I remember the day I first heard about the Google Science Fair last year. I was sitting in my 10th grade science class when my teacher asked us: “What will you try?” I loved the invitation—and the challenge—that the Google Science Fair offered. It was a chance to use science to do something that could really make a difference in the world.

I had always been curious and interested in science, and knew I wanted to submit a project, but didn’t really know exactly where to begin. I asked my teacher for his advice on selecting a research topic. He encouraged me to choose something that I felt passionate about, or something that outraged me, and told me to look at the world around me for inspiration. So I did. At that time, the Ebola crisis was all over the news. It was a devastating situation and I wanted to help be a part of the solution. I had found my project.

With the outbreak spreading so quickly, I decided that I wanted to find a way to diagnose the virus earlier so that treatment could be delivered as quickly as possible to those who were affected. I read online about silk’s amazing storage and stabilizing properties, and wondered if I could use silk to transport antibodies that could test for the virus. After many failed attempts (and cutting up lots of cocoons) I finally succeeded in creating a temperature-independent, portable, and inexpensive diagnostic test that could detect the Ebola virus in under 30 minutes. I was really excited that my research could help contribute to saving lives, and I was proud to be selected as the Grand Prize winner a few months later.

As the 2016 Google Science Fair launches today, I wanted to share a few tips from my own experience: First, as my teacher once guided me to do, look at the world around you for ideas. If you’re stuck, try the Make Better Generator to find something that excites or inspires you. Second, find a mentor who’s interested in the same things as you. There are a lot of helpful ideas on the GSF site to get you started. And finally, don’t get discouraged—often what first appears like failure can teach you so much more.

With Google Play, you can find, enjoy and share your favorite books, games, apps and music on your phone, tablet or computer. Today we’re adding movies for rental or purchase to Google Play in South Africa, including hundreds of high-definition, full-length feature films from all the major Hollywood studios.

Google Play has some fantastic films to entertain you through the upcoming months, including blockbusters like Mad Max: Fury Road and classic films like Cleopatra. We also hope to add some local titles soon.
You can watch movies on Google Play in a variety of ways:

• Android devices - On your Android phone and tablet, open the Play Store to shop for movies. Movies can be streamed immediately in the Play Movies app, or downloaded for viewing without a data connection;
• iOS devices - On your iPhone and iPad, download the Google Play Movies app from the Apple App Store. Movies you’ve purchased on Google Play (play.google.com) are available immediately to stream or download in the Play Movies app.
• On the web - On your computer, buy and watch movies on the Google Play Store website (play.google.com/)
• On your TV - You can also watch movies on your Android TV, Chromecast, or (coming soon) LG Smart TV.

Movies are available for rent and purchase at competitive pricing starting at R19.99. For most movies, you’ll have 30 days to begin watching your rental, and, once you start watching, you have 48 hours to finish. 

Participants in South Africa join others from Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal in a live Google Hangouts session during Safer Internet Day, 2015

“For magnificence, for variety of form and colour, for profusion of brilliant life - bird, insect, reptile, beast - for vast scale -- Uganda is truly the pearl of Africa.”. - Winston Churchill

First, there were apps and games, then we had books. Now we have Music!

Starting today, Google Play Music will be available in South Africa! Google Play gives you an unlimited pass to a huge library of music on all your devices — from all the major record companies, as well as top local and independent labels.

Computer Science is increasingly being used to solve some of the world’s most complex and challenging problems. Today, learning to code is just as important as reading, writing and arithmetic. Knowledge of computer science is essential for the youth of Africa so that they have the opportunity to design and build the future tools that the world will use.

Since 2009, Google’s Computer Science for High School (CS4HS) programmes have helped over 20,000 teachers worldwide gain expertise in computer science (CS) and learn valuable skills for teaching CS to students. Despite these accomplishments, there’s still a long way to go in supporting teachers to understand the critical principles of CS education, as shown in recent research carried out by Gallup (and commissioned by Google).

Project Link started with a simple mission: to connect more people to high-quality broadband Internet. Our first step was to build a super-fast fiber network in Kampala that any mobile operator or Internet service provider can use to improve the quality of access and launch new services, such as 4G. By connecting the city to abundant capacity, which a dozen local providers are using today, Link’s fiber network is providing a foundation for better connectivity in Uganda’s capital.

Today, Project Link is building on this foundation by launching a Wi-Fi hotzone network to improve the quality and affordability of wireless access—a key need to meet the bandwidth demands of the Kampala’s growing number of mobile phone users.

