Water
With the Headworks tower bricked
up, as shown in the above image,
there was no entrance for a crane,
and all the overhead fittings
and lifting apparatus had been
removed. This left no option but to
manually install the pump before
lowering the hose.
Partnership using AI
and alternative data sets
Aiming to enable
small farmers to gain
banking access
All the installation equipment
and the Deepset Hose had to
be brought in through a stan-
dard double door which was the
only means of entrance to the
Headworks tower and Shaft.
The wellhead was then attached to
the end of the Deepset and put in
place over the opening. Electrical
connections were completed, and
the water started to flow.
Slowly, but surely, the pump and
Deepset went all the way down to
the water’s surface at 300 metres
and then continued down to reach
its full 400m target depth.
The excitement was palpable as
the flow began, and the local team
marvelled at the results achieved
with the unfamiliar flexible hose.
We at Hose Manufacturers were
also thrilled at the success of the
project, as this Deepset installa-
tion was the first of its kind for us.
The Deepset Flexible Riser used in this project
has the following specifications:
Burst Pressure: 100 bar
Tensile Strength: 12t
Rated for: Installations up to 400m
Please contact Hose Manufacturers for any further questions.
[email protected], Tel +27 21 948 3971
R
efinitiv and AFGRI Technology Services (ATS) today
announce the Bankable Farmer Research Initiative
(BFRI). BFRI will be dedicated to the use of data
science, alternative data sets and novel approaches to risk
modelling in order to increase access to financial services
for small commercial farmers across sub-Saharan Africa.
Access to credit for small
farmers continues to be a chal-
lenge due to lack of credit history
and profile. BFRI proposes a
highly innovative approach to
establishing creditworthiness and
is expected to be a significant
enabler for growth and prosperity
in the region. It is anticipated the
BFRI will partner with public and
private entities to expand the
impact of this initiative.
Over 80% of sub-Saharan
Africa’s population is engaged
in agriculture. Smallholders,
micro-commercial farms and the
business ecosystem around these
farms constitute the vast majority
of economic activity on the African
continent. The number of small
commercial farmers in Africa is
estimated at over 30 million, most
of which are underbanked, and as
a result find it difficult to pay for
seed, fertilizer and other inputs.
The World Bank’s Consultative
Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP)
estimates the market opportu-
nity for credit services to small
farmers across Africa and South
Asia to be $450bn.
Luke Manning, global head of
Sustainability at Refinitiv said: “Two
of our key sustainability pledges
are to support the communities
we operate in and put sustain-
ability at the heart of our product
offering, and our bankable farmer
innovation delivers on both of
those. We’re committed to using
Refinitiv data and expertise wher-
ever possible to support the UN’s
sustainable development goals,
and ultimately solve some of the
world’s largest environmental and
social challenges. As the solution
emerges, Refinitiv looks forward
to working with its banking
customers to ensure the financial
ecosystem develops across all
demographics in Africa.”
“AFGRI Agri Services is proud
to support this research initiative
through our ATS division. We
already have a strong focus on
developing small and emerging
farmers locally through our
Lemang business and we want
to see the number of successful
farmers grow. Through innovation
and new methodologies, we can
improve how we collectively do
this”, said Jacob de Villiers, CEO
AFGRI Agri Services.
The Research & Development
team will be based at AFGRI
in Centurion, Pretoria (South
Africa) and will be supported by
Refinitiv’s global team of data
scientists. “We are very excited
about what we can achieve with
this partnership. Not only are we
striving to solve a critical business
challenge faced by financial insti-
tutions, we are striving to solve a
critical development need on the
continent. It’s not an easy chal-
lenge to solve, successful farming
comes with many variables and
risks. A critical pillar to a farmer’s
success is accessing the right
funding at the right time,” added
Niki Neumann, GM Innovation
& Strategy (Head of ATS), AFGRI
Agri Services.
Partnership and co-creation
remain core tenets of the initia-
tive going forward, and the team
is keen to engage with addi-
tional partners.
The world’s most intractable
problems require deep collabora-
tion and an approach to partner-
ship grounded in shared values
and shared vision to find viable,
sustainable solutions, they noted.
SABI | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019
17