February 2021 at
3pm GMT.
For more information please visit:h t t p s : // r o y a l s o c i e t y . o r g / g r a n t s schemes-awards/awards/africa-prize/

30 											www.atpsnet.org

Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)First Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding (SVNP)
Eastern Africa Regional Policy Conference in Nairobi,
Kenya

A group picture of the delegates at the conference

Mr. Onno Koopmans from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlandsdelivering the keynote address

www.atpsnet.org 											

31Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

Mr. Moffat Kangi, Principal Administrative Secretary Ministry of Interior
and Coordination of National Government addressing the participants
when he opened the conference

A screen grab of some of the online participants

32 											www.atpsnet.org

Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

Courtesy Call to the National Commission for Science,
Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) at their Offices in
Nairobi

ATPS Executive Director, Dr. Nicholas Ozor (centre in red cap), Ms. Rachel
Maluki (far right), Prof. Crispus Kiamba, ATPS Chair of Board (first from right)
together with top officials from NACOSTI during the courtesy call

ATPS Executive Director, Dr. Nicholas Ozor (left), Ruth Charo (centre) Senior
Education Specialist-World Bank and Prof. Crispus Kiamba (right), ATPS Chair ofBoard during a consultative meeting between the ATPS and the World Bank
www.atpsnet.org 											

33Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

Young Scientists Kenya Programmes Officer, Mr. Karagania Mwamlole (left)
and ATPS Communications Officer, Mr. Felix Musila (right) after a consultative
meeting between the two organisations

Muthoni Nduhiu, (left), Kenyatta University, ATPS Executive Director, Dr.
Nicholas Ozor (centre) and Somorin Olufunso, Africa Development Bank(AfDB) (right) during a consultative meeting at the ATPS offices

34 											www.atpsnet.org

Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

Hivos and Dutch Embassy Citizen Consortium
Agency Cafe`, Nairobi

Dutch Ambassador to Kenya, H.E. Ambassador Maarten Brouwer (left)confers with ATPS Executive Director, Dr. Nicholas Ozor (right) during theevent

ATPS Executive Director, Dr. Nicholas Ozor (right) with Makueni County
Governor, Prof. Kivutha Kibwana (second left) and other guests during theevent

www.atpsnet.org 											

35National Chapter Coordinators

National Chapter Coordinators

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

ATPS NATIONAL CHAPTER COORDINATORS
Australia
Mr. David Doepel
Chair, Africa Research Group, Murdoch
University
90 South Street
MurdochWestern Australia 6150
Tel: +61418912287
Email: d.doepel@murdoch.edu.au
Benin
Dr. Roch L. Mongbo
Senior Lecturer & Researcher
FIDESPRA/Univ. of Abomey Calava and
CEBEDES – XU dodo
02 BP 778
Cotonou, Benin
Tel: +229-21304139
Cell : +229 95 96 64 46
Email: rochl_mongbo@yahoo.fr
Botswana
Mpho Thabang Rapoo
Botswana University of Agriculture andTechnology,
Plot 10071 Boseja, Palapye, Botswana
Postal address: Private Bag 0016,
Palapye, Botswana
Email: mtrapoo@gmail.com; rapoom@
biust.ac.bw
Tel: (+267) 72 865 060; (+267) 493
1826
Burkina Faso
Dr. Benoit Kabore
Université de Ouagadougou
01 BP 4487
Ouagadougou 01
Burkina Faso
Tel: 226 812008/380715
Email: benkabor2003@yahoo.fr
Cameroon
Prof. Sylvester Ndeso Atanga
Lecturer, Epidemology & Public HealthFaculty of Health Sciences
University of Buea
P.O. Box 63
South West Province
Republic of Cameroon
Tel: + 237-75816047

