SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION - The African Mirror

Jul

25

2021

Rwandan farmers pin hopes on new tech to tackle food losses

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

AIMABLE TWAHIRWA Rwanda is trying to reduce post-harvest loss by relying on new technologies to increase the amount of food available for consumption and help smallholder farmers confront some challenges caused by the overproduction of staple crops. For over 20 years, Cyriaque Sembagare, a maize grower from Kinigi, a mountainous village in Northern Rwanda, had survived on farming to feed his extended family but struggled with the loss of a significant portion of his harvest to rot. High levels of aflatoxin prevent farmers in remote rural Rwanda from selling maize to high-value buyers. “I have been selling maize on the…

Jul

22

2021

By The African Mirror

South African scientists explain why they make time for science festivals

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

SCIENCE festivals across the world attract millions of visitors every year. They are typically busy, buzzing events: visitors stroll through interactive displays, enjoy science-themed shows and popular science talks and take part in hands-on workshops. MPFARELENI REJOYCE GAVHI-MOLEFE, Mathematical Scientist & AIMS House of Science Manager, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences ERIC A. JENSEN, Associate Professor in Sociology, University of Warwick MARINA JOUBERT, Science Communication Researcher, Stellenbosch University These events appeal to different groups of people for different reasons. For adults, they provide rare – and valued – opportunities to talk directly to scientists while learning in a leisure context.…

Feb

26

2021

By The African Mirror

Nigeria isn’t big on 3D printing. Teaching students how to use it could change this

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

3D printing is a technology that’s forecast to change the world. Already several fortune 500 companies – such as Siemens, General Electric, and Boeing – have invested in it. OSEZUA IBHADODE, Research Assistant, University of Waterloo AKII IBHADODE, Professor of Manufacturing, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun 3D printing mimics regular paper printing where a computer-aided designed part is sent to a printer for direct manufacture. Technically, this involves the digital data of a computer-aided 3D model design being sent to the printer which then produces the object layer-by-layer. The process enables the conversion of almost any virtual object into…

Feb

28

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Spooky’ AI tool brings dead relatives’ photos to life

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

UMBERTO BACCHI LIKE the animated paintings that adorn the walls of Harry Potter's school, a new online tool promises to bring portraits of dead relatives to life, stirring debate about the use of technology to impersonate people. Genealogy company MyHeritage launched its "Deep Nostalgia" feature earlier this week, allowing users to turn stills into short videos showing the person in the photograph smiling, winking and nodding. "Seeing our beloved ancestors' faces come to life ... lets us imagine how they might have been in reality, and provides a profound new way of connecting to our family history," MyHeritage founder Gilad…

Apr

06

2021

By The African Mirror

Why South Africa’s electricity blackouts are set to continue for the next five years

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

SOUTH Africa is once more experiencing periodic power cuts. These typically take the form of scheduled supply interruptions, for two to four hours a day, whenever the country’s electricity system is overloaded. Such overloading currently happens on 40-50 days a year. HARTMUT WINKLER, Professor of Physics, University of Johannesburg Eskom, the country’s power utility, recently admitted that such interruptions are likely to persist for as long as the next five years. This is because of the increased down-time of the rapidly ageing fleet of coal plants. But it is also due to delays in setting up new power plants. The…

Jul

16

2021

By The African Mirror

Ghana’s electricity supply mix has improved, but reliability and cost is still a challenge

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

GHANA has made significant progress over the past 10 years in increasing electricity generation and access. This has supported higher levels of economic growth. However, beneath these improvements lies inefficiencies, including extraordinarily high distribution losses. Electricity is also quite expensive in Ghana. If not addressed, these issues could derail Ghana’s development agenda. THEOPHILUS ACHEAMPONG, Associate lecturer, University of Aberdeen BRIDGET O. MENYEH, Research Associate, Loughborough University As countries transition their economies to ones that use less carbon, they need to build balanced energy systems. These must be anchored on high energy security, universal access at affordable prices and low emissions.…

Jul

15

2021

By The African Mirror

To track innovation on the Silicon Savannah, just follow the latest hustle

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

CONRAD ONYANGO THE Silicon Savannah moniker may be wearing a little thin but second-hand clothing trader Offie Otieno is living proof that East Africa's tech and innovation hotspot is as dynamic as ever, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Otieno's platform of choice for his hustle? Whatsapp. Offie Otieno is standing inside his stall on Moi Avenue on a busy weekday morning, hand in pocket. The second-hand clothes trader would usually be busy scanning the central Nairobi crowd for potential customers. Today, he pulls out his mobile phone and, unlocking the screen, clicks on the Whatsapp icon and moves to the app’s status. After scrolling through his…

Apr

09

2021

By The African Mirror

Social media users in Kenya and South Africa trust science, but still share COVID-19 hoaxes

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

THR COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread disinformation circulating on social media globally. This includes false information about the virus, its origins and possible cures for the disease it causes. Much of the inaccurate information was related to China, the country where the first cases of atypical pneumonia were reported in December 2019. This was determined in January 2020 to be caused by a novel coronavirus. HERMAN WASSERMAN, Professor of Media Studies in the Centre for Film and Media Studies, University of Cape Town DANI MADRID-MORALES, Assistant Professor in Journalism at the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, University of…

Jul

10

2021

By The African Mirror

We found traces of drugs in a dam that supplies Nigeria’s capital city

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

PHARMACEUTICALS – drugs used to prevent or treat human and animal diseases – are essential for health and well-being. But the increasing use of these drugs means that remnants of them are showing up in the aquatic environment. They are contaminating our waters. IFENNA ILECHUKWU, Lecturer of Environmental Chemistry, Madonna University, Nigeria Pharmaceuticals are part of a group of substances known as emerging contaminants. Although they are potentially harmful to human and ecological health, they are yet to be regulated and routinely monitored in the environment. Most conventional treatment plants typically do not remove emerging pollutants because they were not…

Jul

08

2021

By The African Mirror

Dance off: Why are Black TikTok creators going on strike?

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

SHARON KIMATHI BLACK dance creators are boycotting TikTok on the grounds that their viral routines are being co-opted by white social media influencers without credit or compensation. How did the strike start and what steps could the Chinese video app take to meet the demands of those protesting? How did we get here? TikTok is a social media app that hosts short musical clips ranging from three to 60 seconds where people lip-sync, perform skits, take on challenges and perform dance routines. Top-performing creatives use the app to gain followers and become ‘influencers’ which can lead to lucrative opportunities in…