Timbuktu Chronicles
"A view of Africa and Africans with a focus on entrepreneurship, innovation, technology, practical remedies and other self sustaining activities.".....Emeka OkaforEmeka Okaforhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573984373251779325noreply@blogger.comBlogger6090125blogspot/cNFJohttps://feedburner.google.com
#Opensource desktop #3Dprinter converted into bio-printer for under $500
3ders reports:
We’ve reported before on the pioneering 3D printing work of researchers based at Carnegie Mellon University, including electronics projects, 3D printed robotics, and even 3D printing with textiles. Their latest breakthrough is the development of a new 3D bio-printer, made by modifying a regular desktop FDM machine. This is one of the most accessible and affordable pieces of bio-printing equipment ever produced, and the team has also released their designs online for other people to build their own systems...[more]
We’ve reported before on the pioneering 3D printing work of researchers based at Carnegie Mellon University, including electronics projects, 3D printed robotics, and even 3D printing with textiles. Their latest breakthrough is the development of a new 3D bio-printer, made by modifying a regular desktop FDM machine. This is one of the most accessible and affordable pieces of bio-printing equipment ever produced, and the team has also released their designs online for other people to build their own systems...[more]
Visual Storytelling from Josef Adamu
From Okay Africa:
We speak with the founder and director of Sunday School on the rapid growth of the platform and how to build a strong brand.
The balance between muse and creator can be difficult for many, but Nigerian-Canadian artist Josef Adamu is proving that with hard work, research and consistency, anything is possible.
Beyond being a model, he is a creative director, producer and photographer from Toronto, Canada. He is the founder of creative platform, Sunday School and has worked with artists including Jazz Cartier and Mick Jenkins, whom he has helped develop through visual branding. His platform and agency focuses on unique storytelling that sheds light on identity, fashion and culture and has gotten praise from influential figures like Lupita N'yongo...[more]
We speak with the founder and director of Sunday School on the rapid growth of the platform and how to build a strong brand.
The balance between muse and creator can be difficult for many, but Nigerian-Canadian artist Josef Adamu is proving that with hard work, research and consistency, anything is possible.
Beyond being a model, he is a creative director, producer and photographer from Toronto, Canada. He is the founder of creative platform, Sunday School and has worked with artists including Jazz Cartier and Mick Jenkins, whom he has helped develop through visual branding. His platform and agency focuses on unique storytelling that sheds light on identity, fashion and culture and has gotten praise from influential figures like Lupita N'yongo...[more]
Tejumade Afonja on Building AI in #Nigeria
Warner, Elizabeth writes:
image viaA thirst for knowledge is what has brought Intel® Software Innovator Tejumade Ajonja to where she is today. She has a drive to not only continuously learn, but to also continuously prove that women can be in the forefront of technology. As Tejumade continues to gain more skills and further her own pursuit of understanding artificial intelligence (AI) she is also working to promote building up the AI community, for both men and women, in Nigeria...[more]
image viaA thirst for knowledge is what has brought Intel® Software Innovator Tejumade Ajonja to where she is today. She has a drive to not only continuously learn, but to also continuously prove that women can be in the forefront of technology. As Tejumade continues to gain more skills and further her own pursuit of understanding artificial intelligence (AI) she is also working to promote building up the AI community, for both men and women, in Nigeria...[more]
Oyster Mushroom Farming at the Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture (KITA)
PCV Media highlights a mushroom farming method developed at Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture:
After University, some youths took over an abandoned coffee plantation - The Coffee of Fouta Djallon
From Agribusiness TV:
IBM and Twiga Foods Introduce #Blockchain - Based MicroFinancing for Food Kiosk Owners in Kenya
Late last year Nairobi-based Twiga Foods, a business-to-business logistics platform for kiosks and food stalls in Africa, was looking to expand its logistic services into a total market ecosystem by adding financial services for its clients...[more]
