Africouleur

A delightful assemblage of fabrics,textiles & fashion in Paris,Africouleur:

via Pattern & Texture by Essence
Photo courtesy of Africouleur

Atoms are the new Bits

In Wired Magazine Chris Anderson talks about the "new industrial revolution":

...in an age of open source custom fabricated ,DIY product design ,all you need to conquer the world -and to profit -is a brilliant idea:

Tech Innovation Centre-Ihub Nairobi

iHub: Nairobi’s Tech Innovation Centre,Techshops next?:

iHub First Look - Nairobi's Tech Innovation Hub from Ushahidi on Vimeo.
"...will have a redundant 10Mbs connection, hardwired and WiFi, and it’s freely available to any tech person in Nairobi to use once they become members. Membership is free, our only requirement is that you are indeed involved in the tech space as a programmer, web designer or mobile application developer..."-Hash

Distributed Solar Power emerges

In Earth2Tech:

Bloomberg New Energy Finance solar analyst Nathaniel Bullard, who called the distributed solar/cellular metaphor “apt,” said that according to the firm’s data some developing countries in Africa with very low grid access will be getting 50 percent of their power needs from distributed solar in the next decade. In addition, Bullard says that the cost of solar doesn’t necessarily have to come down in price for the market for distributed home solar in developing countries to grow. These home solar systems are replacing kerosene lighting and disposable batteries, which can be expensive and take up a disproportionate amount of a residents’ expenses, pointed out Bullard.

More here

"Growing our Own Food"

In AllAfrica Boakai M. Fofana reports on the remergence of food gardening in Monrovia:

The garden around Quaye's house has a variety of crops, including cassava and potatoes. The women set basket traps in the nearby swamp to catch fish. "We get a lot of fish during the raining season," one of the teenage girls said. "That's what we cook."
Growing up here, I remember backyard gardens were common in many parts of Monrovia, especially the suburbs. There were plots of land with all sorts of crops, especially traditional vegetables such as bitter bulbs, onions and peppers. But people also planted rice, Liberia's staple. Potato greens that make a delicious local sauce were cut out of backyard gardens and almost never bought from markets. My brothers and I had one of these gardens.

More here
Photo courtesy of Boakai M.Fofana/AllAfrica

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Why to be Wary of “Design for Developing Countries”

Krista Donaldson writes:

Much design for development work tends to be short-term ventures dependent on Western designers’ free time and/or the fiscal schedules of donor agencies. Understandably, the goal in these situations is a product. It makes sense; the design of an artifact seems like a manageable scope. But this short-termedness is all too well-known in most less industrialized economies. In Kenya, an expat colleague who was doing user testing of a cargo bicycle was told, “It’s fine for you if I buy this product and it breaks because you will go back home. Me? I’m stuck here with it.

More here(PDF)

Dystopia

Wired reports on Wanuri Kahiu's Sci-Fi Film, Dystopia:

Pumzi, Kenya’s first science fiction film, imagines a dystopian future 35 years after water wars have torn the world apart. East African survivors of the ecological devastation remain locked away in contained communities, but a young woman in possession of a germinating seed struggles against the governing council to bring the plant to Earth’s ruined surface...[continue reading]Watch trailer:

Shea Yeleen

Next Billion interviews Rahama Wright founder of Shea Yeleen:

Shea butter is a unique commodity in Africa because producing it is considered women's work, equivalent to cooking, taking care of household, etc. As more products are made from shea butter, there's a unique opportunity for women to benefit if they're able to sell products. When women are empowered economically it changes their lives, the lives of their children, and their communities...[continue reading]

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First Self-Sufficient School For Girls in Kenya

In Teach A Man to Fish, the Lwandi Dudi Secondary school

...involves the establishment of a poultry unit which aside from producing eggs also provides fertilizer for horticultural plots and a fruit tree nursery.
Eggs, vegetables and tree seedlings are sold through a ‘Green Food Kiosk’ at the local market and profits reinvested into the school. On top of this, awareness of the project is being spread through drama, videos and ‘eco-information’ talks given by the students...[continue reading project blog here]