As with our fiber network, our Wi-Fi hotzone network will equip mobile network operators (MNOs) and Internet service provider (ISPs) with infrastructure they need to deliver improved services to end users. We offer these local providers access to wireless infrastructure—Wi-Fi access points and supporting equipment—so they can deliver Wi-Fi services without having to make duplicate investments in costly infrastructure.

Our Wi-Fi network is available today at 120 sites in the busiest parts of the city, and we plan to expand to more in the coming year. Local providers can use this shared Wi-Fi infrastructure to bring Wi-Fi to people on-the-go at busy locations—like Seroma Shoppers Stop Plaza or Ben Kiwanuka Old Taxi Park. We are launching this service today with Roke Telkom, the first provider to offer Wi-Fi using Project Link hotzones. People can log into a Rokespot and access more ubiquitous, affordable access for their mobile device.

To help keep up with the demand for wireless bandwidth, we’re working with additional providers to launch similar Wi-Fi offerings. Local providers can also use our Wi-Fi hotzone network to offer wireless service in homes, cafes, and small business with a small transceiving device. Roke Telkom, as well as any future partners, will determine the specific speeds and costs of the service for end users.

As with our fiber network, the goal for all of these services is to make full, affordable, high-quality broadband access—including Wi-Fi—more available in Uganda’s largest city. The next time you find yourself on a busy street in Kampala, be sure to check out what new Wi-Fi services are available.

Posted by: Ela Beres, Access Associate

Imagine trying to watch Mavin Records’s popular hit Dorobucci but the video buffers every five seconds. Or imagine only being able to watch the first minute of it, before stepping out of the WiFi zone at the mall.

Much of the countries in Sub Saharan Africa have proven themselves to be a part of the fast growing mobile-first world in terms of smartphone adoption, but access to high-speed, affordable data remains a big challenge. In response, we’ve been working on ways to lessen the demands of speed and data for people using our products in places where there are challenges to access.

Today we’re bringing offline playback to more countries including Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana. This feature lets you save many videos offline in the YouTube mobile app to watch later during periods of low or no internet connectivity. For videos where this feature is available, you can choose to save the video for offline viewing by tapping on the offline icon. Once saved offline, videos can be played without an Internet connection for up to 48 hours, so you can enjoy them without worrying about slow connections (music videos excluded).


Starting today, the majority of YouTube videos in these countries will become available for people to view offline, from movies to local comedy and unboxings. Making these popular videos available for offline playback will help people move past the challenges of data connection, speed and cost to enjoy a smooth, buffer-free version of their favorite content.

Offline playback is just a start. We working on even more ways to make video content more affordable and accessible to our growing base of mobile users in the region.

Matthew Darby, Product Manager


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Fini de regarder tourner la roue d'attente : YouTube hors ligne fait son entrée au Nigeria, au Kenya et Ghana

Imaginez que vous êtes en train de regarder du clip vidéo Dorobucci de Mavin Records mais que la vidéo se met en attente toutes les 5 secondes. Ou imaginez seulement que vous avez pu regarder la première minute de la vidéo mais que vous venez de sortir de la zone Wi-Fi du centre commercial et que vous ne captez plus.

La plupart des pays d'Afrique sub-saharienne font partie de ceux qui sont passés massivement à la téléphonie mobile avec l'adoption des smartphones, sans pour autant pouvoir offrir un accès à des données abordables en haut débit. Pour y répondre, nous avons cherché des solutions pour réduire les besoins en débit et en données des utilisateurs de nos produits qui ne disposent pas d'un accès fiable et suffisant.

Aujourd'hui, nous étendons la fonction de lecture hors ligne à d'autres pays dont le Nigeria, le Kenya et le Ghana. Cette fonction vous permet de sauvegarder des vidéos hors ligne dans l'appli mobile YouTube et de les regarder plus tard lorsque vous n'avez pas ou peu de connexion à Internet. Vous pouvez ainsi choisir de sauvegarder une vidéo, si la fonction est disponible pour la vidéo en question, et de la regarder ensuite hors ligne en appuyant sur l'icône hors ligne. Une fois sauvegardées hors ligne, les vidéos peuvent être visionnées sans connexion Internet pendant 48H. Vous pouvez donc en profiter sans vous soucier de la qualité de la connexion (sauf vidéos de musique).

A partir d'aujourd'hui, la plupart des vidéos YouTube seront disponibles dans ces pays en lecture hors ligne, qu'il s'agisse de films, de comédies locales ou de vidéos de déballage ("unboxings"). Ainsi, les utilisateurs disposeront d'un moyen de passer outre les problèmes de connexion, de débit et de coût pour profiter pleinement de leur contenu préféré.

