A Botswana company dealing with electronics engineering and innovations, Ked-Liphi, which has Chedza solar-powered backpacks as one of its trending innovations is shining brighter at the ongoing United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The company’s chief engineer and founder, 33 year-old Mr Kedumetse Liphi relayed to BOPA on the side-lines of UNFCCC that Chedza is a Kalanga name, which means light.
Chedza backpack will be conferred the Climate Change, Adaptation and mitigation technology award at COP28.
Liphi said the backpack absorbs sun rays during the day, and stores them for later use, which has proven to be useful, particularly to students with no electricity at home to go through their learning material during the night.
“The bag uses stored power to light LED in the back and has a component where such students can be able to charge their government provided lap-tops,” he said beaming with joy.
The waterproof bag made of canvas, has a life span of five years, a solar panel and lithium batteries that helps store power during the day, which can then be used for lighting at night. Also, the backpack has a USB port that facilitates the charging of cell phones as well as lap-tops, explained Mr Liphi,
The solar powered backpacks innovation, which had won the company a SEED climate adaptation 2023 Botswana runners-up in October at regional level had done it again, this time around at a global stage.
“The innovation is getting a lot of recognition and we also have a partnership with the United States of America Army where now we are developing the bag to be used by the military personnel in the jungles to avoid making bon-fires. They can employ the services of the backpacks as a source of light and use stored energy to charge their phones,” he said. The African free trade-area, according to Mr Liphi would become an important conduit for the innovation driven enterprise to expand further and conquer Africa and ultimately the world.
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