Pan-African News Post: ICPSK seeks a bigger role in running county govern...

Pan-African News Post: ICPSK seeks a bigger role in running county govern...: By Eric Akasa   The Institute of Certified Public Secretaries is seeking to play a bigger role in running county governments, as dev...

ICPSK seeks a bigger role in running county governments

By Eric Akasa

 The Institute of Certified Public Secretaries is seeking to play a bigger role in running county governments, as devolution of power and resources gets under way. Chairman Catherine Musakali urged the Transition Authority, which is overseeing the shift from the central government to a devolved system, to ensure that county governments have the necessary framework, capacity and infrastructure to effectively perform their roles.

“We have been actively involved in the constitutional reforms which led to the devolved government,” Musakali said during the 20^th ICPSK dinner held at a Nairobi hotel. “We have tirelessly advocated for good governance and will continue to ensure the same is upheld by the leaders we have entrusted with the responsibility of steering our country forward in the devolved government.”

She said a key success factor in the transition and implementation of the devolved system has been the institutionalization of good corporate governance.  Now ICPSK wants to work with the Transition Authority to realize this mandate, she said.

ICPSK has proposed a number of areas it would like to be involved including, among others, design of appropriate governance structures for county governments, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation of transition plans, designing strategic plans and county governments’ audits. “Last but not least, the Institute wishes to extend the Champions of Governance Award to the counties in an effort to embed governance,” she said.

 Speaking at the same function Transition Authority chairman Kinuthia Wamwangi, who was the chief guest, said Kenya’s devolution is the most ambitious in the world as it is transferring a substantial amount of power and resources to an entirely new level of government. In one go, the country’s eight provinces and over 280 districts were replaced by 47 counties.

He said the Transition Authority is eager to engage with ICPSK in promoting governance in the devolved government. “The collaboration also offers numerous opportunities for ICPSK members to form reference groups that can liaise with operation Transition Authority committees or through co-option,” Wamwangi said.

New Study Suggests Potential Shift in Burden of Pneumococcal Disease

By Eric Akasa

New studies revealed by Latin American researchers and global health leaders suggest that the highest burden of deadly pneumococcal disease in Latin America may be shifting to adults as countries successfully immunize more infants with new vaccines. The experts called for increased disease monitoring and more surveillance to understand the full extent of pneumococcal disease in the Americas, including its economic impact, and to devise effective strategies to prevent it.

This research was coordinated by the Sabin Vaccine Institute in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins University (JHU's IVAC) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  These results are being presented as part of a two-day symposium that brought together scientists and health leaders to review the pneumococcal situation in the region and discuss the challenges and opportunities of vaccination in older children and adult populations

“The recent studies that are available in the Latin American and Caribbean context indicate that the cost of illness is an important and significant economic burden, suggesting that more use of pneumococcal vaccines could be cost-effective in adults,” said Dr. Fernando de la Hoz, a member of the Medical Faculty at the National University of Colombia and lead author of the study. “Further research is needed in order for health officials to fully grasp the potential impact of immunizing older populations in Latin America and the Caribbean. We know now that the vaccine is saving the lives of thousands of our region’s youngest citizens. The question is whether we should also be protecting their parents and grandparents.”

The study found that direct medical costs to treat bacteremic pneumonia ranged from USD $993 to USD $3,535 per person, and the cost of treatment for bacteremic meningitis was as high as USD $4,490 for elderly persons. The cost analysis concluded that these diseases pose sizable burdens in five countries studied: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay. 

Pneumococcal disease, which causes pneumonia, blood infection, brain inflammation and ear infections kills half a million children worldwide each year—or one child every minute.  Thanks to new and improved vaccines, pneumococcal disease among young children is falling dramatically. Since childhood pneumococcal conjugate vaccines were introduced in Latin America in 2003, the disease is declining among children who are vaccinated, and the burden of disease may now be in the older population. Adults and the elderly across Latin America who also fall prey to this fast-acting disease aren’t getting vaccines, and relatively little was known about the number of pneumococcal-related deaths in these age groups.

Recognizing the intrinsic danger of some types of pneumococcal disease, researchers found case fatality rates can be as high as 35 percent in studies from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. For pneumococcal meningitis, studies in seven countries found that the percentage of people who died after being infected ranged from 9 percent to 58 percent.

“As people continue to live longer lives, more of them will be at risk of contracting this highly contagious and costly disease,” said Carla Domingues of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. “The data reviewed during this study suggests that pneumococcal disease is an important problem among adults, causing disease and death from pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis.”

