Tag Archives: Internet of Things

AMA, Education

EU–ECOWAS Scholarship Programme Showcases Research Impact as Five Scholars Advance West Africa’s Sustainable Energy Transition

MaraviPost

LAGOS, Nigeria, 10 December 2025-/African Media Agency(AMA)/-The EU–ECOWAS Scholarship Programme for Sustainable Energy, funded and launched in September 2022 by the European Union in partnership with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and delivered by the British Council, is celebrating the achievements of its first cohort of scholars whose research is already contributing to the region’s green-energy transition.

The programme provides fully funded master’s degrees in sustainable energy at nine specialised higher-education institutions across Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo.


Demand for the programme has been exceptionally high. From 10,442 applications, scholarships were awarded to 72 academically outstanding candidates from 11 ECOWAS member states — with over 40% female representation.

The programme aims to strengthen human-capital development in the West African electricity sector by supporting postgraduate training and enhancing the capacity of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to deliver high-quality, industry-relevant education in sustainable energy and energy-efficiency systems. Alongside rigorous academic study, scholars received research support and mentorship to advance innovations that directly benefit the region.


All 72 scholars under the programme completed their research work in sustainable energy. Today, we highlight five scholars who illustrate the transformative impact of the programme through research that addresses real-world energy challenges in West Africa — from electric mobility and air-quality monitoring to renewable-energy optimisation, environmental data systems, and national energy-demand reduction.

Research Highlights from Five EU–ECOWAS Scholars

1. Blessing Nneka Ben-Festus (Nigeria)

Research: IoT-Enabled Predictive Maintenance and Energy Optimisation in Modern Inverter Systems

Institution: University of Ibadan, Nigeria


Blessing developed one of the first locally relevant Battery Management Systems (BMS) for Nigeria’s widely used inverter systems. By integrating the Internet of Things (IoT) with machine-learning-based predictive maintenance, the study demonstrates how low-cost hardware and advanced analytics can dramatically improve safety and energy performance in household backup-power systems.

This Battery Management System (BMS) is capable of delivering:

  • A three-sensor platform monitoring voltage, current, and temperature
  • A remote-data system using an Arduino microcontroller and a Global System for Mobile Communications module
  • Machine-learning models achieving 99% accuracy in predicting battery ageing and 92% accuracy in decision-tree diagnostics
  • Proven improvements in battery safety, lifespan, and reliability

Impact for ECOWAS: Improved safety, lower household costs, enhanced confidence in decentralised solar and inverter systems, and reduced energy waste across the region.

2. Ruth Mawunyo Kokovena (Togo)

Research: Building a Low-Cost Environmental Monitoring System to Support Renewable Energy Planning

Institution: University of Lomé, Togo

Ruth developed SISEE, an affordable, multi-sensor environmental monitoring system designed for regions where high-precision weather stations are too costly to install or maintain. The system captures temperature, relative humidity, solar irradiation, tide levels, and GPS location, using open-source software and low-cost sensors.

SISEE is capable of delivering:

  • Temperature accuracy nearing ±0.5°C, comparable to entry-level commercial stations
  • Over 80% correlation in solar-irradiation tracking
  • Effective monitoring of tidal variations for coastal energy planning
  • Real-time data transmission and visualisation

Impact for ECOWAS: Supports solar-resource assessment, coastal-energy planning, climate-monitoring infrastructure, and decentralised data collection for national energy strategies.

3. Godwin Josiah Ajisafe, (Nigeria) – Under the supervision of Ayodele T. R & Ogunjuyigbe A.S 

Research: Determination of the Functional End-of-Life Threshold of Electric Vehicle Lithium-ion Batteries under Urban Lagos Driving Conditions

Institution: University of Ibadan, Nigeria

This study provides the first Lagos-specific model for predicting the end-of-life of Electric Vehicle (EV) lithium-ion batteries under real urban driving and environmental conditions. Machine-learning algorithms — including Support Vector Regression, Random Forest, and Decision Trees — were trained using local data such as temperature, humidity, traffic intensity, driving behaviour, and charging patterns.

The model is capable of delivering:

  • Near-perfect predictive accuracy (Coefficient of Determination R² = 0.999)
  • Identification of heat and stop-and-go traffic as major contributors to battery degradation
  • Strong foundations for EV-fleet management, charging-infrastructure planning, and battery-recycling initiatives

Impact for ECOWAS: Enables realistic EV-policy development, supports circular-economy planning, and strengthens regional capacity for clean transport systems.

4. Kevin Konan N’guessan (Côte d’Ivoire)
Research: TGIME-ES: A Sustainable Energy Management and Solar Integration Solution for National Energy Demand Reduction

Institution: INP-HB, Côte d’Ivoire

Kevin developed TGIME-ES, an intelligent-energy-management solution that reduces electricity consumption while enhancing solar integration. The system was deployed across residential, commercial, and industrial sites.

