Africa

22 Items

Analysis & Opinions - New African

Africa Rebooting

| April 14, 2015

"Africa still values the importance of research, but no longer considers this linear view to be viable. Based on experiences in the rapid adoption of mobile phones, the continent is now looking into combining R&D with leveraging existing technologies and using them to create new enterprises. This approach provides Africa with a more hopeful future for tapping into an exponentially-growing global knowledge reservoir."

Analysis & Opinions - New African

The 3D Printing Revolution

| March 6, 2015

Digital technologies could leapfrog Africa to a decentralised, autonomous mass production. The key ingredient to this revolution is 3D printing. Calestous Juma looks at its rapid development, provides a snapshot of its almost infinite uses, and suggests what must be done to support this possible industrial revolution.

Analysis & Opinions - The Daily Nation

Africa Must Shift its Focus to Industrialise

| March 2, 2015

"Knowing which technologies provide a broad base for industrial development is key. For example, information and communication technologies serve as essential platforms, but most African countries have failed to view them as generic foundations for industrial diversification. Instead, they focus on devices and gadgets, not the underlying knowledge."

Workers at Olkaria Geothermal Power Plant, Kenya, 28 January 2011.

Wikimedia CC

Analysis & Opinions - CNN

Fighting Climate Change? Don't Ignore Poor Nations' Creativity

| November 12, 2014

"Advances in solar and wind energy technology (and the associated smart power management systems) are making renewable energy competitive with fossil fuels. Their widespread adoption is likely to favor poor nations in the tropics that are not committed to traditional energy infrastructure."

Analysis & Opinions - The Daily Nation

Engineering is the Engine that Will Power Africa's Growth

| May 9, 2014

"...[A]ll major infrastructure projects should include specific engineering education objectives as part of performance. Expansion of telecoms infrastructure should include support for new electronics engineering schools. Examples of such efforts include the role of telecoms ministries in creation of new technology universities in Egypt, Ghana and Kenya."

Book Chapter

Technology and the Reinvention of Education in Africa

| February 2014

"...More recently, the MOOC promise has come under scrutiny as early evidence of its impact started to emerge. The rate of completion of MOOC-based courses was surprising low and their pedagogic contributions became uncertain. The evaluations, however, have failed to distinguish between the dynamics of early euphoric adopters and long-trends in technological innovation. There is a possibility that the MOOC revolution will follow the pattern of mobile phone adoption, favoring poor countries with outdated educational infrastructure and technology."

Kavirondo gulf and sedimentation (Lake Victoria, Kenya), April 30, 1993. A space program could also help Kenya monitor climate change and support decisions on critical regional resources such as Lake Victoria.

NASA Photo

Analysis & Opinions - CNN

Space Research and Mobile Tech: Kenya's Next 50 Years

| December 12, 2013

"Data generated by the space program would be distributed through existing mobile networks and would add value to current investments such as the fiber-optic backbone. Such a program could help strengthen Kenya's role as a regional technology hub. Such a space program could also help Kenya monitor climate change and support decisions on critical regional resources such as Lake Victoria."

Analysis & Opinions - Standard Digital News

Tabu Ley Did for Music What Cell Phones Have Done for Banking

| December 1, 2013

"Tabu Ley and his contemporaries such as Kasanda and Franco Luambo did for recorded music what mobile technology is doing for money transfer and mobile banking today. The combination of music recording and radio broadcasting provided Africa with an early opportunity to jump forward in an emerging technology. Its social, political, economic and cultural impact was profound. Like mobile phones, the adoption of sound recording was unfettered by incumbent technologies and trade unions."

Geography of Twitter @replies

Eric Fischer

Announcement - Science, Technology, and Globalization Project, Belfer Center

Innovation Africa Twitterati

August 23, 2013

STG will recognize the top 63 Innovation Africa Twitterati to help advance Africa's "Agenda 2063." Emphasis will be placed on those sharing information on science, technology, engineering, and innovation. Send us your suggestions!