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Kenya
Global Programme on Sustainability
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The programme supports sustainable economic growth that is both long-lasting and resilient to climate-related stressors. It does this through the integration of natural capital into decision making by governments, the private sector and financial institutions. The inability to value natural capital can undermine long-term growth and critically, the livelihoods of the poorest people dependent on ecosystems for their livelihoods. This programme directly addresses this challenge by (i) investing in data and research on natural capital; (ii) assisting countries to integrate this analysis into government policy making; and (iii) integrating this data and analysis into financial sector decision making.
Land Degradation Neutrality Fund
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The LDN Fund invests in projects which reduce or reverse land degradation and thereby contribute to ‘Land Degradation Neutrality’. The LDN Fund is co-promoted by the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and Mirova. It is a public-private partnership using public money to increase private sector investment in sustainable development. The fund invests in sustainable agriculture, forestry and other land uses globally. The Fund was launched at the UNCCD’s COP 13 in China in 2017.
ORRAA Programme
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA) is a multi-sector alliance that aims to drive investment into coastal natural capital through the development of innovative finance solutions. These products will reduce vulnerability and build resilience in the most exposed and vulnerable coastal regions and communities. The UK has committed £13.9 million into ORRAA, delivered in two phases. A successful Phase 1 in 2021-22 provided £1.9m in grant funding, followed by Phase 2 from 2022-2026 with £12m committed in grant funding. The UK’s investment will address 2 challenges faced by coastal communities and the ocean environment: 1) Tackling the impacts of anthropogenic climate change and biodiversity loss. 2) Overcoming barriers that prevent finance flowing into nature-based solutions. The grant awarded to ORRAA will support their aims to drive at least $500 million of investment into coastal and ocean natural capital, and produce at least 50 new, innovative finance products, by 2030. This would positively impact the resilience of 250 million climate vulnerable people in coastal areas worldwide.
Darwin Initiative
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The Darwin Initiative is the UK’s flagship international challenge fund for biodiversity conversation and poverty reduction, established at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The Darwin Initiative is a grant scheme working on projects that aim to slow, halt, or reverse the rates of biodiversity loss and degradation, with associated reductions in multidimensional poverty. To date, the Darwin Initiative has awarded more than £195m to over 1,280 projects in 159 countries to enhance the capability and capacity of national and local stakeholders to deliver biodiversity conservation and multidimensional poverty reduction outcomes in low and middle-income countries. More information at https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/the-darwin-initiative. This page contains information about Rounds 27 onwards. For information about Rounds 1 to 26, please see the Darwin Initiative website -https://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/
Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is a widespread and lucrative criminal activity causing major global environmental and social harm. The IWT has been estimated to be worth up to £17 billion a year. Nearly 6,000 different species of fauna and flora are impacted, with almost every country in the world playing a role in the illicit trade. The UK government is committed to tackling illegal trade of wildlife products and is a long-standing leader in efforts to eradicate the IWT. Defra manages the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, which is a competitive grants scheme with the objective of tackling IWT and, in doing so, contributing to sustainable development in developing countries. Projects funded under the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund address one, or more, of the following themes: • Developing sustainable livelihoods to benefit people directly affected by IWT, • Strengthening law enforcement, • Ensuring effective legal frameworks, • Reducing demand for IWT products. By 2023 over £51 million has been committed to 157 projects since the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund was established in 2013. This page contains information about Rounds 7 onwards. For information about Rounds 1 to 6, please see the IWTCF website -https://iwt.challengefund.org.uk/
African SCENe (Sustainable Community Energy Networks)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Over 800 million people live without electricity globally, 600 million in Africa. African SCENe (Sustainable Community Energy Networks) was born from a desire to accelerate adequate, affordable, and reliable renewable energy within low-income suburban communities in sub-Saharan Africa, whilst enhancing nutrition, clean energy awareness and education. Our vision is to make clean energy accessible to not only drive climate action but also to enable children raised in off-grid and informal settlements to achieve their full potential. African SCENe proposes to turn schools within informal settlements into Community Energy Hubs (CEHs) through innovative business models that make energy generation and storage technology accessible, fostering sustainable energy practices, enhancing local resilience, and empowering communities to take control of their energy production and consumption. The advent of affordable locally supplied energy technology means this is now possible: we can energise the lives of informal settlement dwellers, stimulating community members to collaborate and share benefits. The challenges we are addressing are the lack of proven business models and community support to make