Day: November 5, 2021

Posted on

Melissa Hammerle Appointed President of Intelex Technologies

Hammerle will be responsible for the formation and execution of Intelex’s strategy as it delivers safer, cleaner and more efficient operations for our customers.

Toronto, Canada, Nov. 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Intelex Technologies, ULC, a leading global provider of cloud-based Environmental, Health, Safety and Quality (EHSQ) management software, today announced the appointment of Melissa Hammerle to the role of president of the organization.

“I’m excited to bring Melissa’s deep continuous improvement experience and leadership to the Intelex team. Melissa will be a key driver as we work to help customers drive EHS and ESG performance to levels previously unimaginable,” said Justin McElhattan, Group President of EHS businesses for Intelex parent company Fortive.

Hammerle brings experience driving growth, customer retention and innovation through leadership roles in general management, product, marketing, sales, customer success and the Fortive Business System (FBS). She has led teams to co-create cultures with high engagement, ownership and customer centricity across a range of businesses, from startups to large scale enterprises.

“I’m thrilled to join the Intelex team,” said Hammerle. “We have a profoundly impactful mission and a once-in-a-lifetime growth opportunity as investors, business leaders and customers raise the bar on the practices of EHSQ and help our customers achieve their Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) goals.”

Hammerle joins Intelex from Accruent, where, as the Commercial President, she and her team built new sales and marketing growth engines to sustainably deliver software bookings. Previously, she led the team that created Fluke’s first Internet of Things business to serve customer maintenance workflows, accelerated strategic initiatives across Fortive as the FBS Director of Growth, and delivered strong revenue and employee engagement as the VP & GM of Fluke Calibration.

Prior to joining Fortive, Hammerle served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, where she led a company in Iraq.

She earned an MBA from Harvard University and an BA in Economics from Dartmouth College.

About Intelex Technologies, ULC
Intelex Technologies, ULC is a global leader in environmental, health, safety and quality (EHSQ) management software. Since 1992, Intelex employees across the globe have been committed to innovating and enabling organizations to send their employees home safely every day, leaving behind a more sustainable world to the generations that follow, and manage quality so that only the safest and highest quality products make it to market. Intelex’s scalable, web-based platform and applications have helped clients across all industries improve business performance, mitigate organization-wide risk, and ensure sustained compliance with internationally accepted standards (e.g. ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and OSHAS 18001) and regulatory requirements. Almost 1,400 customers in 195 countries trust Intelex to power their EHSQ initiatives. Headquartered in Toronto with regional offices and employees around the world, Intelex became an Industrial Scientific company in 2019. In 2020, Intelex acquired ehsAI, provider of a SaaS-based next-wave compliance automation solution that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms. For more information about Intelex, visit www.intelex.com.

Attachment

Sandy Smith, Head of Global Content Marketing
Intelex Technologies, ULC
+1 216-375-0484
Sandy.Smith@intelex.com

Posted on

LONGi issues its first White Paper on Climate Action at COP26 summit

XI’AN, China, Nov. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — LONGi founder and president Li Zhenguo has participated in a special company activity at COP26 in Glasgow via online video, outlining LONGi’s “Commitment and Action to Address Climate Change” and releasing the company’s first White Paper on Climate Action at the China Corporate Pavilion.

LONGi founder and president Li Zhenguo has participated in a special company activity at COP26 in Glasgow via online video, outlining LONGi’s “Commitment and Action to Address Climate Change” and releasing the company’s first White Paper on Climate Action at the China Corporate Pavilion.

In 2020, LONGi joined the RE100, EV100 and EP100 in succession, becoming the first Chinese company to join all three initiatives of the Climate Group at the same time. LONGi also joined the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) in the same year in response to a CDP climate change questionnaire, which opened the way for the company’s involvement in Climate Action.

According to its white paper, LONGi is actively fulfilling its commitments and promoting the implementation of the four international initiatives. The company has completed the accounting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions across its entire value chain for the first time, with the proportion of renewable electricity used in 2020 reaching 41.83%, the equivalent of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1.35 million tons.

LONGi’s five manufacturing plants in Yunnan Province have in the meantime achieved 100% use of renewable electricity. In accordance with SBTi standards, the company has also submitted its own emission reduction targets for the first time – based on 2020 figures, greenhouse gas emissions within the scope of operation in 2030 will be reduced by 60% and carbon emission intensity per ton of silicon material, per watt of cell and per ton of glass will be reduced by 20%.