A major finding of the study is that there is insufficient monitoring and surveillance. “Quantifying the burden of disease for people 5 years of age and older in the Latin America and Caribbean region is important because pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) are increasingly being introduced into routine infant immunization programs and are expected to greatly reduce the burden of pneumococcal disease among young children. Thus, prevention of pneumococcal disease among other high-risk groups such as the elderly or immuno-compromised will become increasingly important,” said Lucia Helena de Oliveira, Regional Advisor of the Comprehensive Family Immunization Project at the Pan American Health Organization.

Experts examined the cost of illness for pneumococcal disease in older persons in five countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay. They found that in these countries, invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) incurs considerable costs to health care systems—generating up to US$4,490 per case. Researchers also found the total health care costs in the studied countries ranged from USD $0.94 million to 14.1 million, with higher costs incurred by the elderly due to higher level of resources used for treating the elderly. In total, health care spending as a GDP per capita for IPD among people above 5 years of age in the region was estimated at 0.1 percent compared to the reported 8 to 10 percent of GDP spent on health care overall.

The study authors are calling on policymakers to prioritize adult pneumococcal disease on their public health agendas, so healthcare professionals will devote more resources to detect and report on occurrences of the disease and find ways to combat it.

“Great determination and collaboration among the international health community helped make global reductions in pediatric pneumococcal disease possible. It is time to transition this success to find solutions to prevent pneumococcal infections in older children and adults, especially those over 65,” said Dr. Ciro de Quadros, Executive Vice President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute.

Davis and Shirtliff unveils uninterruptible power back up systems

By Eric Akasa

 Energy equipment supplier Davis and Shirtliff is offering a electricity backup system that provides a completely seamless transition between grid supply, battery backup and generator operation: as a complete protection against endemic power interruptions.

Electricity is the fourth biggest business constraint after tax rates, access to finance, and informal sector practices, according to the World Bank, with up to 12 per cent of Kenyan businesses blaming frequent electricity interruptions for low productivity.

On average, businesses experience 7 blackouts every month, some lasting up to 12 hours. In one incident last year, a number of companies ten kilometres outside Nairobi incurred some Sh20 million in losses due to power outages, which lasted for three consecutive days, forcing them to use stand-by generators that are prohibitively expensive to run, reported sabahionline.com.

Orata International Ltd., an animal-feed manufacturing company based in Nairobi's industrial area, said it lost more than Sh3million($36,000) in just March and April last year due to blackouts.

“Even where there's a generator, for some businesses, the data loss due to computers going off during certain tasks can take a team back by months,” said Mr. David Gatende, Deputy CEO at Davis and Shirtliff Group.

However, the power back up supply system promises to end such damage.

“Its a flexible system that gives priority to either generator or inverter system, depending on clients' needs,” said Mr. Gatende.

The system ensures that when power goes off there is no interruption to ongoing work and computers remain on, as the inverter takes over supply for up to 7 hours, after which the generator comes on, powering the premises as it also recharges the inverter.

Companies running sensitive businesses that rely on a continuous flow of power are now using the power system with impressive results. Onfone Media is one such company. The company specializes in SMS solutions and computer system design, licensed by CCK, and serves banks, radio stations and government institutions across East Africa.

“Our systems are supposed to run 24hrs a day. Whenever there is a blackout, it is not only our business that is affected, but those of our clients, making it imperative to have a reliable back up system,” said Mr. Francis Mulunda of Onfone Media.

At present, many companies use generators as their sole power back up, many generators however are significantly louder producing sounds of around 85 decibels unlike the Cooper Eco-pack generators that run at an average 70 decibels, producing sound equivalent to an average conversation.

“We offer a wide range of generators for various needs, the Cooper generator for instance is incorporated for clients who prioritize silence in their backup system, and they are also very fuel efficient ” added Mr. Gatende.

Davis and Shirtliff is the sole distributor of Cooper Ecopack generators in Kenya. Cooper Ecopack generators are available in 3 sizes: 15, 20 and 30 kVA. The sets also feature electronic operational diagnosis where they are connected to a computer to analyse defects and optimise operation thus improving reliability and minimising operation costs. Support can be provided in the form part of a yearly service contract which offers a maximum response time of 24 hours.

The multinational is a major player in the market for power products, offering inverter/battery backup solutions from 350 W to 11,000W and generators from portable 0.5 kVA units to large stationary generators with outputs up to 375 kVA.

Kenyan developers listed in Forbes

By Eric Akasa

Two Kenyan youths in the real estate sector have been named in the top 30 African entrepreneurs under the age of 30 who are making the most dramatic impact across Africa in the prestigious Forbes annual listing of the 30 under 30 innovators and entrepreneurs.

The two, Ian Kahara and Kimiti Wanjaria both 29, were listed among six other Kenyans cut across Real Estate, Financial Services, Manufacturing, Media, Tech, Green tech, Healthcare, Agriculture and Fashion who are helping the country alleviate common problems like unemployment, health care, electricity shortages, poor housing and poor waste management.