TGIME-ES is capable of delivering:

  • 22,962 kilowatt-hours of energy saved in four months
  • 2,149,745 West African CFA francs in cost savings
  • 28% reduction in electricity bills
  • National-scale modelling showing TGIME-ES can slow demand growth by more than 50%

Impact for ECOWAS: Offers a scalable, locally developed approach to energy-efficiency, reduced grid pressure, and improved adoption of solar technologies.

5. Patience Yaa Dzigbordi Quashigah (Ghana)

Research: Machine-Learning-Based Performance Analysis of Two Low-Cost Sensors for Measuring Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) and Fine Particulate Matter (PM₂.₅)

Institution: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana

Patience evaluated two low-cost air-quality sensors, costing approximately USD 100, as alternatives to reference-grade stations costing up to USD 250,000. Using machine-learning calibration, the study improved the accuracy of monitoring carbon dioxide (CO₂), fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅), ultra-fine particulate matter (PM₁), coarse particulate matter (PM₁₀), temperature, humidity, and methane (CH₄).

These sensors are capable of delivering:

  • Clear model ranking, with Random Forest performing best
  • Reliable environmental data after machine-learning calibration
  • Insights into sensor limitations and calibration techniques
  • Evidence that low-cost networks can support large-scale monitoring

Impact for ECOWAS: Enhances affordable air-quality monitoring, supports solar-energy forecasting, informs emissions policy, and enables community-level environmental awareness.

Overall Programme Impact

These five research projects demonstrate the success and strategic relevance of the EU–ECOWAS Scholarship Programme for Sustainable Energy. Together, the scholars’ work:

  • Strengthens regional capacity for renewable-energy innovation
  • Provides scientific evidence for policy and infrastructure planning
  • Supports environmental monitoring and public-health initiatives
  • Advances energy efficiency, electric mobility, and solar deployment
  • Builds a new generation of skilled experts driving West Africa’s green-energy transition

The programme is creating a pipeline of talented professionals equipped to support ECOWAS member states in accelerating sustainable-energy adoption, reducing emissions, and improving energy security across the region.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of British Council

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Technology

APAC Firms in Early Stages of Digital Transformation

Maravi Post Reporter

The inventions of the Internet of Things has caused a digital transformation in different parts of the world. It has shifted from being overhyped speculations and forecasts to a reality. Companies have started adopting new revenue generation methods and business models. Asia-Pacific, also known as APAC, is one of the largest economies worldwide. About 60 percent of the globe’s population lives in this region. In this article, we discuss digital transformation in APAC firms and how they are accelerating it.

Asia-Pacific Firms Embrace Digital Transformation

Hong Kong and Singapore are among the largest technology markets in Asia-Pacific. Many companies in the region have started digitizing their operations. About 67 percent of decision-makers in Asia-Pacific admitted that their firms are undergoing digital transformation.

Forrester interviewed 53 executives from medium and large firms in Hong Kong and Singapore in the fourth quarter of 2017. The decision-makers were from high-tech, healthcare, entertainment, insurance and financial services, government, and telecommunication industries.

Some APAC firms have established culture, technology, talent, strategy, and structure as the five major competencies. Companies need to simultaneously develop all competencies to transform digitally. For the digital marketing revolution to continue, strategy leaders need to strengthen structure and talent. Many firms in the region lag in these two competencies.

Chief Information Officers (CIOs) should choose the right IT measures for their firms as governments try to boost the economy. Rishi Mehra, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Aon in Asia, said in a Workday webinar that Aon has developed a close relationship with its customers. It has planned for different financial scenarios to maintain its share in the market despite the current pandemic. Unlike Aon, more than 75 percent of CFOs in Asia struggle to adjust their budgets, forecasts, and financial plans as companies respond to COVID-19.

A recent Workday Study reveals that 75 percent of firms from Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore have rigid processes. Mehra stated that companies with agile systems are usually able to hasten their processing time thus helping in financial scenario planning.

Companies that apply the same processing techniques they had in the 2000s tend to take long to process various scenarios. Around 60 percent of the respondents admitted that their firms lack a flexible enterprise culture and 68 percent of CFOs were using ad-hoc reports to make crucial decisions. They still rely on information technology to generate these reports.

About 31 percent in the Workday Study said that APAC firms have accelerated their digital transformation efforts. Around 24 percent of the participants are prioritizing this transformation. Rob Wells, President of Workday Asia, stated that the recent events worldwide have shown the importance of businesses being digitally agile. Having the right technology will help firms adapt to drastic changes in the business environment.

Over 75 percent of APAC firms are facing financial constraints due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Being one of the busiest economies in the world, Governments in Asia are helping industries to embrace digital transformations. For example, the government of China started the “Made in China 2025” initiative to help the country realize Industry 4.0. The plan will help the industries and the state to invest in R&D to develop leading-edge technologies.