Kusi Ideas Festival officially kicked off  on 8 December in Kigali, Rwanda, in what promises to be illuminating discussions about the future of the African continent. The Festival, jointly organised by the Nation Media Group (NMG) and AKDN, brings together various stakeholders and leaders. Speaking at the opening ceremony, NMG board chairman Wilfred Kiboro said the festival was brought to Rwanda "because the country is the perfect place to launch such an important festival, as it represents the possibilities that societies everywhere in Africa can achieve."

Last month, a five-day training on the use of hazard assessment and disaster management technologies, including Geographic Information System (GIS) and the application of drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), was conducted for the specialists of the Emergencies Committee of Tajikistan by the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat. Within the course of the training, the specialists were taught how to use GIS and UAV for hazard assessment, hazard prediction, emergency planning and management and how to make best use of technologies when disaster areas are inaccessible during emergency cases.