Congratulations to the Semi-finalists of the Milken-Motsepe Prize in Green Energy!
Why Green Energy?

Why Green Energy?

A lack of access to reliable electricity in many sub-Saharan countries is one of the most serious obstacles to economic growth. To achieve SDG 7 in Africa, energy generation capacity will need to double by 2030 and be multiplied fivefold by 2050. Currently in Africa, only 58% of the continent’s population has access to electricity, leaving more than 600 million Africans without access to electricity, despite progress in recent years. Excluding South Africa, nearly one billion people across 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa share roughly the same generation capacity as Germany, which has only 83 million people. And Africa’s population is set to exceed 2 billion by 2040.

Even for those Africans with some access to electricity, reliable access remains a major problem. Many African countries experience recurrent electricity outages and interruptions in service (load shedding) due to unreliable grids, constraining GDP growth in some countries by 2-4% annually. According to some estimates, about two-thirds of Africa’s existing grids are considered unreliable.  Over 70 percent of African businesses experience regular electrical outages—the highest percentage for any world region—and African firms report that, on average, about 30 percent of their electricity comes from generators, producing excessive amounts of carbon emissions and requiring over $13 billion in unnecessary spending on diesel and petrol. 

While African countries have contributed almost none of the world’s cumulative greenhouse gas emissions, there is a growing consensus that Africa can become a global leader in the green energy transformation, as part of a broader energy strategy to power economic development on the continent. At present, however, only 9 percent of Africa’s current energy supply comes from renewable sources.  An underlying motivation of the Milken-Motsepe Prize in Green Energy is that new sources of reliable, sustainable electricity can help advance progress across the full range of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), by helping expand access to quality education and safe housing, for example, and by powering agricultural innovations that can expand food security.

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ITWeb Africa: Researchers Unveil AgriTech Plan to Boost Rice Production

ITWeb Africa recently featured IRRI-AfricaRice, the Third Place Winner of the Milken-Motsepe Prize in AgriTech. In this article, Venuprasad Ramaiah, PhD, head of the International Rice Greenbank at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), details the importance of growing flood-tolerant rice varieties across Africa. Read the full article here.

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ITWeb Africa: Agritech start-up Karpolax seeks action in Kenya, Tanzania

ITWeb Africa recently featured Karpolax, the Second Place Winner of the Milken-Motsepe Prize in AgriTech. In this article, Karpolax co-founders Sandra Namboozo and Samuel Muyita share the company’s plans for expansion, “bringing its green nanotechnology solutions for fruit shelf-life extension to new markets”. Read the full article here.

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ITWeb Africa: Tanzanian agritech start-up NovFeed eyes global goal

ITWeb Africa, a South Africa-based business technology outlet, recently featured NovFeed, the Grand Prize Winner of the Milken-Motsepe Prize in AgriTech. In this article, NovFeed co-founder Otaigo Elisha offers insight into the impact of the competition and the $1 million Grand Prize, as well as NovFeed’s potential to “transform the food industry” in Africa and around the world. Read the full article here.

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