Philips Launches Nairobi Pilot Showcasing Solar LED Street Lighting

A new pilot project by Philips and the Kenyan Urban Roads Authority to install solar-powered LED street lighting in Nairobi has the potential to generate up to 100 per cent energy savings, if implemented on a wide scale across the country.

The pilot, the first of its kind in East Africa, was launched on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) - whose headquarters is based in Nairobi - and the UN International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, 2012.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General 

The initiative aims to highlight the benefits of sustainable energy sources and alternatives to expensive, less efficient traditional lighting.

The announcement was made during the Kenya leg of the Philips Cairo to Cape Town 2012 road show.

Solar-powered LED, the most efficient lighting technology, can save up to 100 per cent of energy compared to conventional lighting solutions.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said: “The past four decades have witnessed enormous innovation much of which is now commercial or becoming commercially cost-effective—energy efficient lighting systems being a case in point”.

“Governments and local authorities have significant purchasing power which can accelerate the evolution of markets in favour of low carbon, resource efficient goods and services—a key outcome of last month’s Rio+20 Summit in Brazil under the theme of sustainable procurement,” he added.

“UNEP is proud to be partnering with the government, the private sector and civil society to demonstrate that a transition to an inclusive Green Economy is happening and do-able in both developing to developed countries—from the public policies that are triggering a surge in renewable energy in Turkana and Naivasha; the energy efficient, solar-powered new offices of the UN at Gigiri to this piloting of LED lighting on UN Avenue, Kenya is indeed glimpsing a very different, more sustainable future for its citizens, the country and for Africa,” said Mr Steiner.

Director General of the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), Engineer Joseph N. Nkadayo, said: “It is not enough to do the footpaths and cycle paths without the street lighting which increases security at night along our roads.”

“Many unfound fears are reared by grey and dark corners on the streets. Many productive hours in Africa are wasted because of the fear of darkness or darkness itself.  We need to overcome this fear by installing sustainable source of power. I appreciate the current unparalleled technological expertise in this sector and believe Africa will be the leading beneficiary with abundant sunlight.”

“It is for this reason that I thank Philips Lighting for providing us the 8 lighting systems along UN Avenue. They may be few but you will observe that they have made walking along UN Avenue an easy ride. Those who want to exercise at night have a nice path. The gesture done to us by Philips Lighting is highly appreciated, “ he added.

“A new generation of Solar powered LED road and area lighting has the potential to transform life throughout Africa at a social and economic level” says Andre Dehmel, Philips lighting General Manager Africa. “We are very proud to be supplying an example of this to the road outside the UNEP headquarters, today,” he said.

Philips has recently announced the development of what is thought to be the most reliable, efficient and cost effective solar powered road lighting solution per km of road available in the market today.

This innovation has the potential to transform urban and rural life in areas of the world which do not have access to the electricity grid or where the grid is unreliable, making them safer and more productive. It will also help municipal authorities create more livable urban environments by applying new, future-proof LED lighting solutions to enhance city and rural life.    

The key to the breakthrough lies in the combination of new High Brightness LEDs with unique patented optics and an intelligent controller which lies at the heart of the solution.

This ensures that the maximum amount of power is transferred from the solar panels to the batteries (30 per cent more efficient than traditional charge controllers.) It also ensures that the charging and discharging of the battery happens in a smart way so as to maximize battery life and it can dim the light levels when required based on a self learning intelligence and a history log.  A further benefit of the high energy efficiency is that the cost and size of the batteries, and solar panels can be reduced significantly, by as much as 50% compared to standard solutions being offered in the market today.  

“We are looking to work with key partners to develop project solutions which are meaningful for communities throughout the continent” says Tamer Abolghar, General Manager, Philips Lighting Egypt and East Africa.

“We need to get away from just looking at the initial cost of a component and look at the overall cost of installing, running and maintaining a solar powered road lighting solution. Today Philips is best placed to provide these solutions.”    

According to findings from an independent report by the Climate Group and Philips entitled,
” Lighting the Clear Revolution, The Rise of LED Street Lighting and What it means for Cities”:

IBM endorses strategy to help mitigate cervical cancer in Kenya

By Dan Muhuni

Tony Mwai IBM Country Manager EA

A team of IBM experts have presented a plan to the Kenyan Ministry of Health and the United States Embassy in Kenya to encourage more women to request screening for cervical cancer, giving them a better chance at receiving life-saving treatment.

Currently, only three-percent of women between the ages of 15-49 request cervical cancer screening.  Given that patient records take many forms and are not necessarily shared between clinics, it is difficult for health providers to be aware of their patients’ cervical screening status, or to track health trends related to the disease. 

