Africa's Path to Sustainability: Harnessing Technology, Policy, and Collaboration

This paper explores the significant role of technological advancements, strategic policies, and collaborations in driving Africa towards a more sustainable future. It highlights how the continent's increasing adoption of innovative technologies, such as renewable energy solutions and digital infrastructure, coupled with well-crafted strategic policies and international collaborations, is transforming various sectors and fostering a sustainable future. These advancements have not only improved access to basic services like healthcare and education but have also created new opportunities for economic growth and job creation. The paper emphasizes the importance of ongoing collaborations between African countries and international partners in sharing knowledge, expertise, and resources to accelerate sustainable development efforts across the continent. The paper discusses different international organizations that have collaborated with and assisted Africa in the areas of technical innovation, finance, and knowledge exchange necessary to achieve a full-scale sustainable future. Despite their humanitarian efforts, Africa faces tremendous hurdles in attaining a sustainable future. These challenges range from a lack of access to technology and digital infrastructure in rural areas to difficulties in harnessing technological advancements due to infrastructure and connectivity constraints. These challenges have hindered Africa's ability to fully leverage the potential of technical innovation and digital solutions for a sustainable future. Limited financial resources and investment opportunities have further impeded progress in achieving the necessary infrastructure and connectivity upgrades. The continent is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which further hinders its development progress. Therefore, it is crucial for ongoing collaborations between African countries and international partners to address these challenges collectively and work towards long-term solutions for a sustainable future in Africa.Citation: Nwokolo, S., Eyime, E., Obiwulu, A., & Ogbulezie, J. (2023). Africa's Path to Sustainability: Harnessing Technology, Policy, and Collaboration. Trends in Renewable Energy, 10(1), 98-131. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.17737/tre.2024.10.1.0016

Sustainable Development Report: Blockchain, the Web3 & the SDGs

This is an output paper of the applied research that was conducted between July 2018 - October 2019 funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and conducted by the Research Institute for Cryptoeconomics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and RCE Vienna (Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development).Series: Working Paper Series / Institute for Cryptoeconomics / Interdisciplinary Researc

Sustainable Development Report: Blockchain, the Web3 & the SDGs

This is an output paper of the applied research that was conducted between July 2018 - October 2019 funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and conducted by the Research Institute for Cryptoeconomics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and RCE Vienna (Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development).Series: Working Paper Series / Institute for Cryptoeconomics / Interdisciplinary Researc

Optimizing Onion Crop Management: A Smart Agriculture Framework with IoT Sensors and Cloud Technology

Smart agriculture, fueled by the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud technology, has revolutionized modern farming practices. In this study, we propose a step-by-step framework for optimizing onion crop management using IoT sensors and cloud-based solutions. By deploying various IoT sensors, including soil moisture, temperature, humidity, and aerial drones, essential data about the onion crops is collected and transmitted to a central data hub. Optional edge computing devices enable real-time data processing, minimizing latency and bandwidth usage.The collected data is aggregated and stored securely on a cloud platform, which facilitates advanced data analysis and insights. Utilizing machine learning algorithms, the cloud platform can provide valuable information about the onion's growth patterns, health status, and growth trajectory. Farmers can easily access this information through a user-friendly dashboard, accessible via web or mobile applications.Automated alerts and notifications enable timely intervention, notifying farmers about any deviations from optimal conditions, such as low moisture levels or pest infestations. The system's predictive capabilities allow for precision irrigation and nutrient management, optimizing resource usage and improving crop health.The accumulated historical data offers a wealth of information, enabling the identification of trends and the prediction of growth patterns for future planting seasons. Throughout this process, data security and privacy measures are prioritized, with encrypted data transmission and storage to protect farmers' sensitive information.The integration of IoT and cloud technology provides an efficient and effective solution for monitoring onion crop growth. The proposed framework offers farmers valuable insights, improves productivity, and promotes sustainable agricultural practices

Fusion of Blockchain and Sustainable Development Goals: A Bibliometric Analysis for Future Trends

Blockchain technology has emerged as a transformative solution for enhancing transparency and accountability across various dimensions of sustainable development. Given the limited exploration of Blockchain’s synergy with sustainable development goals, there exists a compelling rationale to undertake a bibliometric literature review aimed at identifying forthcoming research trajectories. Employing the ”Blockchain” AND ”Sustainable Development Goals” keywords, an extensive search was conducted across Scopus and Web of Science databases. This endeavor yielded a corpus of 271 articles published within the span of 2017 to 2023. Subsequent adherence to inclusion and exclusion criteria refined this collection to 183 documents for meticulous Bibliographic Analysis through the Biblioshiny application of the Bibliometrix R package. The study charts a promising trajectory characterized by upward trends in recent years, unveiling the most prolific authors, productive nations, frequency of keywords, thematic evaluation, and collaborative endeavors. Delving into the systematic literature review, the research introduces five discernible future trends, along with a comprehensive research framework designed to amplify the generalizability of findings to pertinent stakeholders. Keywords: blockchain, sustainable development goal, environmental challenges and bibliometric analysi