it financially and socially viable. The Ayrton themes we are responding to are firstly ‘smart delivery: inclusive energy and leave no-one behind’ and secondly ‘super-efficient demand: modern cooking services and energy efficiency’. The core team spent 12 months in two major informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, working with communities to co-create a workable business model that is supported by informal schools and approved by the Kenyan Ministry of Education. Our study has shown that African SCENe’s concept can be physically and economically viable in both off-grid and informal settlements. Our study established a feasible approach to overcome the biggest hurdle in the deployment of clean energy: financing. The theoretical business model prioritises the use of energy generated by the CEHs for school use during teaching hours and for revenue-generating activities afterschool. This revenue will repay the asset costs over 7-8 years. Assets will be funded using a blended finance model (25% impact grant 75% commercial loan). Accurately sizing the assets, managing energy generation/demand, and costs/revenue administration are some of the areas where research innovation is needed. We now want to test this through a 3-year 10-school pilot in Nairobi that would enable us to address social-economic viability and prove the business model. Kenya experiences similar challenges to other African countries: unequal energy access, energy insecurity, low availability of clean energy, food insecurity, disparities in access and participation to education/training, pressure on educational facilities, and large population living in slums. Once proven in Kenya, the model can be scalable across many sub-Saharan African countries. This funding will enable our interdisciplinary research team to answer remaining questions and validate our concept to bring our vision to reality. The wider vision is for equitable and sustainable community energy to play a significant role in meeting African sustainable development goals (SDG). African SCENe is clearly aligned with SDG7 Affordable and Clean Energy (via the provision of accessible distributed solar energy generation) and SDG13 Climate Action (via increased energy resilience, security, and awareness within informal settlements, raised capacity for climate change-related planning and a focus on the marginalised), and delivers against a further 11 SDGs (see Fig4: Our Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals). Notably, our proposition can improve access and quality of education, enabling informal schools to deliver the new Competency-Based Curriculum through accessing power for IT/labs.
Neonatal early warning score for hypothermia evaluation and treatment (NEWS-HEAT): a cluster randomised controlled trial with internal pilot phase
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Globally, 15 million babies are born prematurely every year. One million babies die before their 5th birthday, many due to complications of prematurity. In Kenya, the neonatal mortality rate (death in the first month of life) is 20 per 1000 live births. This is 8 times higher than the UK and much higher than the Sustainable Development Goals' target of less than 12 per 1000 live births by 2030. Babies born premature (before 37 weeks) or low birth weight (LBW; less than 2.5kg) often become cold (hypothermia) after birth as they cannot keep themselves warm. In Kenya, around half of babies who are admitted for neonatal care have hypothermia on admission. Cold babies are more likely to die or have other life-threatening conditions. Keeping babies warm in the labour ward and during transfer for further care is vital. In 2018, our multidisciplinary UK-Kenya collaboration started a research programme, to investigate if an early warning score could help identify preterm babies who are sicker, where action needs to be taken quickly. An early warning score (EWS) is a simple, paper document which uses a traffic-light colour-coded system to record babies' vital signs, like temperature, offering a simple way for health professionals to identify babies who need additional care. This prompts them to act, monitor how the baby responded and decide if further action is needed. We found that using EWS is possible and health professionals, parents and policy-makers support its use. Labour wards in Kenya are often under-resourced and staff are not fully trained in newborn care. Although early essential newborn care (EENC) is standard care it is not well implemented. Without a clear process of how to record temperature, put in measures to keep babies warm, and monitor their progress, babies often get cold. NEWS-HEAT is a care bundle, which includes evidence-based actions to keep babies warm and prevent hypothermia. It is a paper chart with an EWS and decision-aid to trigger action and monitor babies. NEWS-HEAT could help staff and parents note when babies are cold, act to warm them, and continue to monitor to ensure babies stay warm. We will test if NEWS-HEAT will reduce the number of babies who are cold. We will randomly allocate 28 hospitals to use EENC, with or without the NEWS-HEAT bundle. Each hospital will take part for 8 months. In all hospitals, before any intervention takes place, we will collect baseline data on all preterm/LBW babies. Then, all hospitals will receive training in EENC, using a train-the-trainer approach. Finally, staff in half of hospitals will receive training on and then implement the NEWS-HEAT care bundle. The other half of hospitals will continue to use EENC alone. We will measure which group of hospitals has fewer babies who became cold by recording the temperatures at the point of admission for newborn care. We will also check other important outcomes including how many babies die within 1 week of birth. We anticipate 11,200 babies being involved. We will also conduct a process evaluation to check if NEWS-HEAT is implemented properly and staff views of it. Our partners include the Ministry of Health and a parent support group. NEWS-HEAT has the potential to reduce hypothermia and save babies' lives in Kenya and other low and middle income countries, contributing to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals.