Cote d’Ivore
Prof. Arsène Kouadio,
Associate Professor, University ofAbi¬djan-Cocody ; Researcher, CIRES
Director, Laboratoire de croissance
Economique
Executive Director, Institut pour leDével¬oppement (IPD),
Coordinator, ATPS Côe d’Ivoire,
Coordinator, RIA Côte d’Ivoire,
Fellow Researcher, AERC, Poverty
Eco¬nomic Policy (PEP),
Cocody, Boulelevard Latrille
08 B.P. 1295 Abidjan 08, Côte d’Ivoire
Tel : +225 22 44 60 99
Fax: +225 22 48 82 84
Mobile : +225 07 98 46 80 / 05 95 97 91
E-mail: arsenekk@yahoo.fr
arsenekouadio@hotmail.com
Egypt
Ms. Manal Moustafa Samra
Focal Point Coordinator
45 Noubar Street, Bab El-Louk
8th Floor, Apt 29,Cairo
Egypt
Tel: +20105005284
Email: mmsamra@gmail.com
Ethiopia
Mr. Wondwossen Belete,
National Coordinator
Director of Intellectual Property
Protec¬tion and Technology Transfer,
Ethiopian Industrial Property
Organiza¬tion (EIPO)
Email: wondwossenbel@yahoo.com
GambiaVacantGhana
Dr. Fred Amu-Mensah
Senior Research Scientist
CSIR Water Research Institute
P.O. Box M.32
Accra, Ghana
Tel: +233-24-4748197
Fax: +233 21 77 7170
Email: assabil@aim.com;

Kenya
Dr. Stephen Karimi
Director of Quality Assurance , National
Commission for Science, Technology
and Innovation (NACOSTI)
P.O. Box 30623, 00100 Nairobi-Kenya
Tel: +254727923357
Email:karimisteve@gmail.com
Lesotho
Mr. Denis Sekoja Phakisi
Acting National Coordinator
Manufacturing Manager
Loti Brick
P.O. Box 8008, Maseru 100, Lesotho
Tel: +266 5885 3389
Fax: +266 22310071
Email: ds.phakisi@lycos.com
Liberia
Dr. Wollor Emmanuel Topor
National Coordinator
Acting Dean
College of Science and Technology
University of Liberia
Tel: + 231-6875802
Email: wollortopor@yahoo.com
MalawiDr. Kingdom M. Kwapata
Bunda College, P.O. Box 219,
Lilongwe, Malawi
Tel: +265 999195477
E-mail: kwapata@yahoo.com
Mali
Dr. Sidiki Gabriel Dembele
Agrochimie/Agroforesterie et Fertilitédes sols
Bureau Ouest-Africain d’Appui
Organisa¬tional et de Technologies
Appropiées
B.P. E 3730, Bamako, Mali
Tél. : (223) 226 2012
Fax : (223) 226 2504
Cell : (223) 71 3806
Email: sidikigabriel@hotmail.com orousmanenia2000@yahoo.fr;
filifingdem@yahoo.fr;

36 											www.atpsnet.org

National Chapter Coordinators

National Chapter Coordinators

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

ATPS NATIONAL CHAPTER COORDINATORS
MoroccoProf. Dr. Saïd Boujraf
National Coordinator
Director of the Clinical Neuroscience
Laboratory
Department of Biophysics and Clinical
MRI Methods
Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Fez
BP. 1893; Km 2.200, Sidi Hrazem Road,Fez 30000, MoroccoTel: +212 667 780 442
Fax: +212 535 619 321
E-mail: sboujraf@gmail.com
MozambiqueEng. Lourino Alberto Chemane
ICT and Planning Advisor
Executive Secretariat, ICT Policy
Commis-sion
Bairro da Coop
Rua Particular Dr. Antonio de Almeida
61 R/C Direito, Maputo
MoçambiqueTel: +258 21 309398
Fax: +258 21 302289
Cell : +258 82 3110700
Email: chemane@infopol.gov.mz;
lourino.chemane@mctestp.gov.mz;
NigeriaProf. Michael C. Madukwe
Professor, Department of Agricultural
Ex-tension
University of Nigeria
Nsukka, Enugu State
Nigeria
Tel: +234 42 771019
Fax: +234 42 771500
Cell: +234 803 700 6968
Email: michael.madukwe@unn.edu.ng,
madukwemichael@yahoo.com
Prof. Femi Olokesusi
Nigerian Institute for Social andEconom¬ic Research (NISER)
P.M.B 5 UI Post Office
Oyo Road, Ojoo, Ibadan, Nigeria
Tel: +234 2 8103345/8102904
Fax: +234 2 2413121
Email: femioloke@yahoo.com