STI Roadmaps for SDGs: Smart Specialisation for Territorial and Industrial Development in Rwanda

The International Workshop on Science, Technology and Innovation Roadmaps for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) took place in Kigali, January 9th-10th 2020. It was the first Workshop organised by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) that addressed Smart Specialisation for Territorial and Industrial Development in Rwanda. In line with the EU Green Deal and the objectives of the Government of Rwanda, the workshop emphasised the sharing of best practices between various countries and taking an evidence-based approach, with localisation of actions and prioritisation of efforts. Follow-up Smart Specialisation cooperation with Rwanda is now taking place in the framework of the JRC Exploratory Research activity on “Smart Specialisation in Innovative and Informal African Economies”.JRC.B.3-Territorial Developmen

Engineering Innovations And Sustainable Entrepreneurship: A Comprehensive Literature Review

This comprehensive study explores the dynamic intersection of engineering innovations and sustainable entrepreneurship, a nexus that promises to redefine the contemporary business landscape. The research employs a systematic approach to literature review, critically analyzing recent scholarly works to unearth the prevailing trends, challenges, and opportunities in the sector. The primary aim of this paper is to delineate the transformative role of engineering tools in fostering sustainable entrepreneurship, with a keen focus on artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and blockchain technology. Through a meticulous methodological approach, the study evaluates the impact of these innovations on sustainable practices, offering advanced interpretations and forecasts based on data analysis. The conclusion underscores a paradigm shift towards a more sustainable and future-oriented economy, driven by the integration of engineering innovations. It highlights the significant research gaps, indicating further exploration necessary to foster a deeper understanding of the sector's intricate dynamics. In light of the findings, the paper proposes strategic suggestions for the engineering sector, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts, educational reforms, and policy initiatives to navigate the complexities of the evolving landscape. Furthermore, it outlines prospective developments and implications, highlighting the potential growth trajectories and the consequent socio-economic impacts. The study culminates in a set of robust recommendations, advocating for a harmonized approach that integrates technological advancements with sustainability principles, thereby fostering a landscape that thrives on innovation, sustainability, and entrepreneurship

Machine Intelligence in Africa: a survey

In the last 5 years, the availability of large audio datasets in African countries has opened unlimited opportunities to build machine intelligence (MI) technologies that are closer to the people and speak, learn, understand, and do businesses in local languages, including for those who cannot read and write. Unfortunately, these audio datasets are not fully exploited by current MI tools, leaving several Africans out of MI business opportunities. Additionally, many state-of-the-art MI models are not culture-aware, and the ethics of their adoption indexes are questionable. The lack thereof is a major drawback in many applications in Africa. This paper summarizes recent developments in machine intelligence in Africa from a multi-layer multiscale and culture-aware ethics perspective, showcasing MI use cases in 54 African countries through 400 articles on MI research, industry, government actions, as well as uses in art, music, the informal economy, and small businesses in Africa. The survey also opens discussions on the reliability of MI rankings and indexes in the African continent as well as algorithmic definitions of unclear terms used in MI.Comment: Accepted and to be presented at DSAI 202

Technologies in Urban Smart Waste Management

Urban waste management is undergoing a transformation due to rapid population growth, leading to increased waste generation. Smart technologies, such as data analytics, sensor networks, and IoT devices, can optimize waste collection, sorting, and recycling processes, enhancing resource allocation, reducing environmental impact, and improving efficiency. Advanced technologies like convolutional neural networks (CNN) and deep learning models can revolutionize waste segregation, sorting processes, and operational efficiency. The use of swarm intelligence and the Internet of Things for opportunistic data collection presents promising solutions. Sensor technologies can also revolutionize waste monitoring practices, promoting environmental sustainability. However, there are gaps in rural solid waste management systems, necessitating effective citizen participation for comprehensive success

The role of information systems in achieving the sustainable development goals : an overview of established and emerging technologies for development

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Marketing IntelligenceThe Sustainable Development Goals initiative is one of the most significant Global Development programs created by the United Nations for the future. It is both the result and the continuation of a successful anti-poverty movement called Millennium Development Goals, implemented in the year 2000. At a time of transition marked by the post-2015 agenda for Development, new questions and problems have arisen and new challenges have been set in order to keep track of Sustainable Development. Information Systems and technology are among the key elements behind these Global Agenda Programmes, since they are rightly seen as enablers of Sustainable Development. The aim of this study was to understand what the role of technology might be in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals according to literature and field experts, providing a framework that can be used for discussion in a 2015 post-agenda context