Category Archives: Resource Based Economy

South Africas levels of unemployment are corroding our society and its social fabric. They are compounding deep and damaging development deficits in every community. Currently, unused labour is a wasted national asset whose value we are letting slip through our collective hands like sand, while the social problems caused by unemployment continue to mount in communities across the country.

The human toll is incalculable. In addition, if left unchecked, current levels of unemployment pose a risk to social stability. This would undermine the prospects for the very economic recovery on which employment relies. A vicious cycle indeed. How might we turn it around?

Of course, the priority is to get the economy into the kind of high gear that can create decent work at the scale required. Right now, however, markets are still reeling from the pandemic nor were they so healthy beforehand, either. The structural changes necessary to kick-start growth are formidable and even in a best-case scenario, will take time to yield results.

We dont have time. This is why direct public investment in employment and livelihoods is such a crucial component of the wider economic recovery agenda. Its advantage is that it can create jobs right now, while the crucial, but longer-term processes of market-based economic recovery gather momentum. And lets face it right now is when we need more jobs.

This is the sense of urgency that has informed the Presidential Employment Stimulus, which President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in October 2020. After providing jobs and livelihood support to more than 550,000 people in Phase One in less than a year the stimulus aims to exceed this in Phase Two, launched in October 2021.

Phase Two of the stimulus includes a diverse portfolio of programmes designed to support employment creation and livelihoods, involving 15 implementing departments. The school assistants programme, which created more than 300,000 jobs for young people in Phase One, is back. A new cohort of more than 250,000 young people is already in post.

There are new programmes too, including a revitalised National Youth Service programme that will recruit 35,000 participants; public employment programmes in the metros; innovation to create jobs in waste value chains; a graduate programme in partnership with universities, and more all outlined here.

Among these new programmes is a focus on social employment, with the launch of a Social Employment Fund that will create work for 50,000 people. President Cyril Ramaphosa has explained its rationale:

We are working on the premise that there is no shortage of work to be done to address the many social problems in our society. The aim is to support the considerable creativity, initiative and institutional capabilities that exist in the wider society to engage people in work that serves the common good.

While the term social employment is new, its intention is to foreground the hard work already being done by civil society organisations to enable community-driven solutions to local problems. The work being undertaken takes many forms, from community safety initiatives to food kitchens, urban agriculture, early childhood development and the fight against gender-based violence. It enables dance, drama, public art, sport and the full gamut of activities needed to feed the soul even in the face of hunger and other deprivations.

What all of these forms of work share is that they serve the common good. At their best, they do so in ways that unlock local creativity and agency, building local participation and strengthening mutual support systems and resilience in communities.

Yet, too often, the work of civil society and community-based organisations is under-resourced, under-recognised and reliant on volunteer labour from within resource-poor communities. Resources are too thinly spread and the work can be hard to sustain. Instead, we need to build deep, dense networks of organisations able to knit communities together, contributing in diverse ways to a culture of participation in which people feel and indeed, are seen and heard. This, in turn, provides the scaffolding needed to strengthen meaningful partnerships with local government and other public bodies, in which the future is co-created rather than delivered.

Far from substituting for the vital roles of local government and other public bodies in delivering core infrastructure and services, social employment supports complementary community-driven activities, with the impacts of these likely to be strongest where collaborative partnerships with public bodies are possible. What matters, however, is to enable community initiative and agency alongside government delivery.

Core to the social employment approach is the recognition that unemployed people in communities are a powerful resource for development, and that even where labour might not have a market value, it has and can create social value. More to the point: even where peoples labour may have no market value, people have value and have value to offer to their communities, through their actions and engagement.

This is a far cry from the message that unemployed people currently receive, which casts them as dependent, as a burden, as surplus to the requirements of society. For many, this has deeply negative psycho-social impacts that manifest as depression and despair, converting all too easily into alienation and anger at a status quo that measures their value only as a commodity for which there is little demand.

What we need are instruments able to recognise and unlock the value that people have to offer, at the scale necessary to make an impact in communities creating employment in the process. The Social Employment Fund is one such instrument, intended to support organisations to deliver meaningful work at greater scale.

While the work needs to be non-profit in character, the focus on work that serves the common good is intentionally broad, on the assumption that communities are best placed to define it in their context. There is typically no shortage of ideas with the figure below providing just a taste of the kind of social imagination that a participatory process can produce.

Some of these forms of work have the potential to transition to social enterprise, with social employment providing a de-risking function as capacities and demand are built. Yet, desirable as transitions to enterprise-based activity are, there is no assumption that all forms of social employment can or should have a direct pathway into market-based activity reliant on a cost-recovery logic. Even where they do not, however, they often nevertheless contribute to economic development outcomes.

Take placemaking, for example. This is about transforming the use of public space in ways that build peoples sense of belonging, safety, access and ownership with opportunities for recreation and inspiration important too. The curation of regular activities that bring people together to use such spaces is a common ingredient. Often, enhanced community safety is one of the outcomes. This improves the enabling environment for local business activity and in addition, wherever people gather, market opportunities are created.

The critical challenge now is to institutionalise this approach on terms that do indeed deliver these outcomes. Part of the challenge is to do so at levels of scale, in a context in which opportunities to design for scale have been rare, despite the scale of social need. Key to the proof of concept here will be whether collaborative partnerships can be built, in which more capacitated organisations enable participation by grassroots organisations and strengthen them in the process.

Right now, the Presidential Employment Stimulus provides us with a unique sandbox for innovation in the use of public employment to create real social value for participants and communities alike. Can we seize the opportunity the Social Employment Fund creates, and use this development instrument to co-create a different kind of music? Can we dance to a different tune, in new forms of partnership learning new moves as we go? Lets try. DM/MC

Kate Philip writes this in her personal capacity.