La lecture hors ligne n'est qu'un début. Nous travaillons sur d'autres moyens de rendre les contenus vidéo plus abordables et accessibles à la communauté grandissante des utilisateurs mobiles dans la région.

Matthew Darby, Manager Produit

We’ve come a long way since we first started investing in renewable energy, committing more than $2 billion to 22 clean energy projects, and broadening our portfolio to include new regions like Africa. Since investing in the continent’s largest solar project, we’ve continued to see a big opportunity in fast-growing markets with rich renewable energy resources, where both the need and the potential are great. In fact, many countries are turning to renewables to help connect the nearly two-thirds of Africans that don’t have power today.

Today, we’re committing to invest in the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project in Northern Kenya, our second clean energy investment in Africa. When complete, Lake Turkana will bring 310 megawatts of clean energy onto Kenya’s grid—enough to power more than two million households across the country. Lake Turkana will help bring much needed capacity and stability to Kenya’s energy supply, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and emergency diesel generation while providing some of the most cost effective power in the country.

Google will join a diverse group of international investors in Lake Turkana, including the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the U.S. government’s development finance institution, and Vestas, which is also supplying the turbines for the wind farm. We will purchase Vestas’ 12.5% stake in Lake Turkana once it comes online, becoming the first U.S. private investor to support the project.


Kenya ranks among the world’s fastest-growing economies and has goals of universal energy access and increasing capacity of the grid by 5GW by the end of the decade. Lake Turkana can help meet these goals. It offers one of the best wind resources in the world in terms of speed and consistency, and once operational, will deliver capacity equivalent to about 15% of Kenya’s current grid. It will also spur additional energy development in the region through a 266 mile transmission line that is being constructed to support the project. This transmission line will act as a backbone for the Kenyan grid and enable further geothermal capacity to be developed in the country’s Rift Valley.

As an investor in both the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind farm projects in Africa, we are as optimistic as ever about the potential for these investments to accelerate progress toward a future of clean energy. These efforts not only make business sense, they can help accelerate the deployment of renewable energy globally— including in emerging markets like Kenya, where there is an opportunity to have a transformative impact on the energy grid.

Posted by Rick Needham, Energy & Sustainability Director


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Investir dans le plus grand projet éolien d’Afrique

Nous avons parcouru beaucoup de chemin depuis notre premier investissement dans les énergies renouvelables, avec plus de 2 milliards de dollars investis dans 22 projets d'énergie propre et un portefeuille qui s'étend vers de nouvelles régions du monde telles que l'Afrique. Depuis que nous nous sommes engagés dans le plus vaste projet solaire du continent, nous restons persuadés que les économies en plein essor à fortes ressources en énergie renouvelable, représentent une formidable opportunité, parce que leurs besoins et leur potentiel sont immenses. En fait, de nombreux pays se tournent vers les énergies renouvelables pour essayer de raccorder pas moins des deux-tiers des africains qui n'ont pas accès à l'électricité aujourd'hui.

Aujourd'hui, nous nous engageons dans le projet éolien Lake Turkana Wind Power Project au nord du Kenya, notre deuxième projet d'investissement en énergie propre en Afrique. Une fois terminé, le projet Lake Turkana générera 310 mégawatts d'énergie propre au réseau kenyan, suffisamment pour alimenter en électricité plus de deux millions de foyers à travers le pays. Le projet de Lake Turkana contribuera à apporter la stabilité et la capacité en approvisionnement énergétique dont le Kenya a tant besoin, réduisant du même coup la dépendance aux énergies fossiles et le recours aux groupes électrogènes tout en produisant l'électricité la plus rentable du pays.

Pour ce faire, Google se joindra à un groupe d'investisseurs internationaux engagés dans le projet Lake Turkana, dont l'OPIC (Overseas Private Investment Corporation), l'institution financière de développement du gouvernement américain, et Vestas, qui fournit également les turbines du parc éolien. Lorsque le projet sera opérationnel, nous rachèterons les 12,5% de part de Vestas dans le projet Lake Turkana, et deviendrons de fait le premier investisseur privé américain impliqué dans le projet.

