Timbuktu Chronicles

Empire Technologies - Goma DRC

2025-08-13T17:38:00.005-04:00

Zafree Paper : Manufacturer of Tree - Free Paper

2024-03-25T08:55:00.000-04:00

Zafree Paper manufactures 100% Tree-Free and Sustainable Pulp, Paper and Packaging Solutions...Based in Ethiopia, we are pioneers in transforming agricultural waste into high-quality, sustainable paper products, delivering value and environmental consciousness to our diverse clientele.

Eric Schmidt: This is how AI will transform the way science gets done

2023-08-03T17:24:00.001-04:00

Eric Schmidt writes:

If we play our cards right, with sensible regulation and proper support for innovative uses of AI to address science’s most pressing issues, AI can rewrite the scientific process. We can build a future where AI-powered tools will both save us from mindless and time-consuming labor and also lead us to creative inventions and discoveries, encouraging breakthroughs that would otherwise take decades.

AI in recent months has become almost synonymous with large language models, or LLMs, but in science there are a multitude of different model architectures that may have even bigger impacts. In the past decade, most progress in science has come through smaller, “classical” models focused on specific questions. These models have already brought about profound advances. More recently, larger deep-learning models that are beginning to incorporate cross-domain knowledge and generative AI have expanded what is possible...[more]

A Future History of Biomedical Progress by Adam Green

2023-07-16T13:33:00.001-04:00

The apparent rate of biomedical progress has never been greater.

On the research front, every day more data are collected, more papers published, and more biological mechanisms revealed.

On the clinical front, the pace is also rapid: the FDA is approving more novel therapeutics than ever before, buoyed by a record number of biologics approvals. A flurry of new therapeutic modalities—gene therapies, cell therapies, RNA vaccines, xenogeneic organ transplants—are slated to solve many hard-to-crack diseases over the coming decade.

It seems we are finally on the cusp of ending biomedical stagnation...[more]

The Prospects of Molecular Manufacturing by Anna-Sofia Lesiv

2023-07-16T13:22:00.000-04:00

Anna-Sofia Lesiv writes:

The width of an individual DNA strand is around 2.5 nanometers. The smallest transistors that we can produce today are around 3 nanometers wide. Although we are already capable of manufacturing some devices at levels of precision rivaling the cell, there’s plenty of room for more innovation. In a landmark lecture given by Richard Feynman at Caltech in 1959, he discusses the theoretical limits of manufacturing and notes that the possibilities really go down to the level of manipulating individual atoms to create the structures and devices we want...[more]

How. can African scientists benefit from the advent of generative AI? - "Science in the age of large language models" via @Nature

2023-05-13T11:09:00.005-04:00

From Nature:

Rapid advances in the capabilities of large language models and the broad accessibility of tools powered by this technology have led to both excitement and concern regarding their use in science. Four experts in artificial intelligence ethics and policy discuss potential risks and call for careful consideration and responsible usage to ensure that good scientific practices and trust in science are not compromised...[more]

Vaccine manufacturing in Africa

2023-05-11T16:03:00.005-04:00

From the BMJ:

Globally, vaccine manufacturing requires radical reconfiguration. Its current extreme geographical skew must change to ensure health security for all. Africa produces only 0.1% of the world’s total vaccine supply,1 but self-sufficiency would make its health systems more resilient and better prepared for public health emergencies, promote social cohesion and economic progress, and insulate countries from external actions. Africa continues to be left behind in access to countermeasures in the ongoing covid-19 pandemic.2 It is the continent with the lowest vaccination levels: just 30% of people have received a complete initial protocol.3 Covax, established to guarantee equitable global access to vaccines,4 was disrupted by funding shortfalls, “vaccine nationalism,” and hoarding by richer countries...[more]

Drug manufacture-tech transfer compact holds promise for replication across Africa

2023-05-11T16:02:00.001-04:00

In Nature:

A highly efficient reactor, set to be piloted in South Africa, has the potential to transform local drug manufacturing across the continent.

The US$700 000 one-year project, awarded to the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Holistic Drug Discovery and Development (H3D) Centre, will test the innovative technology which can produce multi-kilogram quantities of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in very short time periods, says Susan Winks, H3D’s head of research operations and business development...[more]

Nigeria Is The Biggest Cassava Producer In The World. Why Isn’t It Cashing In On The Global Market?

2023-05-08T13:08:00.003-04:00

An overview of the potential in Nigeria's cassava industry:

White Phantom Mushroom - Medicinal plant to Pharmaceutical space pipeline

2023-05-07T08:28:00.004-04:00

Rare new mushroom with “exceptional medicinal” qualities found by biology student in South African woods. Compounds found in the mushrooms have been shown to have anti-cancer and anti-aging properties & the capability to treat numerous illnesses ...[more]

Financing the German Mittelstand - Lessons for African Industrial Banking?

