Strathmore
Israeli Centre to work with Strathmore on Agriculture, Finance innovations
The Milken Innovation Center in Israel has entered into an agreement with Strathmore University’s Research and Innovation Centre, @iLabAfrica to develop, monitor, review and implement a Kenyan Development Lab that will offer training, student fellowships and jointly secure fundable projects that address existing gaps in agriculture and finance sectors.
Milken center is based at the Jerusalem Institute and focuses on developing market-based solutions to Israel’s greatest challenges as it transitions from a startup nation to a global nation. It seeks to accelerate economic growth, build human capital while addressing global challenges in water, food, education, health, and energy with solutions that others can replicate.
The partnership between the two Innovation Centers is expected to benefit students & scholars from both institutions through capacity building and knowledge exchange. Students from Strathmore University will be enrolled into Milken Innovation Center’s 3-credit graduate course on Financial Innovations for Economic Development taught at the Hebrew University’s School of Business, the course will nurture the learners with relevant knowledge and prepare them for development projects in the country. The students will also have an opportunity to enroll for the Global Development Practice Fellowship Program which will impart them with relevant skills to steer development activities beyond their home countries.
Speaking during the event, the Director and Senior Fellow/Founder at Milken Innovation Center- Professor Glenn Yego said that the center remains committed to working with leading institutions across the world for mutual benefits in addressing societal problems.
“I am delighted to sign a partnership agreement between Milken Innovation Center and @iLabAfrica Research Centre, partnerships between research centers are fundamental, and that is why our institution strives to work in cooperation with leading organizations around the world. We look forward to a productive relationship with the @iLabAfrica Research Centre, and with the Strathmore University Network,” said Prof. Glenn.
Milken Innovation Center will further support Strathmore University in the Co-designing and implementation of project development labs in Kenya on pressing issues such as agricultural innovations, water solutions among other challenges as identified by local country stakeholders.
@iLabAfrica Director Dr. Joseph Sevilla said that the agreement was good for staff and students at both institutions and that it was instrumental in promoting research and innovation.
“It is important to identify that the agreement we are signing today is built on the confidence springing from the efforts of colleagues at both our centers. These early steps have focused on the development of interdisciplinary research, student commitment and association with Industry” said Dr. Sevilla.
The deal is aimed at accelerating economic growth, growing skills and cementing Israel’s role as a pioneer in addressing global challenges in water, food, education, health, and energy with solutions that other countries can adopt and implement.
This new agreement builds on @iLabAfrica’s decade-old commitment to Information Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) of ecosystems towards the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with the deal set to stimulate growth in the areas of agriculture and finance.
About Jerusalem Institute Milken Innovation Center
The Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research, Milken Innovation Center focuses on developing market-based solutions to Israel’s greatest challenges as it transitions from a startup nation to a global nation. Our work leads to innovative policies and programs and financial technology transfer that democratize capital, finance ideas, create jobs, and accelerate economic growth.
The Blum Lab for Developing Economies is part of the global network of Blum Centers for Developing Economies based at the University of California (UC-Berkeley) enabling interdisciplinary problem-solving in key areas of energy, health, technology, food, water, health, and other challenges to sustainable development.
How Clean is the Nairobi Air you breath?
Strathmore launches An IoT Powered Air Quality Monitoring System: TechHewa
Internet of Things (IoT) Research Lab – 2020/2021
Citing the World Health Organization’s estimates that 90 percent of people worldwide breath contaminated air containing high levels of pollutants and that 1 in every 9 deaths is linked to air pollution, it is critical that this is kept in check. While many programs have been raised and try to curb this especially by availing data. Some of the pollutants identified include Carbon Monoxide (CO), Ozone (O3), Nitrogen (IV) Oxide (NO2) and Particulate Matter (PM2.5, PM10). There are four main types of air pollution sources:
- mobile sources – such as cars, buses, planes, trucks, and trains
- stationary sources – such as power plants, oil refineries, industrial facilities, and factories
- area sources – such as agricultural areas, cities, and wood burning fireplaces
- natural sources – such as wind-blown dust, wildfires, and volcanoes(https://www.nps.gov/subjects/air/sources.htm )
Nairobi is mostly affected by the first two categories. Most highlighted effects are health and environment problems characterized by dizziness, confusion, unconsciousness, respiratory and cardiovascular problems leading to sometimes death. These pollutants have also been known to affect sensitive vegetation and ecosystems such as forests, parks, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas. Many organizations have deployed different solutions to try monitor and curb some effects of these pollutants. A good example of such an initiative is the Nairobi Air Quality Action Plan (2019-2023) supported by the United Nations Environment Programme in partnership with the Environmental Compliance Institute. These noble initiatives are meant to provide data on the actual status of air pollution towards a policy making step. Coming from a non-technical background, these initiatives have been faced with a challenge of getting the right sensors and monitors working; and working for a time long enough to collect actionable data.
