Vitumbiko Chinoko

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its recent report of the state of climate change shockingly showed surface temperature in most part of Africa has already exceeded the Paris Agreement goal of keeping temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius. This state of climate change on the continent is extremely precarious. The poor are the most affected as adverse impacts of climate change have rendered most of them severely food insecure. One option in the suitcase of solutions to address this challenge is agricultural biotechnology.

COVID-19 spurs health innovation in Africa

A World Health Organization (WHO) study of 1000 new or modifications of existing technologies that have been developed worldwide to target different areas of the COVID-19 response finds that Africa accounts for 12.8% of the innovations. The response areas include surveillance, contact tracing, community engagement, treatment, laboratory systems and infection, prevention and control. here.

Scientists in Senegal develops a $1 COVID-19 diagnostic kit

Scientists at the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal have developed a $1 COVID-19 testing kit for mass disease testing. The kit can detect the virus in 10 minutes, does not require electricity or laboratory analysis. 10 to 15 million kits will be produced for export to other African countries by February 2021. Read more here.

A technology hub in Uganda develops self-sanitizing face masks

Innovators at the Africa Centre of Excellence for Materials, Product Development & Nanotechnology (MAPRONANO ACE) at Makerere University in Uganda have developed a self-sanitising facemask with an inbuilt sanitiser, allowing for real-time disinfection while at work. Read more here.