2023-04-08T10:51:00.000-04:00

A paper by David B. Audretsch and Julie A. Elston

ABSTRACT. This paper describes how the German Mittelstand, or small- and medium-sized enterprises, are financed in Germany. The role of the German Mittelstand, both in a static and in a dynamic framework, is described and contrasted with that of the same size group in other leading industrialised countries. We find that in general, the Mittelstand has played a mmore important role in Germany than in other industrialised nations, such as the United States or the United Kingdom. The traditional success of the German Mittelstand is partly attributable to a system of finance that is richly layered by complementary institutions designed to meet the financial needs of both large and smaller enterprises. However, we find evidence that even under the German system of finance liquidity constraints exist and are greater for smaller firms. The German system of finance moreover seems particularly deficient in the channeling of funds to new firm startups in the newer industries...[more]

Agate gemstone necklaces from Botswana

2023-04-04T08:28:00.001-04:00

Yoghurt making in Kenya

2023-04-04T08:26:00.001-04:00

Exporting French beans from Kenya

2023-04-04T08:23:00.000-04:00

From Chad - Chébé a heritage hair care ingredient

2023-01-22T19:26:00.003-05:00

In Vogue:

“Chébé is a gift left up in the mountain by God so it can bring down our hair to great lengths,” says Néné Izou, a member of the Bassara Arab tribe of Northern Chad. The female members of Izou’s tribe, and other nomadic women of the region, are known for their thick and lustrous hair, which often falls well below the belly button. The key to retaining their lengths? Chébé, an ancient hair-care ritual that’s been practiced by their ancestors for millennia...[more]

Industry vs Academia: How to pick one? - @iGEMCommunity

2023-01-11T10:42:00.007-05:00

via IGEM:

Determining the various career options after our undergraduate studies can be exciting yet frustrating at the same time. You can either continue your education, get a PhD in the field, apply for positions in the industry or change your field altogether. Nathan offers some advice to senior students who are still in the midst of consideration and exploration in an industrial role; first is to trust your gut and think about what you want, it can start from reflecting on which working pace you would prefer, academic or industrial...[more]

Madagascar: the next apparel manufacturing destination - Textile Today

2023-01-05T12:08:00.005-05:00

Textile Today reports:

Madagascar ranks first amongst Sub-Saharan African countries in textile exports to the EU and third to the United States. Many fashion brands labeled “Country of Origin: Madagascar” are well-known in the United States as well as in Europe. Zara, Express, JCPenney, CK, One Jeanswear Group, Puma, Dockers, M&S, Petit Bateau, and many more fashion brands’ products are manufactured in Madagascar...[more]

Top Spin-Off Companies from Kenyatta University, Kenya

2022-12-17T18:03:00.004-05:00

Kenyatta University continues to provide an enabling environment to support innovation though the Chandaria Business Innovation and Incubation Centre (Chandaria-BIIC) which was launched in July 2011 to support new and innovative ideas from Kenyans. Below are some three highly innovation ideas with high promise...[more]

Ore Runsewe: The lady who built a homegrown beauty brand - Arami Essentials - in her bedroom

2022-12-12T22:06:00.000-05:00

From Nairametrics:

The word Arami directly translates to “my body” in Yoruba, and the idea of creating “Arami (my body) essentials” is aligned towards treating the body right. So says Ore Runsewe, the young lady who built Arami Essentials from a table in her bedroom...[more]

These Afrobeats Artistes are Investing in Tech - @VenturesAfrica

2022-12-12T21:16:00.001-05:00

Oluwatosin Ogunjuyigbe writes:

...we now have a growing list of tech investors in the music industry. Some artists are going beyond leveraging tech to promote their music to taking bets on startups. This pattern is not new on the global scene. Music stars like Jay Z, Snoop Dogg, Chainsmokers and Nas have earned their stripes as serial tech investors over the years. And now that the afrobeat genre has gone global, it’s not surprising that artists are doing the same. While some are focusing on tech as it concerns the music industry, others are pushing their knives deeper into the pie. There are several other afrobeats artistes in tech. But these are the active investors. Here are the most notable afrobeats artists funding tech startups in Africa...[more]

An African Sportswear Revolution by @NjeriWangari

2022-12-11T10:01:00.004-05:00

Njeri Wangari writes:

For a continent that has consistently produced the world’s best long-distance runners and where football is the most popular sport, few homegrown sportswear brands would have dared before to challenge the local dominance of Nike, Adidas, Puma, and Under Armor — the most recognised and revered sportswear brands. Never before have the boundaries of what sportswear ought to look like been so pushed as they have been in recent years by a new generation of culturally conscious fashion designers. Whilst striving to have an Afro-centric offering, these entrepreneurs are heralding another sportswear revolution that is bold, brightly coloured, symbolically patterned and inspired by their heritage...[more]

BioInnovate Africa is facilitating the move from Research & Development to the Market

2022-12-10T21:50:00.003-05:00

An overview of BioInnovate:

The African Indigenous Vegetable Value Chain in Kenya

2022-12-09T18:53:00.007-05:00

IREN report on Indigenous Vegetables:

Five ways to scale African manufacturing of lifesaving health products

2022-12-08T16:28:00.004-05:00

Nanthalile Mugala and Johnpaul Omollo write:

Africa has been largely reliant on other regions for medical supplies. Stronger local production would mean more equitable access to lifesaving care...[more]

Meet the Fledge Network of Business Accelerators

2022-12-08T08:04:00.001-05:00

From Fledge: