By Nnamdi Odumody

Cooking in African households is done by  gas-powered cookers, kerosene stoves or firewood contributing seriously to global warming as these fossil fuels emit carbon emissions which damage the environment. No wonder, Africa, due to its availability of hydrocarbons, in several countries across the continent, is not making serious plans to prepare for a clean energy powered-future, that will bring sustainability to biosphere.

Okey Esse, a Nigerian, came up with an innovation to bring smart sustainable cooking to African households. His company Powerstove, is a revolutionary cooking stove technology which merges thermoelectric technology with the traditional African cooking experience.

Up TO 50 WATTS ELECTRICITY
With a strong fire, Powerstove produces 50 watts of continuous power, enough to charge phones, lights, camera and more. Surplus electricity is stored in the Lithium ion battery so that users can charge devices via USB in real time whenever they need it; even when the fire is off.

BURN CHAMBER
Stainless steel-built burn chamber burns biomass like wood pellets, charcoal, sticks, or twigs and reaches 1000 degrees in less than 3 minutes, hence gasifies to cook foods 5x faster than any traditional stove.

AIRFLOW SYSTEM
Powerstove precision airflow system kicks in and inject the fire with right amount of oxygen through the 85 jets located inside the burn chamber, enabling the complete combustion of the fuel. With its built-in battery and four-speed fan, the fan regulator allows users to control the temperature while cooking. With improved airflow, Powerstove is using up every particle, giving user a cleaner, and better flames to cook their meals and charge their phones.

IoT System
Powerstove IoT System is a computer with internal pre-programmed and programmable computer chips that controls the fan, electricity supply, and also data transfers over 2G/3G network by using input sensors and output components to control all these functions. Powerstove is currently the world’s first and only clean cookstove to achieve built-in IoT System technological feat

It is the world’s first and only cookstove with an internal-preprogrammed and -programmable computer chip which controls the fan, electricity supply and data transfer over a 2G|3G network with the use of input sensors and output components to control all these functions, producing 50 watts of continuous power to charge electronic devices like phones, torchlights and cameras. Surplus electricity is stored in the lithium ion battery so that users can charge devices via USB in real time whenever they need it even when the fire is off.

Powerstove’s stainless steel-built burn chamber burns biomass like wood pellets, charcoal, sticks or twigs and reaches 1000 degrees in less than 3 minutes and hence gasified to cook foods 5x faster than any traditional stove. The precision airflow system kicks in and injects the fire with the right amount of oxygen through the 85 jets located inside the burn chamber, enabling the complete combustion of the fuel. With its built in battery and four speed fan, the fan regulator allows users to control the temperature while cooking. An improved airflow gives users clean energy to cook their meals and charge their phones.

Powerstove’s product line includes the Powerstove Biomass Cookstove, Single Bulb Lampholder and the Goodlife Biomass Pellets. Nigerian and African households should patronize Powerstove for intelligent carbon-free cooking which will help to make our continent environmentally friendly and habitable.

West and Central Africa’s largest airline, Air Peace, sets record – orders new Embraer aircrafts for US$2.12 billion. While those PowerPoint consultants are talking thrash about Nigeria, we have a nation rising to the mountain-top. You do not invest $2.12 billion via aviation if an economy does not have life. I have always tracked the state of health of Nigeria by climbing those tall buildings in Marina Lagos, whenever in town, to see shipping traffic. Irrespective of whatever they write in Economist or show on CNN, if I see the ships coming and leaving, benchmarking my last count, I make my call. Nigeria has shown consistent promise.

Sure, we need to do better in Nigeria but to write Nigeria off is sheer stupidity. People confuse Nigeria with our politicians without knowing that Nigeria has the finest entrepreneurial minds in Africa. and can make real impacts globally if our politicians can show up.

Nigeria is emerging. Congrats Mazi Onyema. You are serving your nation well.

WEST and Central Africa’s biggest airline, Air Peace, today set a continental record with a firm order for 10 brand new Embraer 195-E2 aircraft.

The deal which was unveiled today during Embraer Business Meeting with the Aviation World in Port Louis, Mauritius, makes Air Peace the first to order the brand of jets in the whole of Africa, thereby becoming the official launch customer of the brand of aircraft in Africa.

The order comprises purchase rights for a further 20 E195-E2 jets. The aircraft is a 124 seater jet in dual class and 146-seater jet in single class configurations respectively.

With all purchase rights exercised, the contract has a value of US$2.12 billion based on current list prices.

The carrier also set a regional record in September 2018 when it ordered 10 brand new aircraft from Boeing, increasing its fleet size then to about 37 aircraft. With the new order, Air Peace’s fleet size has increased to 67 aircraft.

Speaking on the latest order in faraway Port Louis, Air Peace Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Allen Onyema said: “Embraer’s new E195-E2 presents us with a marvel of an economic performance. It’s also great that we will be the first E2 operator on the African continent. We already have the ERJ145s in our fleet, so we understand the high standards of Embraer products.”

Paga celebrates ten years of serving Nigeria with digital payment. TC Daily, a newsletter, summarizes the numbers: “In 10 years, the company has grown to a team of 460 and counting, recruited over 20,000 agents, served over 12 million customers, process over 72 million transactions worth $4.6 billion in value.”

Today, April 3rd, 2019 marks 10 years from when I embarked on the Paga journey. A journey that began because of my frustration with carrying cash everywhere in Nigeria and not being able to make payments efficiently.

I did a video on Paga in 2017.

In today’s videocast, I discuss the rise of Paga. Paga is a fintech company based in Lagos, Nigeria. It started as a mobile money company but quickly pivoted when it realized that mobile money was not (quickly) taking shape in Nigeria. Paga is growing and is well positioned to become a very important financial institution in Nigeria. Its numbers, revealed by its Founder, are better than most public-traded Nigerian insurance companies and in coming years, I expect it to overtake most banks in profitability.

Nigeria’s MDaaS Global raises $1 million in equity funding, reports Ventureburn. The company, a healthtech, builds network of diagnostic and primary care facilities to provide convenient, high-quality, and affordable healthcare. It works under the brand name BeaconHealth, through which it builds and operates tech-enabled diagnostic centers in clinically-underserved communities, starting in Nigeria. The diagnostic centers offer radiology, cardiology, and lab services and are located in the neighborhoods where the patients live, emphasizing patient experience above all else.

MDaaS Global, a Lagos-based medtech startup that builds and operates diagnostic centres in Nigeria, has raised just over $1-million in equity funding, reveals a US Securities and Exchange Commission filling made yesterday (1 April).

The filling states that up to 12 investors were involved in the round which commenced on 15 March. According to the filling the total offering amount was $1 580 062, while the amount sold was $1 055 496, with $524 566 remaining to be sold.

It is not clear if the startup still intends to raise the remaining amount of $524 566.

MDaaS Global was founded in 2016 by CEO Oluwasoga Oni, CFO Genevieve Barnard Oni, supply chain manager Joe McCord and Nigeria country manager Opeyemi Ologun.