In this regard, the IoT Research Lab, @iLabAfrica, an ICT and Innovation Research Centre based in Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya has stepped in proposing and implementing an improvement of these Air Quality Monitors leveraging IoT technology and Data Analytics. It seeks to provide the technical know-how of Air Quality Monitoring devices, the respective sensors and systems, tapping into the advantages of Low Power Wide Area Networks and the Internet of Things Technology to support stakeholder engagement and projects. Downtime is highly reduced with automated checks of the health of the monitors and activation of alerts on problems detected before the devices go down. This ensures consistent collection of data which is key in getting the right quantity and quality of data. TechHewa is a prototype of this solution with data streamed over LoRaWAN Network into a firebase database from where this is visualized and shared with responsible stakeholders for analysis and insights working towards a cleaner world.
This solution comes in handy with the co-relation of air quality and climate change; global warming by ozone and cooling or warming effects by different particulate matter among other effects.
Pictorial
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IoT Research Lab – 2020/2021
@iLabAfrica – Strathmore University
@ilabAfrica-Strathmore University partners with Ukraine company to train students on block chain solutions.
THE DAWN OF A NEW PARTNERSHIP
@ilabAfrica-Strathmore University has partnered with 482.solutions, Odessa, Ukraine with the aim of providing trainings on blockchain solutions development to students at Strathmore University and other interested professionals. This training is set to equip Kenyan students with skills that will set them apart from others and provide the Kenyan market with highly skilled professionals in blockchain.
The establishment of partnerships between Strathmore University and 482.solutions became possible thanks to the assistance of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Kenya.
Blockchain technology has proven to be a catalyst across a wide variety of industries and the demand for people with Blockchain skills is very high. Many companies are looking to hire those who have the skills set to navigate this new technology. Its features of immutability, distributed nature and provenance guarantee data safety and integrity. Because of the nature of blockchain technology, hackers will have a tough time reaching all the networked nodes to tamper with any records. Blockchain technology is perfect for securing information, storage and sharing.
During the virtual MOU signing ceremony Ms. Eunice Maingi- Project coordinator in the IT Security Department and lead of the Blockchain research team, @ilabAfrica-Strathmore University said, “We are looking forward to have our first workshop in April. It will be a virtual workshop and we will have an option of making it a hybrid course for students who want to attend the course physically @iLabAfrica Strathmore University.”
Mr. Richard Otolo- Manager of the IT security research, @iLabAfrica-Strathmore University said, “After this training we can see our students engaging in projects that are focused on the industry. There are several challenges that blockchain can address like fraudulent certificates, title deeds among other key records that face major threats of fraud and tampering. The training will be a forum to upscale existing techies and to increase the number of professionals who can use this technology to combat the mentioned challenges.”
Over the years counterfeiting has become a global issue that affects a wide range of industries. Proving or disproving the authenticity and quality of an asset can quite difficult because traditional supply is complex and lacks transparency. However, if a producer or manufacturer’s goods are placed on blockchain, their origin and trail throughout the entire supply chain can be easily tracked and verified, making it difficult to pass off counterfeit products for genuine ones.