RwandaDr. Marie-Christine Gasingirwa,
Director General, Science, Technology
and Research,
Ministry of Education, Rwanda.
Email: cgasingirwa@mineduc.gov.rw
Namibia
Surveyor Uzochukwu Okafor
Surveyor- General
Directorate of Survey and Mapping
Ministry of Land Reform
Tel: +264(0)2965036
Mobile: +264811223311
Email: uzo.okafor@mlr.gov.na
Sierra Leone
Dr. Kelleh Gbawuru Mansaray
Dean of Faculty, Faculty of Engineering
at Fourah Bay College, University of
Sierra Leone.
Mount Auroel
PMB Freetown Sierra Leone
Mobile: +23278476527
Email: mansaraykg@gmail.com
SenegalDr. Papa Alioune Sarr Ndiaye
ESP BP 15475 DAKAR Fann
SénégalTél : Bureau (221) 864 54 18
Fax : (221) 864 21 43
Domicile (221) 820 23 88
Cellulaire (221) 634 58 88
Email : papaas.ndiaye@ucad.edu.sn
papaas.ndiye@gmail.com
South Africa
Prof. Mark Swilling
Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1,
Matieland, 7602, South Africa
Cell: +27(0)83-459 7417
Tel: +27(0)21-881 3196
Fax: +27(0)21 - 881 3294
Email: swilling@sun.ac.za
mark.Swilling@sopmp.sun.ac.za
Sudan
Mrs. Nadia Hassan Sidahmed
Economic Studies Department

Industrial Research & Consultancy
Cen¬tre (IRCC) Sudan
Tel: +249 911449106
Email: nadiahsh@yahoo.co.uk
Swaziland
Dr. Musa Dube
Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Agriculture
University of Swaziland
Luyengo Campus
P. O. Luyengo, Swaziland
Email: madube@uniswa.sz
Tanzania
Dr. Amos Nungu
Director General
Tanzania Commission for Science andTechnology
P.O. Box 4302,
Dar-es-Salaam Tanzania.
Tel: +255222774023
Email: amos.nungu@costech.or.tz;
amos.nungu@gmail.com
United Kingdom
Mrs. Martha Ada Ugwu
National Coordinator
59 Highgrove Road
Walderslade, Chatham
Kent, ME5 7SF, UK
Tel: +4401634310389/07985476289
Email: Martha.ugwu@yahoo.co.uk
UgandaDr. John Okuonzi
National Coordinator
Kyambogo University
Faculty of Engineering, Department ofElectrical and Electronic Engineering,
P.O. Box 1, Kyambogo, Kampala,
UgandaTel: +256 782 353034
jokuonzi@kyu.ac.ug or
okuonzijohnie@yahoo.com
United states of America.
Dr. Anthony C. Ikeme
National Coordinator
President & CEO
Clintriad Pharma Services

www.atpsnet.org 											

37National Chapter Coordinators

National Chapter Coordinators

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

ATPS NATIONAL CHAPTER COORDINATORS

102 Pickering Way, Suite 200
Exton, PA 19341
Tel: 484.753.3405
Cell: 215.380.9920
Fax: 610.384.5455
Email: aikeme@clintriad.com
ZambiaProf. Francis Yamba
Director, Centre for Energy
Environ¬ment and Engineering Zambia(CEEEZ) Ltd, 176 Parirenyatwa Road
Suite B. Fairview, P/B E721
Lusaka, Zambia
Tel/Fax: +260 211 223118

Email: ceeez2015@gmail.com;
ceeez@zamnet.zm
Zimbabwe
Mr. Benson Zwizwai
Deputy Director
Institute of Development Studies
P. O. Box 880
Harare, Zimbabwe
Tel: +263 4 333341/3
Fax: +263 4 333345
Cell: +263 912245614
Email: bmutzwizwai@yahoo.com

38 											www.atpsnet.org

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)
8th Floor, Chancery Building, Valley Road
P.O. Box 10081-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254 20271 4092; Fax: +254 20 2714028
Email: info@atpsnet.org
Url: http://www.atpsnet.org
Skype: ATPS Network

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