Potential of sub-seasonal Operational Weather and climate information for building Energy Resilience in Kenya (POWER-Kenya)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Context and Challenges Kenya Vision 2030 identifies energy as a key infrastructural enabler for social and economic development, aiming for universal energy access and 100% renewable energy by 2030. Currently, 54% of Kenyans, and up to 84% in rural areas, lack access to sustainable modern energy, relying on traditional wood fuels for cooking and heating. Kenya's energy generation is particularly sensitive to weather variability, with nearly 50% of electricity coming from weather-sensitive sources like hydro, wind, and solar power. Achieving the ambitious goal of 100% renewables requires doubling the current capacity of these weather-sensitive sources. Despite the growing reliance on renewable energy, Kenya lacks reliable weather and climate information for effective energy planning, particularly on sub-seasonal timescales (weeks to months in advance). This gap impacts crucial decisions such as generator maintenance scheduling, international market trading, water conservation, and future energy storage management. In comparison, other regions like Europe have more advanced user-relevant tools for renewable energy decision-making. Aims and Objectives POWER-Kenya seeks to bridge the gap between Kenya's increasing dependence on weather-sensitive renewable energy and the lack of reliable weather and climate information to support energy planning. The project also aims to build capacity for integrated climate-energy research in Kenya. Its objectives are: Ob1: Deliver a step-change in the underpinning physical science to support affordable, clean energy by advancing understanding of sub-seasonal predictability of weather-sensitive demand and renewables. Ob2: Build combined climate-energy research capacity to continue improvements in maintaining reliable energy supply in Africa, facilitating the creation of risk-informed tools for energy decision-making to benefit both society and the economy. Acknowledging Kenya’s continent-leading capabilities in climate and energy fields individually, the POWER-Kenya project brings together UK and African expertise in electricity demand and renewable energy modelling (Bloomfield, Oludhe, Brayshaw, Olago), with the forefront of research on sub-seasonal predictability (Hirons, Gitau, Woolnough), and expert knowledge of East African climate (Wainwright, Mutemi, Hirons) to conduct world-leading energy-climate research to support this step-change in understanding (Ob1) and build partnerships and capacity (Ob2) capable of supporting Kenya’s climate-smart shift to reliable renewables. Applications and Benefits. Universal access to affordable, clean energy helps emerging economies like Kenya progress towards their Sustainable Development Goals by building businesses and societies capable of producing and consuming sustainably for a climate-resilient future. However, access to reliable energy has societal benefits far beyond sustainable economic growth. Reliable energy access can empower women, and other marginalised groups, by improving access to services such as mobile technology, online banking, educational materials, and employment opportunities. Access to clean energy, especially for currently unconnected rural households, can enhance health outcomes by reducing reliance on traditional wood fuels, which are linked to respiratory diseases. Achieving POWER-Kenya aims to ensure Kenya's shift to clean, weather-sensitive renewables is backed by current scientific thinking and proven techniques that will help deliver the country's aim for reliable energy for all businesses and households. Beyond Kenya, POWER-Kenya outcomes will inform and support the aims of the wider Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) - an institution that coordinates regional cross-border power trade and grid interconnection. KenGen, a key project partner and regional leader, is a utilities member of the EAPP. Through iterative dialogue with POWER-Kenya, KenGen will help co-design the research, by defining energy stress case studies, and ensure it remains solutions-orientated and maximises benefits for Kenya and the broader region.