John F Marshall Manufacturing

"...John F Marshall Agriculture and Industry is both a manufacturer and supplier of Agricultural and Industrial equipment including poultry supplies. Our own unique range of equipment is complemented by parts, accessories and equipment procured from local and international sources. Our motto is "if we don't have it, we will either make it or source it..."-website
via Digivu
Image: solar fruit dryer

Shalom Organic Farm

Bid Network profiles the Shalom Organic Farm founded by Joy Lwanga:

“I needed to sell my eggs so I moved from one supermarket to the next. I got the deal with Shoprite by approaching the buyer on my own. He took interest in my goods and gave me a chance to try it out. By then, there were no organic local eggs being sold in supermarkets. The most difficult thing was to get bar codes and special trays to pack my eggs. I got help from family and also Shoprite guided me through the procedures”...In two years her production has increased from 0 to 3900 eggs per week. “The demand is so high that faced with capacity constraints I convinced other villagers to breed local eggs as well and trained them. With the additional eggs from my out growers, I now manage to supply Shoprite with over 3000 eggs per week...[continue reading]

Alternative Energy Dev Corp and Fuel Cells

AEDC prides itself on implementing "...the worlds first commercial electrification project using zinc air fuel cells..."Their products include:

-12 Volt DC Fuel Cell Sets
-Fuel Cell Control Units
-LED Cluster Lights

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African Pixel

Founded by Wilfred M Mworia, African Pixel "...is a startup mobile software development company that specializes in making software for Smartphone platforms..."Hash writes, the company's "...first application is iScribe (iTunes link), a simple tool for writing a journal on your phone. It’s the tool I’m using to write this post as it pushes to WordPress...[continue reading]"

Brick World Zambia

Brick World "...aims to pioneer alternative and innovative construction solutions.
products and services..." Their offerings include:

-Concrete blocks
-Concrete and clay bricks
-Clay Roof Tiles
-Pre-cast Concrete accessories; kerbs and air vents.
-Crushed stones

via Zambian Economist

Gyapa (Good Fire) Charcoal Stove

Myweku reports on the 'Good Fire' stove:

...the workshop we visited was manned by a Coordinator who kindly took some time off to talk to us about the stovjob was to train apprentices across Accra and elsewhere on manufacturing the Gyapa (Good Fire) Charcoal Stove and to distribute work amongst the workers across the Kokompe Market...The Gyapa Stove (the stoves branded name) has several environmental sustainability benefits. A ceramic liner is fitted to it which helps to improve fuel efficiency by up to 50% over a traditional coal pot as 40% to 50% less coal is used. The stove retains heat better, is easy to use, lasts relatively longer (3 years) and apparently pays for itself in charcoal savings in as little as 2 months!

More here
 photo courtesy of Myweku

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David Kwaku Celestin-Radio Engineer

 Switchboard interviews Maker Faire Africa innovator David Kwaku Celestin, read excerpts below:

How did you build it(the radio transmitter), were you supported in anyway?

I started with Intercom system and then advanced to an FM microphone. The breakthrough was a wonderful dream I had on how to go about actually building the transmitter. I always perform my own calculations because most project circuits published on the net are problematic and do not work well if at all. By performing the calculations myself, I will have confidence in the project from the very first step. The secret is getting the right information; I do a lots of analysis and combine formulas using logical/creative thinking. With a little information on the phenomena of electromagnetic waves, and being able to interperate components datasheets, I was able to build a 5 watts FM transmitter in the year 2004/2005.

As a participant, what was your experience of the Maker’s Faire Africa?

It was the first time I realized that great Inventors are normal people like us, only they have the perseverance to do what they do despite the failures they encounter. I talked to inventors that I have heard of but never imagined meeting. People like Albert Einstein and Bill Gates become so highly respected when they help solve the world’s problems and I want to be one making life easy through technology is one of my priorities. It was wonderful to meet like minded people.

