عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Media Minister: Saudi History Exhibition Establishes Relationship between Saudi Media, National History

Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari at the exhibition. SPA
Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari at the exhibition. SPA
TT
TT

Media Minister: Saudi History Exhibition Establishes Relationship between Saudi Media, National History

Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari at the exhibition. SPA
Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari at the exhibition. SPA

The Minister of Media and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari, expressed the Saudi media’s pride in its national message and its responsibility to consolidate the historical depth of the Saudi state by introducing its achievements, nobility, and cultural and social heritage, and promoting its civilizational achievement and regional and global status so that the progress march continues towards a promising future for the nation and the citizens under the Saudi Vision 2030.

He made his remarks following the opening on Wednesday of “Saudi Arabia's History Exhibition” at the headquarters of SPA in Riyadh. He noted that this documentary initiative aims to enrich historical knowledge and highlights the prosperous present of the country, within a framework that reflects the image of the Kingdom on the world stage.

He added that SPA’s holding of an exhibition on Saudi Arabia's history comes in the context of its national media role and to enrich its educational and knowledgeable message through an interactive media presentation, in a new experience for visitors from inside and outside the Kingdom, applying an innovative method that establishes a relationship between the media institution and the Kingdom's history.

The minister of media reiterated that the exhibition embodies the depth of the media’s connection with Saudi Arabia's history.

Nearly a century ago, the Kingdom witnessed the publication of Umm Al-Qura newspaper in 1924, in which it documented events and the reality of the national scene in its various aspects then. The issue of September 23, 1932 announced the declaration of all parts of the Kingdom united, under the name "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” marking a new era of development and modernization of the media sector, the diversity of its mass-media organizations, and the breadth of its message, keeping pace with the latest technologies across various media platforms.

After his statement, the minister of media extended his thanks and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their support to Saudi media, and their continued interest in developing it, to enhance its role in highlighting the Kingdom's movement, under the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Solar Power Companies Are Growing Fast in Africa, Where 600 Million Still Lack Electricity

A young man stands by a community radio station solar setup sponsored by a German NGO in Gushegu northern, Ghana, Friday Sept. 6, 2024. (AP)
A young man stands by a community radio station solar setup sponsored by a German NGO in Gushegu northern, Ghana, Friday Sept. 6, 2024. (AP)
TT
TT

Solar Power Companies Are Growing Fast in Africa, Where 600 Million Still Lack Electricity

A young man stands by a community radio station solar setup sponsored by a German NGO in Gushegu northern, Ghana, Friday Sept. 6, 2024. (AP)
A young man stands by a community radio station solar setup sponsored by a German NGO in Gushegu northern, Ghana, Friday Sept. 6, 2024. (AP)

Companies that bring solar power to some of the poorest homes in Central and West Africa are said to be among the fastest growing on a continent whose governments have long struggled to address some of the world's worst infrastructure and the complications of climate change.

The often African-owned companies operate in areas where the vast majority of people live disconnected from the electricity grid, and offer products ranging from solar-powered lamps that allow children to study at night to elaborate home systems that power kitchen appliances and plasma televisions. Prices range from less than $20 for a solar-powered lamp to thousands of dollars for home appliances and entertainment systems.

Central and West Africa have some of the world’s lowest electrification rates. In West Africa, where 220 million people live without power, this is as low as 8%, according to the World Bank. Many rely on expensive kerosene and other fuels that fill homes and businesses with fumes and risk causing fires.

At the last United Nations climate summit, the world agreed on the goal of tripling the capacity for renewable power generation by 2050. While the African continent is responsible for hardly any carbon emissions relative to its size, solar has become one relatively cost-effective way to provide electricity.

The International Energy Agency, in a report earlier this year, said small and medium-sized solar companies are making rapid progress reaching homes but more needs to be invested to reach all African homes and businesses by 2030.

About 600 million Africans lack access to electricity, it said, out of a population of more than 1.3 billion.

Among the companies that made the Financial Times' annual ranking of Africa's fastest growing companies of 2023 was Easy Solar, a locally owned firm that brings solar power to homes and businesses in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The ranking went by compound annual growth rate in revenue.

Co-founder Nthabiseng Mosia grew up in Ghana with frequent power cuts. She became interested in solving energy problems in Africa while at graduate school in the United States. Together with a US classmate, she launched the company in Sierra Leone with electrification rates among the lowest in West Africa.

"There wasn’t really anybody doing solar at scale. And so we thought it was a good opportunity,” Mosia said in an interview.

Since launching in 2016, Easy Solar has brought solar power to over a million people in Sierra Leone and Liberia, which have a combined population of more than 14 million. The company’s network includes agents and shops in all of Sierra Leone’s 16 districts and seven of nine counties in Liberia.

Many communities have been connected to a stable source of power for the first time. “We really want to go to the last mile deep into the rural areas,” Mosia said.

The company began with a pilot project in Songo, a community on the outskirts of Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown. Uptake was slow at first, Mosia said. Villagers worried about the cost of solar-powered appliances, but once they began to see light in their neighbors’ homes at night, more signed on.

“We have long forgotten about kerosene,” said Haroun Patrick Samai, a Songo resident and land surveyor. “Before Easy Solar we lived in constant danger of a fire outbreak from the use of candles and kerosene."

Altech, a solar power company based in Congo, also ranked as one of Africa's fastest growing companies. Fewer than 20% of the population in Congo has access to electricity, according to the World Bank.

Co-founders Washikala Malango and Iongwa Mashangao fled conflict in Congo's South Kivu province as children and grew up in Tanzania. They decided to launch the company in 2013 to help solve the power problems they had experienced growing up in a refugee camp, relying on kerosene for power and competing with family members for light to study at night.

Altech now operates in 23 out of 26 provinces in Congo, and the company expects to reach the remaining ones by the end of the year. Its founders say they have sold over 1 million products in Congo in a range of solar-powered solutions for homes and businesses, including lighting, appliances, home systems and generators.

“For the majority of our customers, this is the first time they are connected to a power source,” Malango said.

Repayment rates are over 90%, Malango said, helped in part by a system that can turn off power to appliances remotely if people don't pay.