LONGi Solar Logo (PRNewsfoto/LONGi Solar)

“LONGi’s philosophy on Climate Action corresponds to the four initiatives, which every company must follow, and the advanced presentation of this can be a demonstration and example for the entire renewable energy industry. In the future, the overall thinking behind LONGi’s Climate Action will be to refer to the SBTi in order to set emission reduction targets and integrate the promotion of the RE100, EP100 and EV100 initiatives.” Li believes that the road to “Net-zero LONGi” will be long and difficult, but the company hopes to use its own actions to show the outside world a successful demonstration of “manufacturing clean energy products using 100% clean energy”. The company also looks forward to working with more partners and stakeholders, especially upstream and downstream organisations in the supply chain, to promote global energy transformation, also working with customers from all walks of life to jointly realize the vision of harmonious coexistence between mankind and nature.

The COP26 summit is the first meeting of the parties since the Paris agreement entered the implementation stage.

“In the face of an imminent climate crisis, the Paris agreement pointed out the actions necessary for a global green and low-carbon transition, and these are still our guidelines for protecting the earth,” Li added.

Over the past 10 years, China’s photovoltaic industry has made significant progress, enabling people to use renewable energy at a cheaper price, with the “Photovoltaic + Energy Storage + Green Hydrogen” model gradually becoming a powerful weapon against climate change.

Glasgow is the third consecutive COP at which LONGi has participated. At COP24 in 2018, LONGi released its “Solar for Solar” sustainable development concept of manufacturing photovoltaic products driven by photovoltaic power generation, with COP25 in 2019 seeing the release of the company’s “China PV Outlook 2050” report.

LONGi’s ‘special activity’ at COP26 saw guests invited from the Climate Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, the British Energy Transition Commission (ETC), the British Embassy in China, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, Vanke Foundation and the Tencent Company, for in-depth discussion on the actions required of corporate entities to actively respond to climate change.

Find out more about the white paper: https://en.longi.com/uploadfile/3/2021/Climate-Actions-of-LONGi-2021.pdf

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1679600/LONGi_founder_president_Li_Zhenguo_participated_a_special_company_activity.jpg
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/781516/LONGi_Solar_Logo.jpg

Posted on

Enhanced Voter Registration Ends Today

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has announced that it will end the Enhanced Continuous National Voter Registration exercise Friday November 5, 2021 at 5.29 pm.
Announcing the closure in a press statement sent to newsrooms, the IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati said that the conservatory orders that had been issued by the High Court, sitting in Eldoret, on 1st November, 2021 prohibiting the Commission from closing the national voter registration exercise will remain in force until today.
“The said order will stand discharged at 5:30pm same day, effectively marking the close of the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) campaign,” stated Chebukati.
He at the same time announced that the Commission will provide the country with a comprehensive report on the number of newly registered voters and transfers at the close of the ECVR exercise.
“The Commission will resume the constituency office-based Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and Revision of the Voter’s Roll upon conclusion of the ECVR,” said the Chairman, noting that the exercise will run until time the Commission publishes a gazette notice suspending the CVR exercise to pave way for Biometric Verification of the Register of Voters (ROV) as required by Law.
He appealed to eligible Kenyans to continue registering as voters during the CVR exercise to enable them exercise their democratic rights as enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.
The CVR exercise will include new registration, transfers of registration centres, change of particulars and deletion of dead voters.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Posted on