More here

The Internet is Africa’s “Gutenberg Moment”

In publishing perspectives Muhtar Bakare, founder of Kachifo on publishing at a recent African Literature Week event in Oslo, Norway:

There are lively publishing enterprises in different areas of Africa that are not formalized in the European sense. But they exist, they are not cataloged, [they] don’t have ISBN numbers… there’s no systemic way of tracking and engaging these enterprises…”...“The internet is our own Gutenberg moment,” he told the Oslo audience. “The internet is going to democratize knowledge in Africa.”

More here
via O'Reilly Radar
Photo courtesy of Publishing Perspectives

Ekena Ijeoma-Interaction designer

Ekene Ijeoma's work includes "...Design, Direction, Programming and Research for interactive media,objects ,installations and spaces..."

Eun Jeong Test from ekene ijeoma on Vimeo.

Quick Hits

Graphicist Karo Akpokiere is deploying his drawing skills through the Seekproject
Innovation Africa highlights the promise of solar powered drip irrigation. 
Hosafa-A directory of "African life worldwide"
AIDG & Catapault Design partner on a pico wind turbine.
Founded by Kayode Jegede Afrobridge is an Africa-Asia trade and manufacturing outfit.
Kyaratt energy a renewable energy delivery company.

Dominic Wanjihia's 'Flat Parabolic Mirror'

Afrigadget profiles the work of Maker Faire Africa participant, Dominic Wanjihia:

Everyone knows what a parabolic reflector is, right? It’s supposed to be a curved surface that collects energy by converging it towards a focus. Parabolic reflectors were invented a very long time ago and have been used in satellite dishes, spot lights and car headlights to name a few. They are also widely used for alternative energy projects to concentrate solar energy for heating and cooking...Dominic (designer of the flexible solar vest, the solar dryer, and camel milk cooler for Somalia) thinks that the parabolic mirror should lose it’s shape which is an obstacle, to transportation and function.So how does the flat parabolic mirror work? Dominic has cut inch wide 2 foot long pieces of flexible acrylic mirrors and arranged them at specifically computed angles. When angled towards the sun, this creates a perfectly focused beam of light.
...[continue reading]

Low-Cost Solar Invades Kenya. Nigeria Next?

Hash writes:

...Besides Solantern and ToughStuff, there are other projects like Portable Light (and others) working on low-cost solar for East Africa. It’s like the stars have aligned and all the cleantech companies are starting to really look at Africa as a place to make money – which it is.

The AfriGadget-side of me is waiting for local funds to get their hands on these and to start customizing them for local needs. I want to see 8 ToughStuff solar panels daisy-chained together and used to power something larger. I want to see the wall-of-panels that light up 10 lights across a large room for night classes. The sort of thing that takes local needs, local technical talent and local businessmen to make happen.

Photo courtesy of Business Daily

'The Third Wave of Industrialization'

While Africa waits for its First Industrialization.In Text Sushi, Alf Rehn writes about the upcoming '...Third Wave...':

The real story is that technology and society are developing together in a way which makes old notions of control and lock-in effects outdated. Instead, we’re seeing how technologies that are now seen as marginal and/or hypothetical – things such as fabbing, 3D-printing, synthetic biology, ubiquitous computing and so on – are pointing to a future in which the quest for sustainability and advanced technology have together created a situation where the old industrial model of mass production for mass consumption has given way to something far more decentralized and thus less easy to control.

Watch related 'MakerBot' video below

More here
via Fabaloo

Flex Fuel for Africa?-Bloom Boxes

Boing Boing profiles  stealth mode Bloom Box

Bloom boxes are fuel cells that create electricity using a variety of energy sources. Powered by natural gas, they could produce cleaner power for Western homes. Running on plant waste, they could bring grid-less power to developing countries. And they could also be used as storage/backup for solar and wind generation.

