Solar-Powered 5G Livestream from Amboseli Drives Interest in Kenyan Tourism Boosting Economic Recovery Efforts

On World Environment Day, Sunday June 5, Safaricom, Huawei, and China Media Group (CMG) partnered with the Ministry of Tourism to organize a solar-powered livestream from Amboseli National Park that was broadcast globally online and on TV. The livestream used a 5G network whose extremely fast speeds enabled a high quality viewing experience and is just one way that technology is playing a key role in supporting the growth of tourism. Reaching up to 100 million impressions, the event informed viewers of the importance of the natural environment and wildlife, as well as increasing interest in Kenyan tourism in support of the Magical Kenya Campaign. This is particularly important in light of the economic recovery post COVID-19 when the tourism industry was hit particularly badly.

During the live stream viewers saw spectacular views of elephant, buffalo, wildebeest, hippos and zebra as well as thousands of flamingos all with the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro. CGTN hosts provided a range of environmental information to viewers and interviewed the Kenya Wildlife Service wardens and rangers to provide further insights into the wildlife and conservation. Viewers were also shown how Huawei’s FusionSolar Green Power Home Solution, which powered the equipment used in the livestream, can play a critical role in providing renewable energy in Africa due to the abundance of sunshine available and accessibility of solar power systems for remote areas.

With the theme of World Environment Day calling for celebrating, protecting and restoring the planet Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Najib Balala kicked off the livestream noting how it enhances the Magical Kenya brand: “Kenya is blessed with extraordinary environmental resources which we protect and grow, in the belief that a strong ecosystem enables a vibrant economy and social development. Kenya is not only a leading tourism destination, we are also a leading technology nation. This is a partnership between the Ministry of Tourism, Safaricom, Huawei and CMG. The stream will enable viewers to travel deep into the Amboseli, and we look forward to seeing you soon in Kenya”.

CEO of Safaricom, Peter Ndegwa, also spoke at the launch of the event about how Safaricom combines the power of technology and innovation to transform lives: “Today’s livestream is powered by Safaricom’s 5G in partnership with Huawei and our Ministry of Tourism. We believe that 5G has a great future in enriching and enhancing the experience of tourism in this country and across the World. I am delighted that you are able to watch; I hope that it will inspire you to come and visit and meanwhile allow you to watch from anywhere that you might be”.

Technology will play an important role in environmental protection. In this case, the live stream used Huawei’s FusionSolar Green Power Home Solution so the camera equipment was powered by renewable electricity. The presenters explained how such solutions can use existing environmental resources at very little cost and even in remote areas, without needing fossil fuels.

Huawei East Africa CEO, Mr Will Meng welcomed viewers to see Kenya’s spectacular beauty: “I am pleased that today, along with our partners, we will be helping you see it virtually through a 5G network. The ability of 5G to bring incredible speeds and very low response times is enabling innovative solutions across all industries, and tourism is no exception to that. Technology is an incredibly powerful tool for protecting the environment through managing endangered wildlife and is also able to inform, educate and inspire us all. It is apt that today, World Environment Day, technology is helping us to understand how precious our environment is and I hope that it inspires each of us to do more to protect the environment.”

The 5G livestream recording can be watched on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy8rRb4tLAA) and Facebook (https://fb.watch/dtlKXonxvV/).