Mr. Leonid Khatskevych – Strategic Partnership Manager at 482.solutions said, “The training will offer theory and practise. Theory will be about blockchain systems in general, cryptography and about bitcoin protocol while practise will be about smart contract. Students will have an option to choose between creating of Ethereum ERC-721 token or “Voting smart contract”. He further added, “There will be our demo solution “Woden”, based on Hyperledger Fabric, where students can realize the electronic document workflow and digital voting”
Dr. Joseph Sevilla- Director @ilabAfrica, Strathmore University mentioned, “I am happy about this collaboration and I look forward to the outcomes of these trainings which will provide the Kenyan market with highly skilled professionals in blockchain. We are also looking at partnerships with government institutions to help them solve local problems by implementing blockchain solutions.”
To register for the training, Click here
Others in attendance during the signing of the MoU included; Mr. Ivan Balashov- co-founder & CFO at @482.solutions; Roman Kravchenko co-founder & CEO at 482.solutions; Alexander Kryvoruchko – co-founder & COO at 482.solutions and Ms Diana Mutua – PR and Marketing Manager @ilabAfrica- Strathmore University
@ilabAfrica-Strathmore University
@ilabAfrica is a Centre of Excellence in ICT Innovation and Development at Strathmore University. The Centre spearheads Research and Innovation in Information Communication Technology for the Development (ICT4D) of ecosystems towards the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to contribute toward Kenya’s Vision 2030. The research Centre is involved in interdisciplinary research, students’ engagement and has partnered with over 800 institutions (Universities, NGOs, foundations, and government) worldwide and other funding agencies.
About 482.solutions
482.solutions is an international software engineering provider specializing in innovative solutions using decentralized technologies. 482.solutions has offices in Ukraine and Singapore.
The key competency of 482.solutions is creating solutions for “Industry 4.0” issues; Blockchain, Future of Energy, Digital Identity, Decentralized Asset Management, Financial Products, and Services.
482.solutions mission is “We harness decentralized technology solutions that empower business and society evolution to reach a global impact.”
Food Africa Accelerator Demo Day
You are cordially invited to The Food Africa Accelerator Virtual Demo Day on 27th November 2020 from 3.00p.m EAT to 4.30p.m EAT. This event marks an important milestone in the acceleration process towards the acquisition of investment for the enterprises that participated in the first cohort of the programme.
During this highly interactive event, businesses from the program will exhibit and pitch before an investor panel to gauge their investor readiness as they kick off potential investment conversations with program investors. This being an important milestone for the businesses and program, it will also provide an opportunity for key players in the agriculture industry including company founders, venture capitalists, investors and industry partners, to network and engage.The demo day will be hosted by Make-IT in Africa – GIZ, @iBizAfrica and Pangea Accelerator.
Kindly RSVP by responding to rkilonzo@strathmore.edu, by Friday, 20th November 2020. We will follow your confirmation with a Google Calendar invite.
Event Details:
Click Zoom Invite to register.
@iBizAfrica partners with Wadhwani Foundation to build startup ecosystem in Strathmore University
Strathmore University through @iBizAfrica has partnered with Wadhwani Foundation to build a vibrant startup ecosystem in Strathmore University. Wadhwani Foundation is the brain child of Romesh Wadhwani, American billionaire of Indian decent who made his wealth through an empire of data, technology, healthcare and analytics companies.
Through this partnership, @iBizAfrica will run the most upto date curriculum and practicum that merges theory with practice. The curriculum has been developed to enable any student in campus regardless of the course of study move from self-discovery and ideation to launching and growing a startup in campus. Students taking part in the program will also join groups and form an e-cell, a student-lead club focusing on the practical aspects of entrepreneurship.
The program is free for all Strathmore students to signup and start on a path to becoming an entrepreneur in Strathmore University. The program is expected to enhance Strathmore University’s student experience and at the same time become a launch pad for student-lead companies in the University.
The program will run every Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 5:30 to 8:30 pm at @iLabAfrica (Kifaru Room). Interested students can find out more on how to benefit from this initiative by contacting @iBizAfrica via mail on ibizafrica@strathmore.edu or get in touch with Esther on esaya@strathmore.edu
Read more about Rornesh Wadhwani and Wadhwani Foundation here
Launch of Master the Mainframe Contest
IBM is launching Master the Mainframe contest to universities between April 1st and May 29th 2015.