PS Nabukwesi Challenges Women To Pursue STEM Careers

Principal Secretary, State Department for University Education and Research, Ambassador Simon Nabukwesi, has underscored the need to give women equal opportunities to pursue and thrive in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) careers to narrow the gender gap in those professions.
Nabukwesi said women were continually being excluded from participating fully in science and technical fields as well as being under-represented in STEM in university courses and careers that he stressed were male dominated.
He said statistics indicate that on average, less than a third of female students choose to study higher education in subjects like mathematics and engineering. This, he said, called for more to be done in the education sector through training and mentorship to attract women into the STEM careers.
Speaking virtually while opening the 6th, International Conference for Women in Science Without Borders at the University of Embu, the PS said STEM education was key for preparing students for the in demand STEM careers of tomorrow.
He reported that advances in STEM had brought about improvements in many aspects of life such as health, agriculture, infrastructure and renewable energy and it was time to take advantage of the ever changing science, technology and innovation space to ensure that no gender was left behind.
“We need to stop the common stereotypes that say this career is for girls and this is for boys,” Nabukwesi said, adding that there was also a need to sensitize parents and teachers on the importance of giving equal opportunities to both gender.
He however said closing the gender gap in science and innovation was not out of reach despite the slow pace and called on the society and the nation at large to evaluate the progress with a view of making necessary improvements.
To address the gap, PS Nabukwesi said the Ministry had instituted several measures aimed at promoting gender equality to ensure women participation in all spheres.
Towards this end, he said Kenya National Commission for Science and Technology (NACOSTI) had set aside funds to enable women scientists to conduct research while African Academy of Sciences (AAS) had allocated travel grants to support women scientists to travel to conferences and other fora to present their research findings.
Similarly, the PS said the proposed establishment of Kenya Association of Women in Science (KAWIS) was an important avenue for women scientists to seek professional support and network.
University of Embu Vice-Chancellor Prof. Daniel Mugendi said if female students were not encouraged into STEM in this age of knowledge-based economy where everything is computerized, the country risks to lag behind as others progress.
“Giving both men and women equal opportunities to pursue STEM careers gives them the opportunity to contribute to making the world a better place for us all,” the VC said.
The don said demystifying STEM should be among top priorities in a bid to increase girls’ enrollment in STEM programmes, adding that there should also be a deliberate effort from leaders to find a lasting solution to the current low enrollment for the same.
Prof. Mugendi said Covid-19 pandemic should serve as a wakeup call for the country “that relying on other countries to provide us with solutions is no longer viable because they also have their own challenges to deal with first before lending a helping hand.”
“We need to do more research, innovation and linking research to real issues and problems that affect our people,” the don said.
The conference was organized under the theme of “Building a Gender Inclusive Sustainable Future Through Science, Technology and Innovation.”

Source: Kenya News Agency

Posted on

Allocation Of Kisumu’s Uhuru Market To Traders Underway

Allocation of business spaces at Uhuru Business Park Market Complex in Kisumu is scheduled for November 12, this year and will be done through balloting.
Nyanza Regional Commissioner (RC), Magu Mutindika while presiding over a planning meeting convened to expedite the exercise and inform traders said the construction work was complete and the market complex was ready for business.
Mutindika said a special committee was formed to analyze and validate the list of traders, where those displaced during the refurbishment of Kisumu Port and others who paved way for the project will be given first priority.
“I urge the traders who have been validated by the special committee to turn up that day for they will surely get business spaces,” the Regional Commissioner reassured in an exclusive statement issued to KNA Thursday.
He said President Uhuru Kenyatta promised local residents that his government would build a modern business complex for traders when he toured the lakeside city accompanied by Former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga along with other dignitaries.
Mutindika explained that the complex has been divided into seven segments to cater for different kinds of businesses.
Kisumu Ag. City Manager, Abala Wanga while addressing a separate public forum said plans were at an advanced stage to open the modern market, which will gradually be transformed into a business hub.
Wanga said the traders must first occupy the place, showcase and provide their products and services to the general populace for some time, before it can be commissioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta as anticipated.
He said traders whose biometrics and names had been published in the Kenya Gazette will be given the first priority to occupy the spaces.
“This will be supervised and coordinated by the yet to be formed Market Management Committee and the County Trade Department,” he emphasized.
Construction of Uhuru Market complex started way back in 2019 and was projected to accommodate more than 2,000 displaced traders including those in Apindi Street and Nyamlori area. It has been constructed by the national government at a cost of Sh600 million.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Posted on