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OPINIONISTA: Social employment creating work that serves the common good - Daily Maverick

VANCOUVER, British Columbia and DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Dec. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Victory Square Technologies Inc. (Victory Square or Company) (CSE:VST) (OTC:VSQTF) (FWB:6F6), a company that provides investors access to a diverse portfolio of next generation technology companies in key sectors including: Web 3, Gaming, the Creator Economy, NFTs and the Metaverse, is pleased to announce that portfolio company, GameOn Entertainment Technologies Inc.(CSE: GET) (OTCQB: GMETF) (GameOn) has formed a strategic partnership with Polygon ($MATIC) and Polygon Studios to build NFT-Based games on their Ethereum-based scaling platform. The deal will see Polygon Studios provide non-dilutive funding to invest in 50% of GameOns ongoing product development costs. GameOns product team is spearheaded by Santi Jaramillo, former Head of Sports at Dapper Labs and creator of NBA Top Shot.

Polygon, a pioneering blockchain that has onboarded millions to the Web3 ecosystem, recently announced Polygon Studios and plans to commit USD$100 million to projects leading the transition to Web3. Investments include DraftKings, DeFine and now GameOn. MATIC, the native cryptocurrency of Polygon, recently outperformed Bitcoin and Ethereum. Blockchain-based game companies such as Forte have surpassed $1 billion valuations.

The Polygon blockchain boasts investors that include Mark Cuban, Kevin OLeary and many other high-profile investors. GameOn continues to deepen its relationship with the lucrative Indian market that is nascent and primed for NFT and blockchain adoption, including a recent expanded partnership with entertainment super app MX Player, and an investment from its parent company, Times Internet.

The Polygon Studios investment allows GameOn to offer the full stack of capabilities from the creation, minting and selling of NFTs, to the game layers it already deploys for white label customers such as prediction and fantasy games, like the Chibi Dinos partnership. For GameOn shareholders, this collaboration provides an opportunity to participate in the upside of the burgeoning crypto and NFT spaces, while accelerating GameOns product development in a non-dilutive manner.

Leveraging Polygons technology, GameOn continues to lean into blockchain and NFTs, bringing innovative gamification to the rapidly growing Web3 and metaverse economies, said Matt Bailey, GameOn CEO. Through resource-driving partnerships and M&A, well continue to double down on being the one-stop shop for gamification, including NFT-based games.

Polygon is dedicated to supporting companies that usher in the future of Web3, said Sandeep Nailwal, Polygon Co-Founder. GameOn is one of the fastest-growing game technology providers in the blockchain space. Were excited to support their development of NFT-based games on Polygon.

ABOUT GAMEON ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGIES INC.

GameOn (CSE: GET) (OTCQB: GMETF) (FSE: 9E7) provides media, entertainment and sports companies with the most innovative white label game technologies. Since completing the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator powered by Techstars in 2018, GameOn has secured white label projects with the. Through our innovative gamification technologies and meta-layers, including first-of-its-kind NFT integration, we bring fans closer to their favorite sports and entertainment content and increase engagement through community, competition and rewards.

GameOn has a dynamic and experienced management team led by its CEO, Matt Bailey (Brooklyn Nets, Barclays Center), Chief Product Officer, Santiago Jaramillo (Dapper Labs, NBA Top Shot, EA Sports) and VP of Partnerships, Ryan Nowack (Madison Square Garden, New York Knicks, New York Rangers), as well as its Directors, J Moses (Take-Two Interactive), Shafin Tejani (Victory Square Technologies), Liz Schimel (Apple, Comcast, Meredith) and Carey Dillen (YYOGA, FIFA, IOC).

ABOUT POLYGON

Polygon is the first well-structured, easy-to-use platform for Ethereum scaling and infrastructure development. Its core component is Polygon SDK, a modular, flexible framework that supports building and connecting Secured Chains like Optimistic Rollups, zkRollups, Validium, etc., and Standalone Chains like Polygon POS, designed for flexibility and independence. Polygons scaling solutions have seen widespread adoption with 500+ Dapps, ~567M+ txns, and ~6M+ daily txns. If you're an Ethereum Developer, you're already a Polygon developer! Leverage Polygons fast and secure txns for your Dapp, get started here.

Website | Twitter | Ecosystem Twitter | Studios Twitter | Reddit | Discord | Telegram | Instagram

ABOUT POLYGON STUDIOS

Polygon Studios is the Gaming and NFT arm of Polygon focused on growing the global Blockchain Gaming and NFT Industry and bridging the gap between Web 2 and Web 3 gaming through investment, marketing and developer support. The Polygon Studios ecosystem comprises highly loved games and NFT projects like OpenSea, Upshot, Aavegotchi, Zed Run, Skyweaver by Horizon Games, Decentraland, Megacryptopolis, Neon District, Cometh, and Decentral Games. If youre a game developer, builder or NFT creator looking to join the Polygon Studios ecosystem, get started here.Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Telegram | Tiktok | LinkedIn

Check out VictorySquare.com and sign up to VSTs official newsletter at http://www.VictorySquare.com/newsletter.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Shafin Diamond TejaniDirector and Chief Executive OfficerVictory Square Technologies Inc.www.victorysquare.com

For further information about Victory Square, please contact:

Investor RelationsContact Edge Communications GroupEmail: ir@victorysquare.comTelephone: 604 283-9166

ABOUT VICTORY SQUARE TECHNOLOGIES INC.Victory Square (VST) builds, acquires and invests in promising startups, then provides the senior leadership and resources needed for fast-track growth. VSTs sweet spot is cutting-edge tech thats shaping the 4th Industrial Revolution. Our corporate portfolio consists of 20+ global companies using AI, VR/AR, and blockchain to disrupt sectors as diverse as fintech, insurance, health and gaming.

What we do differently for startups

VST isnt your ordinary investor. With real skin in the game, were committed to ensuring each company in our portfolio succeeds. Our secret sauce starts with selecting startups that have real solutions, not just ideas. We pair you with senior talent in product, engineering, customer acquisition and more. Then we let you do what you do best build, innovate and disrupt. In 24-36 months, youll scale and be ready to monetize.

What we do differently for investors

For investors, we offer early-stage access to the next unicorns before theyre unicorns. Our portfolio represents a uniquely liquid and secure way for investors to get access to the latest cutting-edge technologies. Because we focus on market-ready solutions that scale quickly, were able to provide strong and stable returns while also tapping into emerging global trends with big upsides.