Sharing the sky – Using a global robotic telescope network for capacity and research community building in East Africa
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
We will provide a skills development programme for the astronomy communities in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda through observational projects with the Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) 1m global telescope network. Acknowledging the specific value of fundamental sciences for long-term sustainable economic development, we address the prevalent barrier of lack of access to world-leading research facilities. Moreover, experience has shown that facility access needs to be paired with active engagement with potential user communities and a gradual development of expertise and experience in order to eventually develop strong research programmes. Our programme involves four national coordinators in each respective country who will act as focal point for their local community. Rather than building a single research project that focuses on a small number of individuals, we aim at supporting and growing whole communities at large, not only covering researchers with a PhD, but also PhD students and undergraduate research projects. Dedicated in-person workshops, covering observational and statistical techniques as well as campaign design and management, will accompany the target community along their research journey with the LCO network and support building inter-African collaborations, as well as path towards independence and African leadership (not being reliant on the strength of a non-African partner) as part of an integrated process. The opportunity for less resourced countries is in innovation, building on the creativity of its people to eventually shape new global trends. This provides potential to leap ahead rather than just trying to catch up. We will therefore particularly support research projects that trial new ideas or approaches, while providing pathways to larger projects and internationally competitive facility proposals. LCO uniquely combines the features of fast response, uninterrupted long-term monitoring, and full-sky coverage, resulting from a purpose-built design for observing astronomical transient events with durations ranging from seconds to several years. We will be getting astronomy research communities in East Africa ready for the unprecedented flood of alerts on transients of up to 10,000,000 per night from the LSST survey, expected from early 2026.
Compound-Semiconductor-Enabled Renewable Energy System for Powering Critical Buildings in Africa
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Africa’s power supply systems for critical loads, such as healthcare facilities, are transitioning to a more sustainable, efficient and reliable future. This is driven by the integration of renewable energy, which includes AC and DC power conversion enabled by power semiconductors switching at increasingly high frequencies (e.g., 10–100 kHz). The semiconductors’ operation causes power loss, reducing energy efficiency, and they are the most vulnerable components, counting for 20%–30% of the failure of power conversion systems. Improving the performance of the semiconductors will thus provide significant benefits in energy saving and system reliability improvement. For example, a 1% increase in efficiency in solar photovoltaic (PV) inverters and a 1% in reliability will make 150 GWh more energy available to critical healthcare facilities in Africa. This project’s overarching aim is to leverage the latest advancements in Silicon Carbon (SiC) semiconductor technology to develop high-efficiency and reliable solar photovoltaic-battery energy storage system (PV-BESS) for critical loads. Such compound semiconductors have low conduction loss, fast switching speed, and high operating temperature, which provides all potential for developing low-carbon PV-BESS. Challenges are that high-frequency switching of SiC semiconductors can increase thermal stress and create electromagnetic interference (EMI) due to their high-speed voltage transients (e.g. dv/dt over 10kV/us), affecting the reliability of the PV-BESS and lifespan of critical components such as capacitors and batteries. SiC semiconductors exhibit various material defects and variability, leading to variations and high non-linearities in their electro-thermal performances. Integrating SiC semiconductors into PV-BESS requires a better understanding of induced parasitic parameters and their coupling with components, including capacitors, inductances and gate drivers. To address these issues, the project has three research work packages (WP1-3): Develop accurate characterisation and modelling methods for semiconductor devices (WP1): Accurate SiC electro-thermal models and lifetime models will provide a new understanding of SiC semiconductors, which will be built to evaluate component efficiency and reliability under various environments. Integration optimisation of SiC-based PV-BESS (WP2): This involves studying and modelling the multiphysics coupling between SiC semiconductors and other components, investigation of induced parasitic parameters and system-level topology design of PV-BESS to reduce power conversion stages, thus improving overall efficiency and reliability. Validation and operation optimisation of SiC-based BESS in various operation conditions (WP3): This will investigate integration strategies and verify the benefits brought by SiC devices' advantages to ensuring the BESS’s high-efficiency and reliable operation in both normal and fault conditions. The main deliverables will include validated tools and a testbed for modelling and characterisation of SiC semiconductors (WP1), hardware-in-the-loop demonstrator for validating the SiC-based PV-BESS (WP2), and optimal operation strategies for PV-BESS (WP3). These will be useful to physics R&D institutions, renewable equipment vendors, and power system operators. The project will involve international partnerships with the University of Nairobi, with support from Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN) and Toshiba Europe. Researchers involved will benefit from the unique collaboration and training, and the project will help Africa build new physics research capacities in the renewable energy and semiconductor sectors. The project output will boost the PV-BESS’ energy conversion efficiency by 1%–2%, and extend their mean-time-between-failures by 20%. Developed compound semiconductor technologies will have a wider impact across applied industries, including electrified transportation sectors, robotics and aerospace. The integration and BESS technologies can be extended to generic low—and medium-voltage energy systems.
