Innovation - The African Mirror

Mar

2024

Cultural wealth can drive economic growth in African cities

WITH the right policies, African cities hold immense potential to drive significant economic growth by capitalizing on their rich cultural heritage and harnessing the creativity of their youthful populations, according to a new report. “Africa’s urban landscapes are not just repositories of heritage and tradition; they are dynamic centres of innovation, awaiting the right policies to support unlocking their full potential,” the report finds. Titled 'African Alternatives: The Future of Creative Cities,' the report is published by the World Cities Culture Forum, a network comprising local governments and cultural sector leaders from 44 global cities. Through interviews with over 150…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

TB prevention has relied on the same vaccine for 100 years. It’s time for innovation

HEALTH

TB is one of the oldest infectious diseases in recorded history. Most of the people who are ill with TB live in low- and middle-income countries where this disease is one of the leading causes of death. This is particularly distressing given the fact that TB is preventable, treatable and curable. But there’s currently only one vaccine approved against TB. And it is 100 years old. The first dose of the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine was administered on July 18 1921. The Conversation Africa’s Ina Skosana poses key questions to Bavesh Kana, one of South Africa’s leading TB researchers. BAVESH…

Jul

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…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

How to help entrepreneurs adopt cutting edge technologies to grow their businesses

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

ENTREPRENEURS are known to drive innovation and progress in various fields. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has provided an unprecedented platform to do so. SEAN KRUGER, Coordinator Strategic Innovation, University of Pretoria ADRIANA ALETTA STEYN, Senior Lecturer in Informatics, University of Pretoria This global concept was coined in 2016 by Professor Klaus Schwab. He said that this revolution entails “nothing less than the transformation of humankind” because it is the integration of technologies across the digital, physical and biological spheres. Moreover, the speed at which this is happening is influencing work, services, educational needs and people’s everyday activities. Entrepreneurs have the…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Innovation helped our business to survive COVID-19’

BUSINESS

MOST entrepreneurs battled to find alternative solutions to keep their business operations going after the COVID-19 pandemic hit South Africans in March 2020, with devastating effects to people’s lives and the economy. Over 50 000 people lost their lives and thousands of businesses suffered massive financial losses as a result of the lockdown and many did not survive. For others, however, this crisis presented a test to adjust accordingly to keep their doors open. Among them was James Matshubeng, managing director of Matoto Technologies, an Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) Consultancy firm. Said Matshubeing: “One of the difficult adjustments the…