Le Kenya, qui fait partie des économies qui affichent le plus fort essor dans le monde, s'est donné un double objectif : disposer d'un accès universel à l'énergie et augmenter la capacité de son réseau de 5 gigawatts d'ici à la fin de la décennie. Le projet Lake Turkana peut l'y aider. En effet, le projet apporte l'une des meilleures ressources éoliennes au monde en termes de rapidité et de régularité et fournira, une fois opérationnel, une capacité équivalente à environ 15 % du réseau kenyan actuel. Ce projet, qui suppose la construction d'une ligne de transmission de 428 km, devrait également enclencher une dynamique de développement énergétique dans la région : la ligne de transmission servira d'épine dorsale au réseau kenyan et permettra de développer la capacité géothermique dans la vallée du Rift du pays

En tant qu'investisseur dans les plus grands projets solaires photovoltaïques (PV) et éoliens d'Afrique, nous sommes plus optimistes que jamais quant au potentiel de ces investissements à accélérer le progrès vers un avenir énergétique propre. Ces efforts ne constituent pas seulement une opération commerciale rentable, ils ont aussi pour vocation d'accélérer le déploiement des énergies renouvelables à travers le monde, notamment dans les économies émergentes telles que le Kenya, où ces projets peuvent avoir un fort impact en termes de transformation du réseau énergétique.

Publié par Rick Needham, Directeur, Énergie et Développement durable

From the heroes of Kenya, to the carvings and sculptures of the Shona of Zimbabwe, the Makonde of Tanzania and the Karamojong of Uganda to the calabash artwork of West Africa, internet users can now explore the diversity and richness of Africa’s culture and heritage on their desktop and mobile devices.

We’ve partnered with the Kenya National Archives & Documentation Centre to extend its efforts to preserve Africa’s cultural heritage. The result is the outcome of one of Google Cultural Institute’s biggest digitization projects on the continent. Today we’re launching 8 curated exhibits and more than 1,000 items on our platform.

Mashujaa Wetu
Kenya has her own heroes; men and women who cannot be forgotten because they made her who she is today.



One highlight is the launch of the Mobile App of the National Archives of Kenya which provides access to a rich trove of rare artifacts, documents, and important stories to users. This is the first partner app in Kenya built with Google Cultural Institute technologies, and the third in Africa. With the launch of this App we intend to help more people understand what makes Africa such an amazing continent.

African Carvings
They are carvings of wood, stone and metal most of which are showcased here.


Whether it’s highlighting the history of Lagos, helping the world retrace the steps of Nelson Mandela or preserving the diversity of dazzling african ceremonies, Google’s Cultural Institute is helping to preserve and tell the story of Africa on a global scale. We are excited that users will be able to easily access these, and more, artefacts, stories and history of Kenya and the continent.

Posted by Charles Murito, Google Kenya Country Manager
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Le patrimoine culturel du Kenya désormais universellement accessible

Des héros kenyans, aux sculptures d’art Shona au Zimbabwe, Makondé en Tanzanie et Karamojong en Ouganda en passant par l’art de la calebasse en Afrique de l’Ouest, les internautes peuvent désormais découvrir la diversité et la richesse du patrimoine culturel de l’Afrique depuis leur ordinateur et leurs appareils mobiles.

Nous nous sommes associés au Kenya National Archives & Documentation Centre (Centre national des archives et de la documentation du Kenya) afin de poursuivre les efforts de préservation du patrimoine culturel africain. Le projet de numérisation réalisé sous l’égide du Google Cultural Institute constitue l’une des initiatives les plus importantes lancées sur ce continent. Nous inaugurons aujourd’hui 8 expositions auxquelles s’ajoutent la présentation de plus de 1 000 objets sur notre plateforme.

Mashujaa Wetu
Le Kenya a ses héros, ces hommes et ces femmes qui sont restés dans la mémoire collective, car ils ont façonné le pays que l’on connaît aujourd’hui. Image et Exhib ici.

Élément majeur de ce projet, le lancement de l’Application mobile des National Archives of Kenya (Archives nationales du Kenya) qui permet aux utilisateurs d’avoir accès à un véritable trésor comprenant des artefacts et des documents rares ainsi que des récits de grande valeur. Il s’agit là de la première application partenaire, la troisième en Afrique, réalisée au Kenya grâce aux technologies du Google Cultural Institute. Grâce au lancement de cette application, notre but est d’aider un plus grand nombre de gens à comprendre ce qui fait de l’Afrique un continent d’exception.

Sculptures africaines
Il s’agit de sculptures en bois, en pierre et en métal dont la plupart sont exposées ici :

Que ce soit pour illustrer l’histoire du Lagos, vous aider à marcher sur les pas de Nelson Mandela ou préserver la diversité éblouissante des cérémonies africaines, le Google’s Cultural Institute a pour mission de préserver et de raconter l’histoire de l’Afrique au monde entier. Nous nous réjouissons à la perspective que les internautes puissent accéder facilement à ces artefacts, à ces récits et à bien plus encore ainsi qu’à l’histoire du Kenya et de ce continent.

Publié par Charles Murito, Directeur pays, Google Kenya