SIGMA - Novel Seismic Sensors for Improved Geothermal Monitoring and Development in East Africa
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
East Africa sits atop one of the world?s most promising yet underused renewable energy resources - geothermal energy, the natural heat stored within the Earth. This energy is clean, reliable, and available year-round (baseload). Kenya has already shown how powerful this resource can be: since the 1970s, it has become the world?s sixth-largest producer of geothermal electricity. However, neighbouring countries with similar geological potential have not yet achieved the same success. Many barriers remain to unlocking East Africa?s full geothermal capacity, especially the deeper ?supercritical? systems that hold far greater energy and mineral potential. Context and Challenge The project responds to two major global challenges: the need for low-carbon, sustainable energy and the growing demand for critical metals used in renewable technologies such as batteries, wind turbines, and electric vehicles. Supercritical geothermal systems - extremely hot and deep reservoirs - could supply both: vast amounts of renewable energy and valuable mineral-rich fluids. Yet exploring these deep systems requires new scientific tools, data, and training and an enhanced hazard awareness associated with the wider volcanic system. Despite Africa?s enormous geothermal potential, progress has been slowed by limited access to advanced technologies and technical expertise. Developing safe, efficient, and equitable geothermal energy systems therefore requires both scientific innovation and strong international collaboration. Aims and Objectives This collaborative project brings together two major research institutions - Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT, Kenya) and the University of Oxford (UK). Together they will: Test next-generation seismic technologies in geothermal fields, including portable low-cost seismic sensors (MEMS-based nodes) and distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) that converts existing fibre-optic cables into dense seismic arrays. Generate high-resolution images of geothermal systems, revealing how heat, fluids, and gases move from deep magmatic zones to the surface. Develop advanced data analysis and uncertainty modelling techniques to reduce risk in geothermal exploration and management. Build regional research capacity by training scientists from Kenya and other African nations in seismic monitoring, imaging, and data interpretation through workshops and field training. Strengthen international and interdisciplinary collaboration by integrating physics, engineering, and geoscience expertise from Africa and the UK. Potential Applications and Benefits The project will deliver both scientific and societal impact. New, low-cost seismic tools and open-access methods will help governments and companies assess geothermal potential more accurately and safely, reducing financial and environmental risk. The research will also enhance understanding of volcanic and earthquake hazards, improving safety for nearby communities. Training activities will expand regional expertise and create opportunities for early-career researchers, ensuring that future geothermal developments are led and managed within Africa. The project will serve as a model for sustainable, locally driven energy innovation, with Kenya demonstrating how advanced science can support economic growth, climate resilience, and the global transition to net zero. Ultimately, this partnership aims to unlock the full potential of East Africa?s geothermal resources - producing clean energy, securing vital materials for the green economy, and strengthening scientific collaboration between Africa and the UK.
