The role of digital innovation in accelerating clean cooking adoption in Kenya
Wednesday 8 March, 2023 | Blog | Climate | Climate Adaptation | Digital Utilities | Energy | English | Innovation fund and grants | Kenya | Partnership engagement | Sub-Saharan Africa
We would like to thank Dr Jon Leary, Senior Research Associate at Gamos East Africa, for their contribution to this blog. Kenya aims to achieve universal access to clean cooking by 2028. This commitment is in line with the national target of transitioning to the use of ...
Digitalising energy and water services in Nepal
Wednesday 22 February, 2023 | Blog | Climate | Climate Adaptation | Digital Utilities | Energy | English | Innovation fund and grants | Nepal | Partnership engagement | Partnership-hub | Public-Private | South Asia | Water
In early February, the GSMA Digital Utilities programme, in partnership with Diyalo and Gham Power, hosted a forum on “Improving Urban Water and Energy Services in Nepal”. This forum brought together over 70 participants working across energy and water in ...
Pay-as-you-go utilities: Innovations and opportunities in Asia
Thursday 15 December, 2022 | Asia Pacific | Blog | Climate Resilience | Digital Utilities | Energy | English | Financial Inclusion | Innovation fund and grants | Partnership engagement | Water
The recently published 2021 Global Findex Database by the World Bank revealed that 1 billion people worldwide gained access to basic financial tools over the past decade. It also reveals that another 1.4 billion people are not being reached by traditional financial ...
MWC Africa 2022 – Partnering for Improved Service Delivery: Learning from leaders
Tuesday 13 December, 2022 | Blog | Climate Resilience | Digital Utilities | Energy | English | Innovation fund and grants | Partnership engagement | Public-Private | Rwanda | Sanitation | Sub-Saharan Africa | Water
On 27 October 2022, the Digital Utilities programme hosted a session titled, ‘Partnering for Improved Service Delivery: Learning from leaders’ during the first annual MWC Africa in Kigali. The session focussed on the role of partnerships in extending essential ...
Enabling essential city services through innovation and public-private partnerships: Insights from Rwanda
Wednesday 7 December, 2022 | Blog | Climate Resilience | Digital Utilities | Energy | English | Innovation fund and grants | Partnership engagement | Public-Private | Rwanda | Sanitation | Sub-Saharan Africa | Water
During MWC Africa 2022, which was held in Kigali from 25 to 27 of October, our Digital Utilities programme hosted a roundtable, as part of our Digital Urban Utilities Forums. The roundtable brought together 26 participants from 21 organisations representing government ...
World Toilet Day 2022: Celebrating innovation in sanitation
Wednesday 16 November, 2022 | Blog | Digital Utilities | English | Innovation fund and grants | Public-Private | Sanitation | South Asia | Sub-Saharan Africa | Water
This World Toilet Day, the Digital Utilities programme wanted to take a moment to recognise and celebrate some of those bringing innovative solutions to the sanitation sector. This blog highlights three areas where digital technology is pushing services further, and the ...
Introducing Bhumijo: Digitalising public washrooms in Dhaka
Wednesday 19 October, 2022 | Bangladesh | Blog | Digital Utilities | Innovation Fund | Sanitation | Waste Management
Bhumijo is a social start-up working to ensure hygienic, inclusive and affordable public sanitation. The company runs a network of public toilets and washrooms serving low-income areas in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Introducing Diyalo: Digital solutions for water utilities in Nepal
Monday 17 October, 2022 | Blog | Digital Utilities | Innovation fund and grants | Nepal | Uncategorized | Water
Diyalo is a digital solutions provider in water, working in Nepal. The company has previously developed a suite of utility management tools which have been deployed with a range of water utilities and water service providers. Only 52 per cent of Nepalis have access to piped ...
Introducing ATEC: Pay-as-you-go electric cooking for low-income customers in Bangladesh
Friday 7 October, 2022 | Blog | Digital Utilities | Energy | Innovation Fund
ATEC provides sustainable, affordable, and accessible clean cooking products for bottom of the pyramid communities through an electromagnetic induction stove solution (eCook stove) that provides clean and affordable cooking.
Introducing Koolboks: Pay-as-you-go solar refrigeration in Nigeria
Tuesday 4 October, 2022 | Africa | Blog | Digital Utilities | Energy | Innovation Fund | Innovation fund and grants | Mobile for Development | Nigeria
Koolboks provides pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar-powered refrigeration solutions, and their innovative product uses ice, as well as batteries, to convert the power of the sun into cooling.
Innovative Finance, Digital Adoption, and Partnerships: Our reflections from World Water Week 2022
Monday 3 October, 2022 | Blog | Digital Utilities | English | Global | Innovation fund and grants | Partnership engagement | Sanitation | Water
The GSMA Digital Utilities programme was pleased to join water and sanitation professionals from over 130 countries at World Water Week in Stockholm from 23 August to 1 September. We contributed to the conversation by hosting two virtual sessions. ...
Introducing Powerstove: Pay-as-you-go smokeless biomass cooking in Nigeria
Thursday 29 September, 2022 | Africa | Blog | Digital Utilities | Energy | Innovation Fund | Nigeria
Powerstove distributes cookstove units to low-income urban populations in Nigeria through a pay-as-you-cook model where the cookstove functionality and usage can be monitored through IoT technology, and enables users to generate earnings from carbon credits.
Introducing Regenize: Using digital tools to formalise and incentivise recycling in South Africa
Tuesday 27 September, 2022 | Africa | Blog | Circular economy | Digital Utilities | Innovation fund and grants | Plastics and Waste Management | South Africa | Waste Management
Regenize provides a decentralised recycle collection solution which makes recycling more accessible, inclusive, and rewarding, and provides a ‘freemium’ recycling collection service that incentivises residents with a virtual currency that can be redeemed for rewards such as ...
Introducing ReCircle: Digitising the waste supply chain in India
Thursday 22 September, 2022 | Asia Pacific | Blog | Digital Utilities | India | Innovation Fund | Mobile for Development | Mobile for Development | Plastics and Waste Management | South Asia | Waste Management
ReCircle, a brand of Swachh Sustainable Solutions, are building a digital platform that aggregates the collection and processing of dry waste to sell Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) credits to businesses, such as Hindustan Unilever Limited, and Dabur in India.
Introducing Freetown Waste Transformers: Organic waste to energy in Sierra Leone
Wednesday 21 September, 2022 | Africa | Blog | Digital Utilities | Energy | Innovation Fund | Sierra Leone | Waste Management
Freetown Waste Transformers are successfully deploying a waste-to-energy pilot using proprietary technology to convert organic waste into electricity, heat, and fertiliser right at customers’ doorsteps, cutting costs on energy and waste management bills.
Challenges and opportunities in the ‘new normal’ for start-ups in the APAC region
Tuesday 16 August, 2022 | Asia Pacific | Blog | Climate | COVID-19 | Digital Utilities | Energy | English | Innovation fund and grants | Partnership engagement | Sanitation | Water
Overview: It all began with COVID-19 It is no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has left the global economy struggling, with low– and middle-income countries facing the most pronounced challenges and macroeconomic headwinds. Growth is slowing, inflation is on the ...
The role of mobile coverage data in integrated energy planning: The case of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Wednesday 10 August, 2022 | Africa | Blog | Connected Society | Democratic Republic of Congo | Digital Utilities | Energy | English | Mobile access and use | Partnership engagement | Rural network coverage
The rise of integrated energy planning in low- and middle-income countries Data-driven integrated energy planning strategies have become a critical tool in coordinating and accelerating investments in energy access. These strategies also serve as a foundation for ...