Victory Square integrates a strong ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) component throughout its operations. Our portfolio highlights minority entrepreneurs, often overlooked by traditional investors, including many from developing countries. We are also dedicated to giving back to the communities in which we serve and operate. The Companys mandate is to assist organizations through its time, talent and treasure. The Company is committed to organizations that provide services in the youth, mental health, special needs, sport, tech, education, marginalized groups, First Nations, and accessibility sectors.

VST is a publicly-traded company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, and listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (VST), Frankfurt Exchange (6F6) and the OTCQX (VSQTF).

For more information, please visit http://www.victorysquare.com.

ABOUT THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE (CSE)

The Canadian Securities Exchange, or CSE, is operated by CNSX Markets Inc. Recognized as a stock exchange in 2004, the CSE began operations in 2003 to provide a modern and efficient alternative for companies looking to access the Canadian public capital markets.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the outlook of the business of Victory Square and its portfolio companies, including, without limitation, statements relating to future performance, execution of business strategy, future growth, business prospects and opportunities of Victory Square and its related subsidiaries and portfolio companies and other factors beyond our control. Such forward-looking statements may, without limitation, be preceded by, followed by, or include words such as believes, expects, anticipates, estimates, intends, plans, continues, project, potential, possible, contemplate, seek, goal, outlook or similar expressions, or may employ such future or conditional verbs as may, might, will, could, should or would, or may otherwise be indicated as forward-looking statements by grammatical construction, phrasing or context. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this news release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of Victory Square. Although Victory Square believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because Victory Square can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Although Victory Square believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, such forward-looking statements has been based on expectations, factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the Victory Squares control, including, but not limited to, the risk factors discussed in the continuous disclosure materials of the Victory Square which are available under the Victory Squares profile on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and are made as of the date hereof. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. The statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Victory Square disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy hereof.

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Victory Square Portfolio Company, GameOn, Announces a Strategic Partnership with Polygon Studios to Bring NFT-Based Games to the Masses -...

Traditional gaming is moving to the blockchain, and in more ways than one. CoinTelegraph recently reported on this, for the full deep dive check out the article here.

Lets revisit here why industry is about to explode and here is why:

Blockchain technology provides the most direct route to a Play-To-Earn economy that is global, inclusive and organically viral. Looking into the boom into blockchain gaming that is entering the Metaverse, let us look into a few games.

Alien Worlds, is a game built on the Wax blockchain. In the game, players compete for a scarce resource, TLM, which they use to enhance their power in the game by staking and voting in a DAO. Alien Worlds had over 1.5 million players in the past 30 days, surpassing Axie Infinity as the most popular crypto-based video game in the world. TLM is also an actual cryptocurrency that has doubled in value in the past month from $0.19 to $0.38.

Another up-and-coming game is CryptoMines, which is a SciFi play-to-earn NFT game where players compete to collect Workers and Spaceships to travel through the universe searching for a cryptocurrency called $ETERNAL. It has seen 229,000 users on its platform over the past 30 days.

In this nascent and rapidly growing gaming metaverse, CoinFantasy is securing a position as a leader in the fantasy gaming sector. CoinFantasy has its skin in the game with its upcoming gamified fantasy crypto markets.

CoinFantasys Play-To-Earn model allows anyone to participate. To join in users only need to take three steps:

There are over 100 unique NFT player card attributes with different rarities. These NFTs will allow users to participate in crypto fantasy club events and also entitled to collectibles & in-game merchandisers

GameFi, with its Play-To-Earn model and the metaverse, will continue to rise and what it can mean for the world. Can it mean a new world economy? Can it mean an opportunity for everyday people to improve their situation in life?

The next two to three years of this economy will be telling and exciting, to say the least.

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Play-to-Earn, Metaverse and the New Generation of Fantasy Gaming Solutions - NewsBTC

As countries made ambitious pledges to decarbonise their economies at Novembers Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow, Iraq stayed silent.

The country faces a major problem. Oil is the lifeblood of its economy, not only for revenue but also as fuel for power stations to address a chronic shortage of electricity.

Oil exports make up the bulk of Iraqs national budget, more than 90 per cent of annual revenue, most of which is spent on public sector wages. This leaves little to spend on green energy.

Iraq is now vulnerable to being left behind: 35 countries pledged to transition entirely to electric vehicles at Cop26, revisiting the 2015 Paris Agreement that Iraq ratified in January.

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Its most recent national environment strategy calls for a reduction of emissions of only 2 per cent by 2030.

Meanwhile, its electricity problems call for urgent solutions. Frequent power cuts have prompted a national protest movement, which was met with force leaving hundreds dead.

Iraq's population is also expected to double to 80 million by 2050, the year set as a target by dozens of countries to drastically cut gas emissions, part of the Paris agreement.

This rapidly growing population depends on oil revenue for everything from food imports to public sector wages.

For former energy minister Luay Al Khateeb, Iraq must its priorities right, even if that means setting aside Cop26 targets of cutting emissions to net zero by 2050.

We shouldnt neglect current and future challenges, such as the severe shortage of electricity and shrinking water supply, just to achieve a target that doesnt fit our priorities. So, if we are talking about existential threats facing humanity, we should also talk about the existential threats facing Iraq based on its national security, Mr Al Khateeb, a distinguished fellow at the Centre on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University in New York, told The National.

Successive governments have struggled to resolve the power crisis, in part because the Iraqi government has failed to set aside enough investment to upgrade the national grid or incentivise private investment in the sector.

Repeated oil price crashes since 2014 have seriously depleted Iraqs investment capital for renewable projects.

Exactly how Iraq can achieve zero emissions remains an open question.

Impressive as they sound on paper, the countrys green projects, including solar energy programmes, planting millions of palm trees and introducing more efficient technology to generate power, are far from enough.

Transitioning to solar energy has been a slow process, in part because foreign companies have been nervous about large energy projects in Iraq.

Many solar projects have not yet left the planning stage. Others are still nascent.

But a project with Masdar which has headquarters in the UAE to install about 1 gigawatt of solar power would be an important step forward and could inspire confidence to launch similar schemes.

Currently, about 76 per cent of Iraqs electricity supply comes from oil burning, while gas provides the bulk of the remainder. Solar and wind account for about one per cent.

Natural gas is also plentiful, a byproduct of oil extraction, but capturing and processing it is expensive, even if it makes sense economically in the long term.

Instead of capturing the gas, many oil companies choose to burn it off, a highly polluting and wasteful practice called flaring.

Mr Al Khateeb says that the continuing waste of a precious resource like natural gas could light up to four million homes.

I know that the current government is committed to reducing to zero flaring by 2025. But we've seen similar targets being missed. In 2010, the then government pledged to cut down flaring to zero by 2015. We missed that. Today, they have added five more years to hopefully meet the target by 2030, he said.

Despite Iraqs attachment to the allure of oil revenue and burning hydrocarbons for electricity, the reasons for supporting the global green transition are becoming more stark.

The UN Environment Programme classifies Iraq as the fifth most vulnerable country in the world to decreased water, food availability and extreme temperatures.

The warmer Iraq gets, the more frequent droughts become, raising soil salinity to levels that render fields useless for farming.

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The country is expected to record a 2C increase in temperature and a 9 per cent decline in rainfall by 2050, says the Climate Change Knowledge Portal, a centre for climate-related information, data and tools for the World Bank.

Such a rise would smash Baghdad's heat record of 51.8C, reached on July 29.

These levels of heat would be unbearable for most people and could prove the final straw for Iraqis already exhausted from poor electricity supplies.

The Paris Agreements ultimate goal is to keep increases in global warming to well below 2C, aiming for 1.5C, and to nudge the nearly 200 signatories, including Iraq, to keep pace with the necessary global transformation to sustainable development.

Raheem Noor Dawood and his son at home in the Chabayech Marshes in southern Iraq. Haider Husseini for The National

Ali Al Lami has served as an environment and climate change adviser to different Iraqi governments and was among the official Iraqi delegation at Cop26.

He recalls how Iraq used to be named in Arabic Ard Asswad (the land of blackness) due to its fertile farmlands with the annual overflow of the Tigris and the Euphrates depositing thick layers of silt and clay on Iraq's vast floodplains.

The seasonal rain has failed in recent years compared to the past decades. Im not exaggerating when I say that we have three seasons of summer today, as winter, spring and autumn have become very short. I would say drought has become the biggest threat to Iraq and its food security today, Mr Al Lami told The National.

To address the problem, Iraqi economist Mazin El Shaiker, who has managed large corporations in Iraq including Motorola and Asia Cell, suggests that the country needs to rein in the overbearing role of the state in the energy sector, with its record of bureaucracy and corruption.

Instead, the government should be more proactive in inviting local and foreign investors to develop the transition to a green economy, he said.

The concept of having an investor is almost not there, you know, this build, operate and transfer system is hardly being used in Iraq. The government wants to fund everything and this is wrong, he told The National.

I've always advised the governments in Iraq not to invest a single dollar in the power infrastructure and solar stations to dispense with oil. They're still trying to fund these projects and I keep telling them 'no', he said, insisting that private investors should take the strain.

For Iraq, that transition to private investment in green energy cant come soon enough.

Updated: December 3rd 2021, 3:28 AM

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Can Iraq balance the needs of people with a green agenda? - The National

The Coast Team Innovators (CTI) is a technology hub located in Watamu at the Coast Region in Kenya. CTI is an innovation hub for youths aiming at solving problems and making life a better place for all Kenyans. Mr Egan Baya founded the group back in 2016 to incubate young innovative minds and create an enabling environment for them to reach their full potential. Currently, there are 27 young innovators at the CTI; the youngest in the team is eight years old. Furthermore, CTI has had an enormous impact in the coast region of Kenya, especially in motivating the youths through empowerment programs, training and local exhibitions through STEM in schools fairs and community-based programmes. In addition, CTI has since participated in several exhibitions/hackathons, winning a host of awards.

To learn more about the CTI and their offerings, Space in Africa had a chat with CTIs Head of Communications, Curtis Wanzala, to discuss the Uhuru K1 satellite project and other projects within the organisation.

Satellite communications play a vital role in the global telecommunications system. Approximately 2,000 artificial satellites orbit the Earth which relays analogue and digital signals carrying voice, video data to and from one or many locations worldwide. In addition, many African nations have been embracing space technology development leading to improved collaboration within Africans to ensure that we develop space systems in-house, void of any foreign party involvement. Also, Kenya Space Agency (KSA) is one of the space agencies in Africa focusing on developing technologies and applications for space exploration to support sustainable economic, social and environmental development. Consequently, KSA hopes to achieve its mandates by promoting research and innovations in space science and technology to enhance the over development of the country.

The Uhuru K1 satellite project is led by members of the CTI, including the Founder of CTI, Mr Egan Baya; CTIs Head of Communications, Curtis Wanzala; Lemmy Kafulo and Gershone Kafulo. The Uhuru k1 was coined from Its predecessor, the Uhuru satellite launched from San Marco Malindi, Kenya, in 1970 to conduct space astronomical studies. However, the Uhuru K1 is a uniquely inspired artificial satellite that would revolutionise the global communication sector and provide multiple functions. A multi-function satellite is an innovation that has never been implemented in our continent, Africa.

The Uhuru k1 satellite project began in 2018 after our participation at the Young Scientist of Kenya (YSK) at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC). At the event, the Kenyan president and the patron of YSK, HE Uhuru Kenyatta, challenged all Kenyan youths to develop solutions to improve Kenyas communication capability. We thus named the satellite [Uhuru K1] in honour of our honourable president. However, before embarking on this project, our team has developed several other solutions to better the lives of our countrymen. Therefore, we felt that its part of our role to embrace space science and develop a satellite system to solve Kenyan problems, especially in the communication and IT sectors.