Last year, the duo made headlines as a breed of young vanguard entrepreneurs who beat all financial odds to bet their fortunes on the lucrative real estate sector, creating a 350 million development, Sigona Valley, an exclusive gated community in West Nairobi.

“The young African entrepreneurs, disruptors and innovators featured on this list are impatient to change Africa and together represent the entrepreneurial, innovative and intellectual best of their generation,” said Mr. Mfonobong Nsehe a writer at www.forbes.com.

An outside panel of 12 judges from across Africa was picked to help identify the group of outstanding entrepreneurs and innovators under the age of 30, in November last year according to Nsehe.  In each of 15 categories, ranging from technology, real estate to social entrepreneurs, Forbes editors and reporters together with judges choose the field’s brightest stars who are individually most surprising, engaging, and hard working.

Forbes is an American financial standards magazine owned by Forbes, Inc. Published biweekly and headquartered in New York. The magazine reports on related subjects such as technology, communications, science, and law and is well known for its lists, including richest Americans dubbed the Forbes 400, 40 Wealthiest Africans, African top 30 and under 30, highest-paid stars under 30 and its list of billionaires.

“The listing came as a complete surprise to us, when we started we had a dream of getting into real estate we never realised the impact it would have on young people also interested in getting into the industry in Kenya,” said Ian Kahara Director, Serene Valley Properties Limited, the developer of Sigona Valley.

“Being listed in the 30 under 30 innovators and entrepreneurs is a humbling experience that reinforces the need for perseverance, dedication, a clear goal, divine intervention and is a challenge to do more,” said an elated Mr. Kimiti Wanjaria, Director, Serene Valley Properties Limited.

Some of those who have featured in the Forbes list include Kenya's business magnate Chris Kirubi, Uhuru Kenyatta and Sameer Group proprietor Naushad Merali in the top 40 wealthiest Africans list.

Kimiti and Ian both ICT graduates together with 28-year-old quantity surveyor Thomas Koigi, and 37-year-old biochemist Johnson Waweru, proprietors of Serene Valley Properties Limited launched Sigona Valley in March 2012, having raised secure non-bank, development finance from Shelter Afrique to fund their project.

Today, the young developers have made considerable progress at Sigona Valley set for completion in the fourth quarter of 2013.

“We have put together 90 per cent of the project infrastructure, the show house is nearly done and we are halfway in constructing the homes,” Kimiti explained.

Sigona Valley is targeted at the middle-income market segment to an area with significant growth and capital appreciation potential. The development is offering 3 and 4 bedroom villas in three different house designs for between Sh14.5m and Sh19.95m, in a tranquil gated community set on 4 acres, a stone's throw from Waiyaki Way and 5km from Sigona Golf Club.

Each of the 30 homes sit on approximately 1/10th of an acre with access to community facilities such as bore hole water supply, solar hot water heating, waste water recycling and secured boundary walling.

The young developers are also set to launch a new development in the third quarter of 2013.

Developing Countries, Including New Adopters Sudan and Cuba, Now Dominate Use of biotech

By Eric Akasa

For the first time since the introduction of biotech/GM crops almost two decades ago, developing countries have grown more hectares of biotech crops than industrialized countries, contributing to food security and further alleviating poverty in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.

Developing nations planted 52 percent of the global biotech crops in 2012, up from 50 percent a year earlier and above the 48 percent industrial countries grew last year, according to a report released Wednesday by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA).

Last year also marked an unprecedented 100-fold increase in biotech crop hectarage to 170 million

Hectares from 1.7 million in 1996, when biotech crops were first commercialized. “This makes biotech

Crops the fastest adopted crop technology in recent history,” said Clive James, veteran author of the

annual report and chair and founder of ISAAA.

Adoption of biotech crops in developing countries has built up steadily over the years, finally turning the

Corner and surpassing industrial countries in 2012, a milestone once thought impossible by some, James

Observes. This comes about as the world grows more biotech crops than ever before.

“This growth is contrary to the prediction of critics, who prior to the commercialization of the technology

in 1996 prematurely declared that biotech crops were only for industrial countries, and would never be

accepted and adopted by developing countries,” James points out.

The report underscores rising awareness in developing countries about the benefits of planting genetically

modified crops, which not only have increased yields, but also bring savings in fuel, time and machinery,

reduction in pesticide use, higher quality of product and more growing cycles.

