We kindly invite you to the SESA Online Webinar on ‘Rural Internet Access: Solving the Challenge’ to be held online via Zoom on Tuesday 24th October, 15:00 – 16:30 CEST, organised by Basic Internet Foundation.

Webinar overview

In a world that is becoming increasingly digitally connected, the issue of equitable access  remains a significant barrier, particularly in remote and underserved rural communities.  Through the SESA EU project, the Basic Internet Foundation is committed to addressing this  gap and fostering inclusive digital landscapes.

This webinar is an opportunity to explore the landscape of rural internet access in Africa  through the Europe – Africa collaboration. We will delve into the essential aspects of this  endeavour, ranging from the obstacles that hinder effective connectivity to the innovative  solutions that are transforming lives.

By participating in this webinar, you will gain insights into the following:

• Rural Internet Access through SESA InfoSpots 
• Challenges and Considerations of rural Internet access
• Collaborative Deployment through Regional Competence Centres (RCCs)
• From Schools to Community Living & Learning Labs (CL3)
• Sustainable Innovation through Energy, Information and Access

Your participation in this webinar contributes to a crucial dialogue aimed at ensuring that no  community is left behind in the digital age, and your recommendations will help inform the  path towards an inclusive digital future, and smart energy solutions.

The webinar is part of the capacity building programme and linked to the online course SESA  experts created on the NUA campus platform.

About SESA

SESA’s primary goal is to address climate change and prevent situations of technological  entrenchment, all while enhancing access to sustainable energy through cost-effective and  dependable means. As such, digital connectivity and access to rural areas is a catalyst to  ensure this goal.

The project’s objective is to ensure that its actions can be readily replicated on a large scale.  In pursuit of surpassing conventional practices and maximising the project’s influence,  collaborative innovations will be co-developed with local partners. Furthermore, the project will  maintain close cooperation with similar initiatives to capitalise on shared advantages. Read  more and sign up to the SESA newsletter to be updated on project development.

Agenda

GDPR

GDPR Compliance: By attending this webinar, I agree to allow the organisers of the SESA webinar,  taking place from 24th October 2023, 15:00 – 16:30 CEST (16:00 – 17:30 EAT / 15:00 – 16:30 CEST),to publish and distribute the webinar recording in all forms and in all media. This includes but is not limited  to digital distribution on the SESA project website and its social media channels, as well as those of its  partners. The consent is given without a temporal or spatial limit and can only be withdrawn on a solid  ground.

The project’s objective is to ensure that its actions can be readily replicated on a large scale.  In pursuit of surpassing conventional practices and maximising the project’s influence,  collaborative innovations will be co-developed with local partners. Furthermore, the project will  maintain close cooperation with similar initiatives to capitalise on shared advantages. Read  more and sign up to the SESA newsletter to be updated on project development.

We kindly invite you to the SESA Online Webinar on ‘Increasing access to financing for e-mobility deployment – the role of financial institutions, international organisations, local governments and e-mobility innovators’ to be held online via Zoom on 30th August 2023 at 11:00 – 12:30 GMT (14:00 – 15:30 EAT / 13:00 – 14:30 CEST), jointly organised by UEMI, UN Habitat, Smart Innovation Norway, ICLEI Europe, F6S and the European funded project SOLUTIONSplus.  

Webinar overview

E-mobility development is garnering momentum across the world. In Africa, this sector is relatively new but has enormous potentials for the transformation of the transport sector to sustainable ways and can help achieve climate change and mitigation objectives at continental and global levels. Whilst countries and cities in Africa are building ambitions and initiatives to drive this transformation (UNFCCC, 2021), several impediments or challenges are in the way of achieving these goals. The challenges range from inadequate e-mobility charging infrastructure, non-supportive policies, and low technical capacity in the field, to financial and economic challenges considering that electric vehicles acquisitions come at high upfront costs. The need to progressively surmount these challenges is increasingly becoming a pre-requisite to drive transport electrification in Africa and this will include putting in the necessary policies and actions to incentivise the sector to boost adoption.

In this webinar, we will focus on the essence to increase financial support to the sector and discuss the role of different stakeholders including local governments, financial institutions, international organisations and local e-mobility innovators in facilitating access to financing for the deployment of e-mobility. The webinar brings together speakers and representatives of local governments, international organisations, financial experts and industry players who are involved in innovative e-mobility solutions. This webinar is part of the third course of the SESA capacity building programme, a self-paced e-learning programme which focuses on a range of renewable energy solutions and associated use cases. The courses are available on the NUA campus platform.

About SESA

Smart Energy Solutions for Africa (SESA) is a collaborative project between the European Union and nine African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Tanzania) that aims to provide energy access technologies and business models that are easily replicable and generate local opportunities for economic development and social cohesion in Africa. Through several local living labs, it is expected to facilitate the co-development of scalable and replicable energy access innovations, to be tested, validated, and later replicated throughout the African continent. These solutions will include decentralised renewables (solar photovoltaics), innovative energy storage systems including the use of second-life electric vehicle batteries, smart microgrids, waste-to-energy systems (biomass to biogas), climate-proofing, resilience and adaptation, and rural internet access.

Running from October 2021 until September 2025, SESA is the result of a strong partnership between leading European and African universities, research centres, industry actors, local governments, knowledge and implementation organisations and networks. These will be strengthened via peer-to-peer exchange, policy dialogues, regional and international events among others.