However, like several other African states, internet connectivity in Kenya is abysmal, especially in remote regions. Therefore, we took it as our responsibility as Kenyan youths to collaborate and provide solutions to the communication challenges across Kenya.

The satellite project is a prototype at the Beta development stage, and it includes a cube nanosatellite, microsatellite and ground control stations. Furthermore, the prototype satellite has proven to be reliable, and we are now focused on developing a telecommunication satellite that will be launched to space soon. We hope that well be able to leverage the momentum from the project to stand out as both an upstream and downstream service company and offer better, reliable and more affordable service in Kenya.

The Uhuru k1 is a multi-band telecommunication satellite, a unique multi-service satellite specifically designed to ensure faster and better network accessibility in all areas within its coverage. Presently, it consists of a prototype of a cube satellite (nanosatellite 9.2kg), a microsatellite (54kg) and a ground station. Furthermore, it is specifically intended to promote Industrialisation.In addition, the Uhuru k1 uses the C band for fixed and mobile services. Also, it has high powered transponders, mainly operating under the VHF and UHF frequency bands. This allows for faster signal transmission, as its geographical coverage is much broader, thus bypassing signal losses caused by terrain obstructions and line-of-sight (LOS) propagation signal interference due to the radio horizon limit.

Also, the Uhuru k1 uses the Ku band for broadcasting services. The main reason is to help create awareness in remote regions and for educational purposes through various legitimate open-access resources. This will help our fight against the lack of education in underdeveloped regions as one may only need a simple radio or television to access these resources. Furthermore, the satellite can be accessed by a remote platform. It can also provide information via radio FM, VHF and LW receivers primarily to caution road users about blackspot areas prone to accidents.

In addition, the solar panels on the satellite can be adjusted via remote systems. This allows for adjustable angular position to ensure optimum powering of the satellite at all times. Also, the ground station is equipped with a multi-band array of antennas capable of receiving and relaying/transmitting radio signals. A full band modulator also integrates all received radio signals, both VHF and UHF bands, respectively. Furthermore, the Uhuru K1 also has ham radio receivers and cellular mobile network amplifiers that receive the frequencies on the radio spectrum, mainly to modulate and re-transmit or broadcast mutually throughout the airwaves.

Moreover, the Uhuru k1 satellite is currently a prototype weighing 54kg, and there are limitations to its capabilities as its design presently fares incomplete in regards to its full potential. The main factor is limited funds for better resource allocation. However, with significant contributions from the local community and personal contributions, the Uhuru k1, though in its BETA state, can broadcast up to a 40-kilometre square radius and from only 15 meters off-ground, held stationary between two palm trees, by robust metal cables. This signifies that it harbours even more tremendous promise to national and international implementation. Also, with the necessary support, the Uhuru k1s capabilities would be limitless. To date, we have spent around KSH 1.2 million (USD 12,000) on the prototype and are still working assiduously to improve its capabilities.

ITUs global telecommunication/ICT Indicators database shows substantial growth in fixed (wired) broadband subscriptions in developed and developing countries. Also, dating back to 2010, fixed (wired) broadband subscriptions reached 8% penetration, up from 6.9% penetration a year earlier. However, despite these promising trends, penetration levels in developing countries remain low 4.4 subscriptions per 100 people compared to 24.6 in developed countries.

Consequently, the Uhuru K1 offers a cocktail remedy to global communication. Some of these solutions include:

Coast Team Innovators is a small growing hub of resourceful professionals in diverse professions and expertise. This has made it ideal for members to collaborate and develop solutions to realise a common goal. We have been operating on bootstrap funding as members keep on investing more as the need arises. We are also looking forward to a government grant from Kenya Space Agency (KSA) and the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) to reach our potential.

Yes, we are in contact with the Kenyan government by liaising with the Ministry of Defence through the Research and Development Branch. Also, we are currently in the process of engaging the KSA for partnership into the space project. In addition, we are in contact with other ministries within the Kenyan government on different projects besides the Uhuru k1 satellite project.

Also, our goal is to collaborate with the government to ensure that we transform Kenya into a knowledge-based economy with innovators capable of taking charge of any and all space systems to propel Kenyas social, economic and environmental development.

We plan to do this in a couple of ways:

The problem is relatively easy to diagnose most African countries are still new to the space community. However, several countries have recorded incredible feats in their space journey, including Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, etc. Therefore, fostering more collaborations between African countries should be a top priority for the industry stakeholders to ensure that we bring the remaining countries without a robust space programme onboard. Also, the expertise should be deconcentrated so that each country would contribute based on technical capacity and exposure. In addition, I firmly believe that Africa can begin to record a continental growth in space programs and explorations through such programmes.

Through our team, we are already laying the foundation for this across the continent. Also, we are witnessing a surge in students taking STEM courses, which is a prerequisite for space science and engineering courses. However, we need to invest more in capacity development and exchange programs in every space-related programme to establish a sustainable talent pipeline to meet future skills needs in Africa. It might take a while to achieve, but it is the best way to move forward as a continent.

I am also not surprised that many prominent inventors and scientists from the 20th-21st century are Africans, including our own Elon Musk, a South African native scientist and entrepreneur. And I am confident that we have more than enough talents on the continent to produce more talents that would replicate and surpass Musks achievements.

Yes, we have been involved in a host of other innovations, including:

2. Hybrid S.U.V Truck is an African made truck specifically designed for fuel consumption on Africa roads and to generate less pollution. The vehicle is custom made to fit our daily needs in transportation. It is in the fabrication phase stage.

3. Improvised Explosive Detective Vehicle (IEDV) a vehicle designed to fight terrorism by offering detection of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as deep as 2metres below ground and 3metres radius detection. In addition, the vehicle also has tight vision driving systems.

4. Hovercraft designed for deep and shallow water transport

5. Smart Home System an integrated system that uses renewable energy systems in security systems and controls. The house is programmed to each clients requirements.