Master the Mainframe is an exciting opportunity for students to gain real-world experience using enterprise computing skills. Hosted at high schools, colleges and universities all over the world, this unique mainframe computing contest is designed to equip students with mainframe
knowledge, and challenge their skills in a hands-on coding experience.
To compete in the Master the Mainframe contest, no experience with mainframes is necessary. In fact, the contest is designed for students with little or no mainframe experience. Students just need to bring drive and competitive spirit, and they will be ready to compete.
Prizes
IBM is offering a number of prizes to students at the different stages of the contest:
– Backpacks
– Bluetooth headsets, speakers and
– Smart phones
– All paid expense trips to IBM MEA HQ in Dubai and IBM USA
– Career edge and visibility to IBM mainframe clients across key industries
Important Details
- Students can register on this link
- For more inquireis please send an email here
- Please find here few slides explaining the contest:
Remember to share this information with your friends
The Waterloo-Strathmore Challenge- 1st inaugural Mobile Technology Challenge
Strathmore University, Kenya and the University of Waterloo, Canada have partnered to bring you the 2014 Mobile Technology Student competition. The theme for this 1st inaugural competition is:
To address agricultural issues in sub-Saharan Africa using mobile and social networking technologies
Here are a list of topics you can focus on but your ideas are NOT limited to:-
- Water
- Food safety
- Food traceability
- Food supply sustainability
- Agriculture waste management
- Value of social networks in improving any of all aspects of the agriculture value chain
- Technology as an enabler for food tracking
Teams are encouraged to think broadly on the above or related topics.
Prizes
1st Prize: The winning team will win a fully paid trip to Waterloo, Ontario Canada to give the winning team the opportunity of observing the Waterloo eco-system of venture creation and to meet individuals and groups that can further assist in developing their idea (subject to visa issuance) A complete agenda of this visit will be made available in February 2015.
2nd Prize: One team will be offered a chance to participate in the highly competitive Enterprise Development Program offered by the Strathmore Enterprise Development Centre. This training package is worth Kshs 480,000. Team members will have the chance of meeting seasoned entrepreneurs and trainers which will enable the team to practically implement their business model and grow their enterprise.
Other Prizes: Five teams will have a chance to work at the @iLabAfrica incubator at Strathmore University from February 5, 2015 – April 3, 2015.
Who can participate?
1. We are inviting teams of Kenyans to bring their technical skills and innovative thinking to solve a real-world problem.
2. The competition is open to teams of maximum four students from Kenyan Universities to submit their registration form and brief description of the agricultural problem they believe can be alleviated by a mobile-based solution.
What you need to know:-
1. Teams will be informed if they have been accepted into the competition challenge by January 13th , 2015.
2.Challenge officially begins on January 15, 2015 with the first of three rounds of video pitches administered by University of Waterloo’s Virtual Incubation Program.
Learn more about this exciting competition by clicking here. Share this information far and wide with your friends and those in your networks.
All the best!!
@iLabAfrica, SBS and Strathmore Faculty trained for Digital Marketing in Ireland
The final stage in preparing iLabAfrica to become the first Google certified digital advertising Academy in Africa, was finalised at Google’s HQ for Europe, Middle East and Africa in Dublin Ireland.
The team of 11 from Faculty of IT, School of Management and Commerce, Strathmore Business School and iLabAfrica were trained by dedicated and passionate experts from Google on AdWords and Google Analytics between 5th and 11th Dec. 2013. Adwords and Analytics are Google technologies for digital marketing and web tracking.
The five days training was conducted across four Google offices in Dublin. The training entailed hands-on Advanced Awords, Analytics, Conversion Tracking, YouTube and Google +.
The collaboration between Google and Strathmore University is expected to bare fruits when the first class for Digital Advertising kicks off early next quarter. The program will build capacity for qualified digital advertising personnel in Kenya by training students, professionals and corporate organizations in digital advertising.
@iLabAfrica 