Technology plays a key role in the evolution and development of the different sectors of the economy. Many companies across different industries have successfully incorporated technology to create innovative digital solutions to address climate change and achieve sustainable economic growth. In line with Egypt Vision 2030 and the National Climate Change Strategy 2050, Vodafone is participating in COP27 Climate Conference as a strategic partner, under the company’s belief that this event, hosted by Egypt, is a pivotal opportunity for the world to join forces to accelerate climate action plans.
Vodafone’s participation was not limited to sponsoring the event. The company also worked to provide full support to the Egyptian government in preparing the COP27 Climate Change Conference according to the highest standards, starting from developing and upgrading network coverage in Sharm el-Sheikh, to the provision of sophisticated communication services to connect conference participants and visitors by drawing on the latest digital networking technologies. Additionally, His Excellency the Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Dr. Mohamed Shaker El-Markabi, chaired the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Vodafone and the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) to initiate discussions on the potential use of renewable electricity generated by the Authority’s projects to feed its network.
In addition, Vodafone provided COP27 a special customer service to support and assist attendees in inquiries about the conference, as well as distributing Vodafone’s ECO-SIM card to all attendees.
Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, and Minister of Environment Dr. Yasmine Fouad, inspected Vodafone pavilion during the first day of the conference, which exhibited prominent technological solutions, applied globally and locally, that support environmental preservation, rationalizing consumption, and the use of renewable sources of energy. Vodafone presented business use cases to model the utilization of these solutions and facilitate visitors’ viewing. Farms were selected as a case study to demonstrate the importance of technological solutions and its impact on climate change as well as food security.
In tandem with the COP27 commencement, Vodafone launched an advertising campaign featuring Asser Yassin, under the slogan “Every little act today creates a better tomorrow”, to raise public awareness that changing daily habits can have a positive impact on protecting the environment and tackling climate change. The advertising campaign called for reducing the use of plastic, using energy and electricity-saving products, and conserving water consumption to preserve environmental resources.
The campaign also showcased Vodafone Egypt’s efforts over the past period to preserve the environment by adopting a sustainable digital strategy within all its branches and sales centers. This includes applying digital bills and waiting lines to reduce paper printing within branches, substituting plastic for paper bags, and converting the company employees’ SIM cards to ECO-SIM cards. The company also launched an awareness campaign prior to the conference, which urged its partners and customers to reduce their environmental footprint and work together to address climate change and its consequences.
In this context, Mohamed Abdallah, CEO and Managing Director of Vodafone Egypt, expressed his pride that Vodafone Egypt was the strategic partner of the COP27 Climate Change Conference, noting that Vodafone Egypt is one of the first companies to adopt measures aimed at preserving the environment, and was keen to conclude partnerships and contribute to government initiatives aimed at reaching a sustainable digital ecosystem.
Abdallah added, “Vodafone is one of the first private sector companies to pay close attention to the issue of tackling climate change. In continuation of our environmental sustainability plans that are in line with Egypt Vision 2030 and the National Climate Change Strategy 2050 aiming to achieve sustainable economic growth, we have been keen to participate in the climate summit to provide the most important technological solutions for energy conservation and efficiency to achieve sustainable development goals and principles. ”
Regarding the solutions showcased by Vodafone at the conference, Abdallah said, “The solutions we are displaying during the conference are part of the company’s efforts to digitize government’s various sectors on both the local level and international levels, based on an environmental strategy of clean energy and renewable sources. These efforts are underpinned by the belief in the importance of smart interaction with diverse technology systems to keep pace with the future challenges of environmental sustainability, most notably in agriculture and irrigation, as it is closely linked to food security, which tops the conference’s agenda.”
By entering Vodafone pavilion, visitors can have a deeper look on Vodafone’s sustainable agricultural digital systems, from solutions that use non-renewable energy resources and reduce emissions, to others aimed at developing farms’ digital culture, and encourage the reliance on climate technologies that support environmental conservation, yet also improve production efficiency.
In addition, the IoT-based solution, Fleet Analytics: Tractor is one of the most important applications Vodafone showcased in its pavilion. This technology contributes to reducing fuel use and carbon footprint, as well as modernizing and digitizing agricultural services based on modern architectures in the agricultural sector, including the remote sensing application “Ultra Fire Detection”, which quickly detects any fires before occur, thereby reducing fire damage.
A range of smart farming and irrigation solutions is also presented as important contributors to upgrading the agricultural sector and increasing productivity. One of Vodafone’s most key success stories is the VODACOM experience that provides an integrated agricultural platform for farms through MyFarmWeb, that can be used to control and monitor the agricultural process and resource consumption, including energy and water, using IoT solutions. This is in addition to the company’s display of the Connected Farmer and AgriTec platforms that connect farms with suppliers and labor, and provide up-to-date information to improve production processes and reduce environmental impact.
To enhance the company’s ongoing efforts to utilize renewable energy, particularly solar power, Vodafone introduced a farming model based on the farmer’s daily agricultural activities that generates electricity from renewable energy using building rooftops. This clean technology service will be offered by VODACOM to its clients, and links the methods of payment for renewable energy to M-pesa, an electronic payment service operated by VODACOM in cooperation with African governments.
