INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS
FROM AROUND THE CONTINENT
KENYA Modern sanitation technology integral to 10 000 classrooms programme
BOTSWANA Rural connectivity and e-governance The government of Botswana is implementing new measures to help expand connectivity across the countr y. As repor ted by ITWeb Africa, Botswana’s Minister of Communications, Knowledge and Technology, Thulagano Segokgo, confirmed the government’s goal of extending the geographical range of mobile signal in the countr y, as well as pushing fixed ser vices to unconnected rural areas. “Connectivity, like access to water, is simply a human right,” said the Minister, adding that ongoing connectivity effor ts are suppor ted by the development of government online ser vices. Segokgo noted that the ministr y was assessing the tariffs offered by operators and internet ser vice providers to ensure that favourable packages are accessible to consumers and added that the government would strive to look at other policy measures it can adopt to reduce the input costs for operators and in turn reduce tariffs. Botswana’s government is currently implementing a rural connectivity initiative that aims to connect 500 villages with digital infrastructure, providing internet access to clinics, schools, businesses and municipal buildings in previously unconnected regions.
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IMIESA June 2022
The Kenyan government’s plan to construct an additional 10 000 classrooms to accommodate the expected surge in student numbers once learners transition from primary to junior secondary schools under the Competency-based Curriculum has been welcomed as a necessary step. The transition will require an increase in teachers, equipment, meals, transport services and other infrastructure that provides access to adequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). These WASH facilities make learning easier and play a key role in improving productivity by reducing incidences of communicable diseases – including diarrhoea and typhoid – which often result in missed school days. However, one of the main reasons that implementing large infrastructure projects becomes a challenge is due to the disruption to communities that they cause. Kenya is awash with examples of hostilities that arise every time construction begins on a new road, sewer or transmission line. Luckily, there are great strides in technology that can solve these challenges in a sustainable way. One such technology is Weholite HDPE, which is being used to manufacture wastewater, stormwater and sewage tanks, as well as manholes. Unlike other building materials, Weholite HDPE technology enables infrastructure products such as tanks and pipes to be designed and customised to fit at specific sites, then manufactured within a factory level, producing high-quality results. The advantage of this is that school WASH infrastructure can be installed with minimal disruption to communities and at a fast pace. The lightweight nature also makes such infrastructure easier to transport, which is paramount when the target schools are in far-flung areas. Weholite technology additionally has a service life of over 100 years.
MOZAMBIQUE US$40 million invested into solar and wind In the next five years, Mozambique’s publicly owned electricity company – EDM – will add to its capacity a fur ther 600 MW of energy, including 200 MW from renewable sources, to accelerate the process of providing energy to the entire population of the countr y. The solar and wind power plants will be constructed under the Renewable Energy Auction Programme. The first solar plant using energy storage will be in the city of Cuamba, Niassa, with a capacity of 15 MW. There will
also be plants at Dondo, Sofala, and Lichinga, Niassa. A wind power plant is being planned in the town of Namaacha, Maputo. A representative of the EU, Verlee Smet, proposed the development of an energy resource centre to strengthen the national distribution network and ensure the achievement of universal coverage by the end of 2030. “The EU will suppor t the government to develop the National Renewable Energy Centre that will be key to the integration of renewable energy by providing greater control of the balance between supply and demand to ensure the stability of the network.”