6. Smart farm an automated modern farm capable of yielding much produce with minimal human involvement.

As a team, we would like to live in a future where access to information is much faster compared to what we have today. As a result, we would like to develop solutions targeting the realisation of remotely operated contraptions, i.e. networked traffic systems, to solve heavy traffic jams in populated cities globally. Furthermore, we are interested in solutions to enhance the implementation of perfect navigational and global guidance systems through a centralised hive satellite network connective. Also, we would like to design a satellite system capable of conducting astronomical studies that would enable deep space ventures in search of potentially habitable planets. We would also like to collaborate with other African nations that share our passion and aspirations of developing an improved method to tackle thruster handling challenges and propulsion system control in space.

Mustapha has a strong relationship with written words and enjoys elaborating on minor details with a plethora of information.

Click here to get real time data and information on every Segments and players in the African space and satellite industry.

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Meet the Team of Young Innovators Pioneering Novel Solutions in Kenya - Space in Africa

With a landmass bigger than India, China, the US and Europe combined, few doubt the scale of the African continent and its resources. However, until recently, only some have seen it as the growth market that it is fast becoming.

Africa has grown its economy by five per cent annually over the last decade. With its population steadily growing towards two billion, the continent is projected to have the largest workforce by 2040. Also, with a collective GDP of $2.6 trillion by 2020 and $1.4 trillion of consumer spending, many see the impact of around 500m new middle-class consumers.

After witnessing its worst recession in half a century in 2020, Africas economy is forecast to grow at a healthy pace of 3.8 per cent in 2021, driven by rising global demand as restrictions are eased, untapped market opportunities, a rebound in commodity prices and a rise in oil prices.

While Africas vastness and diversity allow for entrepreneurship to flourish across communities, it also poses challenges to creating universal solutions for issues such as poverty and food security, because each country has its unique capacity for innovation. For instance, while Ethiopia, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Rwanda and Kenya ranked in thetop 10fastest growing economies worldwide in 2020, the continent still holds some of the poorest nations in the world.

African economies are not the same in design. We have the oil exporters: Nigeria, Angola, Libya and Algeria; and the more diversified economies found in Egypt, South Africa and Morocco. Then there are countries transitioning from agricultural to manufacturing and service economies, such as Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, and Cameroon.

In a bid to diversify away from resources, several nations have been pushing hard to grow other sectors of the economy. For example, while Nigeria remains very much an oil-exporting economy, its service sector now accounts for 60 per cent of its GDP. Its film industry, Nollywood, was valued at $3.6 billion in 2016 and is projected to be worth $6.4 billion by 2021.

In Angola, Africas second-largest oil exporter, fishing, agriculture and manufacturing growth now means that a third of government revenue comes from non-oil sources. After the success of m-Pesa mobile payments in Kenya in 2007, many African states have become world leaders in fintech adaptation.

In addition to government support, Africa is attracting global investors due to its vast resource base and untapped market options. Recently the UK pledged to invest $4.5bn in Africa by 2022, which is expected to create jobs and accelerate economic activities.

When we probed intowhether Nigeria needs a stronger naira, we mentioned that GDP per capita is a more effective way to measure an economy. Based on steady growth in GDP per capita over the last decade, here are the top five most prospective African countries to watch.

Mauritius

Aided by an extremely favourable tax regime, the GDP per Capita in Mauritius is equivalent to 72 per cent of the worlds average. The financial sector remains one of the main drivers of Mauritius economy notably through cross-border investment activities and banking services. Between 2011 and 2020, Mauritius improved its GDP per capita consistently from $8123.6 to $10,644. Mauritius is such a politically and socially stable economy that it is ranked 21st among the most peaceful countries in the world. Also, the country recently signed a trade agreement with China, making its transportation and financial sectors even more prospective.

Morocco

In 2011, the North African countrys GDP per capita stood at $2948.84. Since then, it has witnessed constant growth in its GDP per capita, save for 2020. Moroccos GDP per capita is expected to reach $3,240 by the end of 2021. According toTrading Economics, it is projected to trend around $3350 in 2022.

Moroccos economy benefits largely from political stability. In less than a decade, Morocco rose from 114th to 53rd on the ease of doing business rankings.Global Dataexpects Morocco to be the fastest-growing major economy in Africa.

Rwanda

Since 2000, Rwandas economy has grown at an impressive average of six per cent year over year. The East African country is reaping from the efforts it has made to improve its operating environment. Rwanda ranks second in the world for ease of property registration, behind only New Zealand. Rwandas GDP per capita maintained an upward trend from $630.93 in 2011 to $834.39 in 2020.Trading Economicsexpects Rwanda to become wealthier than ever next year, with its GDP per capita around $870 in 2022 and $890 in 2023.

Kenya

Kenya is one of the leading tech hubs in Africa. Nicknamed the Silicon Savannah, Kenyas economy has been on an upward trajectory in recent years, growing between five to six per cent. According to the World Bank, it is one of the worlds top performers in Starting a Business and Getting Credit.

Kenya moved steadily from a GDP per capita of $1,202.12 in 2011 to $1,513.44 in 2019. Despite the economic downturn of 2020, it stood at $1,475. The East African countrys GDP per capita is projected to reach $1550 in 2022 and $1600 in 2023.

Cote DIvoire

Regarded as Francophone West Africas economic hub, Ivory Coast is the worlds largest exporter of cocoa beans. Despite a dramatic economic decline in 2020, GDP per capita stayedslightly below the previous years record high. Between 2011 to 2020, its gross GDP per capita steadily ascended to $2,310 from $1,526. Analysts expect Ivory Coasts GDP per capita to reach 2330.00 USD by the end of 2021. They also project $2360 in 2022 and $2400 in 2023.

Written by Oluwatosin Ogunjuyigbe

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The top five most prospective African countries to watch - Ventures Africa

The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) has announced the commencement of an 18-month funded partnership with WasteAid, tasked with supporting the development of waste management strategy in The Gambias Greater Banjul Area.