Sh159.2 Million Allocated For CBC Infrastructure In Busia

The Government has set aside Sh159, 176,000 for the construction of 202 classrooms towards implementing the Competency Based Curriculum in Busia County.
Speaking during a stakeholder sensitization forum in Lwanya Girls High School, Busia County Commissioner John Korir said that the projects would be implemented in 141 secondary schools across the County.
‘This translates to 90% of the schools in the county,” he said adding that this would cost around Sh160 million.
Korir disclosed that the tendering process is ongoing and was expected to be complete in two weeks’ time.
“By the end of November, we shall have given out all the contracts to those who shall have won,” he said, adding that his team expects to roll out the exercise in December with the completion date being April 2022.
He further said that the exercise would target local contractors at Sub County level who were expected to abide by the regulations and acts. “We intend to spread out evenly so that the programme benefits as many local residents as possible,” he said.
The official further explained that the end product is to boost the local economy adding that all the beneficiaries were expected to come from the seven sub counties.
“The applicants must be qualified and ready to render quality services as expected,” he said, adding that the money would be paid through M-pesa after completion of work.
Korir disclosed that the classrooms would be built in secondary schools so that they could accommodate pupils from adjacent primary schools in respective areas.
He clarified that contractors should be ready to undertake the initial process of construction instead of waiting for down payment.
Busia County Director of Education Thaddeus Awuor said the project would increase the access of learners from Primary to Junior Secondary in the identified schools. “Right now Busia has 161 Secondary schools and 90% of the schools are going to benefit from this project,” he said.
Awuor exuded confidence that the exercise would be completed within the stipulated time and advised the local community to embrace the Competency Based Curriculum.
The forum brought together the Sub County Directors of Education, Deputy County Commissioners from the Seven Sub Counties, the County Chain and Supplies Officer and County Director of Public Works.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Posted on

Animal Traceability System To Improve Livestock Markets

The Ministry of Livestock is working on developing an animal identification and Traceability system that will help prove freedom from disease which is required in accessing specific international markets.
Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Lawrence Omuhaka stated that the livestock sector accounts for over 30 per cent of the total marketed agricultural products and contributes substantial earnings to households through sale of livestock and provides raw materials for agro-based industries.
The CAS was speaking at a Nairobi hotel during the validation meeting on the Livestock Identification and Traceability Strategy (LITS) and Regulations for stakeholders in the public and private sectors.
He said that the strategy and regulations are necessary in building frameworks that guide on the long-term implementation of animal identification, registration and traceability in the country.
“As part of implementation of policy within the Livestock Sector, LITS will improve market access and trade in livestock and its products through interventions such as establishing Livestock Export Zones,” said Omuhaka, adding that it will also attract better-targeted livestock sector investments from the government, development partners and private sector.
The CAS disclosed that LITS envisions to increase production and productivity of livestock resources.
Omuhaka highlighted that LITS has extensive benefits in animal health management, certification of animals and its products for trade and provides quality assurance for food of animal origin.
“The development of LITS and Regulations has been crafted to respond to emerging demands in livestock production, animal disease control, animal welfare, livestock marketing and security in cattle rustling areas,” he said.
The CAS affirmed that despite the need for LITS adoption and implementation being recognized long ago, there has never been a clear strategy and modern regulations for its coordinated and phased implementation.
“LITS was informed by International standards based on World Animal Health Organization (OIE) and Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) guidelines and experiences learnt from benchmarking visits to more advanced jurisdictions,” explained Omuhaka.
The CAS urged livestock stakeholders to contribute in streamlining policies and regulations that will profit farmers, particularly those in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands.
County Executive Committee (CEC) and Caucus Chairman of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Albert Mwaniki highlighted that LITS aims to follow up on the location of livestock, what it fed on and treatment received from veterinary agents across the country.
Mwaniki noted that it is critical for the public to understand the proposed LITS bill, in line with its benefits in terms of health of the animals and human consumers, protection of businesses and ensuring prosperity as a country.
“All livestock practitioners have to collaborate to ensure implementation of LITS and regulation for the betterment of our farmers,” he said.
The county executive added that the food safety bill and harmonization of regulations and policies is essential as it eases doing businesses, particularly in the private sector.
Mwaniki further urged Members of Parliament to help fast track proposed bills around livestock in order to propel the Agricultural livestock sector.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Posted on

Sh470 Million Allocated For Construction Of Secondary Schools

The National Government has allocated over Sh470 million to Kakamega County towards construction of 597 classrooms under the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) infrastructural development.
The new classrooms are expected to ensure a 100 percent transition of learners from primary to junior secondary by mid next year.
Speaking to KNA after the Kakamega County Commissioner, Mrs Pauline Dolla, launched the CBC County Implementation and Coordination Committee, County Director of Education, Mr Dixon Ogonya, said the classrooms will be established in 353 out of 420 selected public secondary schools.
According to specifications issued by the Ministry of Education, the cost of putting up each classroom has been pegged at Sh788, 000 and that the work must be given to prequalified local contractors as part of the government’s economic stimulus package.
Mr Ogonya said work was expected to commence before the end of this month and be completed by March next year in order not to interfere with Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.
“The selected schools have been allocated between one to five classrooms, with Kakamega High School having the highest number of five classrooms,” he said.
The County Commissioner urged local contractors to submit their bids for the construction works, saying that only those with capacity to deliver will be considered.
Dolla said the bids must be within the funds allocated per classroom, adding that there will be no variations in the sum quoted by the Ministry of Education.
Nationally, the government will construct 11,600 new classrooms to ensure smooth transition of pupils to junior secondary by mid next year.
Heads of Departments involved in the exercise include those from Interior, Education, Teachers Service Commission (TSC), Public works, Procurement and National Treasury.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Posted on

