Rolls-Royce pioneers sustainable technologies that deliver the cleanest, safest and most competitive solutions for our planet’s vital power needs. Many can be forgiven for associating Rolls-Royce with the British luxury car manufacturer.
But, with more than 16,400 aero-engines in service worldwide, Rolls-Royce has grown from the electrical and mechanical business established by Henry Royce in 1884. The car company was sold in 1990, and today BMW holds the rights to the name and marque for use on their luxury Rolls Royce Motor Cars.
Today Rolls Royce Group is a Global technology company built on three strong and complimentary business units-Civil Aerospace, Defense and Power Systems.
The Power Systems business, now called Rolls-Royce Solutions, was acquired by Rolls Royce Group fully in 2014. Power Systems is a leading provider of high-speed and medium-speed reciprocating engines, complete propulsion systems and distributed energy solutions.
Rolls-Royce believes that Africa is on target to become the first continent in the world to grow its economy solely through modern technologies and sustainable low carbon energy sources.
According to Tobias Hoffmann Rolls-Royce Solutions, Senior Sales Manager, Rolls-Royce is strengthening its foothold in Africa. “In Africa, the majority of our business is within two pillars-the aviation sector, where we do business with international companies, such as Ethiopian Airlines and Egypt Air. And, what I call, the ‘land division’ where we do power systems. We are generating power. We have diesel and gas generators. We have also the capability to introduce new technologies and fuels like hydrogen,” Hoffman said.
Rolls-Royce’s Power Systems division is manufacturing clean and efficient engines, their gas genset are proved to run on 100% hydrogen and their diesel gensets can take Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO). . The company is growing its presence, products and services across Africa
Eliud Muchina, Sales Engineer at Rolls-Royce Solutions Africa Kenya Ltd, said that Rolls-Royce is covering the railway, mining, marine and power generation sectors in Africa. “In all these sectors, we support our customers. In the past, we were only represented by third parties, but now we can directly support our customers. We have an entity in Nairobi, and through this entity we can support our partners and customers in East Africa.” Muchina said.
Rolls-Royce Solutions has different units including power generation, marine, industrial, mining and agriculture, all of which can benefit Africa. With headquarters in South Africa the company has products in all African countries, namely in Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Morocco and Egypt.
Rolls Royce is rolling out a new plan for the African market that will enable it to strengthen its foothold in the continent. “We are extending our footprint in Africa. We are working with our local partners having deployed our people on the ground,” Hoffman said.
Speaking of the Ethiopian market, Muchina said Rolls-Royce sees big opportunities in power generation. There are many ongoing hydropower generation projects such as the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Muchina said Rolls-Royce could also supply water pumps to the ongoing geothermal projects in Ethiopia.
“We can provide off grid solutions. We can generate power where the national grid doesn’t exist,” Muchina said. Rolls-Royce supplies fuel efficient power generators and it can also build micro grid. “We see big business in Ethiopia in power generation.”
The Ethiopian government is expanding the national grid and delivering affordable electric power. However, frequent power interruptions and power fluctuations still threaten the manufacturing industry. “That is where we can jump in,” says Muchina.
Rolls-Royce Solutions manufactures and supplies uninterruptible power backup generators (UPSs) and battery storage solutions and genset back up power generation. In the industrial parks, the company can supply emergency power supply units. “We know that the government is availing affordable power, but manufacturers need to have backup power. Most of the manufacturers in the industrial parks are textile factories. Their machines are very sensitive to power interruption or inconsistency. So we can provide solutions to the manufacturers. We can work with the industrial parks and provide them with centralized back up power system or we can serve individual companies,” Muchina said.
According to Hoffman, Rolls-Royce has already started its journey in Ethiopia last year by partnering with its local systems integrator-General Power. “We already have plenty of demand for generators and micro grids. We will be serving the demand where there is no grid with our local system integrator.”
Yeneneh Dawit, General Manager of General Power, said that half of Ethiopia’s 110 million population does not have access to electricity. “Together with our partner Rolls-Royce we want to address this sizeable market. We have partnered with the right power company, and we are on the right track to serve the Ethiopian market,” Dawit said.
Muchina cited a practical example where Rolls-Royce supported Kenyan Railways in revamping ageing locomotives. Railways have been operating in Africa for the past 100 years. Over the years, they have become run down. Kenyan Railways has old locomotives powered by Rolls-Royce engines.
“We are helping them replace the engines, which are over forty-fifty years old which can no longer be serviced or repaired. We are helping them to replace the engines gradually. We started that in Kenya, and hope to help neighboring countries with their ageing fleet of locomotives, and give them a new lease of life.” Muchina said.
With the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA), African countries need to transport goods across borders, and railways play an important role in realizing the transport demand between neighboring countries.
Hoffman says African countries can tap into new technologies such as the use of sustainable fuel. “Our engines are ready to run on sustainable fuel. African countries can jump in and seize the opportunity,” he added.
Muchina shares Hoffman’s view. “We are heading to an era of de carbonization and increased energy security. African countries should be looking at the use of native, locally produced sustainable fuels. And this is the space where our products can come in. We are focused on the manufacturing and delivery of sustainable power solutions. As East African countries’ economies are growing, we see big opportunity,” he concluded.
Rolls-Royce rolls in Africa
Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou
Born
12 December 1923 in Addis Ababa
Died
27 March 2023 (aged 99)
Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou (ፅጌ ማርያም ገብሩ), born Yewubdar Gebru , Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, December 12, 1923, was an Ethiopian pianist and composer.