From 1996 to 2011, biotech crops contributed to food security, sustainability, and climate change by:

increasing crop production valued at US$98.2 billion; providing a better environment by saving 473

million kg a.i. of pesticides; in 2011 alone reducing CO2 emissions by 23 billion kg, equivalent to taking

10.2 million cars off the road; conserving biodiversity by saving 108.7 million hectares of land; and

helped alleviate poverty by helping >15.0 million small farmers and their families totaling >50 million

people who are some of the poorest people in the world. Biotech crops are essential but are not a panacea

and adherence to good farming practices such as rotations and resistance management, are a must for

biotech crops as they are for conventional crops.

Globally, farmers grew a record 170.3 million hectares of biotech crops in 2012, up 6 percent, or 10.3

million hectares more than in 2011, boosting farmers’ income worldwide due to enhanced productivity

and efficiency gains.

“There is one principal and overwhelming reason that underpins the trust and confidence of farmers in

biotechnology: biotech crops deliver substantial, and sustainable, socio-economic and environmental

benefits,” James said.

Resource-Poor Farmers Benefit the Most

ISAAA’s report also confirmed that the rate and scale of biotech crop adoption in developing countries

dwarfs that of industrialized nations. The growth rate for biotech crops was at least three times as fast, and

five times as large, in developing countries, at 11 percent or 8.7 million hectares, versus 3 percent or 1.6 million hectares in industrial countries.

A record 17.3 million farmers grew biotech crops worldwide in 2012, up 0.6 million from a year earlier.

Over 90 percent of these farmers, or more than 15 million, were small resource-poor farmers in

developing countries. “Global food insecurity, exacerbated by high and unaffordable food prices, is a

formidable challenge to which biotech crops can contribute,” James remarks.

Sudan and Cuba Make History

Sudan and Cuba planted biotech crops for the first time last year. By growing biotech cotton, Sudan

became the fourth country in Africa, after South Africa, Burkina Faso and Egypt, to commercialize a

biotech crop.

Meanwhile, Cuban farmers planted 3,000 hectares of hybrid biotech maize as part of an initiative to

bolster ecological sustainability and remain pesticide free.

Of the 28 countries that planted biotech crops, 20 were developing and eight were industrial countries,

compared to 19 developing and 10 industrial countries in 2011. Approximately 60 percent of the world’s

population, or about 4 billion people, live in the 28 countries planting biotech crops.

China, India, Brazil, Argentina and South Africa, which together represent approximately 40 percent of

the global population, grew 78.2 million hectares or 46 percent of global biotech crops in 2012.

For the fourth consecutive year, Brazil was the engine of growth globally in 2012, fortifying itself as a

global leader in biotech crops. Brazil ranks second only to the U.S. in worldwide biotech crop hectarage,

growing at a year-to-year record 6.3 million hectares, or a substantial 21 percent, to reach 36.6 million

hectares in 2012 compared to 30.3 million in 2011.

A fast-track science-based approval system allows Brazil to adopt new biotech crops in a timely manner.

For instance, the South American country was the first to approve the stacked soybean with insect

resistance and herbicide tolerance for commercialization in 2013, James said.

India cultivated a record 10.8 million hectares of biotech cotton with an adoption rate of 93 percent, while

7.2 million small resource-poor farmers in China grew 4.0 million hectares of biotech cotton with an

adoption rate of 80 percent.

U.S. Remains the World’s Largest Grower

The U.S. continued to be the lead country with 69.5 million hectares, with an average of 90 percent

adoption across all crops. The report notes that the devastating 2012 drought hit various crops. The most

recent estimates indicate that due to the drought, average yields in 2012 were 21 percent less for maize

and 12 percent less for soybeans compared with 2011 yields.

Canada, on the other hand, had a record 8.4 million hectares of canola at a record 97.5 percent adoption.

The EU countries grew a record 129,071 hectares of Bt maize in 2012, but Germany and Sweden could

not continue to plant the biotech potato Amflora because it ceased to be marketed; Poland discontinued

planting biotech maize because of regulation inconsistencies in the interpretation of the law with the EU

maintaining that all necessary approvals were already in place for planting, whereas Poland did not.

Challenges Remain

The lack of appropriate, science-based and cost-time-effective regulatory systems continues to be the

major constraint to adoption of biotech crops. Responsible, rigorous but not onerous, regulation is needed

for small and poor developing countries, James said.

“Biotech crops are important but are not a panacea,” he added. “Adherence to good farming practices,

such as rotations and resistance management, are a must for biotech crops as they are for conventional

crops.”

The near-term looks encouraging with new improved products such as the first biotech drought tolerant

maize approved for planting in the USA in 2013 and also the first planting of the stacked soybean in

Brazil and neighboring countries in South America in 2013. In the Philippines, Vitamin A enhanced

Golden rice could be released in 2013/2014 subject to regulatory approval. Going forward, global growth

of biotech crop hectares is likely to be more modest due to the already high rate of adoption in all the

principal crops in mature markets in both developing and industrial countries, James noted.