Home to 26 per cent of the Gambian population, the GBA currently lacks comprehensive waste management systems, according to CIWM. WasteAid states that the project will see the charity engaging with a host of stakeholders in order to progress the delivery of sustainable waste management capacity, develop skills among the professional community and support the transition to a circular economy through education, training and investment.

Whilst the partnership is the first of its kind for CIWM, and should assess whether its response to country-specific needs is targeted and relevant, WasteAid has been operating in The Gambia since 2015. It has historically collaborated with a network of government, private sector and community-based organisations working within sustainable waste management, though this coalition should see the charity head the formation of a fully-fledged circular economy complex for the first time.

According to the two organisations, the scheme will see the delivery of training and events throughout the region, as well as the roll-out of a mentoring programme between CIWM members in the UK and The Gambia. WasteAid also claims that it will be running a challenge for grassroots circular economy innovations and developing a sustainable waste and recycling system that includes livelihood opportunities for 30 vulnerable people.

Ceris Turner-Bailes, WasteAid CEO, commented: We are sincerely grateful to CIWM for supporting WasteAids work in The Gambia. This project complements our previous recycling projects by helping develop a shared vision for sustainable resource management and a circular economy on a regional and national level. CIWMs involvement means we can also leverage knowledge sharing and mentoring opportunities to drive best practice and promote professional standards in waste management.

Sarah Poulter, CIWM CEO, said: Sustainable waste management is a global social responsibility and a core element of the CIWMs ambition to move to a world beyond waste. The decision to support WasteAids work in The Gambia is underpinned by the countrys genuine desire to better manage the waste it produces and develop a more circular economy.

Were excited about the positive impact this partnership will have on peoples lives and are committed to helping educate and inspire the local professional community. In doing so there is the opportunity to dramatically improve resource efficiency and create an environment where circular strategies can flourish.

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CIWM and WasteAid announce Gambian waste project - Resource Magazine

IT spending in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is forecast to total $1.7 billion in 2022, an increase of 2.6 per cent from 2021, according to a recent forecast by Gartner.

The recovery of the IT sector in MENA will continue in 2022, says Miriam Burt, managing vice president at Gartner. In 2022, digital transformation projects will advance moderately from 2021. Underpinned by the GCC Country Visions, the rapid shift of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from an oil-exporting economy to a knowledge-based economy will be a major influence.

The rise of renewable energy and the subsequent dip in oil prices due to Covid-19 expedited the transition towards a knowledge-based economy to reduce the regions dependency on oil exports. Additionally, the direction and guidance from the various governments of the GCC in their country vision statements, the advent of 5G, increase in digitally skilled local workforce, and rapid digitalisation of sectors such as banking and retail, will present a growth-conducive environment for IT spending in the region through 2022.

Communication services will continue to be the largest segment in 2022, making up 66 per cent of total IT spending in 2022. IT services will emerge as the fastest growing segment in MENA in 2022, forecasted to grow 8.6 per cent, followed by the software segment which is expected to grow 8.2 per cent.

Devices will be the only segment expected to decline in 2022. In 2021, the pandemic response was a primary reason for the uptick in spending on devices. This trend will stabilise in 2022 as MENA CIOs will work on advancing their remote/hybrid working models, virtual learning, digital commerce and tele-medicine projects.

Ehab Kanary, CommScope Infrastructure EMEA, emerging markets sales VP comments With the increased dependency and implementation of online solutions and the increased implementation of virtual workspace during the pandemic, it was evident that this will remain present post pandemic. Due to its dexterity, scalability and accessibility, cloud computing will be present far longer. Similarly, virtualised networks have proven to help companies and organisations manage data handling and work without the need for physical intervention. It can support IT through gaining several key insights towards network performance, overall network health, and resource consumption. Another advantage here is the fact that cloud networking-as-a-service can eliminate the difficulties of infrastructure management,

So, moving into 2022, we can only expect more organisations to implement technologies that ensure increased operational resilience to deliver long-term efficiencies. The Gartner report reiterates this point. We can see an increase in IT spending and Data Center Systems in the near future. Therefore, remote and hybrid models of working will undoubtedly remain in place, with many favouring a more decentralised approach to living and working, he adds.

As IT spending continues to increase and IT services evolve as the fastest-growing segment in MENA, its more important than ever for organisations to be future-ready. With digital transformation now occurring in every organisation and industry, more apps will be developed in the next two years than in the entire history of the software industry. There will be an incredible wave of innovation, and the companies that are best prepared to succeed are those that can manage constant change, address software development talent shortages, and adopt the latest technology and processes. Status quo software development approaches need to give way to modern technologies that increase developer productivity, reduce complexity, and prepare organisations for true innovation, said Rodrigo Castelo, vice president Middle East and Africa, OutSystems.

However, with accelerated digitalisation, organisations must ensure a robust cybersecurity framework.

Ray Kafity, VP- META, Attivo Networks says, Enterprises undergoing transformation or moving to the cloud need to be wary of the rising threat of credential-based attacks, which according to sources, are attributed to nearly 3/5th of all cyber attacks. As IT spending rises and more and more people move to cloud-based services, they need to deploy Identity Detection and Response solutions that supplement the traditional ones to thwart such attacks.

Read: Gartner forecasts worldwide IT spending to exceed $4 trillion in 2022

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IT spending in Middle East and North Africa to grow by 2.6% in 2022: Gartner - Gulf Business

This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Rwanda and the People's Republic of China. The world was a very different place in 1971, when our countries first established diplomatic ties. Rwanda had been an independent country for less than 10 years with a very fragile economy, and China was not yet the political and economic powerhouse it is today.

Compared with when our relationship started, Rwanda and China have now completely transformed. From many aspects, the evolution of our respective countries over the last half a century reflects the changes that have taken place on the international stage and the rise of South-South cooperation.

Rwanda and China first established diplomatic relations in a world where non-Western countries occupied a weak position in the world economy. Neither country had a say in international matters, let alone playing a role.

China's unprecedented economic growth, coupled with its exceptional achievements in poverty reduction and human development, has not only inspired African states but also contributed to global economic development.