Capacity Building in Space-Weather Physics: Effects of the Space Environment on Critical Infrastructure over Sub-Saharan Africa
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The space environment has a critical influence on satellite operations, navigation and communication. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SubSA), the space environment poses unique challenges due to the location beneath the region of the ionosphere called the equatorial anomaly. This region of complex physics is prone to disturbances that disrupt satellite signals and adversely impact navigation and communication signals. These disruptions are called space-weather events. This collaboration between the University of Bath, the Technical University of Kenya and the Kenya Space Agency addresses the need for building capacity in the space sector in SubSA. The project will deliver research and education that underpins multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The value of the space industry to Africa is predicted to be over £18 billion by next year (2026). The Kenya Space Agency has recognised that educational partnerships are essential in creating a highly-skilled workforce equipped to meet the growing demands of the space sector. This project will address their identified priority areas of satellite technology in agriculture, disaster management and environmental monitoring. Each of these application areas rely on the continuous operation of satellite navigation signals, but there is a problem because these signals are disrupted by space weather. This project aims to conduct research to support a real-time monitoring system for space-weather across SubSA that will warn about space-weather events that impact the reliable operation of satellite-based services. This will enable the creation of new technologies and systems that can accurately account for threats and improve the reliability and resilience of infrastructure in SubSA. Understanding the physics of the ionospheric region, real-time monitoring, and translation to a user-friendly interface reporting on system impacts are all essential elements. This planned research and development is crucial for unlocking the full potential of space technology and driving economic growth in the region. This project will have significant benefits for SubSA, including: * Building expertise in space-environment physics and space-environment engineering * Improving reliability and resilience of critical communications, navigation and timing systems * Increasing safety and efficiency in future transportation and commerce * Transforming awareness and management of space-environmental threats The project will develop key capabilities that will transform SubSA capacity in space weather: 1. A new generation of trained scientists with expertise in the physics and ability to apply their knowledge about the space environment to satellite-based services. This will be achieved through collaborative research and dedicated workshop events. 2. Enhanced research capability in instrument operation and data analysis to correctly interpret and understand the behaviour of the SubSA ionosphere. This will be achieved through research underpinning the development of a real-time assimilation system. 3. Translation from physics computer modelling into real world applications, through enhanced expertise and wide user engagement.
Scalable Ecosystem Monitoring In Kenya: Soil health And human-wildlife coexistence
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
African ecosystems represent the vibrant heart of the continent?s wellbeing: as thriving habitat for the abundant, unique wildlife, as a basis for humanity?s survival and growth (e.g. clean water, agriculture, resilience), and as a key economic factor (e.g. clean energy provision, food, critical materials, tourism). Adapting to and combatting the ecological crises already battering Africa is crucial for its future, in which protecting and restoring terrestrial ecosystems will assume an inevitable role. One pertinent problem in sub-Saharan Africa is to improve agricultural yields for growing nutritious demand whilst restoring ecosystems on limited arable, already-degraded land. Increasingly encroached spaces, stressed by climate extremes and anthropogenic expansion, also proliferate human-wildlife conflicts that threaten shared multi-species livelihoods, balanced biodiversity, local productivity, as well as the economically important sector of sustainable wildlife tourism. Understanding complex ecosystems can only advance through data-driven evidence of their state, evolution, and sustainable interventions, and thereby inform decision-making. Scaling up data acquisition across large, complex landscapes is the key bottleneck. Our new paradigm--to bring physics into the ecosystem instead of ecosystems into labs or computers--aims at tackling this data-poverty crisis at scale. Ecosystem monitoring is extremely difficult: any comprehensive understanding of interactions between diverse agents, and how they change across spatial and temporal scales, across regions and over time, requires scalable, non-invasive, information-dense, well-understood data, ideally in real-time. To meet some of the most urgent and demanding challenges unfolding across Africa and elsewhere, this is the only viable path forward. We suggest conducting in-field physics applied to two key challenges in Africa: food provision and wildlife conflict, both intrinsically embedded in the climate crisis, while offering scalable climate solutions, improving community resilience and local stakeholder empowerment. This project will develop and deploy a rigorous physics-based ecosystem monitoring framework that integrates non-invasive geophysical data acquisition, sensor technology, and community co-design to address two intersecting challenges: Monitoring and restoring soil health by creating tomographic imaging of the evolving 3D soil, and mitigating crop-raiding elephant conflict by an early-warning system for farmers. We will design a modular, open-hardware physics-informed sensor kit (~£20-30 /unit), to be locally assembled at minimal cost and effort, for detecting seismic and environmental signals relevant to soil structure, moisture, weather and wildlife movement. This will be facilitated by symbiotic expertise between Kenyan and UK research, academic, non-profit institutions which already forged deep partnerships, each bringing into the project an integral role leading essential subprojects, ensuring equity and reciprocity. By the end of the project, we will have: Two physics-based monitoring sites operating in Kenya; open-source designs for wide-spread adaptation; a new generation of trained local physicists, environmental scientists, and farmers; demonstrated proof that physics research can drive solutions to imminent real-world problems. The combined effort on scaling up sensing while skilling up farmers, students, and scientists will break new grounds for large-scale ecosystem monitoring across Africa, not only to support local communities and scientists in their mitigation and adaption to the climate and ecological crises, but to empower them to lead innovations with bespoke solutions that may propel Africa to the fore of tackling these crises, and lead the way for other world regions that will face similar problems in the future. This unites rigorous scientific innovation with ethical, participatory implementation ? a model for how intersectional physics collaborations can work for people and the planet.