Young Yewubdar secretly fled Addis Abeba at the age of 19 to enter the Guishen Mariam monastery in the Wello region, she had once before visited with her mother. She served two years in the monastery and was ordained a nun at the age of 21. She took on the title Emahoy and her name was changed to Tsege Mariam.
Her father Kentiba Gebru and her mother Kassaye Yelemtu both had a place in high society. Yewubdar was sent to Switzerland at the age of six along with her sister Senedu Gebru. Both attended a girls’ boarding school where Yewubdar studied the violin and then the piano. She gave her first violin recital at the age of ten. She returned to Ethiopia in 1933 to continue her studies at the Empress Menen Secondary School. In 1937 young Yewubdar and her family were taken prisoners of war by the Italians and deported to the island of Asinara, north of Sardinia, and later to Mercogliano near Naples.
Yewubdar resumed her musical studies in Cairo, under a Polish violinist named Alexander Kontorowicz. Yewubdar returned to Ethiopia accompanied by Kontorowicz and she served as administrative assistant in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and later in the Imperial Body Guard where Kontorowicz was appointed by the Emperor Haile Selassie as music director of the band.
Despite the difficult life in religious order and the limited appreciation for her music in traditional Ethiopian culture, Emahoy worked fervently day and night. Often she played up to nine hours a day and went on to write many compositions for violin, piano and organ concerto.
In early 1960s Emahoy lived in Gondar studying the religious music of St Yared, composer and father of Mahlet, the early Ethiopian religious music. On her daily trips to and from the church, she came across young students in Liturgy known as “yekolo temari” One day she asked why these young people sleep outdoor by the church gate. She was told they beg for food and lodging and are homeless while they pursue their education with the church. Emahoy was deeply moved by the sacrifices these young people made to study the Mahlet. “Although I did not have money to give them, I was determined to use my music to help these and other young people to get an education”, Emahoy told Alula Kebede in her interview on his Amharic radio program on the Voice of America.
Musical Achievements
Emahoy’s first record was released in Germany in 1967 with the help of Emperor Haile Selassie. Other recordings followed with the help of her sister Desta Gebru; the proceeds were used to help an orphanage for children of soldiers who died fighting at war.
The Golden Years
Emahoy left Ethiopia following her mother’s death in 1984 and fled to Jerusalem, Israel because socialist doctrine in Ethiopia during the reign of dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam attacked her religious beliefs. Emahoy still plays the piano at the monastery nearly seven hours a day, and continues to write new solo piano compositions. Emahoy has been recognized by many music critics around the world and there is a growing interest in her life and her music by international media including Le Monde, BBC, and Canada TV.
The Big Art Sale
This year’s edition of The Big Art Sale, one of the biggest arts shows in Ethiopia is said to be held on April 8 and 9, 2023.
The Big Art Sale is one of the most significant What’s Out! Addis activities, held in collaboration with the Hilton Addis Ababa and partnering with Coca-Cola, BGI Ethiopia, and Dashin Bank.
As indicated on a press conference given by the organizers on March 30, 2023, in its 18th year as the largest art event, The Big Art Sale is anticipating more than 5000 guests in the two days. More than 263 local artists will participate in showcasing their work, gathering a large number of artists under one roof, as the number has increased from 150 artists last year.
The organizers have stated that the event will take place in a big, open hall at the Hilton Addis Ababa on Saturday, April 8, and Sunday, April 9, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
As indicated, more than 3000 works of art will be displayed for sale under a large tent; each piece will be an original, and visitors will have the chance to also meet the artists themselves.
“A shaded area will be set up under the trees where food and drinks will be sold. Young art lovers and budding artists, accompanying their parents, can be engaged in the Kids’ Corner,” said Rachel Berhane, managing director of Whats Out Addis.
As stated the entrance fee is 200 birr, as the gathering is aimed not only at art enthusiasts but also at families.
“The event’s significance is to support the artistic community, and any proceeds from the gathering will be donated to a nonprofit chosen by all project partners.”
What’s Out Addis has, over the last 18 years, organised some of the most exciting artistic events in Addis Ababa. Under the leadership of Yasser Bagersh, the organisation has helped foster and nurture the artistic community through art exhibitions, art tours, and large-scale art festivals.
USAID art competition helps children affected by conflict in Afar
The winners of a children’s art competition took part in a celebration with their classmates, teachers, and parents at the Megle Kibo Primary School, Semera, Afar region. The competition was organized by United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) READ II Education Recovery Activity and reached 2,100 children in grades four and five, living in conflict-affected areas of the Afar region.
Art instructors from the Regional College of Teachers Education and competition judges oversaw both the school-level art competitions and regional level screenings. The competition engaged students in a creative exercise that allowed them to reflect on their experiences during the conflict, build their self-esteem, and express hopes for their future.
During the ceremony, USAID/Ethiopia Mission Director Sean Jones, Head of the Afar 
Regional Education Bureau Abdu Hasen, and other members of the visiting delegation toured the Megle Kibo Primary School, and during a ‘gallery walk,’ 20 young finalists and three winners presented their work.
“As a partner to the Ethiopian people, it is an honor for USAID to play a small part in the education and healing of this region’s wonderful children. We are proud to encourage these children on the pathway to become agents of peace and stability in their communities,” said Jones.
This program is the culmination of the region-wide art competition, which drew the participation of 50 schools in Afar. The competition promoted art activities in regional schools, where art and artistic expression receive little attention and there are only a few trained art teachers. Creating art may help school children express their hopes for their future after experiencing trauma.
In Afar Region, USAID’s READ II Education Recovery Activity has provided emergency education support to 82,182 conflict-affected children from over 319 primary schools and camps for internally displaced persons across four zones and 22 woredas.