Produce from Africa’s Gardens: Potential for Leafy Vegetable and Fruit Fermentations
A paper from Frontiers in Microbiology (2016):
A rich variety of indigenous fruits and vegetables grow in Africa, which contribute to the nutrition and health of Africa’s populations. Fruits and vegetables have high moisture and are thus inherently prone to accelerated spoilage. Food fermentation still plays a major role in combating food spoilage and foodborne diseases that are prevalent in many of Africa’s resource disadvantaged regions. Lactic acid fermentation is probably the oldest and best-accepted food processing method among the African people, and is largely a home-based process. Fermentation of leafy vegetables and fruits is, however, underutilized in Africa, although such fermented products could contribute toward improving nutrition and food security in this continent, where many are still malnourished and suffer from hidden hunger. Fermentation of leafy vegetables and fruits may not only improve safety and prolong shelf life, but may also enhance the availability of some trace minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants. Cassava, cow-peas, amaranth, African nightshade, and spider plant leaves have a potential for fermentation, as do various fruits for the production of vinegars or fruit beers and wines. What is needed to accelerate efforts for production of fermented leaves and vegetables is the development of fermentation protocols, training of personnel and scale-up of production methods. Furthermore, suitable starter cultures need to be developed and produced to guarantee the success of the fermentations. More here
A rich variety of indigenous fruits and vegetables grow in Africa, which contribute to the nutrition and health of Africa’s populations. Fruits and vegetables have high moisture and are thus inherently prone to accelerated spoilage. Food fermentation still plays a major role in combating food spoilage and foodborne diseases that are prevalent in many of Africa’s resource disadvantaged regions. Lactic acid fermentation is probably the oldest and best-accepted food processing method among the African people, and is largely a home-based process. Fermentation of leafy vegetables and fruits is, however, underutilized in Africa, although such fermented products could contribute toward improving nutrition and food security in this continent, where many are still malnourished and suffer from hidden hunger. Fermentation of leafy vegetables and fruits may not only improve safety and prolong shelf life, but may also enhance the availability of some trace minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants. Cassava, cow-peas, amaranth, African nightshade, and spider plant leaves have a potential for fermentation, as do various fruits for the production of vinegars or fruit beers and wines. What is needed to accelerate efforts for production of fermented leaves and vegetables is the development of fermentation protocols, training of personnel and scale-up of production methods. Furthermore, suitable starter cultures need to be developed and produced to guarantee the success of the fermentations. More here
In Benin "PanAfricana", a farm school for young agricultural entrepreneurs.
From Agribusiness TV a profile of Panafricana:
Ilé-Ilà Furniture, Nigeria
Bella Naija reports:
A celebration of African Modernism, The Àdùnní Chair by Ilé-Ilà narrates traditional African aesthetics through minimalist elegance.
Àdùnní (meaning ‘daughter of the sweet one’ in Yoruba), is a celebration of African Modernism. The chair’s frame is made from Nigerian teak wood and is upholstered in two styles of the indigenous Yoruba textile Asò-oké. The front bears Asò-oké Gboro-gidi (solid) and behind Asò-oké Onja-wú ati iho (perforated), both hand-loomed in Nigeria...[more]
A celebration of African Modernism, The Àdùnní Chair by Ilé-Ilà narrates traditional African aesthetics through minimalist elegance.
Àdùnní (meaning ‘daughter of the sweet one’ in Yoruba), is a celebration of African Modernism. The chair’s frame is made from Nigerian teak wood and is upholstered in two styles of the indigenous Yoruba textile Asò-oké. The front bears Asò-oké Gboro-gidi (solid) and behind Asò-oké Onja-wú ati iho (perforated), both hand-loomed in Nigeria...[more]
#Blockchain will be a great tool for African entrepreneurs, but only if we make it our own - Bright Simons
Bright Simons writes:
As an African social entrepreneur in the technology industry, I am forced than most to think in terms of “whole systems”.