Newton Fund Kenya programme delivery
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Newton Fund Kenya programme delivery to support the delivery of ODA activities in Newton Fund countries
Weather & Climate Service Partnership (WCSSP) Kenya - Met Office
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Extreme weather and climate change is an area of concern for Kenya and the southern African region, and in the coming decades many regions are expected to become hotter and drier. Kenya may also experience more extreme weather, such as droughts and floods. Working collaboratively to address the challenges presented by extreme weather and climate will help safeguard lives and livelihoods across southern Africa, especially in the most vulnerable communities and help reduce the costs of disaster recovery and adaption for the Kenyan government. Outputs from this activity are being translated into products and services to assist governments, businesses and communities in decision-making around weather and climate resilience and adaptation. Through tackling challenges in multiple sectors including water, energy, health and food security, these services will help inform disaster risk-reduction strategies within Kenya and the wider African continent.
British Council - Convening for strategic collaboration: the ISPF Kenya Collaborative -International Science Partnerships Fund
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Building on the British Council's convening power and strong partnerships in Kenya, the programme will engage potential Kenya ISPF partners and grantees through initial consultation to scope out a process for regular peer-to-peer exchanges once the fund is underway. This initiative aims to foster robust cross-partnership collaboration, enhancing efficiencies and maximizing impact. It is expected to result in thematic convenings, the sharing of best practices, and the identification of lessons learned through a structured process overseen by the British Council in Kenya. The process will address scalability and replicability of approaches and outputs, aiming to foster cross-partner and cross-grantee connections while integrating sustainability and long-term impact from the outset. The British High Commission, fully supportive of this approach, has suggested co-chairing the collaborative effort with the British Council, which provides an excellent opportunity to link with other UK-funded programmes. The proposed strategy promises a more coherent portfolio of work, enabling DSIT and the UK in Kenya to develop a stronger offer and narrative when engaging with Kenyan Government counterparts. Furthermore, this programme is ODA eligible, as its primary objective is to promote the economic development and welfare of Kenya, a country eligible for Official Development Assistance, by enhancing collaborative networks and fostering sustainable development initiatives.
GFP - Global Finance Programme
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
Leverages the UK’s unique position as the world’s leading financial centre to increase access to finance for firms and individuals where beneficiaries are in developing countries, promoting shared prosperity through inclusive economic growth overseas, and the development of new markets in developing countries.
Partnerships for Development
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
Partnerships for Development (formerly known as GREAT for Partnership) will multiply the UK’s development impact by boosting partnerships between UK’s institutions and their counterparts in the developing world. It will leverage the skills and expertise from a range of UK institutions and supply them initially to DFID partner countries, based on tailored demand. It will initially prioritise the Extractives, Financial Accountability and Anti-Corruption sectors.
Digital Access Programme
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
The Prosperity Fund cross-HMG 'Digital Access Programme' is a FCDO-led partnership with DCMS. It aims to catalyse more inclusive, affordable, safe and secure digital access for excluded and underserved communities in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil and Indonesia. Increased digital inclusion in the programme countries will form the basis for more thriving digital ecosystems that generate high-skilled jobs, opportunities for local digital entrepreneurship focused on country-specific development challenges, as well as potential partnerships with international and UK business aimed at mutual prosperity. The Digital Access programme will also focus on learning about sustainable models and enablers for digital inclusion. The learnings will be shared with key stakeholders and other partner countries, thereby amplifying the impact of the programme.
PIDG2 - Second phase of FCDO's Support to the Private Infrastructure Development Group .
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
The aim of PIDG is to mobilise private investment in infrastructure, in order to increase service provision for the poor, boost economic growth, trade and jobs to alleviate poverty in the world’s poorest countries.