Siaya Fish Farmers Receive 100,000 Fingerlings

Some 100 fish farmers in drawn from six sub counties of Siaya County have received a donation of 100,000 Nile Tilapia fingerlings from Victoria Farms Limited, in a government move aimed at fostering close partnership with the private sector to address challenges facing the sector.
Fisheries PS Dr. Francis Owino, speaking to the beneficiaries at the Siaya County fisheries offices in a speech read on his behalf by Deputy Director in the Ministry Titus Kilonzi said availability of quality fish seed and feeds continues to be a major challenge that accounts for a huge percentage of the overall cost of production.
Dr. Owino said the growing focus and shift from the capture fisheries to aquaculture, occasioned by the increased pressure on the country’s water bodies that include Lake Victoria has of late seen more and more involvement and interventions by the private sector.
He said there was need for the private sector to complement the efforts of the government to address the existing gaps to enable the country meet the increased per capita demand for fish.
“I am confident that we are in the right direction towards addressing challenges in the sector and meeting the increased per capita demand and bridging the national deficit for fish and fish products,” said Dr. Owino.
The PS said the government is making deliberate efforts towards spurring economic transformation and positively impacting on the lives of Kenyans and will strive to avail more inputs to the farmers.
Addressing the occasion, Siaya County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for agriculture and fisheries, Dr. Elizabeth Odhiambo called on the residents to embrace aquaculture, adding that fish production in the county was not at the optimal.
Odhiambo, who was flanked by the County Chief Officer for Agriculture Charles Siso said there was still a big gap that various players within the sector can bridge to enable the locals enhance production.
“We registered a drop in the last financial year and only realized 28,000 metric tons of fish,” said Dr. Odhiambo, adding that whatever the county produced cannot satisfy the local market.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Posted on

Gov’t To Invest In Biotechnology To Enhance Agricultural Productivity

The government is investing more in development of homegrown biotechnology innovations that will enhance agricultural productivity and promote food security in the country.
Education CS Prof. George Magoha has said integration of science and technology plays a critical role in enhancing agricultural productivity and economic growth in the country, leading to the realization of the Big Four Agenda.
The CS said through facilitation of the National Biosafety Authority as a regulatory Agency for technology, Kenya was now part of the few African countries that are progressively developing biotechnology products, thereby slowly drifting away from being recipient of technology developed elsewhere.
He commended the National Biosafety Authority for approving BT maize for National Performance Trials (NPTs), a genetically modified maize variety, which he said once available to farmers, will significantly improve food security, reduce environmental damage and help smallholder farmers achieve significant gains in their earnings.
The authority also approved the application for the environmental release of genetically modified (GM) cassava which Prof. Magoha said will ensure farmers are protected from devastating losses caused by cassava diseases. They will also benefit from increased cassava root quality and marketable yields.
The CS who was speaking during the 10th Annual Biosafety Conference held in Naivasha was happy that the authority approved the Bt-cotton for Environmental Release, which he noted will result in high yields in cotton, thus putting the nation at the forefront in textile production in Africa and the world and further enhancing the country’s apparel production industry, a significant milestone in attaining manufacturing as one of the Big Four Agenda items.
While acknowledging that the biotechnology innovations were significant in accelerating Kenya’s long-term development plan, the CS regretted that the country among other African states was unable to effectively harness the full potential of biotechnology crops and products because of the weak capacity to regulate the GM products.
He said the country needs biosafety regulatory measures which go hand in hand with biotechnology to help in adapting to new and emerging technologies and also address challenges including the government ban on importation of GM foods and the overlaps in regulatory mandates.
The CS however assured that his ministry will work with the parliament in ensuring that Kenya obtains a harmonized regional biosafety regulatory framework and also explore a co-evolutionary approach in which a particular technology is developed alongside its regulatory framework.

Source: Kenya News Agency