After investigating the issue, IBM recommended that the Government of Kenya use its existing HIV care and treatment network to refer patients for cervical cancer testing.  According to the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), women with HIV are four times more likely to develop abnormalities to the cervix, which can lead to cancer. 

The IBM team also suggested that the country's District Health Information Software be used to capture and analyze data about cervical cancer in Kenya. To that end, IBM recommended that national reporting standards and requirements be established for this disease so that health facilities can report statistics.

The ten-person IBM team, drawn from six countries, was in Kenya as part of IBM's pro-bono Corporate Service Corps programme, in which IBM deploys teams of its top employees to municipalities and countries to work on projects that intersect business, technology and society.   The cancer project for which IBM provided pro bono consulting is an aspect of the of the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon campaign, a partnership between the George W. Bush Institute, the U.S. Department of State, PEPFAR, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

“PEPFAR’s aim in Kenya is to develop and strengthen cancer control activities through supporting the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation’s National Cancer Control Strategy 2011-2016, specifically through initiation and scale up of cervical cancer screening (VIA/VILI) and point of care treatment of precancerous lesions with cryotherapy for HIV-infected women,” said Katherine Perry, U.S. PEPFAR Coordinator in Kenya. “We appreciate the support of partners like IBM to implement this important strategy.”

PEPFAR strongly supports an integrated approach to addressing the health needs of people affected by HIV. Its Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon campaign is an innovative partnership to leverage public and private investments in global health to combat cervical and breast cancer –- two of the leading causes of cancer death in women -- in developing nations in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.

“Leveraging the existing HIV care and treatment network to include cervical cancer screening is a resource sharing model that will see more Kenyan women have access to cervical cancer diagnoses and improve their treatment outcomes in the short and long term,” said IBM Country General Manager for East Africa Anthony Mwai.  “This is essentially what IBM seeks to achieve -- using data to create intelligent systems that add value to everyday lives,” said Mr. Mwai. 

A subset of the IBM team also worked with the East Africa Power Pool to design an information technology platform for trading energy within the East Africa region.  That project was coordinated with Center of Excellence for International Corporate Volunteerism (CEICV), a resource operated by USAID, the government agency that provides U.S. economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide; and with CDS Development Solutions and IBM.

IBM's Corporate Service Corps is a global IBM initiative designed to provide small businesses, educational institutions and non-profit organizations in growth markets with sophisticated business consulting and skills development to help improve local conditions and foster job creation. IBM deploys teams of top employees from around the world representing information technology, research, marketing, finance, consulting, human resources, legal and business development to growth markets for a period of one month.

Since the launch of the Corporate Service Corps in 2008, nearly 1,600 IBM employees based in 50 countries have been dispatched on more than 160 team assignments in 30 countries.

Africa is a focus continent for IBM's volunteerism programs.  Since 2008, IBM's Corporate Service Corps has deployed more than 500 IBM employees on approximately 44 teams to South Africa, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and Egypt.

Nokia Announced as Platinum Sponsor of Inaugural DEMO Africa

By Dan Muhuni

Gerard Brandjes, VP for Nokia South and EA. 

Nokia has confirmed their participation and support as the platinum sponsor for the first ever DEMO Africa to be hosted in Nairobi, Kenya in October this year.
The newest addition to DEMO's Global Launch Program, DEMO Africa 2012 will provide the most innovative new and established companies from across Africa the opportunity to launch their products on stage at this high profile event. It is also a platform for companies from outside the region to launch into the African marketplace.

“Nokia has a long and rich history on the African continent,” says Gerard Brandjes, Vice President for Nokia South and East Africa. “Our core strength comes from our local presence, deep consumer understanding and the ability to ignite and enable the local innovation ecosystem. DEMO Africa is the perfect showcase for this innovation, and we are extremely proud of our association with this flagship event”.

Forty of Africa’s most innovative technology products will be launched at Demo Africa. The product categories include consumer electronics, web applications, mobile technology, social media, life sciences, sustainable and renewable energy. Only companies that exhibit innovation, impact and the ability to scale their ideas will be considered for this prestigious launch platform.

"We are excited that Nokia has joined us in this search for the next big thing out of Africa. They have been a major player in this space and they will bring unprecedented value to the entire exercise," said Harry Hare, the Executive Producer for DEMO Africa.

Nokia and DEMO are also members of Liberalizing Innovation Opportunity Nations (LIONS@FRICA) Partnership with the U.S. Department of State, Microsoft, African Development Bank and USAID. This is a new public-private alliance aimed at enhancing Africa's startup and innovation ecosystems.

“DEMO Africa is an opportunity for Nokia to showcase our commitment to the LIONS@AFRICA partnership, as well as our continued focus on enabling the local ecosystem and adding value to our consumers,” concluded Brandjes.