Not a single technology I have worked on has ever been deployable without building a whole ecosystem afresh. This means that I need to be exceptionally attuned to the cultural and political economy context of technology. It also means that I find most of the debates around blockchain somewhat naïve because of the perennial failure to address its ideological baggage and consider how other cultures might relate to that ideology...[more]
As an African social entrepreneur in the technology industry, I am forced than most to think in terms of “whole systems”.
Not a single technology I have worked on has ever been deployable without building a whole ecosystem afresh. This means that I need to be exceptionally attuned to the cultural and political economy context of technology. It also means that I find most of the debates around blockchain somewhat naïve because of the perennial failure to address its ideological baggage and consider how other cultures might relate to that ideology...[more]
#Ethiopia to develop aerospace manufacturing sector
The East Africa Monitor reports:
Ethiopian Airlines has signed an agreement with South African firm Aerosud to create an aerospace manufacturing company.
The Joint Venture Aerospace Company will establish manufacturing facilities close to Bole International Airport, just outside the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, where parts for Boeing, Airbus and other aerospace companies will be manufactured...[more]
Ethiopian Airlines has signed an agreement with South African firm Aerosud to create an aerospace manufacturing company.
The Joint Venture Aerospace Company will establish manufacturing facilities close to Bole International Airport, just outside the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, where parts for Boeing, Airbus and other aerospace companies will be manufactured...[more]
Burkina Faso: The Vegetable Producer of Boulmiougou
From Agribusiness Tv
Ali, former candidate of illegal migration to Europe, has reconverted to vegetable production in Boulmiougou, a region in the west of Ouagadougou.
Ali, former candidate of illegal migration to Europe, has reconverted to vegetable production in Boulmiougou, a region in the west of Ouagadougou.
Agritech #Startups In #Nigeria That Are Disrupting How We Farm
Alluvial - Rice Producer , #Nigeria
via Bloomberg
Most farmers harvest their crop by hand on an average 0.4 hectares (1 acre) of land, which makes it difficult to achieve economies of scale, according to Dimieari Von Kemedi, managing director of Alluvial.
Alluvial is buying crops in central and southeastern Nigeria with the aim of supplying half a million tons of rice a year to millers by 2020. It’s targeting yields of 4 tons per hectare, almost double what growers currently achieve, but still only half what efficient Asian farmers produce.
“We need to get better yields,” said Von Kemedi. “If you don’t, it’s hard to make money. It’s why, despite the tariffs and currency restrictions, you can’t keep foreign rice at bay.”More here
Most farmers harvest their crop by hand on an average 0.4 hectares (1 acre) of land, which makes it difficult to achieve economies of scale, according to Dimieari Von Kemedi, managing director of Alluvial.
Alluvial is buying crops in central and southeastern Nigeria with the aim of supplying half a million tons of rice a year to millers by 2020. It’s targeting yields of 4 tons per hectare, almost double what growers currently achieve, but still only half what efficient Asian farmers produce.
“We need to get better yields,” said Von Kemedi. “If you don’t, it’s hard to make money. It’s why, despite the tariffs and currency restrictions, you can’t keep foreign rice at bay.”More here
From Kigali to Khartoum: Africa's drone revolution
From Al Jazeera:
From Kigali to Khartoum, we meet pioneers using drones to tackle some of Africa's current and future challenges.
Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), have been used for more than three decades, but in the last few years drones are increasingly being developed and used for commercial purposes.
But while inventors and entrepreneurs in Western countries struggle with strict regulations, many African countries are proving very innovative and accepting in terms of drone usage across industries.
From Kigali to Khartoum, pioneers are using drones to tackle some of the continent's current challenges...[more]
From Kigali to Khartoum, we meet pioneers using drones to tackle some of Africa's current and future challenges.
Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), have been used for more than three decades, but in the last few years drones are increasingly being developed and used for commercial purposes.
But while inventors and entrepreneurs in Western countries struggle with strict regulations, many African countries are proving very innovative and accepting in terms of drone usage across industries.
From Kigali to Khartoum, pioneers are using drones to tackle some of the continent's current challenges...[more]
Value is the only commonality in an increasingly complex, challenging and interdependent world.