Country Home

Food Processor Country Home, manufacturers canned products which include:

-Whole Tomato in tomato Juice
-Whole Red Pepper in Brine
-Garden Eggs in Brine
-Pepper Puree
-Shitto (Hotly-Spiced Pepper Sauce)
-Palava Sauce, (Spinach/ kontomire and Egusie Stew)
-Orange Marmalade (Ideal as bread spread)
-Fruppa( Palm Fruit Concentrate for Palm nut Soup Preparation)

via Nubian Cheetah

Finally Made

Azbiz profiles Prince Ampong founder of Finally Made:

“This recession doesn’t bother me,” said Ampong. “When you come from the bottom, you can’t go anywhere else but up.”Ampong had plenty to smile about recently. He and the rest of the Finally Made family celebrated the boutique’s first year in business, as an eclectic mix of hip-hop pumped through overhead speakers. Throughout the night, Ampong made the rounds to customers ranging from hipsters, hip-hop heads, and college kids who had converged on the small shop, bearing witness to the young entrepreneur’s American dream.

Nigerian Application Companies

Startups Nigeria highlights a number of Software Application companies,they include:

DabarObjects an Information Technology Consultant that specializes in the areas of Dekstop Application Solutions, Web and Internet Related Services and SMS Messaging Intelligent applications, with a mission : “To move your services forward by creating simple and good quality software".

Websoft provides Innovative web and mobile solution, and the list of their services include: Provide sms gateway, Website design, Web based applications, Web Hosting, Mobile Applications for PDAs.

More here

AgroGenetics

Innovation Africa highlights AgroGenetics "...Which uses biotechnology through tissue culture techniques for micro-propagation of different crops on a commercial basis:

the company produces tissue cultured plantlets of different crops like bananas, coffee, tea, cassava, yams etc, ornamentals and forest trees. These plantlets are of high quality and are produced in large quantities over a short period of time

Conversations with Farmers

Holindintwali Cyprien, "farmer and livestock keeper" on Heifer International and his intent to have “the wider community to benefit from his experience.”

via WorldWatch Institute
Read about related work in the biogas arena here

Mobile Cloud Computing – A concept

Afromusing reports on Africa Gathering speaker Simeon Oriko, who proposed a Mobile Computing Cloud with the following attributes:

- Put the processing in the cloud. Think Amazon EC2. Put the storage there too so the mobile acts as a dumb terminal of sorts. Storage space on mobiles is still quite expensive, but storage online can be very cheap, and processing information online is much easier that on mobile phones.
- Create a common platform that all mobile phones can share. Its tedious to make apps for the myriad OSs like Android, Iphone, Symbian, J2ME
- Integrated solutions like PesaPal

More here

Shaffi Mather on 1298 Ambulance and fighting Corruption

TED India Fellow Shaffi Mather the founder of 1298 Ambulance discusses his life saving transportation company and plans to fight the booming business of corruption in public service,

The Maker Culture contd.

James Turner on 'The Maker Culture' in Oreilly Radar:

There's always been a DIY underground, covering everything from Ham radio to photography to model railroading. But the level of cool has taken a noticeable uptick this decade, as cheap digital technology has given DIY a kick in the pants. The Arduino lets anyone embed control capabilities into just about anything you can imagine, amateur PCB board fabrication has gone from a messy kitchen sink operation to a click-and-upload-your-design purchase, and the 3D printer is turning the Star Trek replicator into a reality.

Manufacturers cringe in fear as enterprising geeks dig out their screwdrivers. The conventional wisdom was that as electronics got more complex, the "no user serviceable parts" mentality would spell the end of consumer experimentation. But instead, the fact that everything is turning into a computer meant that you could take a device meant for one thing, and reprogram it to do something else. Don't like your digital camera's software? Install your own! Turn your DVR into a Linux server.

More here
Photo courtesy of Afrigadget