Despite having been devastated by the genocide against the Tutsis 27 years ago, Rwanda has experienced a remarkable post-genocide development trajectory and is widely acclaimed for its economic growth, poverty reduction rates, public safety and security. An estimated 1 million people have been lifted out of poverty as a result of sustained economic growth.

Following economic reforms and industrialization in the 1980s, China experienced uninterrupted economic growth, which has led to unprecedented economic development and a great improvement in people's living conditions. In only 40 years, China managed to lift 850 million people out of extreme poverty.

While Rwanda follows its own path, our development model shares similarities with that of China. China's approach to its transformation was based on its own realities, cultural values and traditions. Similarly, the Rwandan strategy has focused on, and continues to focus on, preserving policy autonomy and national sovereignty while utilizing all available foreign resources.

The relationship between Rwanda and China has been continuously reinforced over the years and was further cemented with the visit of President Xi Jinping in July 2018, when he signed 15 bilateral cooperation agreements with Rwandan President Paul Kagame. The agreements signed during the visit focused on strengthening mutual investment in such areas as infrastructure, e-commerce, law enforcement, human resource development, civil air transportation cooperation, geological survey, visa exemption policy and the Belt and Road Initiative.

When taking a closer look, it is easy to understand why our relationship grew so close.

China understands and supports Rwanda's vision and transformation, by offering support in key areas to reach one of our central goalseconomic self-reliance and graduating from foreign aid.

In addition, Rwanda has found valuable market opportunities in China by supplying specialty agricultural commodities such as high-quality chili peppers, tea and coffee. This beneficial relationship was made possible thanks to the reforms undertaken by the government of Rwanda by adopting business-friendly policies to attract foreign investors.

In the context of China-Africa cooperation via the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which was established in 2000, China continues to support Rwanda's socioeconomic development projects.

The eighth ministerial meeting of FOCAC, which will be held on Monday and Tuesday in Dakar, Senegal, will be yet another opportunity for China and Africa to make new commitments in the next three years.

Expectations from both sides are high, as the meeting will take place when joint efforts are underway to develop strategies for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Dakar declaration and action plan will undoubtedly cover crucial areas such as health, infrastructure and support for small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as efforts to increase imports from and investment in African countries.

By 2049, which will mark the centenary of the People's Republic of China, China aims to build a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious.

Rwanda has for its part set a long-term development strategy aimed at transforming the country into an upper-middle-income country by 2035 and a high-income nation by 2050. The overarching goals for the two strategic visions are economic growth, prosperity, high-quality development and improved living standards for Rwandans.

Relations between China, the world's future economic leader, and Africa, the youngest and fastest-growing continent, as well as between China and Rwanda, will be at the center of the changes that will arise in the decades to come.

As President Kagame recently said during the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, "Our firm intention is to deepen our relationship even further in the next half-century of cooperation."

I firmly believe that our cooperation in the next 50 years will be even stronger and more beneficial for our two peoples.

The author is Rwanda's ambassador to China.

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Rwanda, China look to next 50 years of good ties - Chinadaily USA

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

In keeping with the increasing importance of data in the global economy, governments have become more given to putting restrictions on the flow of data across their borders. According to a new report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, theres has been a marked increase in the number of countries putting up regulatory barriers to keep data from moving freely, from 35 in 2017 to 62 today. As a corollary development, theres a push for companies to host information on home soil to ensure data privacy, national security and the protection of local industries.Although laws like the EUs General Data Protection Regulation dont necessarily require that data be stored locally, an increasing number of governments are doing so. But theres a catch: data held tight within borders may be easier for governments to monitor and regulate, but it also means that some businesses will miss out on great opportunities.

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Some countries require that data be stored within their borders, and others additionally demand that businesses and other organizations that process and transmit sensitive data maintain a physical presence within the relevant nation. Recent developments in data privacy laws including regulations in countries around the world are putting significant pressure on global companies to ensure that corporate operations and customer handling procedures are compliant with data security requirements. But how to meet these diverse technical, legal and commercial strictures? We will get to that in a bit.

Related: 4 Essentials for Complying With the New Data Privacy Regulations

As regional economies move to put data localization policies into place, there are two divergent paths upon which the global community might function. One is practiced by China, which restricts data flows and forces companies to operate according to its laws. The other, followed by a number of countries (including the United States and some parts of Europe), allows for a relatively free flow of cross-border data.

Today, information is the most valuable resource in the world. Similarly, the most important assets of any company are its IP and brands essentials that serve as gateways to their products and services. For example, Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Tencent and Visa are among the largest companies in history, and much of their essential infrastructure is held on the cloud with information flow spread across vast distances, in both authoritarian regimes and republics. But how to arrive at a standard that fits all their needs?

Related: Why Having the Right Data Strategy Is Critical to Your Company's Success

As highlighted earlier, data privacy regulations (data localization in particular) come with their own set of challenges. Creating a model that enables you to localize easily will give you the freedom to focus on meeting customers needs, no matter where they live or what language they use. Given that, the best course of action is to take a risk-based approach, with a holistic team that continually reviews data techniques and relates them to the business's goals.

Data can be grouped into two categories. The first is associated with corporate operations such as marketing, HR and finance. Such data can be made anonymous and then entered in a highly secure and efficient manner (e.g., end-to-end encryption). The second involves personal customer data. A good way to assess risk in this category is to conduct an inventory of your data practices within the limitations of GDPR, which requires, among many other stipulations, that each controller and representative shall keep a record of processing activities.

Ultimately, companies trying to compete need to have a solid grasp of their data flow and how it is stored. That said, it would be a big mistake to think of data maps as permanent records of your organizations information flows; every time a decision-making process or department structure changes, or some data is added in a new format, you need to revise data maps to reflect that change.

Related: 4 Steps to Simplify Customer Connections in the era of Globalization

Although the best hope for data localization is to develop uniform controls and standards that countries around the world can adopt, the balkanized landscape of data in motion will continue to shape how global businesses operate, and cloud providers have already begun to address this challenge of localization by offering specifically designed solutions.

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The Future of Data Localization in a Globalized World - Entrepreneur